Category Archives: IP

Intellectual Property issues and news

Rackspace sues “most notorious patent troll in America”

Posted on by

Rackspace’s dispute is with an IP Nav unit called Parallel Iron, which says it has three patents that cover the open source Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS). But remarkably, Rackspace didn’t even know that at first; IP Nav contacted Rackspace and told the company it infringed some patents while refusing to even reveal the numbers or the owners of the patents, unless Rackspace signed a “forbearance agreement” to not sue first. (Sometimes companies threatened by patent trolls can file a “declaratory judgment” lawsuit, which can help them win a more favorable venue.)

via Rackspace sues “most notorious patent troll in America” | Ars Technica.

Developer Freedom At Stake As Oracle Clings To Java API Copyrights In Google Fight

Posted on by

Oracle lost in their attempt to protect their position using patents. They lost in their attempt to claim Google copied anything but a few lines of code. If they succeed in claiming you need their permission to use the Java APIs that they pushed as a community standard, software developers and innovation will be the losers. Learning the Java language is relatively simple, but mastering its APIs is a major investment you make as a Java developer. What Android did for Java developers is to allow them to make use of their individual career and professional investment to engage in a mobile marketplace that Sun failed to properly engage in.

via Developer Freedom At Stake As Oracle Clings To Java API Copyrights In Google Fight | TechCrunch.

Rackspace, Red Hat Win Decisive Patent Victory

Posted on by

Uniloc USA, Inc. filed the complaint against Rackspace in June 2012 in federal court in the Eastern District of Texas. The complaint alleged that the processing of floating point numbers by the Linux operating system violated U.S. Patent 5,892,697. Rackspace and Red Hat immediately moved to dismiss the case prior to filing an answer. In dismissing the case, Chief Judge Leonard Davis found that Uniloc’s claim was unpatentable under Supreme Court case law that prohibits the patenting of mathematical algorithms. This is the first reported instance in which the Eastern District of Texas has granted an early motion to dismiss finding a patent invalid because it claimed unpatentable subject matter. In the ruling released today, Judge Davis wrote that the asserted claim “is a mathematical formula that is unpatentable under Section 101.”

via Rackspace, Red Hat Win Decisive Patent Victory (NYSE:RHT).

GoPro doesn’t like their Hero 3 compared to Sony’s AS15?

Posted on by

It appears that our friend at San Mateo doesn’t like us comparing their latest product to the Sony AS15. Earlier today we have received a DMCA take down notice from GoPro for mentioning their trademarks “GoPro” and “Hero” without their authorisation. They say “you learn something new everyday”, and this is clearly an eye-opener for us here. It appears that we’ll need their authorisation to review their products.

via GoPro doesn’t like their Hero 3 compared to Sony’s AS15?.

Copyright Protection That Serves to Destroy

Posted on by

In Europe, sound recordings enter the public domain 50 years after their initial release.  …  , a published U.S. sound recording created in 1890 will not enter the public domain until 177 years after its creation, constituting a term of rights protection 82 years longer than that of all other forms of audio visual works made for hire.”

via Copyright Protection That Serves to Destroy | Sightings by Terry Teachout – WSJ.com.

Forget the Cellphone Fight — We Should Be Allowed to Unlock Everything We Own

Posted on by

Avaya, for example, is known for suing service companies, accusing them of violating copyright for simply using a password to log in to their phone systems. That’s right: typing in a password is considered “reproducing copyrighted material.”

via Forget the Cellphone Fight — We Should Be Allowed to Unlock Everything We Own | Wired Opinion | Wired.com.

Because manufacturers have copyrighted the service manuals, local mechanics can’t fix modern equipment. And today’s equipment — packed with sensors and electronics — is too complex to repair without them. That’s a problem for farmers, who can’t afford to pay the dealer’s high maintenance fees for fickle equipment.

‘Bezos Beep’ could replace the smartphone bump for mobile content sharing

Posted on by

For example, if the user of an e-reader or smartphone wants to share a book or picture with someone else, that person’s phone will transmit an audible signal that can be received and decoded by other devices within earshot. The decoded signal contains information (such as a URL) allowing the receiving device to download the shared content from a remote server.

via ‘Bezos Beep’ could replace the smartphone bump for mobile content sharing – GeekWire.

LOL.  Someone reinvented the 300 baud modem.

Gone house hunting online? Revived patent lawsuit says you’re a “joint infringer”

Posted on by

Few, if any, of the defendants make their own mapping software. Move.com, for instance, uses maps provided by Microsoft’s Bing. But patent laws allow a patent-holder to sue anyone who makes, sells, or uses a patented item. In this case, it’s the real estate companies, together with their users, who are alleged to be “jointly infringing” the patent.

via Gone house hunting online? Revived patent lawsuit says you’re a “joint infringer” | Ars Technica.