Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Got to Wonder What that Opinion Letter Said. The AP reports that "Microsoft Vista May Face Trademark Trouble." From the article: "Yet the CEO of Vista Inc., a business software and services company in Redmond, is already complaining that people have contacted his sales department with inquiries about Windows Vista."

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

I Wonder If This Ruling Will Have Implications for Criminal Lawyers? Law.com reports that "'Sports Illustrated' Ruling Pressures Media Attorneys." From the article: "Written by 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Edward E. Carnes, the ruling would compel attorneys defending SI's parent company, Time Inc., to tell the court if writer Don Yaeger's sources lie under oath to shield either their identities or the degree to which they contributed to Yaeger's story."

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

First They Threaten My Crackberry, Then My Wayback Machine? No! William Patry has a post about a recent complaint filed against Archive.org entitled "The Way Back Machine and Robots.txt." The complaint sounds to me like the result of sour grapes: "Back to the Healthcare Advocates case. The complaint in the earlier suit against Health Advocate, Inc. was filed in June 26, 2003. Healthcare Advocates [Plaintiff in the current case] had been operating a website, www.healthcareadvocates.com since 1998. In July 8, 2003, the robots.txt instructions were inserted. The next day, it is alleged, defendant's law firm tried to access archived Healthcare Advocates website material. In the court's July 8, 2004 opinion, an allegation is recited that between July 8, 2003 and July 15, 2003, 849 attempts were made to access the archived information, of which about 112 attempts were successful. Presumably, all of the material was pre-July 8, 2003 information." More on the case here.
Kozmo's Back! Well, kinda. Having been lucky enough to be living in Boston during Kozmo's heyday, though, I'm happy to see Wired reporting that "Diapers Revive Dead Dot-Com." From the article: "Most dads would simply suck it up and take perpetual trips to the grocery store. Instead, Siragusa decided to start a new web-based delivery service that would bring the baby goods -- and the occasional DVD, pint of ice cream or tube of toothpaste -- to him within an hour."

Monday, July 11, 2005

Are Other Schools Having Special Casting Calls for "The Apprentice"? Or is it just Hopkins?
What Do These Companies Know About You? internetnews.com reports that "EPIC Fighting Online Phone Record Sales." From the article: "According to the complaint, BestPeopleSearch offers detailed phone call records and the addresses on file for holders of post office boxes and private mailboxes. EPIC said the availability of this personal information is regulated, and the "private eye" service shouldn't be able to obtain it or sell it to others. For example, the Drivers Privacy Protection Act guards the personal information in motor vehicle records."

Friday, July 08, 2005

I Wonder Whose Job it is to Continuously Hit "Reload" on the NAA Opinion Page to Find These Things? (And yes, I know someone who does that with the Fed. Circuit page...) The AP reports that "Google Wins 'Typosquatting' Dispute." From the article: "In a decision made earlier this week, arbitrator Paul A. Dorf, endorsed Google's contention that the misspelled addresses were part of a sinister plot to infect computers with programs — known as 'malware' — that can lead to recurring system crashes, wipe out valuable data or provide a window into highly sensitive information."

Thursday, July 07, 2005

Unfortunately, Most of Mine Would be Ignoring Me. Wired reports in "See If You're a Good Friend." From the article: "The Social Fabric features a display of avatars on a mobile device's screen, representing individuals in a group of friends or acquaintances. The avatars use body language to show how recently you've contacted each person: Regularly contacted friends appear alert and look directly at you. Less frequent contacts might slouch and turn to the side, and infrequent contacts could have their backs turned."
This is Just Cool. Why didn't I hear about this before? Wired reports in "GPS Monopoly: Collect Over $200." From the article: "Players start out buying properties and placing apartments and hotels on them, much like the classic game. The twist: Rent payments are determined by the traffic patterns of 18 real cabs, tracked by satellite. Players collect or pay rent depending on where the cabs go, with the high tally winning at the end of each day."
Better Be Careful not to Log on to Your Neighbor's WiFi. Or that neighborly spat could turn ugly. The AP reports that "Man charged with stealing Wi-Fi signal." From the article: "The practice is so new that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement doesn't even keep statistics, according to the St. Petersburg Times, which reported Smith's arrest this week."

Wednesday, July 06, 2005

That Sound You're Hearing... ... is probably European patent firms lamenting the loss of a potential revenue source. The AP reports that "Europe Parliament Nixes Software Patent Law." From the article: "But lawmakers said the measure would stifle enterprise and did not promote innovation, and that human knowledge can't be patented. The move kills the legislation since the EU head office, which had drafted it, does not plan to set forth a new version."
Betamax 2.0. Reuters reports that "TV technology at edge of legal frontier." From the article: "New to the shelves of Best Buy and CompUSA this month is Slingbox, a brick-sized device that enables viewers to route the live television signal coming into their homes to a portable device anywhere on the globe via broadband connection. Slingbox costs $250 and has no subsequent subscription fee; several stores sold out on the first day."

Tuesday, July 05, 2005

Sounds Like it Really May Be Throwing the Baby Out with the Bathwater. Reuters reports that "EU executive says would not resubmit patent bill." From the article: "'Should you decide to reject the common position, the Commission will not submit a new proposal,' Almunia told the EU assembly on the eve of a bitterly contested vote on draft legislation pitting big software companies, who want better protection, against campaigners for free, open-source software."

Monday, July 04, 2005

I Guess You'd Call That the Silver Lining. Reuters reports that "Rock museum settles suit with Jewish rock Web site." From the article: "The Cleveland museum's own lawsuit 'listed all the Jews who were in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,' said Goldberg. 'And thanks to their lawsuit, we discovered people we didn't even know who were Jewish, like the Flamingos, for instance. Who knew?'"
Throwing the Baby Out With the Bath Water? Reuters reports that "Tech firms want Europe patent software law pulled." From the article: "European high-tech leaders said on Monday they would prefer the European Parliament to scrap a controversial software patent law rather than confuse it with dozens of amendments when it votes later this week."
Legal Maneuvering Starts in AMD/Intel Case. Reuters reports that "AMD says motion granted in Intel suit." From the article: "The motion sought a judicial order permitting it to move forward to preserve relevant evidence possessed by specified third parties. Its lawyers will now engage in discussions with about 30 third parties, the statement said."

Friday, July 01, 2005

How About Letting Everyone Sign Up? I wonder if there are any penalties for signing yourself up as a child.... The AP reports that "Parents Can Sign Up Kids to Not Get E-Mail." From the article: "Starting Friday, parents can sign up for what Michigan officials say is the nation's first registry aimed at keeping spammers from sending children inappropriate e-mail. The new law bans sending messages to children related to such things as pornography, illegal or prescription drugs, alcohol, tobacco, gambling, firearms or fireworks. Parents and schools will be able to register children's e-mail addresses."
Swedes Fight Back. The AP reports that "Swedes Undeterred by Online Piracy Ban." From the article: "Antipiratbyran and similar organizations in other countries have been tracking file-sharers online and sent out warning letters to people who make illegal material available from their computers. .... More than 4,000 people reported Antipiratbyran to the Swedish Data Inspection Board, claiming the agency misused personal information by collecting IP addresses and online aliases. The inspection board agreed, and the lobbying group has stopped sending out warning letters to file-sharers."
How's the Weather Up There in Canada? Reuters reports that "Supreme Court Justice O'Connor to retire." From the article: "Her resignation will allow Bush to make his first appointment to the nine-member high court. It also could trigger a fierce confirmation fight in the Senate between Republicans and Democrats, and could threaten a shaky truce over judicial nominations."