Mar
20
New York Takes on Targeted Ads
Posted by Irene Soto at 9:00 am under Internet, Legislation.
NY Assemblyman Richard L. Brodsky is sponsoring a bill that would make it a crime for certain web companies to use behavioral targeted ads generated from the collection of personal data. Two problems.
First, it’s impossible for this law to only affect NY given the nature of the internet. Companies may have to change their behavior […]
Mar
19
LIVE BLOG - Cleantech Talk
Posted by Irene Soto at 11:25 am under Events, Innovation, Patent, Technology.
Thomas Knox, 87′, a partner in Morrison and Foerster’s Northern Virginia office will speak about “The Emerging Cleantech Economy”.
Cleantech is the business of environmentally-sustainable technologies, and the practice involves intellectual property, environmental, energy, and corporate law, among other areas. As the price of oil has skyrocketed and awareness has grown about the need for innovative environmentally-friendly […]
Mar
18
Attention California Drivers
Posted by Irene Soto at 12:18 pm under Uncategorized.
This isn’t IP-related, but it’s important for all of us multi-taskers. So put down your phone, pager and Blackberry and listen up!
Beginning July 1, 2008, two new wireless telephone laws will take effect in California. The first, Vehicle Code § 23123, prohibits all drivers from using handheld wireless phones while operating a motor vehicle. The second, Vehicle […]
Mar
18
Stanford Copyright Fake-Out
Posted by Irene Soto at 10:34 am under Copyright.
Stanford students reading last week’s Stanford Chaparral magazine were shocked to learn that the University had reported thousands of students for illegally downloading music. According to the report, 78 unnamed students had already been reported for violations and approximately 34 percent of Stanford’s undergraduate population were in danger of facing up to $9,250 per song […]
Mar
17
YouTube Awards
Posted by Irene Soto at 9:19 pm under Events, Internet, Wikinomics.
Google is hosting the second annual YouTube Awards. Vote for your favorites in the following categories:
Short Film
Comedy
Series
Sports
Creative
Politics
Music
Instructional
Inspirational
Commentary
Eyewitness
Adorable
Make your selections before 11:59 pm PT on Wednesday. You can vote once per day. Winners will be announced on the 21st and all will be invited to a special YouTube gathering later this year.
I’m not particularly impressed with […]
Mar
17
An Obstacle for the Design Piracy Prohibition Act
Posted by Irene Soto at 2:32 pm under Copyright, Legislation.
After months of negotiation between the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA), an agreement was reached regarding the scope of copyright protection for fashion designs. However, the AAFA board rejected the compromise bill last week, leaving the CFDA as the chief proponent of the Design Piracy […]
Mar
17
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Posted by Irene Soto at 12:25 pm under Uncategorized.
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, here is some festive March-themed trivia:
In what year was the term ”marshmallow peeps” first used in commerce?
What major retailer was sued in 2004 because it refused to accept a shipment of dancing Easter bunnies?
According to a 2007 Belfast Telegraph article, what three major American companies accounted for 20% of Irish […]
Mar
16
Update: PTO Online (sp?) Chat
Posted by Irene Soto at 9:48 pm under Events, Patent.
A few weeks ago I wrote about the PTO’s Independent Inventor Online Chat. The transcript is now available here. Of the hundreds of questions received, I’m delighted to see that mine was selected for posting because the PTO “believed [it] would be of interest to others besides the author of the question.” Sadly, I’m not […]
Mar
15
Judge Cacheris, Please Hurry
Posted by Irene Soto at 10:58 pm under Litigation, Patent.
On February 8th, Judge Cacheris heard summary judgment arguments in the Tafas v. Dudas case involving the PTO’s Final Rules (docket available here). A review of the proceedings is available here.
The issues addressed are numerous: what is the extent of the PTO’s rulemaking authority? Are the Final Rules within this authority? Do the Final Rules govern the […]
Mar
15
The SIM Card Spy
Posted by Irene Soto at 10:27 pm under Technology.
The SIM Card Spy is a new accessory for cell phones that allows you to back-up SIM information so you never lose phone numbers or, more interestingly, to access all files stored on the phone’s SIM card– even the deleted ones! Here’s how it works:
What a great way to make sure you never lose your numbers! […]