Leftovers

• Unicorn Media ☛ Uptime Institute: Data Center Operators Are Concerned About Costs

  When Uptime Institute asked about costs for the first time in this year's survey, it found them to be the number one concern for data center operators.

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Cats Show Signs of Grief When Fellow Pets Die… Even Dogs

    Not so aloof after all.

  • New York Times ☛ How Debunked Science Led to Death Row for One Man

    Charles Don Flores deserves a trial based on evidence, not on discredited science.

  • Science Alert ☛ Traces of Dinosaur Catastrophe Found in Genes of Today's Birds

    We carry our history with us.

  • Science Alert ☛ Fungal Outbreak at California Festival Sparks Fears of Disease Risk

    An invisible threat.

  • Science Alert ☛ Hundreds of Asteroid Moons Found Lurking in The Solar System

    Twice as many as we knew before.

  • Science Alert ☛ Do Plastics Cause Autism? Here's What The Latest Evidence Shows

    The details are important.

  • Science Alert ☛ Did This Ancient Species Really Bury Its Dead Before Modern Humans?

    A new look at the jaw-dropping claims.

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Just Found Oceans of Liquid Water on Mars – But There's a Catch

    A huge discovery on the red planet.

  • New York Times ☛ Older Adults Do Not Benefit From Moderate Drinking, Large Study Finds

    Virtually any amount increased the risk for cancer, and there were no heart benefits, the researchers reported.

  • Science Alert ☛ Olive Oil Could Have an Unexpected Effect on Your Health, Study Finds

    Think about that extra drop.

  • Hackaday ☛ Hydrogen Generation With Seawater, Aluminum, And… Coffee?

    A team at MIT led by [Professor Douglas Hart] has discovered a new, potentially revelatory method for the generation of hydrogen. Using seawater, pure aluminum, and components from coffee grounds, the team was able to generate hydrogen at a not insignificant rate, getting the vast majority of the theoretical yield of hydrogen from the seawater/aluminum mixture. Though the process does use indium and gallium, rare and expensive materials, the process is so far able to recover 90% of the indium-gallium used which can then be recycled into the next batch. Aluminum holds twice as much energy as diesel, and 40x that of Li-Ion batteries. So finding a way to harness that energy could have a huge impact on the amount of fossil fuels burned by humans!

• Hardware

  • The New Stack ☛ Nvidia’s Hardware Roadmap and Its Impact on Developers [Ed: Bubble and hype, no substance to it, a gold rush that won't last]

    Nvidia is the biggest beneficiary of the Hey Hi (AI) boom and is raking in cash from GPU sales.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Intel offers Irish employees voluntary severance packages up to €500K — chipmaker provides an alternative to layoffs

    Intel's workforce reduction efforts are underway, and the chipmaker has offered a generous severance package for those who volunteer to give up their jobs.

  • Hackaday ☛ Prusa Picks Up The Pace With New MK4S Printer

    One of the things you’re paying for when you buy a 3D printer from Prusa Research is, essentially, your next 3D printer. That’s because Prusa’s machines are designed to be upgraded and modified as time goes on. An upgrade kit is always released to allow each older printer to be converted into its successor, and while there’s occasionally been some debate about whether or not it’s the most cost-effective choice, at least it is a choice you have as an owner.

  • Hackaday ☛ Globe-Shaped World Clock Is A 3D-Printed Mechanical Marvel

    Time zones are a complicated but necessary evil. Humans like the numbers on the clock to vaguely match up with what the sun is doing in the sky outside. To that end, different places in the world keep different time. If you want to keep track of them in a very pretty fashion, you might consider building a fancy and beautiful World Clock like [Karikuri] did. 

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ AMD records its highest server market share in decades — defective chip maker Intel fights back in client PCs

    AMD now controls near a quarter of server CPU shipments, but defective chip maker Intel maintains undisputed lead in both client and datacenter processors.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ Lime producers in Michoacán go on strike to protest insecurity

    Farmers are considering joining the lime packers' strike, as rampant extortion continues harm their operations' profitability.

