Studio must consider fair use before taking down video, court rules – Fortune: This is a big win for those people who would like to use copyrighted materials in any way they want. Simply wind up your baby to copyrighted muzak and press <record>. Of course it probably does no great publicity to Prince to have law suits against babies at play with his music. The unanimous vote to allow the mom to use the…
The patent troll condition -as identified- is a relatively new phenomenon/hot spot in the IP world, perhaps one or two decades old. To be sure, there were isolated cases of troll-like behavior as far back as the 1970s, but nothing like the scope, intensity and frequency of the past several years. Today’s trolls not only find dormant patents also but buy up unused portfolios from companies not concerned with their IP or in need of…
Google has gotten more fast-track patents than any other company – The Washington Post: Google has gotten 875 fast track patents (about $3.5 million dollars extra in patenting fees $4k extra per app), that is 14% of all such rapid track patent processing in the USA. Prioritized examination. The plan from Google’s perspective is to get the patents as quickly as possible. (You don’t really own a patent until issued; you can’t really enforce/assert it…
BP to Pay $18.7 Billion to Settle Deepwater Horizon Spill Claims http://www.wsj.com/articles/bp-agrees-to-pay-18-7-billion-to-settle-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-claims-1435842739 Put a huge amount of the BP litigation behind it. This would be the same as all the profits that the company has made since 2012. However the payment schedule is 1.1 million dollars per year. Yes, BP was pretty irresponsible back then. But it still makes one wonder what if it were not such a big company that can afford to make…
Sixth mass extinction is here, researcher declares: Ouch. It looks like we need to clean up our collective acts. With 41% of amphibians and 26% of mammals on a course for extinction if we don’t change our ways. “To history’s steady drumbeat, a human population growing in numbers, per capita consumption and economic inequity has altered or destroyed natural habitats. The long list of impacts includes: *Land clearing for farming, logging and settlement *Introduction of…
Prepare to have your mind blown as bridge is 3D-printed over Dutch canal – AOL.com: Like (printing) a bridge over troubled waters. There’s some really KQQL additions in this technology. First, it is thinking outta the box. Taking the printer out of the box allows it to build endlessly using robot technology. So the plan is to build the bridge as you go. ‘via Blog this’
