Tag Archives: Intellectual Poverty

Americans are Now Traveling Overseas for Surgery

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“Growing up I recall hearing stories of how wealthy foreigners would frequently travel all the way to these United States in order to receive top notch medical attention. Fast forward a decade or two, and all I hear about now is how it is us Americans being forced abroad in order to receive affordable care. The article below from the New York Times, ‘In Need of a New Hip, but Priced Out of the U.S.’ is a fantastic, but depressing read on the subject. While this is an extraordinarily complicated subject, one on which I claim zero expertise, one thing is for certain. If a U.S. citizen has to travel to Belgium to implant a medical device made right here in the USA, we have a very, very serious problem.”

http://libertyblitzkrieg.com/2013/08/06/americans-are-now-traveling-overseas-for-surgery/

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How New Zealand banned software patents without violating international law

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“What do you do when you’re a small country with a technology industry convinced that innovation requires the banning of software patents, but you’ve signed an international treaty that in theory obliges you to make software patentable? If you’re New Zealand, you simply declare that software isn’t an invention in the first place.  In 1998, the head of the UK Patent Office commented that European law says that a piece of pure software is not technically an invention. In New Zealand, a poll of the members of the Institute of IT Professionals revealed that 94% were in favor of banning software patents. In India, courts have upheld that country’s ban on software patents.”

http://qz.com/119419/how-new-zealand-banned-software-patents-without-violating-international-law/

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Monsanto, steaks, and chefs: Intellectual property and food

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“In October 2012, the ABA Journal reported on the filing of a patent for a ‘Vegas Strip Steak.’ This particular cut of beef was apparently unknown until it was discovered by an Oklahoma State University meat specialist. While technically ‘unknown,’ the case of the Vegas Strip is really a case of something being undervalued. Surely, experienced butchers, without any specialized knowledge contained in the patent, will know where to find this new cut of beef merely by hearing about it. If the patent is granted, however, anyone who wishes to extract the Vegas Strip from a cow carcass will be legally required to obtain a license from the patent holder.”

http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/business-living/2013/apr/7/monsanto-steaks-and-chefs-intellectual-property-an/

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“Intellectual Property”: This Land was Made for You an … er, for Monsanto

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C4SSLogo22

“Monsanto’s entire case against Vernon Bowman — as with Percy Schmeiser — is that their profits will be negatively affected if they’e not empowered to dictate what Vernon Bowman does on his own land and with his own stuff. The relief they’re requesting is that the state should therefore so empower them.  This is not a case of a ‘bad’ or ‘over-broad’ or ‘improperly applied’ patent. By its very nature, ‘intellectual property’ always represents an assertion on the part of one person of ownership title to the minds, bodies and property of others.”

http://c4ss.org/content/17358

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New crowdfunding site JumpStart Fund hopes to launch new startups

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“The new platform called JumpStart Fund, marrying crowd-sourcing with crowdfunding, comes from the California-based online community called Jumpstarter, which has been involved in matching investors with technology opportunities.  JumpStart Fund was designed to be an online community where people can share ideas and build businesses based on patented technology, with individuals getting stakes in startups based on what they bring to the mix. JumpStart is working with federal research labs holding thousands of patents deemed public property because they were paid for with tax dollars and is reaching out to US universities and private facilities.”

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/08/22/new-crowdfunding-site-jumpstart-fund-hopes-to-launch-new-startups/

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Ben Swann: NSA Using Copyright Claims to Stop Criticism?

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Ben Swann: NSA Using Copyright Claims to Stop Criticism?

“Ben Swann breaks the exclusive story of how the NSA is reportedly attempting to silence a t-shirt maker who criticized the agency by claiming copyright infringement.”

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Justin Bieber: Sen. Klobuchar ‘Should Be Locked Up’ For Felony Streaming Bill [2011]

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techdirt1

“During a radio interview, the host asked Bieber about the law, explaining how it would make streaming a felony, and his response was that Klobuchar ‘should be locked up,’ a point he reiterated a few times.  They then go on to discuss it a bit, and Bieber talks about the importance of being able to upload and stream videos and to perform other people’s songs. He talks about how people ‘need the freedom’ to perform songs. He also notes that it’s ‘awesome’ when others perform his works.”

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111028/12580416553/justin-bieber-senator-klobuchar-should-be-locked-up-felony-streaming-bill.shtml

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Administration Can’t Let Go: Felony Streaming Provisions Of SOPA Are Back

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techdirt1

“We’ve been working our way through a paper released last week by the Commerce Department, concerning copyright reform, and will have a much more detailed post about it soon (there’s a lot in there), but over at the Washington Post, they’re highlighting the silly recommendation to bring back the plan to make unauthorized streaming a felony. This was a part of SOPA and was widely discussed. This got a fair amount of attention when Justin Bieber was asked about the law, and said that Senator Klobuchar should be locked up.  It’s no surprise that this is coming back. It’s one of the points that’s been raised a few times since the death of SOPA.”

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130805/12472124074/administration-cant-let-go-wants-to-bring-back-felony-streaming-provisions-sopa.shtml

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Math Advances Raise the Prospect of an Internet Security Crisis

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“The encryption systems used to secure online bank accounts and keep critical communications private could be undone in just a few years, security researchers warned at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas yesterday. The NSA has for years recommended ECC as the most reliable cryptographic protection available.  Implementations of ECC were pioneered and patented by a company called Certicom that is now a subsidiary of the phone manufacturer BlackBerry. Although the U.S. government has purchased licenses, other companies that want to use ECC will need to make expensive deals with Certicom to avoid lawsuits.”

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/517781/math-advances-raise-the-prospect-of-an-internet-security-crisis/

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CFR Reports on Deadly Viruses That Become the Property of Sovereign Nations

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EPJ13

“CFR Senior Fellow for Global Health Laurie Garrett writes, ‘Like the SARS virus, MERS ravages the lungs of infected people, causing pneumonia and acute respiratory distress. …But unlike SARS, it also attacks the kidneys, causing renal failure.’ ‘There is no cure, rapid diagnostic test, or vaccine for MERS-CoV,’ Garrett adds. But the ability to develop a treatment for the epidemic is being impeded by a concept known as ‘viral sovereignty’ – the idea that deadly viruses are the property of sovereign nations.”

http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2013/05/council-on-foreign-relations-reports-on.html

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