Free Talk Live

A new patent, granted to Apple, could prevent academic cheating, cinema interruptions, but also see areas of political protest activity 'ring-fenced' disabling phone and tablet cameras.

Oh, and for those of you who are interested, the Feds are offering their cannabinoid patent for licensing. Let's see how long it takes to get picked up.

You have to wonder about the timing of recent stories about Organ Damage from GMO'ed food.

Strangely, Monsanto's Patent runs out in 4 years, and will be replace with Roundup Ready 2.

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?

A 12-year-old Queens girl was hauled out of school in handcuffs for an artless offense - doodling her name on her desk in erasable marker, the Daily News has learned.

Apple recently registered a patent for a device that would prevent an iPhone's camera from working upon transmission of an infrared beam. Ostensibly this is to prevent unlicensed recordings of live concerts and other events, but it's easy to guess at an even worse application: Police using this technology to prevent "illegal" photography of their activities. The moral is clear: If you want to be able to use your own camera, wherever you want, don't buy an iPhone!

Ryobi was sued by a customer who injured his hand while operating a table saw. The plaintiff contended that, had Ryobi included a competitor's patented "Stop Saw" technology, the injury would've been prevented. Ryobi wanted to include that technology, but the competitor refused to license the technology at a price Ryobi could afford to pay while still selling a competing product. Thanks to patent law, Ryobi gets to pay anyway, and a "citizen" has a permanently damaged hand.

Dana Walker of Olympia was reportedly led away in handcuffs after telling the judge, "As to the matter now before us I have no intention of making any more payments and I am requesting as long a jail sentence as the law allows for my refusal."

Webb told Petchenik that, instead of taking him directly to jail, Vanhee drove him to a restaurant parking lot and turned up the heat in the cruiser to “teach him a lesson.”“It started getting real, real hot and stuff and I had the handcuffs on real tight,” he said. “He kept me for a couple hours in the back of the car with the heater on.”