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Links 12/9/2021: Atari VCS, KDE Slimbook, and Elecrow CrowPi 2 Reviewed



  • GNU/Linux

    • Audiocasts/Shows

    • Kernel Space

      • Torvalds Merges Support for Microsoft's NTFS File System, Complains GitHub 'Creates Absolutely Useless Garbage Merges'

        "Linux creator Linus Torvalds has agreed to include Paragon Software's NTFS3 kernel driver, giving the Linux kernel 5.15 release improved support for Microsoft's NTFS file system..." reports ZDNet, adding that the driver "will make working with Windows' NTFS drives in Linux an easier task — ending decades of difficulties with Microsoft's proprietary file system that succeeded FAT...."

      • Linux For Apple Silicon Macs Gets Closer To Reality - Slashdot

        "Asahi Linux for Apple M1 Macs is moving closer to reality," writes Slashdot reader TroysBucket.

        An Asahi developer posted a detailed status update on Twitter. Linux enthusiast Bryan Lunduke offers this succinct summary:

      • Linux for Apple Silicon Macs getting closer to reality [NEWS] - by Bryan Lunduke - The Lunduke Journal of Technology

        It’s been quite a few years since I was truly excited about anything from Apple. Old 68k and PPC Macintoshes were unique, funky, and fun — and I just loved them to pieces. But the later lines of Intel-based Macs? Just couldn’t find the appeal.

        Then Apple rolled out their latest Macintosh line with their M1 processor — with benchmarks (both in performance and battery life) that were truly spectacular.

      • Linux 5.15 Is A Very Exciting Kernel For AMD

        While working on my usual Linux kernel feature overview that summarizes the many articles over the past two weeks outlining all of the new features and changes merged, one area that particularly stands out for Linux 5.15 are all of AMD's upstream contributions that happened to make it in this kernel. There is a lot of new enablement on the AMD side -- both for CPUs and Radeon graphics -- but also improving existing hardware support.

        Linux 5.15 is particularly exciting for AMD users, just not for CPUs and Radeon GPUs but also on the Ryzen client side and EPYC server front too. Linux 5.15 has a lot to offer with AMD improvements, which is great to see and comes with ramping up their Linux hires.

      • Stable kernels for Sunday

        The 5.14.3, 5.13.16, 5.10.64, and 5.4.145 stable kernel updates have been released; each contains another set of important fixes.

      • Linux 5.14.3
      • Linux 5.13.16
      • Linux 5.10.64
      • Linux 5.4.145
    • Applications

      • PeaZip 8.2 Released, Focused on Improving Command Line Usage

        PeaZip 8.2 archive manager for Linux and Windows now supports a massive 225 archive formats. Let’s see what’s new in this version.

        PeaZip is an open source cross platform archive manager software, providing encryption and compression functions, which open and extract over 200 archive types. It can schedule archives, create self-extracting archives, and can even be used as a portable program without installation.

      • Krita Lime PPA Back with Krita 4.4.8 Package for Ubuntu 20.04 & 21.04

        For those prefer the classic .deb package, the Krita Lime PPA is finally updated with the latest v4.4.8 package for Ubuntu 20.04, Linux Mint 20 and Ubuntu 21.04.

    • Instructionals/Technical

      • How to install Brave Browser for Fedora Linux - Linux Shout

        Here we are using the Fedora 34 Linux to install Brave browser using terminal, however, the steps will be the same for older versions such as Fedora 33, 32, 30, 29, 28…

        Brave browser is based on Google Chromium but with added features in visual and security areas. Unlike Chrome, it is an open-source browser that automatically blocks ad trackers and cookies. Brave is also called a “crypto browser” because it uses the Ethereum blockchain that is used to secure user’s data.

        HTTP accesses are automatically redirected to HTTPS in the Brave browser. Furthermore, there is an incentive to display advertising features know as “Brave Rewards”. As the browser is based on Chromium, you can use extensions from the Chrome Web Store.

      • Fscrypt now works in user spot
      • Raspberry Pi Firewall: How to Install and Manage it by Using UFW

        In this easy-to-follow tutorial we’re going to show you how to install and manage UFW (Uncomplicated Firewall) on Raspberry Pi.