  • Science Alert ☛ A Microbiologist Explains The Best Way to Wash Fruit And Vegetables

• Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • Digital Music News ☛ YouTube May Be Cracking Down on API Wrapper Apps like Musi — Here’s What’s Emerging

    The popular iOS music streaming app Musi may be fighting a losing battle against YouTube’s efforts to crackdown on API abuse. In 2023, YouTube began targeting apps that block ads on YouTube for its free users, with pop ups asking those users to disable their ad blockers.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ AI-driven technique can generate quality 3D assets from 2D images 'in seconds' — VFusion3D aims to transform VR, gaming, and digital design

    A new research paper by Meta and Oxford University scientists outlines a powerful AI-driven technique for generating scalable 3D models. Text or 2D image prompts are all it needs. An online demo is available.

  • Bruce Schneier ☛ Taxonomy of Generative Hey Hi (AI) Misuse

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Tech regulation requires balancing security, privacy, and usability

      Good policy intentions can lead to unintended consequences when usability, privacy, and security are not balanced—policymakers must think like product designers to avoid these challenges.

    • Reason ☛ A 'Reformist' Legal Expert Calls for a Surveillance State

      A lawyer who should know better wants to ignore the history of snooping cops to fight guns and crime.

• Defence/Aggression

  • Defence Web ☛ South Korea’s KF-21 fighter radar being tested by Paramount in South Africa

    Testing of the KF-21 Boramae fighter radar continues in South Africa, on a modified Boeing 737 operating out of Wonderboom National Airport. The Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar is among the most challenging components of the indigenous KF-21 fighter jet programme.

  • New York Times ☛ U.S. Officials to Visit China for Economic Talks as Trade Tensions Rise

    The recently established U.S.-China Financial Working Group is set to meet for discussions about financial stability and curbing the flow of fentanyl.

  • New York Times ☛ The Filipinos Living in the Shadow of China’s Military Might

    More than 200 civilian settlers on a contested island in the South China Sea find themselves on the frontier of a possible conflict with China.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Kiribati’s pro-China government faces election test

    Pacific nation Kiribati will begin voting in a general election this week, a poll that will test the strengthening ties between China and the government of the climate-threatened archipelago. The vote on Wednesday in tiny Kiribati — a country of scattered atolls and islands — has the potential to stir ripples across the South Pacific.

  • RFA ☛ New Chinese reconnaissance drone spotted near Taiwan

    This drone appears to be a new version of China’s BZK-005.

  • The Strategist ☛ Hasina’s downfall may create new opportunities in Bangladesh for China

    The ousting of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina may upset the fragile balance she established between her country and India, China and the United States.

  • New York Times ☛ Democrats Turn to Their National Security Go-To for Trump Assassination Inquiry

    Representative Jason Crow of Colorado, whom Democrats tapped for impeachment, investigations and tough questioning of President Biden, is their top member of a task force investigating the shooting.

  • Defence Web ☛ SAPS raids illegal firearm training camp in Limpopo

    In the wake of the investigation into an illegal military training camp in White River, the South African Police Service (SAPS) has raided a suspected illegal firearm training facility in Limpopo.

  • Defence Web ☛ DA calls for SAPS to be held to account for closing millions of cases without result

    The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called for South African Police Service (SAPS) leadership to be called before the Portfolio Committee on Police to account for millions of cases being closed without result.

  • The Strategist ☛ The Quad is here to stay

    The Quad is in good health, despite suggestions that it is being overtaken by other Indo-Pacific security initiatives. We saw its strength at the Quad Leaders’ Summit in Tokyo in late July.

  • France24 ☛ US boosts military presence in Mideast amid fears of Iranian attack on Israel

    US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered a guided-missile submarine and the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier to deploy to the Middle East amid reports that Iran is planning an attack against Israel in the coming days.

  • RFERL ☛ U.S. Says Iran Attack On Israel Could Come 'This Week,' Warns Tehran To 'Stand Down'

    The United States on August 12 said it agrees with intelligence assessments that Iran and/or its proxies in the Middle East could “attack Israel as early as this week” and it urged Tehran to “stand down” on its ongoing threats.

  • RFERL ☛ Iran's Zarif Resigns As Vice President Just Days After Appointment

    Former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced on August 12 he had resigned from his new position as vice president last week.

