Links 05/10/2024: Patents Being Squashed, EFF Insists on Children's Access to Porn
Contents
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Leftovers
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Facts
A collection of facts about yours truly. Guaranteed to be as accurate as my memory.
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Jim Nielsen ☛ “Easier and More Convenient” They Said…
The other day in our morning rush before school my wife asked for help figuring out how to put lunch money on our kids’ school accounts.
For some time she’s been doing it “the hard way”: talk to the people in the front office of the school every few months and swipe a credit card. Every time she did it, they would remind her there was an “easier and more convenient” way to do it via an app. But that seemed like the hard way of doing it: find an app, download it, create yet another account (and another password to remember), enter a credit card, etc. So she asked for my help.
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Science
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Science Alert ☛ Gravity Magnified a Supernova, Adding a Twist to The Hubble Tension
We're getting closer to solving one of biggest problems in cosmology.
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Science Alert ☛ Changes in The Moon's Gravity Hint at Unexpected Movement Deep Beneath Its Surface
Going with the flow.
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Science Alert ☛ Wegovy's Older Cousin Could Soon Be Sold Cheap. Here's How They Compare.
They both reduce hunger.
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Science Alert ☛ Study of 500,000 Medical Records Links Viruses With Alzheimer's Again And Again
The evidence is mounting.
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Science Alert ☛ Genes Linked to Epilepsy Revealed in Study of Over 50,000 People
Opening new paths to diagnosis and treatment.
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Science Alert ☛ The Early Universe Could Have Been Full of Very Dark Holes
When dark stars collapse.
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Education
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Stanford University ☛ Hundreds of graduate workers rally, pledge to strike
Stanford Graduate Workers Union members aimed to pressure the University to agree to the union’s demands for better working conditions and pay.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ University of Hong Kong to scale down innovation hub project on green belt following residents’ opposition
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has announced it would scale down plans to build a research and innovation hub on a green belt after the project was met with opposition from nearby residents.
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JURIST ☛ Canada court launches student visa review pilot program
Canada’s Federal Court on Tuesday initiated the Study Permit Pilot Project in an attempt to streamline the judicial review process for rejected student visa applications. The initiative aims to expedite the handling of cases in response to an unprecedented surge in application rejections within Canada’s immigration system in previous years.
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Hardware
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Hackaday ☛ Interactive Project Teaches Lessons About Electromagnets And Waves
Whether you’re a kid or a nerdy adult, you’ll probably agree that the interactive exhibitions at the museum are the best. If you happened to get down to the Oregon Science Festival in the last couple of years, you might have enjoyed “Catch The Wave!”—a public education project to teach people about electromagnets and waves. Even better, [Justin Miller] has written up how he built this exciting project.
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Hackaday ☛ Single Rotor Drone Spins For 360 Lidar Scanning
Multiple motors or servos are the norm for drones to achieve controllable flight, but a team from MARS LAB HKU was able to a 360° lidar scanning drone with full control on just a single motor and no additional actuators. Video after the break.
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Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)
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New York Times ☛ Can California Regulate A.I.? + Silicon Valley’s Super Babies + System Update!
“In the United States, we have 50 laboratories of democracy and they’re called states.”
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Security
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Privacy/Surveillance
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Silicon Angle ☛ EU’s top court rules against Meta in data privacy case
The European Union’s top court today ruled against Meta Platforms Inc. in a case that focused on the way the company processes user data. The decision could also have implications for other players in the social control media market.
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MIT Technology Review ☛ A new law in California protects consumers’ brain data. Some think it doesn’t go far enough.
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Defence/Aggression
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France24 ☛ North Korea will use nuclear weapons if attacked, says leader Kim Jong Un
North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, ramped up the rhetoric that has increasingly soured relations between South Korea, promising it would use "all the offensive forces it has possessed, including nuclear weapons". South Korea responded that its US-backed response would be "overwhelming" and result in the "end of the North Korean regime."
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RFA ☛ Despite nationalistic rhetoric, Chinese are flocking to Japan
There's a disconnect between government-approved social control media rants and personal feelings, commentators say.
