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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: intellectual property

intellectual property stories: 22 news summaries

1 - 20 of 22 Stories | 1 2 Next >>

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 Skype Sale in Doubt  
 as Founders Sue eBay 

Techies alleges copyright violation costing them $75M a day

Sep 17, 09 6:34 AM CDT
(Newser) - The founders of Skype are suing eBay and the investor consortium buying the Internet phone company, accusing them of copyright violation, reports the Wall Street Journal. The suit is only the latest bump in eBay's disastrous ownership of Skype and may complicate the planned $2 billion sale. Janus Friis and... More »

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eBay • intellectual property • mergers and acquisitions • copyright • Skype • copyright infringement • peer-to-peer • Marc Andreessen

 Leibovitz's $24M 
 Deadline Looms Tuesday 

Photographer may be forced to file for bankruptcy

Sep 6, 09 1:42 PM CDT
(Newser) - Annie Leibovitz's $24 million question looms Tuesday, the AP reports: Will the photographer of the stars be able to repay a $24 million loan or lose the rights to her catalog of iconic photographs. With such a staggering amount due in only a few days, Leibovitz’s best option... More »

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intellectual property • bankruptcy • loans • copyright • Annie Leibovitz

(Newser) - A bed designed for avatar sex? That's intellectual property. An agreement between virtual real estate developers? It's an oral contract. Or so say some lawyers, who are opening offices to handle disputes in the virtual, online world of Second Life, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. "It's an emerging area... More »

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intellectual property • lawyer • Second Life • online gaming

Chinese Court Sentences Microsoft Pirates

11 jailed for counterfeit software ring with 'unprecedented' scope

Dec 31, 08 9:59 AM CST
(Newser) - A Chinese court has convicted 11 people of violating copyright laws and sentenced them to as much as 6 1/2  years of prison for working with a counterfeiting ring that sold fake Microsoft products around the world. Microsoft hailed the crackdown on the pirates, whose organization may have made $2... More »

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China • Microsoft • copyright law • intellectual property • piracy • software • counterfeiters • precedent

 Court: Lego Can't 
 Trademark Bricks' Shape 

Competitor argued that blocks' shape served 'technical' purpose

Nov 12, 08 5:14 PM CST
(Newser) - A European Union court ruled today that Lego can’t trademark the shape of its iconic toy building blocks, Bloomberg reports. The court supported a 2006 decision by the EU trademark agency that said because the raised circles on Lego blocks serve a “utilitarian function,” they are ineligible... More »

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intellectual property • European Union • toys • copyright • trademark • Lego

 Rowling Wins Copyright Case 

Judge rules publishing Potter encyclopedia would cause creator 'irreparable harm'

Sep 8, 08 3:03 PM CDT
(Newser) - A fan-written "Harry Potter lexicon" will not be published, a federal judge in New York ruled today, finding for author JK Rowling that the reference guide was an infringement of copyright. The ruling held that the book would cause Rowling irreparable harm as a writer, the BBC reports. The... More »

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Harry Potter • copyright law • intellectual property • JK Rowling • copyright • court • Britain • copyright infringement

Studio Went Super-Secret to Protect Batman

Anti-piracy tactics kept bootlegs from diluting buzz just long enough

Jul 28, 08 4:20 PM CDT
(Newser) - In a dazzling covert operation, Warner Bros. kept the lid on The Dark Knight so tight pirated copies didn’t hit the Web until 2 days after its Australian premiere—long enough to keep the film’s record opening on track, the Los Angeles Times reports. Digital piracy can keep... More »

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film • intellectual property • piracy • DVD piracy • box office • The Dark Knight • blockbusters

analysis

 How Piracy Can Boost Business

Companies should copy, buy out, and study intellectual thieves

Jul 19, 08 11:03 AM CDT
(Newser) - Intellectual piracy is bad for business, yes, but also inevitable—and companies fare better when turning it to their advantage, the Economist reports. The large (and illegal) volume of music and video exchanged online, for example, can reveal who’s popular in which countries. And Microsoft, which officially battles... More »

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Microsoft • music industry • intellectual property • piracy • Nike • knockoff • silver lining

Tech Giants Join Forces Against 'Patent Trolls'

Fear of lawsuits behind group effort to snap up intellectual property

Jun 30, 08 11:45 AM CDT
(Newser) - Some of tech's biggest players are banding together to corner the market on patents key to their various businesses, the Wall Street Journal reports. Companies like Google and Verizon are afraid of being held hostage by small players with a claim on key bits of intellectual property, and wary of... More »

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Google • intellectual property • Verizon • patent trolls • Ericsson • patent • patent infringment • tech industry • Hewlett-Packard

Senate to Mull Patent Law That Shields Big Biz

Upstarts would get lower damage awards
if bill passes

Jan 13, 08 3:49 PM CST
(Newser) - The Senate is planning to look at a patent bill that would limit damage awards and tip the balance of power between corporations and smaller upstarts, the New York Times reports. Backers say the bill will curb gratuitous lawsuits filed against technology giants by speculators known derisively as "patent... More »

