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Lodsys patent rampage continues as Activision and Capcom get sued | 360 comments | Create New Account
Comments belong to whoever posts them. Please notify us of inappropriate comments.
Bowman vs Mosanto
Authored by: Anonymous on Monday, May 13 2013 @ 06:10 PM EDT
At first I wanted to protest, but after knowing how bad glyphosates are, I'd
rather that Mosanto be allowed to keep their seeds, and than that roundup be
banned.

(WS, not logged in.)

[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]

French Apple Tax
Authored by: ailuromancy on Tuesday, May 14 2013 @ 06:37 AM EDT

Compared to other tax laws, a tax on phones and tablets is not entirely insane.

Imagine you were responsible for collecting a tax on audio cassettes. You could put some of the money in your pocket, spend some getting reports from your brother on what music is popular and give a little to the popular musicians (but not authors of zx spectrum games). The rest of the money you spend lobbying for a tax on CD's.

The US has a 2% tax on CD writers and a 3% tax on blank music CD's. AFAIK, the difference between a blank audio and blank data CD is the decoration on the cover. Again, musicians need to have taxes collected on their behalf, but programmers to not. Wakipedia does not mention a US tax on blank DVD's. It does mention that MP3 players are not taxed because they are 'computer peripherals'. I can understand Microsoft not wanting a tax on blank media nominally for software. I assume they prefer large damages for infringement instead. I think the movie industry has similar motives, but are not as successful as Microsoft because they target poor individuals instead of medium sized businesses. (Do not let you employees play a radio out loud in the office, or it will be you turn next.)

France has some collection agencies that can licence music, plays, or whatever their speciality is. My knowledge of French copyright law is particularly unreliable, but I think these agencies do not need the copyright holders permission, and can totally ignore any and all explicit instructions from copyright holders. There was some talk about providing the same 'service' for software, but I do not know whether Microsoft or the Penguinistas threw the biggest tantrum as a result. I assume these collection agencies are not getting as much money as they want, so they are looking for a new revenue stream.

If the UK government wasted their time on something this stupid I would be thankful that they were not doing something more damaging instead.

[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]

Microsoft Patents Cartooning your Face
Authored by: Anonymous on Tuesday, May 14 2013 @ 07:39 AM EDT
"Cartoon Face Generation"
Here's the patent: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?
Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchn
um.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=8,437,514.PN.&OS=PN/8,437,514&RS=
PN/8,4
37,514

I found out about it from Slashdot:
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/13/05/14/0230248/microsoft-
patents-cartoon-face-generation

[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]

Medical face recognition
Authored by: Anonymous on Tuesday, May 14 2013 @ 07:48 AM EDT
You know I've usually been very positive about google glass, much less so about
<a
href="http://venturebeat.com/2013/05/13/google-glass-medrefglass-facial-rec
ognition/">this</a> idea. <br/>
<br/>
It seems to me to be a case of trying to apply a unreliable technology (face
recognition) to a field that needs reliability (at least in the simple areas
like getting medical files) in a way that provides very little bennefit. And to
further complicate things a medical environment is probably one of the hardest
to reliably use face recognition on, because it is probably relatively common to
have things (oxygen tubes, blood, ect) obstructing parts of the face.

[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]

Copyright Trolls Threaten to Call Neighbors of Accused Porn Pirates
Authored by: Anonymous on Tuesday, May 14 2013 @ 11:51 AM EDT

Article link.

Apparently Prenda just can't get enough of driving people to dislike them.

I once received a call by a collections agent asking about a particular neighbor. I was polite - and completely unhelpful.

Such behavior is rather .... dislikeable:

    Harass neighbors to (my conclusion) somehow have those neighbors pressure the individual.

