Mar
13
Like many heroes, Guitar Hero in trouble
Posted by Dirk Avery at 11:32 am under Litigation, Patent, Video games.
Gibson Guitar, the famous maker of “real” guitars, is seeking an injunction against Activision which would prevent further sales of the popular Guitar Hero game. Gibson, which holds some 52 utility patents issued since 1976, has a patent (US Pat No. 5,990,405) on a “System and method for generating and controlling a simulated musical […]
Mar
9
We’ve been away; eCO update
Posted by Dirk Avery at 12:01 am under Copyright.
Apologies as Keeley and I have both been hit at the same time with various issues involving family (Dirk & Keeley), and the MPRE and a student symposium (just Dirk). We are still alive and will be posting again when things settle down.
In the meantime, I have an update! I have won the race to […]
Mar
6
House revokes music industry’s carte blanche
Posted by Dirk Avery at 4:58 pm under Copyright, Legislation.
CNet’s Anne Broache writes:
To avoid having a copyright bill favored by the music industry become mired in controversy, a U.S. House of Representatives panel has agreed to remove a section that would have dramatically increased fines in copyright infringement lawsuits.
Under the original Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act (the PRO IP Act), […]
Mar
5
Alexandrians in action: Google Books
Posted by Dirk Avery at 2:14 pm under Copyright, Innovation, Internet, Technology.
Today, here on the University of Michigan campus, I saw the Google folks at work. A huge moving truck was backed up next to the library door. Carts filled with books filled the truck.
The basic task is really pretty simple. They take books and scan them. The complexity comes from the […]
Mar
5
William Blumenthal, live blog
Posted by Dirk Avery at 12:24 pm under Innovation, Internet, Technology.
March 5, 2008, 12:20
12:23: This looks interesting: FTC 2003 Report on Innovation. We are moving away from “balancing” competition law and IP, to “aligning” the two. I like aligning. It’s very business like.
12:28: FTC thought that patent quality was on the decline with negative effects: discouraging innovation, elevating cost and leading […]
Mar
5
Live blogging: William Blumenthal, GC of FTC
Posted by Dirk Avery at 9:33 am under Events, Internet, Technology.
In an Addo Vere first, we will be live blogging today! At about 12:30 pm EST, William Blumenthal, General Counsel of the Federal Trade Commission, will be speaking here at the University of Michigan Law School. His topic will be “Recent Issues in the Treatment of IP and the Internet under Competition Law.” It promises […]
Mar
4
Michigan’s strong patent market
Posted by Dirk Avery at 5:37 pm under Innovation, Patent.
I go to the University of Michigan Law School. Ann Arbor, as a university town, is shielded a little from an otherwise awful state economy. However, innovation and patents are helping to bring things back. Sven Gustafson on MLive writes:
The auto industry may be bleeding money throughout Michigan, but it is fueling […]
Mar
4
Patently resolved
Posted by Dirk Avery at 9:13 am under Litigation, Patent.
Nokia wins Qualcomm patent suit in the UK. Bloomberg’s James Lumley has this:
Nokia Oyj, the world’s biggest maker of mobile phones, won a U.K. patent lawsuit filed by Qualcomm Inc. over patents related to GSM technology.
One of Qualcomm’s patents is invalid and another is partially invalid, Justice Christopher Floyd said at a hearing […]
Mar
1
eBay and Merc hug and make-up
Posted by Dirk Avery at 2:45 pm under Litigation, Patent.
InternetNews’s Kenneth Corbin writes:
eBay reached a settlement with MercExchange today [Feb. 28], putting to rest a long-running legal squabble that dates back to September 2001.
eBay said that it would purchase the three patents from MercExchange which had been at the center of a high-profile infringement case that eventually made it to the U.S. Supreme Court. […]
Feb
28
Free books online?
Posted by Dirk Avery at 10:33 am under Copyright, Technology.
I recently downloaded Charles Bock’s Beautiful Children for free. The 434-page novel is a 2 MB PDF. Everything looks to be high-quality. It was published by Random House. You can even buy the book at Amazon (here). It’s currently #7 on Amazon’s US-fiction bestsellers list. My question is why […]