12.05.10

IRC Proceedings: December 4th, 2010

Posted in IRC Logs at 2:17 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

Enter the IRC channels now

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Los Grupos de Presión de Microsoft Continuan Engañando a Los Políticos de la Unión Europea para la Legalización de Patentes de Software

Posted in Europe, Microsoft, Patents at 2:02 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

(ODF | PDF | English/original)

Resumen: Microsoft con ACT (Estadounidenses por Tecnología “Competitiva”) ala cabeza todavía están tratando de romper una larga tradición de negar las patentes de software en Europa, al menos en el papel.

Hoy hemos escribió sobre VirnetX tratando de ampliar sus patentes abusivas a Europa[http://techrights.org/2010/12/04/scotus-swpats-i4i/] (habiendo hecho un desastre en los Estados Unidos con una patente de EE.UU.). Aquí hay otra empresa que quiere que su monopolio de patentes se conceden en Europa. Como presidente de la FFII (Fundación para una Infraestructura de Información Libre) ha señalado:

“Chatroulette es patentable? La tecnología, que está pendiente de patente en los EE.UU. y la UE” http://ur1.ca/2g60j

Microsoft también anhela legitimar las patentes de software en Europa previo a declarar la guerra de patentes sobre Linux. En el caso de Microsoft si decide a demandar de forma masiva, es necesario preparar el terreno, es decir, cambiar la ley en el extranjero (en Alemania, por ejemplo, Microsoft tiene su patente FAT[http://techrights.org/2010/04/23/contradicting-epo-rules/] aprobó hace poco). No es fácil distorsionar la ley sin algunos grupos de fachada que pretenden representar los intereses de Europa y los intereses de las pequeñas empresas. Eso es lo que ACT(Estadounidenses por Tecnología “Competitiva”)[http://techrights.org/wiki/index.php/Association_for_Competitive_Technology] es y ahora lo encontramos trabajando más duro para complacer su pagador, Microsoft. Morgan Reed, el actual Director Ejecutivo de la ACT, puso algunos mensajes de propaganda[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/morgan-reed/post_1339_b_789173.html] en la Huff y Puff (que acepta muchas piezas de fraude/curanderos/basura). En ella, ACT habla acerca de TiVo, que es un conocido agresor de patentes [1[http://techrights.org/2008/09/06/trolls-still-on-the-loose/], 2[http://techrights.org/2008/08/08/patents-deform/], 3[http://techrights.org/2008/10/07/tivo-amazon-and-community-patent/], 4[http://techrights.org/2010/10/07/microsoft-staffed-acacia-and-swpats/]]. ACT está promoviendo las patentes de software al tiempo que lanza historias tristes, de llorar, pretendiendo que éstos provienen de las PyMES(Pequeñas y Medianas Empresas). Es una mentira evidente. ACT continuamente organiza campañas AstroTurf y cortinas de humo, otro nuevo ejemplo es lo que se refiere a Vincent van Quickenborne [1[http://techrights.org/2010/10/06/european-maximalists/], 2[http://techrights.org/2010/10/05/vincent-van-quickenborne-on-swpats/], 3[http://techrights.org/2010/10/12/quickenborne-and-bsa-help-promote-swpats/], 4[http://techrights.org/2010/11/10/european-patent-lobby-in-wsj/], 5[http://techrights.org/2010/11/28/innovation-union-and-timbl-on-frand/]], el político ingenuo que sirve a los intereses de las multinacionales estadounidenses, pretendiendo servir a Bélgica. Aquí está mostrando su falta de entendimiento[http://twitter.com/VincentVQ/status/10692282546135040] citando Mr. Sax de ACT [1[http://techrights.org/2009/03/13/mike-sax-and-tomtom-spinners/], 2[http://techrights.org/2010/06/29/scotus-bilski-analysis/], 3[http://techrights.org/2009/03/27/primer-jonathan-zuck-and-act/], 4[http://techrights.org/2010/09/16/internet-governance-forum-and-act/], 5[http://techrights.org/2010/11/10/european-patent-lobby-in-wsj/]]:

“Ministro VincentVQ menciona en el Senado de los EE.UU.. Conoce la historia del empresario belga MikeSax” http://www.scribd.com/doc/44590348 (p. 3) # fresco

El presidente de la FFII Fundación para una Infraestructura de Información Libre (también de Bélgica) ya le dijo a Vincent que está siendo engañado por los grupos de presión de Microsoft[http://twitter.com/zoobab/statuses/10695298208759808]:

“Mike Sax está en la nómina de Microsoft y ACT. Se trata de la promoción de las patentes de software siempre que puedan.”