  • New York Times ☛ Javad Zarif’s Resignation in Iran Signals Divisions as President’s Cabinet Takes Shape

    Mohammad Javad Zarif’s resignation shocked Iran’s political circles and came as President Masoud Pezeshkian announced that his cabinet would include several conservatives and only one woman.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Earthquake of magnitude 4.8 strikes Jordan-Syria region, GFZ reports

    DAMASCUS - A 4.8 magnitude earthquake struck Jordan and Syria late on Monday, according to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), with residents across both countries and in Lebanon feeling its impacts.

  • New York Times ☛ 4.4-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Near Los Angeles

    The quake was centered about five miles northeast of downtown, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. There were no initial reports of serious damage.

  • New York Times ☛ Israeli Strikes on Schools in Gaza Pose a Life-or-Death Choice for Civilians

    Schools in Gaza have taken in tens of thousands of people seeking safety. Israel, arguing that Hamas uses the shelters, has struck school grounds repeatedly.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Latvia ☛ Latvian police aids in uncovering international fraud scheme

      The Latvian State Police, together with Ukrainian law enforcement authorities, have detected a fraud scheme carried out by an international organized criminal group in the Kharkiv region, police said in a release on August 12.

    • Latvia ☛ Latvia hopes to be among first to restart flights to Ukraine

      Ukrainian airspace has been closed to civil aviation for two and a half years as a result of Russia's invasion.

    • Latvia ☛ Ukrainian comedy film festival coming soon

      The indomitable spirit of Ukrainians, even in the worst of circumstances, will be fully in evidence later this month at the third annual film-marathon of short Ukrainian comedies.

    • France24 ☛ ‘Russia brought war to others, now it’s coming home,’ Zelensky warns

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that Russia must be forced to make peace after Kyiv’s major cross-border assault into the western Russian region of Kursk. "Russia brought war to others, now it’s coming home," Zelensky warned. Ukraine now controls 28 Russian settlements, in its largest incursion yet into Russian territory. Read our liveblog to see how all the day's events unfolded.

    • France24 ☛ Russia evacuates 121,000 people from Kursk region as Ukraine advances

      Russia continued evacuating residents from the Kursk region near the border with Ukraine on Monday, with the regional governor saying some 121,000 people had already left.

    • France24 ☛ Ukraine and Russia trade blame for fire at occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

      Kyiv and Moscow traded blame on Sunday after a fire broke out at a cooling tower of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, under the control of Russian forces. Moscow-installed officials said early Monday the blaze at a cooling tower had been "completely extinguished".

    • LRT ☛ Radiation level in Lithuania unchanged after Zaporizhzhia NPP fire

      The radiation level in Lithuania remains unchanged after a fire broke out in the territory of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, the Radiation Protection Centre reported late on Sunday evening.

    • RFERL ☛ Fire At Ukrainian Nuclear Plant 'Completely Extinguished,' Russia Says

      A fire at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine has been "completely extinguished," a Moscow-installed official said on August 12.

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China calls for de-escalation as Ukraine forces take fight to Russian territory

      China on Monday urged all sides in the Ukraine war to de-escalate as Kyiv’s forces pierced deep into Beijing ally Russia’s Kursk border region. Kyiv has deployed thousands of troops to the surprise operation, a Ukrainian security official told AFP, seizing the battlefield initiative after months of slow Russian advances across the east.

    • New York Times ☛ Russia, Facing Ukrainian Incursion Into Kursk, Maintains Pressure in East

      Russian forces are pummeling Ukrainian positions along the front lines, Ukrainian military officials said, as attacks on Russian soil by Ukraine continue.

    • RFERL ☛ Zelenskiy Confirms Kursk Incursion, Says 'Russia Must Be Forced To Make Peace'

      Ukrainian leaders, including President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and military commander Oleksandr Syrskiy, have spoken openly for the first time about their forces' shock incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, with Zelenskiy saying that Moscow must be “forced to make peace.”

    • Meduza ☛ ‘Everyone knew Ukraine was building up troops’: A dispatch from Kursk, where thousands of Russian civilians have arrived after fleeing Ukraine’s cross-border offensive — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ ‘They’re treating us like we’re idiots’: Families are searching for Russian conscripts who disappeared during the Ukrainian incursion. The Defense Ministry insists they were never there. — Meduza

    • LRT ☛ First Lithuanian drones to be delivered to Ukraine in September – ministry

      The first Lithuanian-manufactured first-person view (FPV) drones are expected to be delivered to Ukraine in September, according to the Defence Ministry.

