Archive for May 2006
Who’s the Real Trump?
One of the things we pride ourselves on is the reliability and credibility of our sourcing. As a firm rule, CopyCense cites only to online and print sources that meet our standards for accuracy, timeliness, and credibility. Therefore, we tend to cite to established publications that refrain from running gossip or sensationalistic stories.
There are times, though, that the really juicy stuff only is available via tabloids. This is one of those times.
The Smoking Gun, that online rag of guilty informational and literary pleasures, has reported that The Donald is suing ex-wife Ivana Trump to keep her from using her name as a trademark in a new real estate business. Writes TSG: “Donald (who is identified as the “famous real estate developer”) argues that issuance of the trademark sought by his ex would be ‘confusingly similar’ to his own valuable handle. Ivana filed her trademark application in September 2004, but it wasn’t until the mark was ‘published’ in February that USPTO proceedings could be started by anyone seeking to challenge the requested trademark.”
Marty Schwimmer, who writes and edits The Trademark Blog [ link ], notes the really pertinent issue: “You’d have thought the divorce settlement would have envisioned this.”
The Smoking Gun. Donald And Ivana In Trademark Tangle. May 3, 2006.
CopyCense™: K. Matthew Dames on the law, business, and technology of digital content. A business venture of Seso Digital LLC.
Domain Misspellings Pay Google While Causing Trademark Problems
“Google Inc., which runs the largest ad network on the Internet, is making millions of dollars a year by filling otherwise unused Web sites with ads. In many instances, these ad-filled pages appear when users mistype an Internet address, such as “BistBuy.com.”
“This new form of advertising is turning into a booming business that some say is cluttering the Internet and could be violating trademark rules. It also has sparked a speculative frenzy of investment in domain names, pushing the value of some beyond the $1 million mark.
“Google specifically bars Web addresses that infringe on trademarks from using its ad network, but a review of placeholder Web sites that result from misspelled domain names of well-known companies found that many of the ads on those pages come directly from Google.”
Leslie Walker and Brian Krebs. The Web’s Million-Dollar Typos. WashingtonPost.com. April 30, 2006.
CopyCense™: K. Matthew Dames on the law, business, and technology of digital content. A business venture of Seso Digital LLC.
Congresswoman Criticizes Web Snooping Resistance
“Congress’ leading proponent of forcing Internet service providers to retain records about their users’ activities lashed out at the industry on Wednesday, saying such a federal law will be a ‘very minor burden’ to bear.
“Rep. Diana DeGette, a Colorado Democrat, said at a House of Representatives hearing that new laws were necessary to thwart child pornographers and other Internet predators. Investigations into illicit behavior have been hampered because data may be routinely deleted in the normal course of business, DeGette and other data retention proponents claim.
“She added that the committee plans to grill ISP representatives at another hearing that may occur as soon as next week. That happens to be a bipartisan view.”
Anne Broache and Declan McCullagh. Backer of ISP Snooping Slams Industry. News.com. May 3, 2006.
CopyCense™: K. Matthew Dames on the law, business, and technology of digital content. A business venture of Seso Digital LLC.
OpenDocument Now International Standard
“OpenDocument was ratified as a file format standard Tuesday night by an international standards group, setting the stage for greater worldwide adoption of the open-source file format technology.
“A number of productivity applications, such as OpenOffice 2.0, Sun Microsystems’ StarOffice 8 and IBM’s Workplace, support the OpenDocument file format. Microsoft, however, is not supporting OpenDocument and instead is seeking ISO standardization for its own Office Open XML file formats.”
Dawn Kawamoto. OpenDocument Standard Ratified. News.com. May 3, 2006.
CopyCense™: K. Matthew Dames on the law, business, and technology of digital content. A business venture of Seso Digital LLC.
Apple Holds Line At 99 Cents … For Now
“Apple Computer still reigns over the digital music world. When the Cupertino company confirmed this week that songs at its iTunes Music Store will remain 99 cents each, it showed that Apple continues to set the terms in the digital download market it pioneered just three years ago.
“As CD sales have continued to decline, Apple’s digital music sales and its iPod music player have been a standout success story. Music industry executives have meanwhile clamored for more control over prices — just as popular CDs cost more, executives have asked for the freedom to charge a premium for hit songs.
“Apple’s answer: No.”
Therese Poletti. 99-cent Downloads Show Apple’s Influence in Music Industry. MercuryNews.com. May 2, 2006.
See also:
Charles Duhigg. Apple Fights to Hold 99-Cent Download Line. LATimes.com. May 3, 2006.
ArsTechnica. iTMS Tracks to Stay Put at 99 Cents. May 1, 2006.
CopyCense™: K. Matthew Dames on the law, business, and technology of digital content. A business venture of Seso Digital LLC.
Blackberry Maker Faces More Patent Litigation
“Research In Motion Ltd., which paid $612.5 million to resolve a patent lawsuit in March over its Blackberry wireless e-mail device, filed a complaint challenging another company’s infringement claims.
“Research In Motion asked a federal court in Dallas to rule that the BlackBerry doesn’t infringe patents owned by Visto Corp., a Redwood Shores, California-based company that provides e-mail software to cell phone companies. The lawsuit was filed May 1, the first business day after Visto filed its own suit against Research In Motion in federal court in Marshall, Texas.
Bloomberg. Research In Motion Files Lawsuit Challenging Visto’s Patents. May 3, 2006.
See also:
Ars Technica. RIM Sued Again. May 2, 2006.
CBC News. RIM Rejects Patent Infringement Allegations. May 1, 2006.
Arik Hesseldahl. BlackBerry vs. Redberry in China. BusinessWeek Online. April 13, 2006.
CopyCense™: K. Matthew Dames on the law, business, and technology of digital content. A business venture of Seso Digital LLC.
To Apple’s Relief, France Reconsiders Open DRM
“The French government has apparently reconsidered a proposal to force Apple Computer to make the songs it sells through its iTunes Music Store playable on devices that compete with its iPods.
“A French Senate committee has removed wording from proposed legislation that would have forced technology companies to license their digital rights management schemes.
“Apple, which did not return repeated phone calls, and other DRM holders doing business in France, are likely elated.”
Greg Sandoval. France Backs Down on iTunes DRM Stance. News.com. May 2, 2006.
See also:
Nick Farrell. French Committee Surrenders on DRM Law. The Inquirer. May 2, 2006.
CopyCense™: K. Matthew Dames on the law, business, and technology of digital content. A business venture of Seso Digital LLC.
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