Más tarde, llega este comentario[http://twitter.com/zoobab/statuses/10697465200119808]:

Mike Sax para las patentes de software en el nombre de “pequeñas empresas”, ACT es un proxy de Microsoft, swpats son “El proteccionismo 2.0″ http://ur1.ca/2hsog

Para aquellos que no entiende o no pueden recordar, Vicent ha sido un animador clave de lo que posiblemente se convertiría en una puerta abierta a las patentes de software en Europa. O no entiende lo que está haciendo (engañado por los grupos de presión) o lo hace a sabiendas MALICIOSAMENTE para dañar a los desarrolladores de software europeos.

Vean el sitio de Microsoft propaganda (MSBBC), que anuncia este empuje abominable por un sistema de patentes, que probablemente aceptaría las patentes de software en su momento[http://techrights.org/2010/12/04/front-group-act-and-vincentvq/EU%20paves%20way%20for%20common%20patent%20system]:

“Un grupo de países de la Unión Europea tiene previsto llegar a un acuerdo en breve para un sistema de patentes europeo “SIMPLIFICADO” y más “BARATO” – un objetivo que ha eludido a la UE desde hace una década.”

“La Comisión Europea ha lanzado su peso detrás de la medida, admitiendo que no hay unanimidad sobre la cuestión entre los 27 Estados miembros.”

MSBBC no es noticia. Es como “noticias” el FOX de Microsoft y otras corporaciones como GE. A la vista, Google también se une a esta fiesta[http://www.ft.com/cms/s/02f71b76-fbce-11df-b79a-00144feab49a,Authorised=false.html?_i_location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fcms%2Fs%2F0%2F02f71b76-fbce-11df-b79a-00144feab49a.html&_i_referer=#axzz16go0cwUV] por las traducciones que ofrece[http://yro.slashdot.org/story/10/12/02/0443232/Google-To-Translate-European-Patents] como puente para facilitar así la USPTO (Oficina de Patentes y Marcas de los Estados Unidos)invasión de Europa. “Google firma un acuerdo con la Oficina Europea de Patentes para traducir las patentes”, dice este artículo, pero Google realmente debería dejar de ayudar al quebrantado sistema de los EE.UU. de patentes, que parece estar explotando los ingresos por publicidad y otros intereses egoístas, incluyendo la acumulación de los monopolios del software ( patentes)[http://techrights.org/2010/05/03/google-calls-the-shots/].

Mirando el Reino Unido, Out-law.com tiene este curioso artículo[http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/11/29/inventor_patent_earnings/] titulado “El Inventor sólo tiene derecho a compartir las ganancias del real empleador de la patente” y otras publicaciones revelan un movimiento equivocado en el Reino Unido[http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/blog/2010/nov/29/politics-live-blog]. Glyn Moody escribe al respecto[http://twitter.com/glynmoody/status/9295546858610690]:

“Orborne introduce “caja de patentes” – hmm http://bit.ly/fFeFqm, prefiero un “ataúd de patentes” … # # patentes del Reino Unido

¿Se está el Reino Unido-IPO (Oficina de Propiedad Intelectual) voluntariamente prestando de los errores de la USPTO? “Romper la patente de impuestos podría impulsar la innovación tecnológica[http://www.v3.co.uk/v3/news/2273596/government-tax-patents]“, dice otro titular de la prensa británica. El sitio de España-OPI (Oficina de Propiedad Intelectual)esta tratando de ser peor de lo que ya es? Pareciera que la USPTO tiene una oportunidad de reparar algunas partes de ella misma. Como el ex presidente de la FFII, Pieter Hintjens, lo puso el otro día[http://twitter.com/hintjens/status/9332799890788353]: “Tiene que gustarme. MSFT financia los grupos de presión PRO-SWPAT (Pro-Software Patentes) durante años en Europa, ahora va a SCOTUS (Corte Suprema de los Estados Unidos) a causa de una patente tiene por objetivo MS Word.” Escribimos acerca de esto antes[http://techrights.org/2010/12/04/scotus-swpats-i4i/].

