Bonum Certa Men Certa

On Microsoft Patents and JVC's Technical Agreement with Funai

There are many new articles at a moment (e.g. these earlier ones) which talk about Microsoft increasing its patent-filing pace. You are encouraged to keep in mind that Microsoft's latest strategy against GNU/Linux revolves around software patents. The Halloween Documents considered this an option as an attack plan (among others like SCO other-type action, i.e. copyrights). It is therefore important to keep track of companies that sign patent deals with Microsoft. This includes JVC which, despite the fact that its Microsoft cross-licensing deal mentions nothing about Linux, is helping fuel fear and acknowledge patents. JVC and Funai have just teamed up and that's worth keeping in mind for future reference.

Japanese consumer electronics makers Victor Co. of Japan and Funai Electric will jointly develop and supply LCD television sets, an industry source said on Tuesday.


Patent TrollTracker has been receiving a lot of attention recently (including hacking attempts) and s/he keeps good track of Acacia and other patent trolls in the United States. There's little -- albeit some -- hope on the horizon.

On another note, Michael Martin has a post on the pending patent reform in the Senate. He explains why the proposed reforms could help solve the problem of patent thickets. He even backs off his earlier conclusion that damages apportionment may be disastrous for the emerging market for ideas.


In other patent news (via Digital Majority):

Business Standard: Infosys to increase patent filings

Infosys Technologies Limited, the country’s second largest IT company, expects patent filings to increase with its primary R&D centre, Software Engineering and Technology Labs (SETLabs), expanding the scope of research to new areas.


The patent Armageddon in telecommunications continues: Sprint sues for VoIP patent infringements

Sprint has also gone to court, claiming 15 infringements of their patented VoIP technology by several small providers, Nuvox Communications, BroadVOX Holdings, Big River Telephone and Paetec Communications.


What is the point of these mutual lawsuits (other than lawyers' welfare? Should there not be peace, or the system be trashed for encouraging nothing but mutual destruction? The small guys are being sued also: Sprint sues little guys over VoIP patents

Following up on its $80 million settlement from its Vonage lawsuit last year, Sprint is milking its 115 VoIP patents by suing NuVox Communications, Broadvox Holdings, Big River Telephone and Paetec Communications.


Welcome to the 21st century -- the age where own-able knowledge is so organic that everything and everyone can be sued.

Comments

Recent Techrights' Posts

Slopwatch: Fake Articles About "Linux", Slop Images in VentureBeat, Linux Foundation Spam Made With LLM Slop and Slop Images
The only relief or upside - if any exists - is that the pace of slop was down a bit this week
Richard Stallman (RMS) Talk in Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress Will be Remote
This past week RMS received lots of accolades online
Links 28/08/2025: Chatbots Distorting/Fabricating History and Also Driving Suicide
Links for the day
 
Representing and Speaking for Animals
If I ever choose to take this matter to tribunal with animals-centric NGOs on my side, it'll get some press coverage for sure
No, 4Chan is Not Fighting for You by Lawyering Up Against Ofcom (UK)
Don't mistake proto-fascists for people who "fight for you". They don't.
Downlplaying the Impact of "UEFI 9/11" is a Losing Strategy
we won't publish much whilst on holiday
In Many Places in the World Vista 11 "Market Share" is Going Down, Not Up
In some countries Windows is already down to third place or lower
More Microsoft-Connected Layoffs, at Least Third Time This Month! (Also Another Death on Campus)
Microsoft as a "gaming" company is where studios, projects, games, and even developers come to die
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, August 28, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, August 28, 2025
Gemini Links 29/08/2025: Poems, Games, and Java 25 Performance
Links for the day
Links 28/08/2025: Greenland 'Interferences' by US and Skinnerboxes to Get Banned in Korean Schools
Links for the day
The Register MS (Run by Microsoft Operatives): Free Software is Putin, Hence Evil and Dangerous
The current editor in chief is an American Microsofter, the previous one went to work for Google (US)
Gemini Links 28/08/2025: Back in Japan and Why "Hacker News" Sucks
Links for the day
A Much-Needed Wake-up Call to Users of Wordpress.com, Blogspot, Substack and All Those Other Outsourced (and Centralised) Platforms
There are several lessons in there
The UEFI 9/11 - Part II - Campaign of Censorship and Defamation Against Critics
In dictatorships, humour serves an important role. It's tragic.
Open Source Initiative (OSI) Resists Software Freedom, Even by Attacking Its Own
The OSI is compromised
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, August 27, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, August 27, 2025
Slopwatch: linuxsecurity.com, Slopfarms in Google News, and More
Some readers of ours end up sending us links that are from slopfarms, not realising those are slopfarms
Gemini Links 27/08/2025: Katrina Memories and Google Versus Software Freedom
Links for the day
Links 27/08/2025: Police Against Media Freedom in the UK, Energy-Hungry Countries Targeted by China
Links for the day
Microsoft Windows Fell to All-Time Lows in Egypt This Summer, Vista 11 Adoption Decreases While GNU/Linux Increases
Vista 11 is going down rather than up
Links 27/08/2025: Microsoft Demoralises Staff With Slop Demands, Leaving Mastodon Explained
Links for the day
12 Hours Ago The Register MS Published a Fake (Paid-for) Article, But This One for a Change Did Not Promote a Ponzi Scheme
There are also Free software alternatives, but they don't pay The Register MS for "synthetic" so-called 'journalism'
More People Need to Call Out and Put a Stop to Serial Sloppers
Unless slopfarms are stopped, people will read and share Microsoft propaganda made by chatbots
Gemini Links 27/08/2025: Headphones and Tartarus
Links for the day
Morale at Microsoft is Terrible (Proprietary Plagiarism Machines Have No Future, LLM Slop is a Bubble)
The slop sceptics/critics are going to have lots of "told you so" moments
GNOME "governance issues, staff reduction, etc." amidst Albanian whistleblowing and women trafficking
Notice the connection to Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC) and GNOME
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, August 26, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, August 26, 2025