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
Microsoft Entering the Dating Industry?
Posted by Irene Soto at 10:49 am under Patent, Technology.
Last week, this Microsoft patent application published, titled “Image-Based Face Search.” The claims cover a computer-readable media involved in the following method: (1) a user providing an image of a face, (2) the user indicating a preference for one or more facial features, (3) comparing the image provided to a plurality of stored images, and (4) displaying the resultant […]
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 […]
Feb
27
$1.3 billion fine for Microsoft
Posted by Dirk Avery at 10:02 am under Patent, Technology.
About a week after Microsoft pledged to be open with the formats used by its dominant products (discussed previously here, here and here) the EU has slapped the Redmond company with a $1.3 billion fine. The fine represents about 20% of Microsoft’s cash on hand ($6.1 billion). Apparently the EU was concerned about […]
Feb
26
Kindle law books?
Posted by Dirk Avery at 12:48 pm under Internet, Technology.
As much as I love the muscles I’ve developed hauling around hundreds of pounds of law books, doesn’t it seem like we should have electronic law books? The Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance released a report in May 2007 on the high cost of textbooks. Of its many suggestions to lower costs […]
Feb
26
Open letter to Lessig on net neutrality
Posted by Dirk Avery at 10:28 am under Internet, Technology.
Dear Lawrence,
I’m sorry to hear that you will not be running for congress. We can always use smart people in DC that are champions of human progress.
Good luck in your new endeavor to change congress. I hope you’ll consider net neutrality a part of that effort. Lack of neutrality has the potential […]
Feb
25
Microsoft “Opens Up To Sharing”
Posted by Irene Soto at 1:06 pm under Technology.
Good news for consumers or open source money-maker?
Microsoft’s announcement overview is available here, and, as Alexander Wolfe points out, it isn’t available in an open format, but rather in Microsoft’s proprietary Office 2007 docx.
Feb
25
Patent updates
Posted by Dirk Avery at 12:10 pm under Litigation, Patent, Technology.
Microsoft’s promise to refrain from patent-infringement suits
Last week we wrote about Wariness over Microsoft’s openness. Today various stories reaffirm that concern. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer writes:
But [Microsoft’s] promise last week specifically excluded commercially distributed open-source software. Microsoft said commercial uses of its patented communications protocols would require licensing payments. That drew criticism from Michael […]
Feb
22
Encrypted Data Thiefs
Posted by Irene Soto at 12:53 pm under Technology.
In software news…
A group led by a Princeton University computer security researcher has developed a simple method to steal encrypted information stored on computer hard disks.The technique, which could undermine security software protecting critical data on computers, is as easy as chilling a computer memory chip with a blast of frigid air from a can […]
Feb
22
Girls Gone Geek
Posted by Irene Soto at 12:43 pm under Technology.
“Sorry, boys, this is our domain.”
The prototypical computer whiz of popular imagination — pasty, geeky, male — has failed to live up to his reputation. Research shows that among the youngest Internet users, the primary creators of Web content (blogs, graphics, photographs, Web sites) are not misfits resembling the Lone Gunmen of “The X Files.” […]