Luego está el lobby de RAND “Razonable y No-Discriminatorias” licencias (en gran parte impulsado y financiado por Microsoft [1[http://techrights.org/2010/10/08/european-parliament-amendments-and-rand/], 2[http://techrights.org/2010/11/18/europe-rand-lobby-in-conf/], 3[http://techrights.org/2009/07/28/rand-in-eu-microsoft-case/], 4[http://techrights.org/2010/08/26/microsoft-lobbyists-for-rand/], 5[http://techrights.org/2010/10/21/mobbyists-and-frand-fail/]]), que parece ya han confundido [http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/10/721&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en] la cabeza de Neelie Kroes. Como el actual presidente de la FFII(Fundación para una Infraestructura de Información Libre) ha señalado[http://twitter.com/zoobab/statuses/10665217746800640]:

Kroes, en contra del software libre: “puedan ser aplicadas por todas los terceras partes, en condiciones EQUITATIVAS, RAZONABLES y NO DISCRIMINATORIAS” http://ur1.ca/2hrmw

Innecesario decir, Kroes fue presionado fuertemente por Microsoft y su grupo frontal ACT (Estadounidenses por Tecnología “Competitiva”). Y ese es el resultado desafortunado. █

Puestos relacionados con:

* Activistas fascismo batalla de Microsoft en Italia[http://techrights.org/2008/11/25/microsoft-fascistic-tenders/]
* Los votantes de OOXML para arriba para ‘alquiler’ en Italia (Actualizado)[http://techrights.org/2007/07/18/italy-vote-ooxml/]
* Encuesta en Italia: el uso OpenOffice.org en el 50% de las empresas, GNU/Linux en un 63%[http://techrights.org/2009/10/30/free-software-italian-survey/]
* Microsoft lanza el Grupo Gartner para Sabotear la migración a GNU/Linux en Europa[http://techrights.org/2009/05/18/gartner-group-vs-eu-linux/]

Si te gusto este post, suscríbete al feed RSS o únete a nosotros ahora en los canales de IRC.
Páginas que hacen referencia a esta cruzada un

* Tirol del Sur (Italia) podría hacer que el software libre obligatorio[http://techrights.org/2010/12/03/italy-software-liberation/]

Eduardo Landaveri adds (in English):

Why we keep calling people like Vincent Paul Marie Van Quickenborne “gullible” when indeed men like this are already sold out to MS && its cause: software patents?

Vincent Paul Marie Van Quickenborne along with Karel de Gucht, Nichi Vendola and Morgan Reed along ACT the well-known front MS uses on its goal of European subjugation once this is accomplished it will be easier to impose it on Thirld World Countries with the help of the World Bank. The demise of Europe it’s the demise of the rest of the world.

Or in Spanish:

¿Por qué seguimos llamando a la gente como Vincent Paul Marie Van Quickenborne “ingenuos” cuando en realidad a estos personajes les gusta esto y ya están vendidos a MSFT y su causa: las patentes de software?

Vicente Paul Marie Van Quickenborne junto con Karel de Gucht, Nichi Vendola y Reed Morgan a lo largo de ACT son el frente que MSFT utiliza en su objetivo de someter a Europa una vez que esto se logre, será más fácil imponerlo a países del Tercer Mundo con la ayuda de el Banco Mundial. La caida de Europa es la caida del resto del mundo.

Thanks to Eduardo for his translation. █

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12.04.10

Links 4/12/2010: Unity in Fedora, Raphaël Hertzog Says Success of Ubuntu Mostly Beneficial to Debian

Posted in News Roundup at 7:29 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

Clip of the Day

Sony Vaio PCG-F350 with Puppy Linux

Credit: TinyOgg

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IRC Proceedings: December 3rd, 2010

Posted in IRC Logs at 2:50 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

Enter the IRC channels now

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Microsoft Lobbyists Are Still Duping EU Politicians for Software Patents to be Legalised

Posted in Deception, Europe, Microsoft, Patents at 12:02 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

Summary: Microsoft and its front group ACT are still trying to break a long-established tradition of denying software patents in Europe, at least on paper

