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McAfee patents anti-piracy filter

McAfee patents anti-piracy filter
  • Posted April 25, 2013, 4:30 PM by Rick Burgess | Filed in Industry News, The Web
  • A recent patent published by McAfee describes what amounts to an anti-piracy system. Titled "Detect and prevent illegal consumption of content on the internet", McAfee's approach would employ a centralized blocklist-style system to issue warnings for -- or entirely block…

Google pledges not to sue open source projects over select patents

Google pledges not to sue open source projects over select patents
  • Posted March 28, 2013, 1:00 PM by Rick Burgess | Filed in Software, Industry News
  • Google's latest initiative suggests it's aiming to take the moral high ground when it comes to patent litigation and open source projects,. The company announced today an Open Patent Non-Assertion (OPN) Pledge wherein Google has promised not to sue any…

Nokia supports Apple in Samsung product sales ban effort

Nokia supports Apple in Samsung product sales ban effort
  • Posted March 7, 2013, 12:00 PM by Shawn Knight | Filed in Industry News
  • Nokia filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington earlier this week to back Apple’s intentions of permanently banning select Samsung phones from being sold in America. The documents were sealed upon…

Samsung countersues LG over OLED patent claims

Samsung countersues LG over OLED patent claims
  • Posted November 19, 2012, 3:30 PM by Rick Burgess | Filed in Industry News, Mobile Computing
  • It looks like Samsung and LG Display are still at it. The latest wrinkle between the two companies is a Samsung-led lawsuit filed in Korea which alleges seven of LG's OLED patents "lack innovation". Apparently, Samsung hopes to invalidate those…

MegaUpload now set to relaunch as mega.co.nz

MegaUpload now set to relaunch as mega.co.nz
  • Posted November 12, 2012, 12:30 PM by Rick Burgess | Filed in The Web
  • After Kim Dotcom was denied the possibility of resurrecting MegaUpload as Me.ga, the controversial figure blasted the U.S. and Vivendi for their opposing views and global reach. Dotcom added that Mega was well-prepared for this contingency however, with a number of…

MegaUpload's me.ga domain suspended prior to launch

MegaUpload
  • Posted November 7, 2012, 2:30 PM by Rick Burgess | Filed in The Web
  • Well -- that didn't take long. It appears MegaUpload's resurrection as me.ga has already been thwarted by the Gabonese government. The republic's Minster of Communications Blaise Lourmbe insisted that Gabon will not "serve as a platform or screen for committing…

Man fined $1.5 million in damages for sharing 10 porn movies

Man fined $1.5 million in damages for sharing 10 porn movies
  • Posted November 2, 2012, 4:30 PM by Rick Burgess | Filed in The Web
  • A Virginia man, Kywan Fisher, who was accused of sharing 10 adult movies via BitTorrent is being asked by an Illinois Federal court to pony up a whopping $1,500,000 in damages. The stiff judgment is the largest amount ever awarded…

Me.ga is new home for MegaUpload, launches 01/19/13

Me.ga is new home for MegaUpload, launches 01/19/13
  • Posted November 1, 2012, 2:30 PM by Rick Burgess | Filed in The Web
  • Kim Dotcom and friends are making good on their promise to revive MegaUpload. The popular file sharing destination was abruptly shut down by U.S. officials earlier this year and Kim Dotcom's New Zealand mansion raided by American and New Zealand…

Jailbreaking smartphones remains legal. Tablets? Not so much.

Jailbreaking smartphones remains legal. Tablets? Not so much.
  • Posted October 26, 2012, 4:30 PM by Rick Burgess | Filed in Industry News, Mobile Computing
  • The U.S. Copyright Office has performed its triennial review of exceptions to the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act). Officials have most notably determined jailbreaking smartphones (but not tablets) remains legal, unlocking phones is legal -- but only with your carrier's…

AT&T to launch six-strike anti-piracy plan Nov 28, leak shows

AT&T to launch six-strike anti-piracy plan Nov 28, leak shows
  • Posted October 15, 2012, 4:00 PM by Rick Burgess | Filed in The Web, Industry News
  • Leaked internal training documents indicate AT&T is gearing up to launch a six-strike anti-piracy initiative on November 28. This may not prove to be much of a surprise for readers who caught headlines earlier this year regarding an impending graduated response supposedly…

OnLive sold assets and intellectual property for just $4.8 million

OnLive sold assets and intellectual property for just $4.8 million
  • Posted October 10, 2012, 3:30 PM by Shawn Knight | Filed in Gaming
  • A letter from OnLive’s assignee that was sent to creditors reveals the company and all of its assets were sold for just $4.8 million. The document indicates the sale took place a few days before massive layoffs essentially gutted the…

Need more proof that patent litigation is killing innovation?

Need more proof that patent litigation is killing innovation?
  • Posted October 8, 2012, 4:00 PM by Shawn Knight | Filed in Industry News
  • If you needed further proof that patent wars are detrimental to innovation, look no further than a new piece from The New York Times. The extensive article highlights the fact that big companies often threaten small start-ups with an extensive…

Apple seeks US Samsung sales ban plus $707m in damages

Apple seeks US Samsung sales ban plus $707m in damages
  • Posted September 24, 2012, 8:30 AM by Lee Kaelin | Filed in Apple, Industry News
  • Apple filed a motion in the San Jose District Court late Friday requesting an additional $707 million in damages and a wider US sales ban covering all of Samsung's infringing devices. The South Korean electronics giant has also filed its own motion requesting a retrial...

