Free Talk Live - Published news - Intellectual Property

NZ Government Announces That Software Will No Longer Be Patentable

Jking8767 — Sat, 11 May 2013 11:18:29 +0000

In a bill passed earlier today, the Government of New Zealand announced that software in the country will no longer be patentable. New Zealand’s largest IT representative body, the Institute of IT Professionals, expressed relief and said the decision removed a major barrier to software-led innovation.

HBO exec: piracy of ‘Game of Thrones’ is a ‘compliment’

PC Harris — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 02:23:26 +0000

So, if the conventional wisdom about piracy holds true, why aren't HBO’s president of programming and the show’s creators more upset about this? Probably because the conventional wisdom on the cost of piracy is almost entirely bogus, and there’s recent scientific studies to back that claim up.

Newspapers go all-in for copyright fight against clipping service

Cyphase — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 08:30:11 +0000

A copyright battle between the AP and an online news-clipping service is reaching a climax, and the case could have significant implications for fair use. AP sued Meltwater Group last year, arguing the "reputation management" company had a "parasitic business model" that violated copyright. Meltwater is arguing that it is merely a search engine. Last week, the nation's largest newspapers lined up to tell the New York federal judge considering the case that they support the AP.

NewEgg Beats Patent Trolls

JoelG — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 17:55:53 +0000

It sounds like a criminal operation worthy of the old world of, say, southern Italy (no offense, guys!). Indeed, but this is how it works in the U.S. these days. The looting is legal. The blackmail is approved. The graft is in the open. The expropriation operates under the cover of the law. The backup penalties are inflicted by the official courts.

Police raid 9-year-old girl and confiscate Winnie the Pooh laptop!

sovereignbeing — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 02:54:18 +0000

CIAPC, the company that had The Pirate Bay blocked by ISPs in Finland, tracked an alleged file-sharer and demanded a cash settlement. However, the Internet account holder refused to pay which escalated things to an unprecedented level. In response, this week police raided the home of the 9-year-old suspect and confiscated her Winnie the Pooh laptop.

Kinect aids big media in demanding more money.

mmm...beer — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 12:43:56 +0000

A patent filed by Microsoft last year, but only made public last week, wants to turn your Xbox 360′s Kinect into an instrument via which large companies can monitor your media usage and, if you’re found to be in violation of something, charge you for it.

ALEC: Corporations Funding Legislation and Intellectual Property

Erin Jane — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 21:32:41 +0000

I have been reading up on the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a legislation powerhouse responsible for laws such as the Voter ID legislation that we are dealing with here in PA. They claim to be proponents of the free market, federalism, and limited government, but this whole group is just really creeping me out. Seems to support of transition of power, rather than a lessening of regulation. And then I saw this article supporting intellectual property rights.

"South Park" Creators Sued Over King Lollipop Character

Zoso — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 06:06:29 +0000

Parker and Stone are being sued over their character King Lollipop, which appeared in three episodes in 2009, by a man who claims that they stole the character from his own show.

Pirate Bay Shutdown Created Hundreds of New Versions of the Site

snowdog2012 — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 22:04:18 +0000

Earlier this year, after months of legal wrangling, authorities in a number of countries won an injunction against the Pirate Bay, probably the largest and most famous BitTorrent piracy site on the Web. The order blocked people from entering the site.

In retaliation, the Pirate Bay wrapped up the code that runs its entire Web site, and offered it as a free downloadable file for anyone to copy and install on their own servers. People began setting up hundreds of new versions of the site, and the piracy continues unabated.

Thus, whacking one big mole created hundreds of smaller ones.

Copyright Scofflaws Beware

Jcase — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 17:50:31 +0000

The nation’s major internet service providers by year’s end will institute a so-called six-strikes plan, the “Copyright Alert System” initiative backed by the Obama administration and pushed by Hollywood and the major record labels to disrupt and possibly terminate internet access for online copyright scofflaws. The internet companies may eliminate service altogether for repeat file-sharing offenders

Gangnam Style Shows What Can Happen When You Don’t Lean On Copyright

morgansdisguise — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 15:14:34 +0000

The number 2 song on the Billboard charts is not copyrighted, and that has opened up various opportunities for its use, and has boosted its phenomenal popularity. It's a meme, viral video, and korean pop song that has become wildly popular around the world.

The Case for Abolishing Patents (Yes, All of Them) - The Atlantic

Cyphase — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 21:12:31 +0000

Our patent system is a mess. It's a fount of expensive litigation that allows aging companies to linger around by bullying their more innovative competitors in court. Critics have suggested plenty of reasonable reforms, from eliminating software patents to clamping down on "trolls" who buy up patent portfolios only so they can file lawsuits. But do we need a more radical solution? Would we be possibly be better off without any patents at all?

Once-homeless 25 year-old makes 6 figures with YouTube videos

GDW — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 12:53:50 +0000

Was listening to Monday's show's discussion with regards to IP and alternative distribution, and profiting from you "intellectual" work.

This is actually a friend of mine, who, once homeless, now brings in 6 figures from his viral videos via YouTube.
Just shows how you can make money by distributing your content at now cost to the end user.

"CityNews reporter Peter Kim explains how the once-homeless 25 year-old became an internet sensation."
"St. Catharines man turns viral videos into 6 figure salary."

Why There Are Too Many Patents in America

thekeychainkid — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 04:51:23 +0000

The problems plaguing America's intellectual property system.

Innocents caught up in porn piracy suits

edmnd — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 23:04:06 +0000

First it was music, now it's porn. Attorneys for the adult film industry are taking a page from the music industry and filing mass lawsuits to stop porn piracy. They say the illegal file sharing is cutting deeply into profits, and those who play without paying must be stopped. Problem is, Innocent people are getting swept up in the internet dragnet.