Tag Archives: Intellectual Poverty

Save Silicon Valley — abolish patents now

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“‘Our preferred policy solution is to abolish patents entirely,’ Michele Boldrin and David K. Levine wrote in a recently published paper. That statement, of course, flies in the face of the conventional wisdom that patents foster innovation and improve productivity. Both truisms, they say, are wrong. In fact, patents have a ‘negative effect on innovation,’ they say.  Obviously, this is awfully radical, but it’s worth noting that 18 months after the largest patent reform legislation in decades — the America Invents Act — was signed by President Barack Obama, patent litigation has continued to increase.”

http://www.infoworld.com/print/212813

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75-year-old soybean farmer sees Monsanto lawsuit reach U.S. Supreme Court

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“On the one side is Bowman, a single 75-year-old Indiana soybean farmer who is still tending the same acres of land as his father before him in rural south-western Indiana. On the other is a gigantic multibillion dollar agricultural business famed for its zealous protection of its commercial rights.  The firm insists that it maintains patent rights on its genetically modified seeds even if sold by a third party with no restrictions put on its use – even if the seeds are actually only descendants of the original Monsanto seeds.”

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/02/09/75-year-old-soybean-farmer-sees-monsanto-lawsuit-reach-u-s-supreme-court/

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Maryland county school board to own all students’ work with copyright policy

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“A county school board in Maryland has proposed a copyright policy that would allow it to take ownership of all work produced by students and faculty — even work created off campus during personal time. A Prince George’s County Board of Education proposal obtained by WTOP says that ‘any works’ created by students or employees ‘are properties of the Board of Education even if created on the employee’s or student’s time and with the use of their materials.'”

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/02/04/maryland-county-school-board-to-own-all-students-work-with-copyright-policy/

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US Still ‘Warning’ Antigua That It Better Not Set Up Piracy Hub, Even As WTO Gives Approval

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“The United States warned Antigua and Barbuda on Monday not to retaliate against U.S. restrictions on Internet gambling by suspending American copyrights or patents, a move it said would authorize the ‘theft’ of intellectual property like movies and music.  ‘The United States has urged Antigua to consider solutions that would benefit its broader economy. However, Antigua has repeatedly stymied these negotiations with certain unrealistic demands,’ said Nkenge Harmon, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Trade Representative’s office.”

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130129/11040821818/us-still-warning-antigua-that-it-better-not-set-up-piracy-hub-even-as-wto-gives-approval.shtml

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The price of copyright crime in New Zealand? Only $617

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“In the US, when illegal downloaders have actually gone to trial, they have faced massive six-figure penalties, like the damages figures against Joel Tenenbaum ($675,000) and Jammie Thomas-Rasset (first $1.92 million, down to $222,000).  Now New Zealand is starting to see results from the copyright tribunals it set up under a controversial 2011 law, which allows for copyright owners such as RIANZ (the New Zealand equivalent of the RIAA) to go after users, but for a maximum of $15,000.  Turns out, it’s going to be very tough for them to get even that amount in New Zealand.”

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/01/the-price-of-copyright-crime-in-new-zealand-only-617/

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Antigua set to bypass US copyright law with WTO green-lit media, software sales website

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“In a surprisingly legal move, the government of Antigua is planning to open a website selling media and software without paying any fees to American copyright holders. It comes after the US closed its market to Antiguan gambling companies.  The small Caribbean nation once thrived on its gambling industry, which at one point employed 5 per cent of its people, TorrentFreak reports. When the US blocked the island’s gambling companies from accessing American players, it pulled the rug out from under the whole industry.  Antigua is now set to begin selling music, movies and software without having to pay a cent to the American firms holding copyrights on the wares.”

https://rt.com/usa/news/antigua-copyright-us-wto-778/

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Kim Dotcom wants to encrypt half of the Internet to end government surveillance

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Kim Dotcom wants to encrypt half of the Internet to end government surveillance

“The United States government says that Kim Dotcom, a German millionaire formerly known as Kim Schmitz, masterminded a vast criminal conspiracy by operating the file-storage site Megaupload. Dotcom, on the other hand, begs to differ. One year after the high-profile raid of his home and the shut-down of one of the most popular sites on the Web, Dotcom hosted a launch party for his latest endeavor, simply called Mega. On the anniversary of the end of Megaupload, Dotcom discusses the year since his arrest and what the future holds in regards to both his court case and the Internet alike.”

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Unlocking Cellphones Becomes Illegal Saturday

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“In October 2012, the Librarian of Congress, who determines exemptions to a strict anti-hacking law called the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), decided that unlocking mobile phones would no longer be allowed. Unlocking a phone frees it from restrictions that keep the device from working on more than one carrier’s network, allowing it run on other networks that use the same wireless standard. This can be useful to international travellers who need their phones to work on different networks. Other people just like the freedom of being able to switch carriers as they please.”

http://www.technewsdaily.com/16514-unlocking-cellphones-becomes-illegal.html

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Major ISPs set to implement ‘six strikes’ online piracy program

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“A new voluntary system aimed at rooting out online copyright piracy using a controversial ‘six strikes’ system is set to be implemented by US Internet providers soon, with the impact unclear.  The program was created with the music and film industry and the largest Internet firms, with some prodding by US government.  Participating in the program are the five largest broadband Internet providers — Comcast, Time Warner Cable, AT&T, Cablevision and Verizon — covering some 85 percent of US residential customers.”

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/01/26/major-isps-set-to-implement-six-strikes-online-piracy-program/

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Patent Troll with Patent on Podcasting Threatens to Shut Down—or Shake Down—Podcasters

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“On This Week in Tech, Leo Laporte, who is understandably worried, suggests that podcasters get together and fight this patent, instead of being picked off one by one. This may be a good strategy, but another thing podcasters should do is reevaluate their (typical) support for IP—for patent and copyright.”

http://c4sif.org/2013/01/patent-troll-with-patent-on-podcasting-threatens-to-shut-down-or-shake-down-podcasters/

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