        The level of security you need for your Raspberry Pi will strongly depend on how you plan to use it. When your Raspberry Pi is connected to the internet, the minimum security step you should take is to ensure that only ports that you absolutely require to be open are open.

        A firewall is a piece of software that monitors incoming and outcoming network traffic. It can then allow, reject or drop traffic. Without a firewall, your Raspberry Pi is functional and connected, but it can be made more secure with firewall which will only allow the types of traffic you permit.

      • A Guide to the Command Line for SEO [Learn 20+ Commands]
      • How to use GeForce Now game streaming on Linux

        Did you know that you can use Nvidia’s game streaming service on Linux? It’s true, but it takes a little tweaking to get it working. In this guide, we’ll go over how to get GeForce Now game streaming on Linux.

      • How to install Flutter on Fedora Linux - Linux Shout

        Flutter is a UI framework having Dart as an underlying programming language. It is developed by Google with which native apps for mobile, web, and desktop can be developed with a single code base in a very short time. Flutter architecture is based on two key parts- the Flutter Engine and the Flutter Framework.

        The engine contains all core technologies such as the Skia 2D rendering engine ( https://skia.org ), which is also developed by Google and is used in Chrome or Firefox, for example.

        In addition, the Dart Runtime, which, among other things, takes over garbage collection or provides an extremely fast hot reload during development.

      • How to Change Your MAC Address on Linux

        Modifying your system's MAC address allows you to impersonate other devices on the same network. This way, you can receive data packets that were originally meant for the other device. This process is known as MAC spoofing.

        On Linux, you can find countless tools to change your device's MAC address. But finding a reliable and stable utility that does the job well is really complicated considering the number of choices available to a user.

        By the end, you will have a brief understanding of MAC addresses, and how to spoof your MAC address on Linux.

      • Download and install Google Chrome for Fedora 34 Linux - Linux Shout

        The easiest way to download and install the Google Chrome browser on Fedora 34 Linux using the command terminal to start surfing…

        Fedora is a Linux distribution and upstream project for highly stable Redhat Enterprise Linux. It is meant to offer particularly up-to-date programs and multiple desktop environments. Therefore, the key focus of Fedora is on technical progress and to avail bleeding-edge technology to users instead primarily on stability and long-term support that is in RHEl, Debian, and Ubuntu. Nevertheless, this doesn’t imply that Fedora is not secure or unstable. In addition to a workstation version for the desktop, the Fedora community also offers the Fedora Server for the data center. It is also available as a 64-bit system for desktop computers and servers even for ARM processors and IoT devices.

        By Default, this Linux uses Gnome Desktop environment, however other Desktop editions with different DE known as Spins available as well such as KDE Plasma, Xfce, SOAS, LXDE, Cinnamon, Mate, and LXQT

      • Create a Virtual HardDisk (VHD) Volume Using a File in Linux

        Virtual Hard Disk is a disk image file format which represents a virtual hard disk drive, It’s a container file that acts similar to a physical hard drive.

        VHD can contains a file system, and you can use it to store and run an operating system, applications, as well as store data.

        We will illustrate how to create a virtual hard disk volume using a file in Linux. we will create a VHD volume of size 1GB, and format it with ext4 file system type.

      • Testing The Load of Web Servers with Siege Benchmark Tool - Unixcop

        Siege is an open source regression test and benchmark utility. It can stress test a single URL with a user defined number of simulated users, or it can read many URLs into memory and stress them simultaneously. The program reports the total number of hits recorded, bytes transferred, response time, concurrency, and return status. Siege supports HTTP/1.0 and 1.1 protocols, the GET and POST directives, cookies, transaction logging, and basic authentication. Its features are configurable on a per user basis.

        Most features are configurable with command line options which also include default values to minimize the complexity of the program’s invocation. So Siege allows you to stress a web server with n number of users t number of times, where n and t are defined by the user. It records the duration time of the test as well as the duration of each single transaction. It reports the number of transactions, elapsed time, bytes transferred, response time, transaction rate, concurrency and the number of times the server responded OK, that is status code 200.

        Also Siege should only be ran against servers you own or on such you have explicit permission to test. In some countries, using siege on unauthorized websites can be considered a crime.

