Archive for 2012
Copyright Office Seeking Comments on Possible Change to Small Claims Remedies
As an attorney who largely represents small businesses and entrepreneurs, I have often found myself in the tough position of explaining to someone with limited resources just how difficult it was going to be to go after an infringer. Either it is simply too cost-prohibitive to go after an infringer, or the client has the…
Read MoreGoogle Reaches Settlement with Book Publishers in Copyright Infringement Case
Google has reached a settlement with several major American publishing companies, including but not limited to McGraw-Hill, Pearson Education and Penguin, John Wiley & Sons and Simon & Schuster in a copyright infringement case challenging Google’s decision to scan the book collections of many major universities. The Los Angeles Times is reporting that the settlement…
Read MoreGoogle Announces Controversial Decision to Factor Receipt of DMCA Notices into Ranking of Websites
Google has just made a controversial announcement that it will now be factoring the number of “valid” DMCA notices that it receives on a particular website into how it ranks that website in its search results. The Wall Street Journal reported: Google’s move comes as Google itself is attempting to become a major seller and…
Read MorePayPal Launches New Internet Controversy over Decision to Censor Erotica Content Sold through Platform
PayPal has set off a new controversy on the Internet by advising e-book sellers that they must remove all erotica content off their websites or PayPal will stop doing business with them. In particular, PayPal is apparently concerned with content dealing with erotica fiction containing rape, incest, and bestiality, reported Technolog on MSNBC’s website. According…
Read MoreApple Trademark Dispute with Proview Becomes a Global Fight
Apple’s trademark dispute with Proview is now being fought on two fronts: at the local level in China and here in Silicon Valley. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Proview has filed a lawsuit in Santa Clara County Superior Court claiming that Apple committed fraud when it used a company called IP Application Development…
Read MoreSOPA Blackout Protesters Succeed in Tabling SOPA and PIPA Bills; Focus Shifts to OPEN Act
To follow up on my blog posting about the SOPA blackout, the SOPA blackout protesters achieved their desired result: SOPA and its companion bill PIPA were tabled after its co-sponsors withdrew their support of the bills, as the L.A. Times reported. The focus of Congress will now shift to consideration of the Online Protection and…
Read MoreLessons for Silicon Valley Companies in Apple Trademark Dispute
In case you have not been following the story, Apple has found itself in the middle of a trademark dispute in China over the use of its mark “iPad,” as MSNBC reported on its website yesterday. You might wonder how in the world this happened, given Apple’s large, IP savvy legal department and the fact…
Read MoreSilicon Valley Prepares for SOPA Blackout Day Observation
The Silicon Valley cyberspace community is currently preparing for tomorrow’s observation of SOPA Blackout Day. Organizers are requesting that participants make their websites go black for at least 12 hours tomorrow in observation of the blackout. As I reported on the Silicon Valley Software Law Blog, Mozilla, Reddit, Word Press, Boing Boing and the English…
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