Free Talk Live - 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.