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Congress • intellectual property • Patent and Trademark Office • patent infringement • patent law

Google Fights Patent Theft Charges

Northeastern U and partner claim company stole search method

Jan 12, 08 8:05 PM CST
(Newser) - Google denies allegations that it is infringing on a patent held jointly by Northeastern University and a Massachussetts company for an Internet search method, and is countersuing to invalidate the patent, PC World reports. NU and its partner claim Google is infringing a patent they were granted for a distributed... More »

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Google • intellectual property • search engine • patent • infringement

Court Blocks New Patent Rules

Judge grants injunction for drug giant GlaxoSmithKline

Oct 31, 07 10:40 PM CDT
(Newser) - A Federal judge has blocked the US Patent and Trademark Office from implementing tough new patent rules with a temporary injunction in a suit brought by GlaxoSmithKline. The Wall Street Journal reports the new rules would have limited the number of times patent holders may make minor changes to existing... More »

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technology • intellectual property • GlaxoSmithKline • Patent and Trademark Office • continuances • patent application process • pharmaceutical industry

Google Bares Tool to Hunt & Zap Copyrighted Videos

Technique designed to dodge Viacom lawsuit

Oct 16, 07 6:54 AM CDT
(Newser) - Google yesterday unveiled new technology to seek out copyright-protected material on its YouTube site, which the company hopes will head off Viacom's $1 billion lawsuit. The software scans videos, breaks them down into data points and analyzes them so that any matching versions can be flagged and removed "in... More »

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Google • Viacom • YouTube • copyright law • intellectual property • software • copyright

Microsoft Ruling in Europe Major Blow to Tech Giants

Court upholds record fine and order to share codes

Sep 18, 07 3:32 AM CDT
(Newser) - A European Union appeals court yesterday upheld an anti-trust decision against Microsoft, leaving intact a record $689 million fine and and a challenge to how it does business in Europe, the New York Times reports. The decision has huge repercussions for other tech giants as the European Union seeks to... More »

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Microsoft • intellectual property • European Union • Microsoft Windows • antitrust

Sacre Bleu! Harry Potter Translator Pinched

Teen suspected in illicit French version

Aug 8, 07 8:53 PM CDT
(Newser) - A French boy suspected of posting a translation of the latest Harry Potter novel was arrested Monday, the AP reported today. The 16-year-old didn't appear to have financial gain in mind, a prosecutor said—with the French version not due until October, "he just wanted to get the book... More »

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Harry Potter • intellectual property • France • literature • book • teenager

Chefs Get Into Food Fight

New York restaurateur sues, claiming copycat ripped her off

Jun 27, 07 4:46 PM CDT
(Newser) - Rebecca Charles, chef/owner of the famed Pearl Oyster Bar in Manhattan, is taking her former sous-chef to court, claiming he knocked off her menu and decor for his own New York eatery. Lawyers for Charles, who is seeking unspecified financial damages, said that the owner of Ed's Lobster Bar had... More »

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food • intellectual property • cuisine • recipes • restaurant • chef • lawsuit • Rebecca Charles • Pearl Oyster Bar • Ed's Lobster Bar

Geek Uprising Shows Futility of Web Censorship

Lawyers no match for websurfers armed
with anti-priacy code

May 3, 07 10:50 AM CDT
(Newser) - The flash riot of Internet crusaders who disseminated the code to decrypt HD DVDs over the last few days should teach entertainment companies to think long and hard about their anti-piracy strategy, the New York Times notes. The standard cease-and-desist letters sent to websites to keep the code out of... More »

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Internet • intellectual property • web surfing • censorship • Copyright Act • piracy

Court Relaxes Patent Test

Tech companies applaud broader guidelines for  "obviousness"

May 1, 07 7:36 AM CDT
(Newser) - Tech companies are thrilled with a Supreme Court ruling yesterday that relaxed the "obviousness" test for patents—the standard for deciding when a combination of existing elements deserves patent protection. No longer will Silicon Valley giants have to wrangle with patent "trolls"—people who anticipate minute improvements... More »

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technology • law • intellectual property • US Supreme Court • patent

Dylan, Dr.Seuss Can't Mix

Humble parodists no match for corporate Goliaths wielding copyright law

Apr 13, 07 11:57 AM CDT
(Newser) - Dr. Seuss's estate has knocked down a website by artist/jokerman Kevin Ryan, featuring the fantasist's verses set to fake Bob Dylan music. The loss of the brilliant mash-up prompts Salon's Dan Brekke to explore how the times are a' changin' for copyright law, particularly in the murky and amorphous area... More »

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copyright law • intellectual property • parody • satire • Bob Dylan • Dr. Seuss

Students Sue for Homework

Apr 10, 07 4:16 PM CDT
(Newser) - Four teenage students are suing an antiplagiarism website for the rights to their schoolwork, arguing that they were forced to turn over original work without compensation, the Christian Science Monitor reports. When their school adopted an antiplagiarism service called Turnitin, students were required to submit essays to be stored and... More »

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education • property rights • Turnitin • plagiarism • intellectual property • school • lawsuit

1 - 20 of 22 Stories | 1 2 Next >>


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