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RFA ☛ Philippines slams alleged Chinese attack on Vietnamese fishermen
China denies using excessive force against a Vietnamese fishing boat in Paracel Islands incident on Sept. 29.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ EU countries expected to approve extra tariffs on Chinese electric cars, a move some fear will spark trade war
EU countries are expected to confirm Friday hefty tariffs on electric cars made in China, a move dividing the bloc as some states led by Germany fear sparking a trade war with Beijing.
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Atlantic Council ☛ China’s lobbying did not block the EU’s new EV tariffs. But it may yet weaken them.
The European Union voted on October 4 to increase tariffs on Chinese battery electric vehicles, but this is just the beginning—especially if Beijing gets its way.
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European Commission ☛ Commission proposal to impose tariffs on imports of battery electric vehicles from China obtains necessary support from EU Member States
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New York Times ☛ A Pentagon Debate: Are U.S. Deployments Containing the Fighting, or Inflaming It?
Military officials discuss whether sending more force to the Middle East is helping to prevent a much wider war, or emboldening Israel.
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France24 ☛ Nearly 40 medical centres in Lebanon closed by Israeli strikes, says UN
Nearly 40 medical centres in Lebanon have been forced to close amid Israel's air strikes, a UN agency said on X on Friday. The news came after Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gave a rare sermon in which he praised his country’s recent missile strikes on Israel and vowed that Tehran’s regional allies would keep up the fight. Read our liveblog to see how all the day's events unfolded.
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France24 ☛ Meeting traumatised Lebanese residents as they flee Israeli strikes in south
It's the deadliest conflict that Lebanon has experienced since the end of the civil war in 1990. In the space of just a few days, Israeli air strikes have killed more than 1,000 people and left thousands wounded, with civilians making up a large part of the casualties. The violence has also forced more than one million people – a fifth of the population – to flee their homes, causing a massive displacement crisis. Our reporters Chloé Domat and Sophie Guignon met with traumatised civilians trying to escape the violence.
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RFERL ☛ U.S. Advises Israel Against Hitting Iranian Oil Fields
Multiple explosions from Israeli air strikes rocked the suburbs of Beirut late on October 3 as the United States said it is discussing strikes on Iran's oil facilities as retaliation for Tehran's missile attack on Israel earlier this week.
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New York Times ☛ Israel Targets Hezbollah as Khamenei, Iran’s Leader, Warns of Retaliation
Israel is drastically widening its fight against the Lebanese militant group that is backed by Iran, whose supreme leader said that “any strike on the Zionist regime is a service to humanity.”
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New York Times ☛ Biden Cautions Israel on Plans to Retaliate Against Iran
The president suggested that Israel should consider alternative ways to retaliate against Iran.
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New York Times ☛ Here Are the Hezbollah Leaders Israel Has Targeted
Israeli strikes have aimed to kill the leaders of the Lebanese militia, most recently Hashem Safieddine. It was not immediately clear whether he had been killed in an overnight strike near Beirut.
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New York Times ☛ US Conducts Strikes Against Houthis in Yemen
The Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea in solidarity with Hamas, and the U.S. attacks were aimed at securing international waterways.
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New York Times ☛ ‘Why Us?’: A Tide of Grief in Lebanon
Mourners reeled over lost loved ones after an Israeli strike on an apartment building killed at least 45 people.
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New York Times ☛ Israel Expands Evacuation Warnings in Southern Lebanon After Renewed Strikes
Israeli soldiers were also waging a ground invasion in southern Lebanon targeting what military officials said were Hezbollah sites in the rugged border area.
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New York Times ☛ Israeli Airstrike Kills at Least 18 People in the West Bank
The high toll and Israel’s use of a warplane were unusual for the Israeli military’s operations in the West Bank, which have escalated during the war in Gaza.
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Mexico News Daily ☛ 7 bodies found in Culiacán as Sinaloa Cartel infighting continues
The bodies had been shot and showed signs of torture. They are believed to be the latest victims in an ongoing war between two Sinaloa Cartel factions.
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New York Times ☛ Trump Set to Return to Butler, Pa., Site of Assassination Attempt
At a time of increased security risks, the former president has urged thousands of supporters to return with him to the place a gunman tried to take his life.