EARLIER today we wrote about VirnetX trying to expand its abusive patents to Europe (having made a mess in the United States with a US patent). Here is another company which wants its patent monopoly to be granted in Europe. As the president of the FFII put it:

ChatRoulette is patentable? The technology, which is patent pending in the US and the EU http://ur1.ca/2g60j

Microsoft too would love to legitimise software patents in Europe before/if it declares patent war on Linux. In case Microsoft decides to sue massively, it needs to prepare the ground, i.e. change the law overseas (in Germany, for example, Microsoft got its FAT patent endorsed quite recently). It’s not easy to distort the law without some front groups which pretend to represent the interests of Europe and the interests of small businesses. That’s what ACT is for and right now we find it lobbying harder to please its paymaster, Microsoft. Morgan Reed, the current Executive Director of ACT, posts some propaganda in the Huff&Puff (which accepts many pieces of fraud/quacks/junk). In it, ACT talks about TiVo, which is a patent aggressor [1, 2, 3, 4]. ACT is trying to promote software patents while giving sob stories, pretending that these come from SMBs. It is a lie. ACT arranges AstroTurf campaigns and another new example of it comes from Vincent van Quickenborne [1, 2, 3, 4, 5], the gullible politician who is serving the interests of American multinationals while pretending to serve Belgium. Here he is showing his lack of understanding by citing Mr. Sax from ACT [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]:

Minister@VincentVQ mentioned in the US Senate. Read the story of Belgian entrepreneur MikeSax http://www.scribd.com/doc/44590348 (p.3) #cool

The president of the FFII (also from Belgium) already tells Vincent that he is being bamboozled by Microsoft lobbyists:

Mike Sax is on the payroll of Microsoft and ACT. They are promoting software patents wherever they can.

Later comes this remarks:

Mike Sax for software patents in the name of “small companies”, ACT is a Microsoft proxy, swpats are “Protectionism 2.0″ http://ur1.ca/2hsog

For those who do not know or cannot remember, Vincent has been a key cheerleader of what would possibly become an open door to software patents in Europe. Either he does not understand what he is doing (deceived by lobbyists) or he is knowingly being malicious by harming European software developers.

Watch Microsoft’s propaganda site (MSBBC) as it advertises this abominable push for a patent system which would likely accept software patents in due course:

A group of EU countries plans to strike a deal soon on a simplified and cheaper European patent system – a goal that has eluded the EU for a decade.

The European Commission has thrown its weight behind the move, admitting that there is no unanimity on the issue among the 27 member states.

MSBBC is not news. It’s like the Fox ‘news’ of Microsoft and other corporations like GE. On the face of it, Google too joins this party by offering translations that bridge and thus facilitate USPTO invasion into Europe. “Google signs deal with European Patent Office to translate patents” says this article, but Google really ought to stop helping the broken US patent system, which it seems to be exploiting for ad revenue and other selfish interests, including an accumulation of software monopolies (patents).

Looking at the UK, Out-law.com has this curious article titled “Inventor only entitled to share of employer’s actual patent earnings” and other publications reveal a misguided move in the UK. Glyn Moody writes about it:

Orborne introduces “patent box” – http://bit.ly/fFeFqm hmm, I’d prefer a “patent coffin”… #patents #uk

Is the UK-IPO wilfully borrowing the mistakes of the USPTO? “Patent tax break could drive technology innovation” says another headline from the British press. Is UK-IPO trying to become even worse than it already is? It sure seems like the USPTO stands a chance of repairing some parts of it. As the former president of the FFII, Pieter Hintjens, put it the other day: “Gotta love it. MSFT bankrolls pro-swpat lobbyists for years in Europe, now goes to SCOTUS cause a patent is aimed at Word.” We wrote about this earlier.