    • Games

      • Atari VCS review: Costly nostalgia & DIY potential

        Beyond the Atari VCS mode’s custom Linux Debian-based OS, you can also use external SSDs, HDDs, and thumb drives to load up further operating systems like a non-custom Linux Debian or Windows 10 in the system’s built-in PC Mode. During my time experimenting with the VCS, I was able to load up Windows 10, fiddle around, and log into my Steam account. However, without substantial upgrades, you shouldn’t expect to access your full Steam Library. The Atari VCS’s base specs just aren’t up to the task of running much. The most technically advanced game I was able to download and run out of my Steam library on an external HDD was top-down Guantlet Legends-like Battle Axe, which is kind of in line with the quality of games I saw in the VCS store anyways.

    • Desktop Environments/WMs

      • K Desktop Environment/KDE SC/Qt

        • KDE Slimbook: the best way to run KDE

          How do you write a review of a laptop when you’re struggling to find truly negative things to say? This is rarely an issue – every laptop is a compromise – but with the KDE Slimbook, I feel like I’ve hit this particular problem for the first time. A luxury, for sure, but it makes writing this review a lot harder than it’s supposed to be.

          First, let’s talk about Slimbook itself. Slimbook is a Linux OEM from Spain, founded in 2015, which sells various laptops and desktops with a variety of preinstalled Linux distributions to choose from (including options for no operating system, or Windows). A few years ago, Slimbook partnered with KDE to sell the KDE Slimbook – a Slimbook laptop with KDE Neon preinstalled, and the KDE logo engraved on the laptop’s lid. The current KDE Slimbook is – I think – the third generation, and the first to make the switch from Intel to AMD.

    • Distributions

      • Canonical/Ubuntu Family

        • Real-time Analytics News for Week Ending September 11

          Canonical, the publisher of Ubuntu, announced the availability of the Anbox Cloud Appliance in AWS Marketplace. This appliance allows developers a quick and easy prototype and production process for building Android apps in the cloud. In other news, Canonical announced Advantech, a provider of intelligent IoT and automation technology, is now certified on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS and Ubuntu Core 20.

    • Devices/Embedded

    • Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

      • Weekly recap — 12 September 2021

        Week highlights: new version of BeeRef available, Inkscape updates, VCV Rack 2 teaser, new PipeWire release, and more.

      • FSF

        • GNU Projects

          • GNU Radio Decodes Voyager Data

            With the 44th anniversary of the launch of Voyager I, [Daniel] decided to use GNU Radio to decode Voyager data. The data isn’t live, but a recording from the Green Bank Telescope. The 16 GB file is in GUPPI format which stores raw IQ samples.

            The file contains 64 frequency channels of just under 3MHz each. The signal of interest is in one channel, so it is easy to just throw away the rest of the data.

            A Python block manipulates the file and provides a data source. Once you have that, the rest is pretty standard processing although, as you might expect, the signal is weak even with a 100 meter antenna. Large Fourier transforms do the trick.

            Then it is a matter for decoding, although there are some obscure keys needed to pull the data out correctly. In the end, it all shows up and it is a great detective story of how to go through the data step-by-step.

  • Leftovers

    • The magic TUPE roundabout: Council, Wipro, Northgate all deny employing Unix admins in outsourcing muddle

      A pair of Unix sysadmins have claimed a botched TUPE job transfer left them stuck between three organisations which all denied responsibility for employing them.

      The two, named by the Scottish Employment Tribunal as Messrs K Fulke and K Reid, were employed by Wipro in 2011 on a contract the Indian firm had with the Highland Council.

      Yet Employment Judge Nick Hosie threw out their claims against both the council and Wipro, leaving them to pursue only NEC-owned Northgate Public Services.

      Northgate's solicitor tried and failed to successfully argue that TUPE, the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006, shouldn't be applied to an outsourcing contract where IT services went from being hosted on-premises into the cloud. He urged the judge to accept that for employment law purposes, moving from on-premises to cloud resulted in work being done in a "fundamentally different way" – meaning TUPE protections wouldn't apply.

    • Null Amusement

      Been old-school-pixel-pushin’ recently, for a project I’ll hopefully reveal soon. But because I’ve also been really keen on music recently, a little side diversion happened that I’d like to share.