RAS

[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]

German parliament press statement on software patents hearing: Software Patents Under Criticism
Authored by: Anonymous on Tuesday, May 14 2013 @ 12:17 PM EDT

Goog le translation: Softwarepatente in der Kritik // Software Patents Under Criticism

Google translation (last para): Like other experts urged Attorney Rasmus Keller, who answered a question by Ingo Egloff (SPD) to limit software patents law soon. The Federal Court, it has not yet been able to establish clear criteria which patents are permissible and which are not. Why could not this be left to the judiciary. Responded differently association representatives Oliver Green and law professor Jürgen Ensthaler to the question of Ansgar Heveling (CDU), as such a definition should look acceptable from unacceptable patenting. Green took the view that was needed did not exceptions. Because of the hidden source code sofware control of a machine is already much harder to plagiarize than before a board, so the patenting unnecessary here. Ensthaler turned likewise opposed to allowing the patenting as provided in the application where software is used in devices instead of mechanical or electrical control systems. Instead, the patent should be allowed only with a specific function description. Then the patent does not apply to the use of the same software elements for other functions.

[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]

Apple aims to add Galaxy S4 to patent lawsuit against Samsung
Authored by: Anonymous on Tuesday, May 14 2013 @ 12:31 PM EDT
Link

Apple has requested the US District court to allow it to add the Galaxy S4 flagship smartphone to the list of the Samsung products that are guilty of violating its patents.

Sad... The Never Ending Story

[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]

Nintendo wins in Motiva patent dispute
Authored by: DannyB on Tuesday, May 14 2013 @ 01:38 PM EDT
Nintendo wins in Motiva patent dispute

[ . . . omitted . . . ]

"The evidence demonstrated that Motiva's litigation was targeted at financial gains, not at encouraging adoption of Motiva's patented technology. The inventors looked forward to financial gains through Motiva's litigation, not hopes of stimulating investment or partnerships with manufacturers," wrote Circuit Judge Sharon Prost in the Court of Appeals ruling.

"There is simply no reasonable likelihood that, after successful litigation against Nintendo, Motiva's patented technology would have been licensed by partners."

[ . . . rest omitted . . .]

---
The price of freedom is eternal litigation.

[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]

Lodsys patent rampage continues as Activision and Capcom get sued
Authored by: DannyB on Tuesday, May 14 2013 @ 02:11 PM EDT
Lodsys patent rampage continues as Activision and Capcom get sued

Apple's intervention can't stop the lawsuits as five more were filed last week.

The patent-holding company Lodsys became notorious in 2011. It started sending patent threat letters to small developers asking for a bit more than a half-percent (.575) of their revenue. The company claimed it had a patent on in-app purchases.

Apple intervened in the case shortly thereafter. The company told the court that it had already licensed the Lodsys patents, so they shouldn't be used against developers working on its platform.

It hasn't helped. Lodsys has sued dozens of targets this year, showing it has no compunction about taking on any app maker whether it's a tiny game studio or a global corporation. Late last week, Lodsys fired off its newest round of lawsuits.

[ . . . rest omitted . . . ]

---
The price of freedom is eternal litigation.

[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]

Google Loses in Germany
Authored by: MDT on Tuesday, May 14 2013 @ 07:06 PM EDT
The link provided in news picks goes to a website that
requires registration even for free access, which isn't
really free, since it's basically trading my personal e-mail
and such to a company and then they can sell it to someone
else. Even if they say they won't now, they can update their
terms of service at any time to say it's ok to sell it.

I would personally suggest that Groklaw shouldn't link to
such pages without the normal 'paywall' notice at the end,
like we get on others.

---
MDT

[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]

In the AP Surveillance case, what is the real scandal?
Authored by: Anonymous on Wednesday, May 15 2013 @ 03:53 AM EDT
There's a whole bunch of stories on the sidebar, mostly expressing
outrage at the DoJ seizure of call records. But down here in the
southern hemisphere we're hearing a story of why this was done
which is even more scary. Apparently some newspaper, was it many?,
affiliated to AP published details of the CIA's foiling a bomb plot on
a US-bound airplane. The publication of this information was deemed
to be a threat to the safety of the American public.