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France24 ☛ October 7 attacks: Israel's intelligence failures
A year after Palestinian armed groups breached Gaza's security fence and led a simultaneous wave of assaults on Israeli communities and outposts, FRANCE 24 looks at the intelligence failures that led to the October 7 attacks. There was plenty of warning that Hamas was planning a large-scale assault: suspicious movements along the border with Gaza, as well as a huge military parade taking place inside the enclave. But Israeli authorities ignored them. FRANCE 24's Claire Duhamel examines how the threat from Hamas was underestimated at the highest echelons of the Israeli army and state.
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Atlantic Council ☛ One year after Hamas’s October 7 terrorist attacks, here’s how the region changed
One year into the Gaza war, the conflict has left deep political, security, and societal scars that reverberate across the Middle East and North Africa.
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Digital Music News ☛ TikTok Preps Next Major Label Artist Collaboration with Coldplay [Ed: Coldplay for Pooh-tin and CPC's grip on Western culture?]
Coldplay celebrates the launch of their album ‘MOON MUSIC’ with an exclusive interactive experience on TikTok. Fentanylware (TikTok) is joining Coldplay to celebrate their latest album’s launch, MOON MUSIC, with an exclusive in-app interactive experience.
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BBC ☛ Israeli kibbutz struggles to heal, one year after 7 October
A few metres from a charred home in Kibbutz Be'eri, Simon King tends to a patch of ground in the sunshine. The streets around him are eerily quiet, the silence punctuated only by the sound of air strikes that ring in the near distance.
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Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine
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Latvia ☛ Latvian citizen arrested for glorifying Islamist and Putinist terrorism
On September 25 of this year, the State Security Service (VDD) detained a Latvian citizen on suspicion of public glorification and justification of terrorism, the VDD announced October 4.
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Environment
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Science Alert ☛ US Hurricane Death Toll Is 300 Times Official Counts, Study Estimates
"Nobody knew this was happening."
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New York Times ☛ After Years of Covering Climate Change in N.C., a Photographer Sees His Town Destroyed
After years of documenting the effects of climate change in his home state of North Carolina, a photographer found himself in the path of a hurricane.
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Atlantic Council ☛ Accelerating climate intervention research to improve climate security
With many experts concerned that efforts to mitigate climate change will be inadequate, what are the potential risks and benefits of solar radiation modification and how can research, international cooperation, and governance be advanced?
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Energy/Transportation
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Barry Kauler ☛ Custom trike luggage rack completed
Continuing the custom recumbent trike project, here is the previous post:
- MPPT controller for custom trike — September 13, 2024
The rear luggage rack was originally bolted directly onto the wheel fork, but I moved it up above the shock absorber. This photo shows that the bottom of the luggage rack is now bolted onto thick (5mm) aluminium bars, one each side:
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Finance
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Federal News Network ☛ IRS to improve privacy protections for its free-file program
The IRS told its inspector general that it is reviewing privacy disclosures from Free File partners to mitigate risks of exposing personal information.
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Mark Zuckerberg’s ‘Year of Efficiency’ Propelled Him to World’s Second Richest Man [Ed: Spying is very big business]
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is now the second richest man in the world according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, overtaking Amazon’s Jeff Bezos.
Zuckerberg’s ascent to the world’s second-richest person can largely be attributed to Meta’s “Year of Efficiency,” a term coined to describe the company’s strategic overhaul in 2023. This included a strategic refocus on AI and layoffs across the global tech company.
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Atlantic Council ☛ The IMF needs to find its geopolitical bearing
Western delegates should think hard about how the financial and intellectual capital invested in the institutions can be put to better use in the interests of democracies around the world.
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France24 ☛ US dock workers reach deal with port operators to end crippling strike
US dockworkers and port operators reached an agreement Thursday that would implement a 62% wage increase over six years, ending one of the biggest American work stoppages in decades. Dockworkers will resume unloading of container ships immediately and both parties agreed to revisit the deal in January 2025, with some key Issues, such as the threat of automation to job security, left unresolved.