Then there is the RAND lobby (largely Microsoft driven and funded [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]), which appears to have already messed about with Neelie Kroes’ head. As the current president of the FFII put it:

Kroes against FLOSS: “can be implemented by all 3rd parties under fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory conditions” http://ur1.ca/2hrmw

Needless to say, Kroes was lobbied heavily by Microsoft and its front group ACT. And that’s the unfortunate outcome. █

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Large US Corporations Push for Software Patents Through South Korean FTA

Posted in America, Asia, Europe, GNU/Linux, Google, Intellectual Monopoly, Law, Microsoft, Patents at 10:54 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

Summary: A ‘free’ trade agreement (FTA) is being used to blackmail Korea into accepting the unacceptable, namely software patents

IT was only recently that the president of the FFII spotted a subscribers-only article and wrote:

US coalition asks for software patents in South Korea FTA, cites China and India TRIPS interpretation against swpats http://ur1.ca/2htvk

Thankfully we have some text from the article and with fair use doctrine we are able to give a flavour of it. “The article is copyrighted,” wrote an anonymous reader to us, “but maybe you could cite relevant parts of it,” said this reader, who had access to the text. They are “[p]ushing software patents through free trade agreements,” wrote a person who interpreted this article and here is the overall analysis:

According to the article below, a business coalition paper on IP issues is asking USTR to use TPP to:

-”replicate the IPR provisions of the U.S.-Korea free trade agreement, especially when it comes to patents and copyrights.

-go “beyond the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). For instance, it states that the TPP should outlaw camcording in theaters, despite the fact that the ACTA made it optional for countries to have criminal penalties for camcording.

-reject the “May 2007 compromise on patent provisions struck between the Bush administration and House Democrats, which weakened patent protections in FTAs that the U.S. had negotiated with developing countries.”

-include pharmaceutical chapter targeting the reimbursement policies of the Pharmaceutical Management Agency of New Zealand (PHARMAC)

-”demand that all TPP countries fully implement the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Copyright Treaty and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty (WPPT), something that New Zealand and Vietnam have not yet done”

To quote fragments from article “Inside U.S. Trade” (12/03/2010):

A confidential draft paper by a business coalition to advise the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) on the intellectual property negotiations in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) talks shows that U.S. companies are fighting back against European Union efforts to protect geographical indications (GIs) in other countries.

Here come patents:

In provisions other than GIs, the paper largely urges the U.S. to replicate the IPR provisions of the U.S.-Korea free trade agreement, especially when it comes to patents and copyrights.

More on patents:

The Korea FTA was not affected by the IPR provisions of the May 2007 compromise, meaning that it contains what U.S. industry groups consider to be the highest level of protection to date. The paper does not delve into any specifics on patent linkage, data exclusivity and patent term extensions, which are the areas covered by the 2007 compromise.

Look who’s behind it:

This seemingly cautious approach by the business coalition differs from that of the Emergency Committee for American Trade (ECAT) and the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), both coalition members,
which have publicly called on USTR not to repeat the 2007 compromise on IPR in the TPP negotiations.

The coalition paper was written by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), sources said.

Here come software patents:

The paper asks USTR to go beyond the Korea FTA in terms of computer implemented inventions, which are essentially patents on software.

This is how Microsoft extorts Samsung and LG (Korean companies), pulling money out of them for the use of Android.

Here’s TRIPS:

While the Korea FTA requires parties to uphold the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), the problem with TRIPS is that many signatories, including China and India,
interpret it to mean that they do not have to provide patent protection for computer implemented inventions, according to the coalition paper.

More on TRIPS in [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] and here’s the next bunch of paragraphs:

“Thus, the language of the TPP agreement needs to be strengthened to specifically require providing patent protection for computer implemented inventions,” the paper argues.

The issue of computer implemented inventions touches on a larger debate on the scope of patent protection, one source said.

Patents clearly apply for new physical inventions or even a new process for performing a task. However, patents are generally not granted for formulas or algorithms, because that would be patenting knowledge itself, and would impede scientific progress, this source explained.

Outrageous. Recall who’s behind this. It’s not Koreans. On it goes, elucidating the US role in it:

While the U.S. currently grants software patents, some argue that these patents are essentially just the algorithm or formula itself, although written in computer code. If these software patents were all enforced, it could have the perverse effect of crippling the ability of different companies to innovate by devising new software, critics argue.

While companies currently amass these software patents, they do so largely for defensive reasons. Under this strategy, if a first company holding many software patents is challenged by another for infringement, it can look to try to find a case when that challenging company is also infringing a patent held by the first company, this source said.