      It started with generating some samples using the good old SXFR. It’s a tiny sythesizer for generating cute oldschool chiptune/game sound effects. Sadly it doesn’t exist as an app, which is a shame.

    • Integrity/Availability

      • Proprietary

        • Manjaro Linux Cinnamon replaces Firefox with Vivaldi as the default browser

          Vivaldi, one of the popular browsers is based on Chromium kit just like Google’s Chrome. It works quickly and reliably and is compatible with all current web standards. But while Chrome only offers a handful of commands for clicking and a text box, Vivaldi has two boxes and lots of buttons.

          But wait! here we are not about to discuss exactly the features of Vivaldi but instead a move by open-source Manjaro Linux developers. Recently, they have announced that one of Manjaro’s popular editions, Cinnamon will now out of the box features “Vivaldi” as its default browser.

          Although, because of Arch-based Linux distribution- Manjaro supports multiple repos, we can install Vivaldi on any Manjaro edition easily, however, Cinnamon users will have Vivaldi browser without performing any further installation.

          Vivaldi – available on Windows, Mac, and Linux computers, as well as on Android devices – gives users the freedom and flexibility to browse exactly the way they want, keeping their privacy first.

        • Google plans to replace Chrome's cookies and site data controls with an inferior option

          Comments on the official Chromium issues tracker confirm that Google plans to deprecate the browser's cookies and site data controls in favor of a page that is inferior in functionality at the time of writing.

          Many Chrome users know that they can use controls to clear cookies and site data in Chrome. All it takes is to load the internal URL chrome://settings/siteData to get started.

          Chrome lists all sites that have stored cookies and other site data on the local system.

          You may search the selection, browse it, delete individual cookies, and check what a particular site has stored on the local system.

        • How to use Google Cloud Operations suite

          Google Cloud Operations suite updates the cloud provider's Stackdriver tool with new features and upgrades, while retaining the core functions of monitoring and log analysis for cloud instances.

          Google acquired Stackdriver in 2014. Then, Stackdriver became Google Cloud Operations suite in 2020. It provides two services -- Cloud Monitoring and Cloud Logging -- and their corresponding agents.

          The Google Cloud Operations suite provides an in-depth view of system metrics and application logs. Cloud Monitoring gleans system-level metrics such as CPU, memory and disk space, while Cloud Logging captures log data from applications such as the web server Nginx, displayed within the console.

        • Lenovo blames 'firmware' issue for blank-screened Smart Displays, says Google's working on a fix – 6 months after complaints started

          Lenovo says it is still waiting on Google to fix a “firmware issue” that has left some owners of its Lenovo Smart Displays and Smart Clocks with blank screens, almost five months after the problem was first reported.

          Reports that all was not well with Lenovo’s Smart Displays first surfaced in April when a customer based in Canada posted on the company’s tech support pages to ask if anyone else had suffered a frozen screen.

          Attempts to reboot or revert back to factory settings only resulted in a temporary fix, with users from countries including the US, UK, France, and Vietnam reporting the same fault.

          At this stage, the full scope and scale of the problem is still not known. According to sales data from channel analysts Canalys, Lenovo has to date shipped some 1.2 million Smart Clocks and an estimated 650,000 Smart Displays.

    • Monopolies

      • Patents

        • It’s Farewell to Shelston IP, as IPH Executes Another ‘Integration’ [Ed: Shelston IP is a particularly malicious firm [1, 2, 3]

          The corporate behemoth that is IPH Limited (ASX:IPH) – which at close on 10 September 2021 had a market capitalisation of A$2.00 billion, and was trading at a near-all-time-high of A$9.270 – has, through a series of acquisitions and ‘integrations’, brought about the demise of a number of well-known names in the Australasian IP firmament. Fisher Adams Kelly, Callinans, Cullens, Watermark and Baldwins are all brands that, until not so long ago, were familiar to anyone with an interest in the IP services market, but which no longer exist. And on 8 September 2021, IPH announced [PDF, 98kB] that Shelston IP is next in line. Shelston IP will be integrated with Spruson & Ferguson Australia, with the combined firm operating under the Spruson & Ferguson brand from 1 November 2021, at which time the Shelston IP brand will be retired. Full systems integration is expected to occur in December 2021.