Is that AP story still readable? Now I'm a dufus, so it seems to me
that publication, so long as it didn't publish CIA trade or State secrets,
would a) put the US public on the alert (or are they all deemed to be
scaredy cats that shouldn't be frightened) and
b) tell the baddies the whistle was blown on them.
Or is it just someone covering up for the fact that
CIA had issued a denial prior to the AP story ...

http://www.radionz.co.nz/search/results?q=AP+leak

[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]

  • They claim - Authored by: Anonymous on Wednesday, May 15 2013 @ 06:38 AM EDT
Hear Ye, Future Deep Throats: This Is How to Leak to the Press
Authored by: Winter on Wednesday, May 15 2013 @ 04:42 AM EDT

Hear Ye, Future Deep Throats: This Is How to Leak to the Press: Leaking by Email

Some additions:

  • Install Linux and learn how to use it (its easy)
  • Install TorBrowser
  • Get an email provider that allows HTTPS connections over Tor, e.g., Safe-mail.net (GMail does not)
  • Open a new account you will never ever access from anything other than a TorBrowser and never ever send to or receive email from email accounts that can in any way be linked to people who know you
  • Learn how to spoof a MAC address on your laptop AND APPLY SPOOFING
  • Wear a disposable cap or other head wear that makes work difficult for video surveillance
Note that when using Tor to visit your email provider, consider the provider owned by your opponent. It probably is, but Tor was build by people who wanted to help you here. Watch out for the HTTPS connection to the email provider, that is crucial. Make sure you know how to check the certificate of HTTPS connections, there are good Firefox addons for that.

---
Some say the sun rises in the east, some say it rises in the west; the truth lies probably somewhere in between.

[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]

Outlook.com to let users chat with Gmail users via IM
Authored by: Anonymous on Wednesday, May 15 2013 @ 09:46 AM EDT
Link

Microsoft is upgrading its new Outlook.com webmail service so that its users can communicate with Gmail users via instant messaging.

Microsoft has also been attacking Gmail for months via its Scroogled campaign, in which Microsoft accuses Google of disrespecting the privacy of Gmail users by matching ads to the text of their messages.

Now that's funny...
First MS reads all your Skype and now you'll have 2 of them spying on you :-)

"There's no free lunch."

[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]

Patentable Subject Matter – New Notices From Canadian Patent Office, Anticipated Issues for ...
Authored by: Anonymous on Wednesday, May 15 2013 @ 02:54 PM EDT

Article link.

RAS

[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]

Angelina Jolie paid the Myriad Tax
Authored by: Anonymous on Wednesday, May 15 2013 @ 08:23 PM EDT
Newspick

Does Myriad have more than 3000 different patents?
If you have a strong family history, it may be appropriate for your General Practitioner to refer you to your local Genetic Service.
...
Searching for a BRCA mutation in a family is recommended to start in a family member with breast cancer to reduce the risk of false negative results and to increase the chance of finding a mutation. To date, more than 3000 different mutations have been identified, most unique to only a few families. Should a mutation be found, testing can be offered to other at-risk adult family members.
link 1
All consultations with Genetic Services are provided free of charge. Like all hospital services, we are required to prioritise our services within budget. However, all approved genetic testing is free.
link 2

[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]

"Sue Do Nym" dirge
Authored by: Anonymous on Wednesday, May 15 2013 @ 10:49 PM EDT
There is a certain kind of bad taste in the reaction from those served by the
current patent situation.

While the numbers are employed to alert us to the thousands (of lawyers) that
will go hungry and destitute should anything be done to change the status quo,
the very numbers meant to scare legislators make for some painful reading viewed
from the other side.

If we look at the numbers quoted, it transpires that from 1998-2011 320,799
patents were granted in the technology area “Electrical Computers, Digital
Processing Systems, Information Security, Error/Fault Handling” and that in 2011
alone, 42,235 patents were granted in this area, constituting 20% of all the
patents issued in 2011.

These numbers are staggering, particularly when it is remembered that some of
the patents mentioned are used to either blackmail legitimate businesses or
strategically trip up competitors, with the already overburdened courts acting
as enforcers and that the vast sums extracted from the industry are taken from
development and passed on to the customers. These are non-productive costs,
taken out of the industry eco-sphere, which will end up choking it if not
checked.

Self-pity is never endearing but when it rides atop self-serving on this scale
it comes pretty close to triggering a gag-reflex.

[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]

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