    • RFERL ☛ U.S. Warns Tehran Again Against Sending Ballistic Missiles To Russia

      Washington has warned Tehran of “swift and severe” consequences if reports that it is planning to send hundreds of ballistic missiles are confirmed.

    • RFERL ☛ Russian Gets 10 Years In Prison For Killing War Critic

      A court in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the capital of Russia's Kamchatka region in the Far East, on August 12 sentenced a local man to 10 years in prison for beating to death another man who had criticized Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

    • RFERL ☛ Ukraine's Deputy Energy Minister Dismissed Amid Corruption Probe

      Taras Melnychuk, the Ukrainian government's envoy in the Verkhovna Rada, announced on August 12 that the cabinet had removed Deputy Energy Minister Oleksandr Kheylo.

    • RFERL ☛ Zelenskiy Acknowledges Kursk Incursion, Says 'Russia Must Be Forced To Make Peace'

      Ukrainian leaders, including President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and military commander Oleksandr Syrskiy, have spoken openly for the first time about their forces' shock incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, with Zelenskiy saying that Moscow must be “forced to make peace.”

    • CS Monitor ☛ Russian POWs recount fear, and horrific cost, of battling dug-in Ukrainians

      Two POWs’ path from induction in Russia to captivity in Ukraine was paved with broken promises, insufficient training, and poor equipment. Having survived, they offer insight into Russia’s brutal, yet effective, battle plan.

    • New York Times ☛ Russian Border Post Reveals Signs of Ukraine’s Surprise Attack

      A week after the biggest foreign incursion into Russia since World War II, The New York Times visited one of the spots where Ukrainian forces stormed into Russia and surprised the defenders.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania moves to bar Russian, Belarusian dual citizens from Riflemen’s Union

      The Defence Ministry proposes that Lithuanian citizens who also hold Russian or Belarusian citizenship should not be allowed to join the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union (LRU).

    • RFERL ☛ Leader Of Uzbek Diaspora In Russia Jailed For 4 Years Over Social-Media Post

      A Moscow court on August 12 sentenced Usman Baratov, a leader of the Uzbek diaspora in Russia, to four years in prison on a charge of inciting hatred online.

    • RFERL ☛ Warrant Issued For Tatar Political Analyst In Exile

      A court in Russia's Tatarstan region on August 12 issued an arrest warrant for political analyst Ruslan Aisin on charges of violating the "foreign agent" legislation and for rehabilitating Nazism.

    • RFERL ☛ Lukashenka Proposes Criminal Liability For Violence, Threats Targeting Ex-Presidents

      Authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who has run Belarus with an iron first for 30 years, has proposed amendments to the country's Criminal Code that would allow punishment for violence and threats against current and former presidents.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian embassy in Moscow smeared with red paint

      On Monday, Lithuania’s embassy in Moscow was smeared with red paint in what Vilnius is treating as an apparent attack.

    • New York Times ☛ Tuesday Briefing: Putin Lashes Out Over Incursion

      Plus, Hey Hi (AI) is helping piece together an ancient epic.

    • Meduza ☛ ‘The main task is to drive out the enemy’: Putin says Ukraine launched Kursk attack to slow Russia’s progress and improve negotiating position in televised meeting — Meduza

    • The Straits Times ☛ Ukraine touts huge gains in Kursk region as it takes war back to Russia

      Ukraine said on Monday its biggest cross-border assault of the war had captured 1,000 square kilometres (386 square miles) of Russia's Kursk region and that Russian President Vladimir Putin would have to be forced into making peace.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Ukraine’s invasion of Russia is erasing Vladimir Putin’s last red lines

      Ukraine's invasion of Russia has erased the last of Vladimir Putin's red lines and made a complete mockery of the West's frequently voiced escalation fears, writes Peter Dickinson.

    • RFERL ☛ Russian Activist Gets Suspended Sentence For Sending $21.50 To Navalny Foundation

      A court in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod on August 12 handed a suspended four-year prison term to activist Gleb Kalinychev for sending 1,899 rubles ($21.50) to late opposition leader Aleksei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) in 2021-22.