This is untrue. Microsoft uses software patents offensively, e.g. against Linux and Android. They are just making up excuses for legalising software patents (calling them “defensive”, as if there is something about software which makes the already-granted patents inherently different).

What this amounts to is a sort of extortion and it helps show the US role in writing Korea’s law. Here is evidence of the continued attempts to impose US-style copyrights (the ‘Mickey Mouse’ law) on the whole world:

The draft also urges USTR to demand that all TPP countries fully implement the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Copyright Treaty and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty (WPPT), something that New Zealand and Vietnam have not yet done, another source pointed out.

Wikileaks has just unearthed another scandal. It’s just that, as Wikileaks helps show, Spain’s proposed copyright law was written by the United States. We wrote about it this morning while mentioning Amazon as one of the companies which set/write the laws in other countries like Canada (still wrestling against crazy copyright deform). Wikileaks has some ACTA-related leaks (cables) coming, so it is clear why US diplomats fight tooth and nail to take the site and its mirrors down (see the latest news below). Even France is now trying to ban the site, possibly because it turns out that Hadopi came from the United States. Sarko is being shown for the traitor he has been. █

Some other posts about Korea:

• Microsoft in Trouble in South Korea
• Microsoft Antitrust in Europe, Russia, South Korea
• Does Android’s Chief Compare Steve Jobs to North Korea’s Dead Leader (Kim Il-sung)?
• Korea Offers a Glimpse Into Intel’s Serious Crimes
• Ireland, Korea, and the United Kingdom Don’t Fall for the (Supposedly) ‘Open’ XML Plot

Latest Wikileaks news:

• France moves to ban WikiLeaks from using French servers

  Industry Minister Eric Besson wrote a letter to business and technology leaders on Friday calling for ways to ban WikiLeaks from using servers in France, local media reported.

• WikiLeaks : la loi Hadopi intéresse au plus haut point Washington

• Wikileaks.org blocked, but mirror sites proliferating: here’s a partial index of indexes

  In response to the “killing” of Wikileaks.org by the US, countless mirror sites are springing up all over the world. It’s impossible to authoritatively catalog them all—too many mirrors, and too fluid of a situation. But here are some active indexes, which appear to be dynamically updating as new mirrors pop up.

  • wikileaks.ch
  • wikileaks.de
  • wikileaks.fi
  • wikileaks.nl
  • Wikileaks.info

• WikiLeaks’ Assange to fight any extradition: lawyer

  WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will fight any bid to extradite him to Sweden over sexual misconduct allegations, and suspects foreign powers are influencing the authorities, his Swedish lawyer said on Friday.

• NSW Supreme Court solicitor: Letter to Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard

  Dear Prime Minister
  From the Sydney Morning Herald I note you made a comment of “illegal” on the matter of Mr Assange in relation to the ongoing leaks of US diplomatic cables.

  Previously your colleague and Attorney General the Honourable McClelland announced an investigation of possible criminality by Mr Assange.

  As a lawyer and citizen I find this most disturbing, particularly so when a brief perusal of the Commonwealth Criminal Code shows that liability arises under the Espionage provisions, for example, only when it is the Commonwealth’s “secrets” that are disclosed and that there must be intent to damage the Commonwealth.

• No job if you link to WikiLeaks, warns Columbia

  From The Arabist comes yet another warning of the career dangers of a fondness for WikiLeaks in the form of an email sent to students of their School of International and Public Affairs…

• Ron Paul: ‘What we need is more WikiLeaks’

  Popular Texas Republican Congressman Ron Paul is no stranger to breaking with his party, but in a recent television appearance the libertarian-leaning Rep. went even further than any member of Congress in defending whistleblower website WikiLeaks.

• Recap: WikiLeaks faces more heat in the wake of cablegate

  It’s been a long week for the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks. Problems started to mount after Amazon and EveryDNS forced them to shuffle their hosting. While this was happening, they also had to face political posturing and arrest warrants. The truth can be a dangerous and wonderful thing.