          [..]

          Based upon the contents of the Register maintained by the Trans-Tasman IP Attorneys Board (TTIPAB), the number of registered patent attorneys employed by firms within the IPH group declined substantially between January 2020 and August 2021. There are, overall, 36 fewer attorneys – a drop of 20% from 186 to 150 – across all firms now in the group (including Watermark, which has since been integrated into Griffith Hack, and Baldwins, which was acquired and integrated into A J Park). The exodus has been most pronounced at Griffith Hack, (down by 25%) and Shelston IP (down by 22%). Patent attorney numbers at both Spruson & Ferguson and A J Park are down by around 16%.

          On present numbers, when Shelston IP is integrated into Spruson & Ferguson in November, the resulting firm will employ only 10 more patent attorneys than at the start of 2020, despite having absorbed an entire additional firm. This would – at least temporarily – make it once again larger (in terms of patent attorney numbers) than FB Rice, which in recent years has grown to become Australia’s largest firm on this metric. It is not hard to imagine, however, that departures from the merged firms may continue for a little while longer. I can easily foresee a situation in the next year or two in which, while Watermark, Baldwins, and Shelston IP have ceased to exist, Spruson & Ferguson, Griffith Hack, and A J Park are nonetheless no larger than they were before the integrations.

        • Data on Transition Phrases in Patent Cases [Ed: Evidence of copy-paste or templates in USPTO data; lots of repetition and reuse, not so much innovation (patents are different from actual progress)]

          You may have heard that most US utility patent claims use the open transition phrase COMPRISING. Here’s the data to support that hearsay. The chart below shows data from independent claims gleaned from issued US patens grouped by patent issue year.

        • AI As A Patent Inventor – An Update From South Africa And Australia [Ed: Gangsters from MoFo (very aggressive firm, notoriously so) do not seem to mind radical elements of patent systems as long as that may mean more litigation in bulk]

          Although the European, U.S., and UK Patent Offices have denied patent applications on the grounds that an AI system cannot be listed as an inventor, not every country seems to be following that approach and some may be set to buck the trend.

          Last year, we reported on the first European Patent Office (EPO) ruling on its approach to patent applications that designate artificial intelligence (AI) systems as inventors. Both the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) and the EPO reasoned that AI systems cannot be inventors. However, South Africa and Australia did not follow suit this year.

          [...]

          In Thaler v Commissioner of Patents [2021] FCA 879, the Australian court reasoned that the ordinary meaning of “inventor” does not exclude non-humans. It also found that in patent law, unlike copyright law, there is no requirement for a human inventor.

          Dr. Thaler argued that the objectives of the relevant legislation supported AI systems being recognized as inventors because it is intended to promote technological innovation and the dissemination of technology.

          The court also considered that various persons can contribute to the output of an AI system, and that recognizing the AI system as the inventor would avoid uncertainty as to who should be recognized for the inventive process.

          While the court was only faced with deciding whether DABUS could be an inventor, it also discussed whether Dr. Thaler could be the patent grantee. The court found in favor of Dr. Thaler by determining that he could be a grantee since he derived title to the invention. Dr. Thaler owns and controls DABUS, therefore its inventions are in Dr. Thaler’s possession.

        • JW Pharm’s gout drug URC102 certified as source technology in Europe

          The patent is the company’s method to prepare a compound that works as the main ingredient and intermediate of URC102. URC102, developed as a new oral drug, inhibits uric acid transporter-1 (URAT1) and is effective for gout patients caused by abnormally elevated uric acid levels in the blood, JW Pharm said.

          The company licensed out the rights to develop and commercialize URC102 in China, including Hong Kong and Macau, to China’s Nanjing Simcere Dongyuan Pharmaceutical in 2019. In addition, it is pursuing global technology transfer based on the results of phase 2 clinical trials conducted in Korea.

        • Around the Web: Patent Palaver. Lamp Love. Street Smarts. Elastic Enhancement. Smart Specs. Pestering Popups. Verbose Vegetation. Foolish Fowl. Tuneful Typing. Tiffany Tidbits. Good Gander.

