Category Archives: Federal Initiatives

Stories from the Week that Was – 6/10/12-6/16/12

17 Sunday Jun 2012

Posted by in Federal Initiatives, Indiana, Litigation, Patent, Social Media, Stories from the Week that Was, Tech Developments, Trademark

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I spent this week in Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love. It was my first visit and I have to say the place is top-rate. Some of the best museums you can imagine and the C-SPAN junkie in me was absolutely thrilled to walk inside Congress Hall, location of the first U.S. House and Senate from 1790-1800. But just because I’m out sightseeing doesn’t mean the news stops. Here are the top stories I followed this week:

Indiana finally has its own keyword advertising case

$176 million unmanned drone crashes in Maryland

Twitter Takes a New Approach to Avoid Patent Litigation

The NLRB’s Dos And Don’ts For Employer Social Media Policies

US elections 2012: top 50 Twitter accounts to follow

Downloaders take heed, Indiana’s first BitTorrent download case – CP Productions v. John Doe

These 6 Corporations Control 90% Of The Media In America

Comcast: Don’t “Shake Down” Our Customers

Got another big story from this week that I missed? Leave a comment below.

“He snatched the lightning from the sky and the sceptre from tyrants” – Anne-Robert-Jacques Turgot, speaking of Benjamin Franklin

Stories from the Week that Was – 5/6/12-5/12/12

13 Sunday May 2012

Posted by in Copyright, Defamation, Federal Initiatives, Intellectual Property, Legislation, Privacy, Social Media, Stories from the Week that Was, Tech Developments, Trademark

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A mid-week election saw Richard Mourdock topple long-standing Republican Senator Richard Lugar. Has anybody bothered to ask Mourdock or (Democrat rival) Joe Donnelly’s thoughts on legislation like CISPA and SNOPA? Not this week, when all the talk was about Zuckerberg’s hoodie and President Obama’s evolution on same-sex marriage.

Why the New gTLDs Don’t Matter

Clicking ‘Like’ on Facebook Is Not Protected Speech, Judge Rules

Property rights in the cloud: Your data or theirs?

Twitter Defends User In Court Over Occupy Tweets

Think That Email Isn’t a Contract? Think Again

Facebook bans Grooveshark over copyright complaint

How Should We Measure Damages for Defamation Over Social Media?

Mars Rover Opportunity Rolling Again After Winter Break

New NDAA Would Give the Military Clandestine Cyberwar Powers

“All of my friends who have younger siblings who are going to college or high school – my number one piece of advice is: You should learn how to program.” – Mark Zuckerberg

Stories from the Week that Was – 4/8/12-4/14/12

14 Saturday Apr 2012

Posted by in Federal Initiatives, Legislation, Privacy, Stories from the Week that Was, Tech Developments

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Stories from the Week that Was – 4/8/12-4/14/12

President Obama Signs Into Law The Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act

Amazon will now buy your old CDs

Maryland becomes first state to ban employers from asking for social media passwords

Warning from the USPTO Concerning Unofficial Trademark Solicitations

U.S. sees warmest March in recorded history, NOAA reports

SF Students Suspended & Barred From Walking At Graduation Because They Joked About Teachers On A Blog

Facebook To Acquire Instagram For $1 Billion

“Relying on the government to protect your privacy is like asking a peeping tom to install your window blinds.” – John Perry Barlow

Stories from the Week that Was – 4/1/12-4/7/12

07 Saturday Apr 2012

Posted by in Artists, Copyright, Federal Initiatives, Legislation, Stories from the Week that Was, Tech Developments

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Stories from the Week that Was – 4/1/12-4/7/12

Mac Flashback Trojan: Find Out If You’re One of the 600,000 Infected

JOBS Act To Jumpstart The Job Market

Collector Sues William Eggleston Over New Prints of Old Photos

Indianapolis Museum of Art, Google Announce Partnership

“Bad artists copy. Good artists steal.” – Pablo Picasso

Stories from the Week that Was – 1/15/12-1/21/12

23 Monday Jan 2012

Posted by in Branding, Copyright, Federal Initiatives, Intellectual Property, Legislation, Privacy, Stories from the Week that Was, Tech Developments, Trademark

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Stories from the Week that Was – 1/15/12-1/21/12

The internet stood up and crushed SOPA/PIPA this week (at least temporarily). It was a pretty amazing day as Wikipedia went dark and citizens across the land let their voices be heard. It’s not over yet and there’s news that a new bill, ACTA, is even worse than SOPA. Stay tuned.