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Patent Bullies Watch: Jay Walker, Wi-Lan, Intel-Nvidia

Posted in Patents at 10:09 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

Photo by Steve Jurvetson from Menlo Park, USA

Summary: A look at some of the industry’s agitators, who are using patents to impede progress rather than actually develop

• Priceline Founder Jay Walker Now Files Patent Suits For A Living

We haven’t heard much from Jay Walker since he left the name-your-own-price travel website Priceline.com in 2000, after its stock slid from $162 to next to nothing in the dot-com bust. Now Walker Digital, the company he founded and still runs, has sued Facebook, claiming that he invented the concept of privacy-protected “friending” that underpins the social network. It’s the fourth patent suit Walker has filed in a bit over a year, and his boldest claim yet.

Walker began diving into the patent-litigation world about a year ago, when he sued Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT), Dell and HP (NYSE: HPQ), saying that Microsoft Word infringes another of his patents, which covers searching the internet without closing the word-processor. He then sued Capital One, claiming the credit-card issuer violated two of his patents that cover “customizable credit accounts.” That lawsuit has already been thrown out by a Virginia judge, but Walker is appealing.

• Wi-Lan Just Keeps On Suing; Says Cable Modems Infringe Its Patents Too (Wi-Lan is a “technology licensing firm”)

Wi-Lan really is the patent troll that just keeps on suing. You may recall that the company — which once was an operating company that totally failed in the market, because it was unable to execute — has since become one of the nastier patent trolls out there, suing everyone it possibly can. Years back, it claimed that it had patents that covered the basics behind WiFi. After that, it claimed patents on mobile broadband offerings, like WiMax. It’s also sued over patents on mobile devices and near-field Bluetooth technology.

• Wi-Lan sues Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Charter

Technology licensing firm Wi-Lan Inc said it has initiated a patent infringement litigation against Comcast Corp, Time Warner Cable Inc, and Charter Communications in a U.S. federal court.

• Intel and Nvidia will settle a patent case

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Microsoft-funded ‘Satellites’ With Software Patents

Posted in GNU/Linux, IBM, Microsoft, Patents, Red Hat at 10:01 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

Summary: Companies that are associated with (also paid by) Microsoft use software patents to cause damage in the Free software world

WE ALREADY know for a fact (based on press releases) that Microsoft has been paying Acacia on a few occasions. Bruce Perens once wrote that Microsoft’s “license payment to SCO is simply a good-looking way to pass along a bribe” and days ago we saw Microsoft paying TurboHercules as well. IBM calls such companies "satellite proxies". As Larry Goldfarb (a key investor in SCO) once put it: “Microsoft wished to promote SCO and its pending lawsuit against IBM and the Linux operating system. But Microsoft did not want to be seen as attacking IBM or Linux.”

Last month there was a lot of discussion about the unknown, namely Red Hat's NDA with Acacia, which we last mentioned a week ago (EN | ES). Sam Varghese says that Red Hat keeps dodging the issue, which also helps feed Microsoft mobbyists like Florian Müller. That’s just what Microsoft wants.

The query was simple: “Would Red Hat like to comment on Perens’ allegations? Would the company like to make the terms of the deal available to iTWire? Or do I accept Perens’ allegations as holding substance?”

It took two weeks of waiting but when a response arrived, it was meaningless.

“”Red Hat routinely addresses attempts to impede the innovative forces of open source via allegations of patent infringement,” ran the reply, routed through its PR company in Australia

“We can confirm that Red Hat, Inc and Software Tree LLC have settled patent litigation that was pending in federal court in the Eastern District of Texas (Civil Action No. 6:09-cv-00097-LED).”

The Microsoft-funded Blackboard, which is a software patents agitator, is giving up, but it has done enough to spread FUD about Free software like Moodle. To quote the only article we found about this latest development:

Blackboard Inc.’s protracted legal fight to retain the software patent it used to successfully sue course-management rival Desire2Learn is over. It lost.

The USPTO keeps granting software monopolies this week and they are celebrated with press releases [1, 2, 3], one of which reveals another pool of patents that sounds like more trouble: “Tippr said the patent license is separate from its white label group buying platform, and is aimed at patent licensing and protection to independent software developer, deal site, or publishers. The firm said that “no one else in the industry has a more comprehensive patent portfolio.”

Patent pools are essentially private clubs corresponding to a particular area in the industry; only companies which are well established in the areas are allowed into this club, assuming they were granted enough monopolies (patents). Those without patents will need to pay admission fees to the rest of the members of this club. There is a word to describe what goes in here. It’s called a “cartel”. █

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