Google’s Open Source Strategy and the U.S. Patent Reform Act of 2009

Brian Prentice of the Gartner Blog Network raises an interesting possibility in his post about Google's long-term business strategy. He speculates that Google's advocacy for the Patent Reform Act of 2009 coupled with its support of the open-source movement may not be as altruistic as one might first be led to think. The proposed legislation outlines various standards for […]

RealDVD case affirms anti-piracy legislation, but where are my personal use rights?

On 11 August 2009, a U.S. District Court in California ruled that RealDVD, RealNetwork's software that enables users to copy DVDs for personal storage on hard drives, was in violation of U.S. copyright law. In light of the evidence that RealDVD circumvented anti-piracy protection requirements set out in law, Judge Marylin Patel granted the DVD […]

Copyright Collectives: Good Solution But for Which Problem?

Ariel Katz is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Toronto. Ariel holds the Innovation Chair in Electronic Commerce and is the Director of the Centre for Innovation Law and Policy of the University of Toronto. With the Public Copyright Consultations moving full steam ahead, various stake-holders raise proposals for expanding […]

Movie Monsters, Fair Use and Best Practices in the U.S.

Patricia Aufderheide is a Professor in the School of Communication at American University in Washington.  She is also the Director of the Center for Social Media. The U.S. doctrine of fair use is getting a healthy workout, and it seems like every challenge is making it stronger. In fact, fair use is becoming a very […]

True, Patriot Love of the Canadian Maple Leaf - at Home and Abroad

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. But, do other nations stand on guard for Canada? When it comes to protecting official Canadian marks, such as the Canadian maple leaf, apparently Paris Convention Union nation courts are willing to stand up for Canada’s interests. A recent decision by the European Court of Justice has […]

Is Yahoo-Microsoft Pact Enough to Fight Google?

The recent announcement of Yahoo and Microsoft's partnership may mean more choice and transparency for consumers, advertisers and publishers. It certainly means more competition in the world of online search and advertisements. Carol Bartz of Yahoo and Steven A. Ballmer of Microsoft finally put pen to paper on Wednesday, July 29, 2009, to announce this […]

Patent Application Filings: Fluctuations and Innovation

The current decline in patent filings at the United States Patent and Trademark Office ("USPTO") has been well documented on many prominent intellectual property blog sites.  In fact, according to a recent Patently-O blog entry, "new patent filings are down 16% so far in 2009."  This post examines the variability in the number of application filings in the United […]

"Hotel" is a generic word

Thanks to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, it is now clear that "hotel" is a generic word. Hotels.com attempted to register the mark for the services of "providing information for others about temporary lodging; travel agency services, namely, making reservations and bookings for temporary lodging for others by means of telephone […]

Procol Harum Organist Awarded Royalties, Turns a Greener Shade of Pale

42 years after playing the memorable organ solo on "A Whiter Shade of Pale", ex-Procol Harum organist Matthew Fisher has finally been awarded a share of the song's royalties. Despite penning the melody from the British band's most popular song, Fisher was never acknowledged as one of the song's authors. Now, in one of the […]

Free: the future of radical pricing – A book review

Chris Anderson is editor-in-chief of Wired, which has won a National Magazine Award under his tenure. He wrote an article in the magazine entitled "The Long Tail", which he later turned into a book called "The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More" (2006).  In this blog post, I will […]