• Environment

  • RFA ☛ Sent to flood-ravaged areas, North Korean soldiers steal supplies, townspeople say

    The troops have not been supplied with food and fuel, so they raid gardens and homes.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ EV battery makers bracing themselves for increased scrutiny after string of fires in South Korea

      The manufacturers are wary of being solely blamed for EV fires.

    • LRT ☛ Vilnius starts removing improperly parked scooters and bikes

      As of Monday, improperly parked electric scooters and bicycles of sharing platforms in Vilnius will be forcibly removed to a storage site, with offenders facing a fine of up to 180 euros.

    • Barry Kauler ☛ Chain installed on recumbent trike

      Have now installed the chain. Knowing nothing about bicycle maintenance, watched a few YouTube videos, then tackled the installation...

      Photos of recumbent trikes show the plastic tubes that the chain goes through, kind of unattached at the ends. However, at the front, decided to secure them in place, so as more accurately guide the chain onto the sprocket. It would be different if there were multiple sprockets on the front, but this trike only has rear gears. Made a bracket and mounted it: [...]

• Finance

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Waiting time for Hong Kong public rental housing falls to 5.5 years

    The average waiting time for Hong Kong’s public rental housing has dropped to 5.5 years for general applicants, according to the latest government figures, as authorities continued to crack down on tenancy abuse.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • New York Times ☛ Pakistan’s Ex-Spy Chief, an Imran Khan Ally, Is Arrested

    The arrest of Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed is the first time a current or former head of the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence agency faces court-martial proceedings.

  • RFERL ☛ Pakistan Military Arrests Former Intelligence Chief Faiz Hameed, Initiates Court Martial Proceedings

    The former chief of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the military's powerful spy agency, Lieutenant-General Faiz Hameed, has been arrested and had court martial proceedings initiated against him.

  • New York Times ☛ Brands Love Influencers (Until Politics Get Involved)

    Marketing firms are using artificial intelligence to help analyze influencers and predict whether they will opine about the election.

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ Trump falsely claims a crowd photo from Harris’ campaign rally in Detroit was created using AI

      Trump pushed his false claims in back-to-back posts on his social control media site on Sunday.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • Security Week ☛ Russia Blocks Signal Messaging App as Authorities Tighten Control Over Information

    Signal uses end-to-end encryption, making it difficult for the Russian government to intercept communications.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • RFERL ☛ Imprisoned Kazakh Journalist Mukhammedkarim Launches Another Hunger Strike

    Kazakh journalist Duman Mukhammedkarim, who was sentenced to seven years in prison on August 2 for financing an extremist group and participating in a banned group's activities, charges he and his supporters reject as politically motivated, has started a new hunger strike.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • AccessNow ☛ Access Now’s oral statement at 18th meeting of reconvened concluding session of UN AHC to elaborate a comprehensive international convention on countering the use of ICTs for criminal purposes

  • New York Times ☛ Uber, Facing Sexual-Assault Litigation, Pushes Plan That May Curb Suits

    Uber has spent millions trying to get a proposal on the Nevada ballot that would restrict the legal fees that bankroll many lawsuits against companies.

  • Reason ☛ At State Legislatures Summit, Groups Lobby for Changes to Sex Work Laws

    "The conversations are overwhelmingly productive and positive," says a representative from Decriminalize Sex Work.

  • Reason ☛ Lawsuit Claims Indiana Unconstitutionally Seizes Millions in Cash From FedEx Packages Every Year

    The Institute for Justice says Indianapolis police and prosecutors are exploiting one of the biggest FedEx hubs in the U.S. to seize cash for alleged crimes they never explain.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Jim Nielsen ☛ The Impressionist Blogging Movement

    I love this articulation: Hey Hi (AI) enables action without thought. It comes from an iA article about Hey Hi (AI) and the future of design (emphasis mine):

    Now, what actually is AI? The Italian philosopher and technology ethicist Luciano Floridi sums it up nicely. He posits that Hey Hi (AI) doesn’t replace our thinking with its own thought. AI, he says, doesn’t think for us. Hey Hi (AI) doesn’t think at all. AI enables action without thinking. It allows us to perform actions that would previously have required thought.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • JUVE ☛ Samsung Bioepis destroys Stelara patent monopoly with Simmons & Simmons [Ed: Simmons & Simmons promoted a crime, the UPC, by lying about it. This publisher did the same. They deserve each other.]