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New York Times ☛ Ports Rush to Reopen After Dockworker Strike Is Suspended
Days after tens of thousands of longshoreman along the East and Gulf Coasts walked out, their union and their bosses reached a tentative agreement on wages.
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AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics
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The Straits Times ☛ ‘Shooting is in our blood’: Rigorous training, Hey Hi (AI) tech, and tradition drive South Korea’s archery excellence
South Korea's medal wins at the Paris Olympics draw more interest in the sport.
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The Straits Times ☛ ST Picks: ‘Shooting is in our blood’ - What makes South Korea world beaters in archery?
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RFA ☛ Solving North Korean abduction issue ‘most important task’: Japan’s new PM
Shigeru Ishiba also reportedly said he would consider establishing a liaison office with the North.
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JURIST ☛ Pakistan implements lockdown in Islamabad amid anti-government rally
Pakistan authorities enforced a lockdown in Islamabad on Friday, as well as implementing a blockade on cellphone services, to counter an anti-government demonstration organized by supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan. According to the Islamabad police, Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure is in force in the city.
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RFERL ☛ Government Orders Army To Deploy In Islamabad Amid Standoff With Ex-PM Khan's Supporters
The Pakistani government has ordered the deployment of army troops in Islamabad on October 5 amid a tense standoff as Pakistani security forces blocked the main access roads into the capital and cut off the phone signal in order to prevent supporters of jailed ex-PM Imran Khan entering the city.
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New Yorker ☛ Newt Gingrich on What Trump Could Accomplish in a Second Term
A second Trump Administration would be “dramatically more managerial and practical,” the former Speaker of the House claims. Trump “has a much deeper grasp of what has to be done.”
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Censorship/Free Speech
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RFA ☛ Cambodia publicly shames maid deported after criticizing Hun Sen
Nuon Toeun was photographed in handcuffs and under armed escort before being detained.
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EFF ☛ EFF to Fifth Circuit: Age Verification Laws Will Hurt More Than They Help ["Bryan Lunduke ☛ EFF says: Don't stop kids from looking at porn! Electronic Frontier Foundation argues that stopping small children from going to adult-only websites is a violation of the First Amendment. This continues a pattern of the EFF moving away from their original mission... and focusing, instead, on fighting for little kids to have access to adult-only material."]
Our friend-of-the-court brief, filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, argues that HB 1126 is “an extraordinary censorship law that violates all internet users’ First Amendment rights to speak and to access protected speech” online.
HB 1126 forces social media sites to verify the age of every user and requires minors to get explicit parental consent before accessing online spaces. It also pressures them to monitor and censor content on broad, vaguely defined topics—many of which involve constitutionally protected speech. These sweeping provisions create significant barriers to the free and open internet and “force adults and minors alike to sacrifice anonymity, privacy, and security to engage in protected online expression.” A federal district court already prevented HB 1126 from going into effect, ruling that it likely violated the First Amendment.
At the heart of our opposition to HB 1126 is its dangerous impact on young people’s free expression. Minors enjoy the same First Amendment right as adults to access and engage in protected speech online.
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Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press
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Press Gazette ☛ Reach CEO Jim Mullen: If government advertises with us, we’ll employ more reporters
Jim Mullen asks "why is the BillBC doing brownie recipes?" and reveals plan to reduce online ads load.
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Press Gazette ☛ Harry vs Sun publisher: Battle between ‘two obdurate but well-resourced armies’
Prince Harry’s legal action against the publisher of The Sun resembles a campaign between “two obdurate but well-resourced armies” that is taking up “more than an appropriate” amount of court time, a High Court judge has said.
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Press Gazette ☛ GB News allowed to challenge Ofcom ruling at full High Court hearing
But the broadcaster failed in its bid to temporarily block Ofcom from publishing a sanction against it.
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Civil Rights/Policing
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BIA Net ☛ Court rejected ALS-suffering prisoner’s release request days before his death, lawyers reveal
Abdulkadir Kuday lost his life in prison on Oct 2. His lawyers argue that the refusal of his appeal violated the prohibition of torture.