$220,000 award upheld in RIAA v. Jammie Thomas-Rasset lawsuit

$220,000 award upheld in RIAA v. Jammie Thomas-Rasset lawsuit
  • Posted September 12, 2012, 5:00 PM by Rick Burgess | Filed in The Web
  • Yes, Jammie Thomas-Rasset is still embroiled in a legal battle against the Record Industry Association of America -- and yes, the infamous P2P file-sharer from Minnesota is still on the losing side. It appears the most recent verdict totaling $220,000…

Chinese company patents iPhone 5 design, may sue Apple

Chinese company patents iPhone 5 design, may sue Apple
  • Posted September 5, 2012, 5:00 PM by Rick Burgess | Filed in Apple, Mobile Computing With Video
  • Tired of hearing about seemingly endless patent wars being waged between multi-national companies? Me too. However, this one has an interesting twist. Giz-China is reporting that Apple's iPhone 5 may be in danger of an injunction barring sales in China…

Ubisoft scraps always-on DRM, favors one-time activation

Ubisoft scraps always-on DRM, favors one-time activation
  • Posted September 5, 2012, 2:00 PM by Rick Burgess | Filed in Industry News, Gaming
  • In an interview with RPS, Ubisoft worldwide games director Stephanie Perotti divulged that the company is dropping its infamous always-on DRM strategy. In fact, Ubisoft already quietly euthanized the program a few months ago -- probably following the From Dust…

Demonoid shut down by Ukrainian authorities following DDoS attack

Demonoid shut down by Ukrainian authorities following DDoS attack
  • Posted August 6, 2012, 1:00 PM by Rick Burgess | Filed in The Web
  • Demonoid, the Internet's largest combined BitTorrent site and tracker, has been shutdown in one of the biggest BitTorrent-related busts in recent times, according to TorrentFreak. ColoCall, the Ukrainian datacenter who hosts Demonoid, was forced to relinquish Demonoid's data to local…

LG Display workers charged with stealing Samsung OLED secrets

LG Display workers charged with stealing Samsung OLED secrets
  • Posted July 18, 2012, 7:30 AM by Rick Burgess | Filed in Industry News
  • According to a report by The Associated Press, LG's display arm has admitted to six of its employees being involved in the possible misappropriation of OLED technology secrets from Samsung. Samsung has accused the display maker of having "systematically stole its…

Apple pays $60 million for iPad brand name rights in China

Apple pays $60 million for iPad brand name rights in China
  • Posted July 2, 2012, 9:00 AM by Lee Kaelin | Filed in Apple
  • Apple has paid $60 million to settle a dispute in China over ownership of the iPad brand name in the country. According to an announcement by Chinese-based, Hong-Kong registered computer display maker Proview, the two parties reached a settlement during mediation.

Former AMD, Intel engineer pleads guilty to stealing sensitive documents

Former AMD, Intel engineer pleads guilty to stealing sensitive documents
  • Posted April 9, 2012, 6:00 PM by Rick Burgess | Filed in Industry News, IT Security
  • Biswamohan Pani, a former engineer for both Intel and AMD, has plead guilty to five counts of fraud centered around the theft of sensitive Intel documents. The stolen information, valued at an approximate total of $1 billion, included chip-related design…

Apple offers nano-SIM design free of royalties, but there's a catch

Apple offers nano-SIM design free of royalties, but there
  • Posted March 26, 2012, 6:00 PM by Rick Burgess | Filed in Industry News, Mobile Computing
  • The future of tiny SIM slots everywhere hangs in the balance as Apple, Motorola, RIM and Nokia continue deliberating over what the next nano-SIM standard will be. Not content with other offerings, Apple is now promising its own design will be…

Samsung, RIM sued over emoticon display patent :-(

Samsung, RIM sued over emoticon display patent :-(
  • Posted March 20, 2012, 5:30 PM by Rick Burgess | Filed in Industry News, Mobile Computing
  • Described as "pictorial representations of an expression or a person's mood", emoticons are widely used amongst habitual texters. Unfortunately for Samsung, Research In Motion and possibly others, Varia Holdings claims they own a patent which would prevent companies from providing a…

Nortel's internal network "owned" by hackers for almost a decade

Nortel
  • Posted February 14, 2012, 6:30 PM by Rick Burgess | Filed in IT Security, Industry News
  • According to the Wall Street Journal, Nortel was unwittingly victimized for nearly 10 years by suspected Chinese hackers with "widespread" access to the company's internal network. The infiltration was so severe, the individuals responsible are believed to have had the…

Apple sued for $1.6 billion for using "iPad" in China, apology requested

Apple sued for $1.6 billion for using "iPad" in China, apology requested
  • Posted February 9, 2012, 7:30 AM by Rick Burgess | Filed in Apple, Industry News
  • A major Chinese display company, Proview Technology, has demanded that Apple cease using "iPad" in China. After engaging in "ambiguous" negotiations with Apple over the matter, executives at Proview have decided to take legal action by suing the company for 1.6 billion…

Nvidia and Rambus settle four-year memory patent dispute

Nvidia and Rambus settle four-year memory patent dispute
  • Posted February 8, 2012, 5:30 PM by Rick Burgess | Filed in Industry News, Hardware
  • In 2008, Rambus accused Nvidia of infringing upon 17 patents across six of their product lines. After four years of legal sparring, the companies have finally decided to resolve the matter privately. The newly struck deal will be valid for…

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