    Samsung Bioepsis has successfully challenged Janssen’s EP 3 883 606. The patent monopoly has claims to the antibody ustekinumab for use in the treatment of ulcerative colitis. Janssen is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson.

  • Unified Patents ☛ Fortress entity, Entropic, broadcast cable patent monopoly found invalid

    On August 7, 2024, the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) entered a final rejection of all the challenged claims of U.S. Patent 9,210,362, owned and asserted by Entropic Communications, an NPE and Fortress IP subsidiary. The ’362 patent monopoly generally relates to a wideband receiver that outputs a selected plurality of television channels to a demodulator.

  • Unified Patents ☛ Anonymous Media ad monitoring patent monopoly challenged

    On August 8, 2024, Unified Patents filed an ex parte reexamination proceeding against U.S. Patent 8,756,622, owned by Anonymous Media Research Holdings, LLC. The ‘622 patent monopoly relates to media monitoring and measurement systems. The patent monopoly has been asserted against Samsung and Roku.

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ No Sugar-Coating: Post-AIA Patent on Secret Process Barred by Pre-Filing Sale of Product

    Although the result could have been guessed, the Federal Circuit has issued an important decision interpreting the scope of post-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 — and the meaning of the “claimed invention.” Celanese Intl. Corp. v. Intl. Trade Comm’n,  22-01827 (Fed. Cir. August 12, 2024).   In particular, the court affirmed the precedent of D.L. Auld — i.e., the on-sale bar continues to block patenting of an otherwise secret process when the patentee makes pre-filing sales of product made using that process. The ITC had invalidated Celanese’ artificial sweetener manufacturing process patent monopoly based upon these pre-filing sales. That judgment was thus affirmed on appeal.

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ Precedential No. 18 (Part I): Fraud! TTAB Grants Petition to Cancel BLOOKE Registration for Bicycles

    Findings of fraud by the TTAB are rarer than a White Sox fan in Boston. The last fraud ruling was tossed out by the CAFC (Chutter) because Section 14 of the Lanham Act, which lists the bases for cancellation of a registration, does not include fraud committed in connection with a Section 15 incontestability declaration (as opposed to fraud in obtaining or maintaining a registration). [TTABlogged here]. In this case, the Board found fraud in respondent's underlying application for the mark BLOOKE for bicycles, parts, and accessories, notably ruling that respondent's false statements regarding use of its mark were made either with the intention to deceive the USPTO or with reckless disregard for the truth. Look Cycle International v. Kunshan Qiyue Outdoor Sports Goods Co., Ltd., Cancellation No. 92079409 (August 9, 2024) [precedential] (Opinion by Judge Karen S. Kuhlke).

• Copyrights

  • Digital Music News ☛ SiriusXM Swipes Back At SoundExchange’s $150 Million Unpaid Royalties Suit, Urging Dismissal and Damages for Counterclaims

    Has SoundExchange’s unpaid royalties lawsuit against SiriusXM evolved into an all-out war? The satellite radio giant is hitting back at the complaint and demanding, among other things, damages for counterclaims. SiriusXM submitted its answer and counterclaims today, approximately one year after SoundExchange sued for north of $150 million in allegedly owed royalties.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Universal Music Group Inks ‘Expanded Global Agreement’ With Meta, Including WhatsApp Licensing and Efforts to Address ‘Unauthorized AI-Generated Content’

    Universal Music Group (UMG) has inked an “expanded global agreement” – including a framework for addressing “unauthorized AI-generated content” – with Facebook (Farcebook) and Instagram parent Meta. The renewed pact’s formal announcement arrived this morning, weeks after the major label shed light on adjustments to its relationship with Meta.

  • Silicon Angle ☛ Universal Music Group, Meta expand license agreement covering AI, music revenue and more

    Universal Music Group and Facebook (Farcebook) parent company Meta Platforms Inc. signed an expanded, global multiyear agreement today that’s intended to bring more opportunities for monetization to UMG artists and songwriters across Meta’s social control media platforms.