I hope SOPA passes.

Anonymous Attacks Justice Dept as FBI Shuts Down File-Sharing Site

Super Bowl XLVI Gets a Social Media Command Center

The Week That Killed SOPA: A Timeline

“I personally think intellectual property is an oxymoron. Physical objects have a completely different natural economy than intellectual goods. It’s a tricky thing to try to own something that remains in your possession even after you give it to many others.” – John Perry Barlow

Stories from the Week that Was – 1/8/12-1/14/12

22 Sunday Jan 2012

Posted by in Branding, Copyright, Federal Initiatives, Intellectual Property, Legislation, Privacy, Stories from the Week that Was, Tech Developments, Trademark

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Stories from the Week that Was – 1/8/12-1/14/12

More SOPA this week. It’s all coming to a head next week with a big internet protest planned. Stay tuned.

Homeland Security monitors journalists

3 More Reasons SOPA Ought to Scare You

Boycott SOPA: Android app that scans barcodes and tells you whether an object’s manufacturer/publisher supports SOPA

Who Is Flying Unmanned Aircraft in the U.S.?

Why bankruptcy isn’t a brand killer

Full Text of 2012 Indiana State of the Judiciary Address

White House Speaks Out Against SOPA/PIPA, Sort Of…

“The intellectual property situation is bad and getting worse. To be a programmer, it requires that you understand as much law as you do technology.” – Eric Allman

Stories from the Week that Was – 1/1/12-1/7/12

08 Sunday Jan 2012

Posted by in Copyright, Fashion, Federal Initiatives, Intellectual Property, Legislation, Stories from the Week that Was, Tech Developments, Trademark

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Stories from the Week that Was – 1/1/12-1/7/12

SOPA is THE issue in IP for early 2012. There is plenty of opposition to the bill from all sides but I’m left with so little confidence in Congress doing the right thing that I can’t forecast an optimistic outcome. I’m tempted to mail a copy of William Patry’s new book “How to Fix Copyright” to all of my congressmen. I’m about halfway through and it carries a vital message that hopefully gets to our elected officials before SOPA is passed and does permanent damage to the Internet.

Why Everyone Should Be Against SOPA

Why The Movie Industry Can’t Innovate and the Result is SOPA

National Defense Authorization Act Outrage Continues To Grow Online

Careful, That’s Not a Louis Vuitton

2011: The Year Intellectual Property Trumped Civil Liberties

Homeland Security monitors journalists

Stories from the Week that Was – 12/25/11-12/31/11

02 Monday Jan 2012

Posted by in Artists, Bloggers, Copyright, Federal Initiatives, Intellectual Property, Legislation, Litigation, Privacy, Social Media, Stories from the Week that Was, Tech Developments

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Stories from the Week that Was – 12/25/11-12/31/11

2011 was quite a year. We witnessed intellectual property trump civil liberties time and time again. I’ll continue to archive the most important stories from each week, although I’m no longer certain it’s best for my mental health. Onward and upward (hopefully).

Copyrights Are No Longer About Copies (Part 1): William Patry

Creativity Springs From Careful Copying (Part 2): William Patry

Statement by the President on H.R. 1540 (the “National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012)

Artists: Can You Be Sued for Including a Real Person in Your Painting?

SOPA is the end of us, say bloggers

Company sues former employee over right to Twitter followers

Scottie Pippie Files Suit Claiming Websites Falsely Labeled Him as Bankrupt; Is Blog Tag Defamatory?

Google+ Censoring Borderline Offensive Profile Images; Author Images in Search Results To Blame?

Stories from the Week that Was – 12/18-12/24/11

26 Monday Dec 2011

Posted by in Bloggers, Copyright, Federal Initiatives, Legislation, Privacy, Stories from the Week that Was, Tech Developments

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Stories from the Week that Was – 12/18-12/24/11

Dear Internet: It’s No Longer OK to Not Know How Congress Works

USPTO gets a new website

In the eyes of the law, are we all public figures on Facebook?

Don’t Break the Internet

“The intellectual property situation is bad and getting worse. To be a programmer, it requires that you understand as much law as you do technology.” – Eric Allman