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New York Times ☛ How an Uber Eats Order Unraveled a Couple’s Injury Lawsuit
A New Jersey couple sued Uber after a crash left them severely injured. An appeals court ruled that they had agreed to settle disputes out of court when they used the Uber Eats app.
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France24 ☛ Top court says FIFA transfer rules breach EU law in landmark ruling
Some of the transfer rules of world football's governing body FIFA go against European Union laws on free movement, the EU's top court said on Friday in a ruling on a high-profile case linked to former France player Lassana Diarra.
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Digital Music News ☛ Garth Brooks Claims Extortion Attempt Involving Millions of Dollars After Sexual Assault Litigation
Garth Brooks says the claims made in a recent sexual assault lawsuit from a makeup artist are an attempt at extortion. The complaint was filed in California and alleges that the make-up artist Jane Roe “endured painful and traumatic rape and sexual assault at the hands of Brooks.”
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Internet Policy/Net Neutrality
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Public Knowledge ☛ The 2024 Annual IP3 Awards
The IP3 Awards help champion the advocates working diligently on behalf of the public interest to help everyone connect and communicate.
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Patents
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Unified Patents ☛ $2,000 for Ortiz & Assoc. wireless patent monopoly prior art
Unified Patents added a new PATROLL contest, with a $2,000 cash prize, seeking prior art on claim 1 of U.S. Patent 9,549,285, owned by Ortiz & Associates Consulting LLC, an NPE. The ‘285 patent monopoly focuses on systems, methods, and apparatuses for brokering data between wireless devices, servers, and data rendering devices (DRDs).
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Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Distinguishing Dastar: False Patent Marking Claims Get New Life Under the Lanham Act
In a significant ruling that breathes new life into false patent monopoly marking claims, the Federal Circuit has held that falsely advertising a product as "patented" can give rise to liability under the Lanham Act's prohibition on false advertising. In Crocs, Inc. v. Effervescent, Inc., the appellate panel reversed a Judge Brimmer (D.Colo) summary judgment ruling, thus allowing competitor Dawgs to pursue false advertising claims against Crocs for allegedly misrepresenting its "Croslite" material as patented and 'exclusive.' One advertisement read to the appellate panel stated: The reason the shoes are so comfortable is that they are made of a patented closed-cell resin. The resin has many positive aspects ..." But, the closed-cell resin was not patented and instead was commercially available for anyone to use.
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Unified Patents ☛ $2,000 for Incent crypto patent monopoly prior art
Unified Patents added a new PATROLL contest, with a $2,000 cash prize, seeking prior art on claim 1 of U.S. Patent 8,639,566, owned by owned by Incent Corp. (originally Reliable Business Group Inc). The ‘566 patent monopoly relates generally to a method and a system for providing promotion of commerce or contest to customers or participants and more specifically to a method and a system for providing promotions programs based upon the implementation of incentives.
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Trademarks
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TTAB Blog ☛ TTABlog Test: Which of These Three Section 2(d) Refusals Was/Were Overturned on Appeal?
The TTAB affirmance rate for Section 2(d) appeals continues to run at about 90% so far this year. Here are three recent Board decisions. At least one of them resulted in a reversal. How do you think they came out?
In re Kalsec, Incorporated, Serial No. 97346119 (September 26, 2024) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Michael B. Adlin). [Section 2(d) refusal of the mark DURASHIELD for "chemical additives for use in the manufacture of food, beverages, animal feed and pharmaceuticals" in view of the registered mark DURASHIELD PLUS for "liquid chemical compound for preserving, protecting and soil retarding of floor coverings, upholstery, furnishings, clothing, lamps, blinds, window shades, wallpaper, painted surfaces and other interior fabrics, materials and surfaces."]
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TTAB Blog ☛ TTABlog Webinar: Michael Keyes on "Avoiding Consumer Survey Pitfalls at the TTAB"
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Copyrights
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JURIST ☛ Google threatens to stop linking to New Zealand news articles in response to new bill
Google said on Friday that it will stop linking to New Zealand news articles and ditch the agreements it has made with local news organizations if the country passes the Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill, which will force tech companies to pay publishers for content appearing on their feeds.
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