If you Google MPAA today, the first hit is this article indicating that Judge Mukasey in the Southern District of NY has ruled that the MPAA may not block independent filmmakers from sending out screening copies. MPAA had wanted the prohibition so as to cut down on film piracy. Additional coverage from Marketwatch here.
Linus on Linux GPL
Linus Torvalds, Linux originator, on GPL, from Groklaw here. Note: The references to “The Darl” are to Darl McBride, CEO of SCO, and villain of this piece.
Play by Play in SCO v. IBM
Interim decision re discovery in SCO v. IBM reported in eWeek here. All SCO v. IBM all the time at Groklaw here.
Beijing 2008 Logo
Problem re third party registration of Beijing 2008 Olymipics logo, via Channelnewsasia.com.
Complaint in Google Keyword Case
Here is the complaint for declaratory judgment of non-infringement on Google v. American Blind & Wallpaper Factory.
Here’s an Internetnews.com article about the case that quotes me a lot.
Incidentally, the second unpaid Google hit for the search term AMERICAN BLIND, is the American Blind Skiing Foundation.
Derivative But Not Transitive Infringement
Plaintiff registered copyright in a 20 inch doll. It then created a 48 inch doll derived from the 20 inch doll, but didn’t register copyright. Defendant’s doll allegedly infringed the unregistered 48 inch doll but not the registered 20 inch doll. Plaintiff argued that registration of the prior work confers jursidiction on claims of infringement
ipodsdirtylittlesecret.com
Interesting illustration of how consumers can talk back to big corporations these days. This website, ipodsdirtylittlesecret.com, alleges that the iPod’s irreplaceable battery only lasts 18 months. Comments on the site here, via kottke.org. I’m not aware of a response from Apple as of yet but will happily link to one.
Well, My Work Here Is Finished
Article from Bizjournals.com on ‘Blogs: The Next Frontier in Biz Communication” listing the Trademark Blog as “another example of an interesting blog.”
Taking On A Life of Their Own
And speaking of juxta position, today’s Wall Street Journal, page B1, “Whose Ad Is This Anyway?,” discusses the practice of companies using their fictional pitchman, such as the Maytag Repairman, Taco Bell Chihauhua, and the Pillsbury Doughboy, to appear in ads for the products of others. Does this enhance or blur brand image? The experts
Today's Perhaps Unfair Juxtaposition
It was a little ironic. “Ruling Is Near On Limits Put on Film Copies” on p.4 of today’s NY Times, reports that a NY Federal court will issue a ruling soon on whether the MPAA can prohibit member studios from distributing copies of new movies to critics, given that such copies are apparently the source