          Imaging having read this headline just 10 years ago. From The Verge: “AI computers can’t patent their own inventions — yet.” Back in April 2020, the US Patent and Trademark Office decided that only “natural persons” could be considered the inventor of a patent. So if AI invents something, it gets no credit. Which brings up the perhaps disturbing question: has AI invented something? Actually, yes. AI researcher Steven Thaler invented an AI system called DABUS which apparently then itself invented “a flashing light and a new type of food container.”

        • UK splashes out €£30m on improving antiquated patent system, Deloitte and NTT Data are the lucky winners

          The UK’s Intellectual Property Office has awarded two new contracts in it's bid to get up to speed in the 21st Century.

          Deloitte has won a €£23.8m contract to become a “strategic supplier to deliver digital services” as it attempts to execute its “transformation plan” aim at allowing organisation and individual to digitally manage their intellectual property rights.

          The global consultancy firm becomes the “Transformation Phase 1” for the project under a contract which is set to last until September 2023, the contract award notice said.

        • Analysis: The European Unified Patent Court – is it finally within reach? [Ed: Overt conflict of interest. Spreading utter lies and malicious false 'news' for "head of UPC Preparatory Committee" by "Colette Brady and Laura Scott are partners at William Fry." So litigation firms are pushing complete lies for profit in so-called 'media']
        • Can AI Be An Inventor, Ryan Abbott & Stephen Thaler Say Why Not [Ed: Microsoft boosters push for patent maximalism, as one might expect...]

          I would hardly call it a tool. Instead, it is arguably a sentient, non-protoplasmic organism that develops its own personality.

        • DABUS The AI Is Denied Inventorship In Taiwan [Ed: Taiwan -- like most countries and their courts/patent offices -- was not successfully rickrolled by Mr. Thaler]

          Taiwan's Intellectual Property & Commercial Court (the IPC Court) published a decision on August 30, upholding the Taiwan IP Office's ruling that an artificial intelligence (AI) system cannot be named as a patent inventor. Thaler v. Taiwan IP Office (TIPO), 110 Xing Zhuan Su 3, Taiwan's IPC Court (August 2021).

        • Post-IPR Estoppel: Printed Publication vs. Actual Product Shown in the Publication

          The court has denied DMF’s mandamus petition on an interesting post-IPR estoppel question.

          DMF sued ELCO Lighting in 2018 for infringing DMF’s U.S. Patent No. 9,964,266. As is usual these days, ELCO turned-around and filed an inter partes review petition — challenging the patent’s validity based upon a 2011 product catalog (printed publication) that had featured the Hatteras lighting product. Although the PTAB instituted the IPR, it eventually sided with the patentee in holding that the prior printed publication wasn’t enough render the invention obvious.

        • Federal Circuit Approves of Order to Drop Patents from the Lawsuit to Facilitate Case Management

          MASA sued Xerox for infringing 20 different patents that all relate to printer related technology. The district court felt that 20 patents was too many to handle and so ordered MASA to reduce the number of asserted patents to 8 patents by the summary judgment pre-trial stage; and then further drop down to only 4 asserted patents by trial. The defendant agreed that the eliminated patents would be dismissed without prejudice and that any applicable statute of limitations would be tolled — allowing later refiling of those claims.

        • JW Bioscience to Register Patent on Early Sepsis Diagnosis Technology in Europe [Ed: As if the quality of today's EPO-granted patents is something worth celebrating all...]
        • No "German injunction gap" expedition in Abbott v Dexcom global diabetes battle, as Mr Justice Mellor expresses "some regret" [Ed: Celebration of embargo from litigation zealots who worked for Bristows LLP and constantly lies about the UPC for that awful firm]

          After the end of what English and Welsh litigators call the Trinity term (aka end of the term before the Court breaks for the summer holidays), Mr Justice Mellor was working overtime to deliver two decisions. The second of these decisions, Abbott v Dexcom [2021] EWHC 2246, concerned Abbott's latest application to expedite a patent trial revoking four of Dexcom's patents. Mr Justice Mellor dismissed the application "with some regret".

          A primary motivation for Abbott's expedition application was to obtain a UK court decision on the validity of four European patents in order to influence a German court considering infringement of the German EP equivalents and to prevent the problems of the "injunction gap". The injunction gap arises in Germany because infringement is decided before and separately to validity. As readers know, in the UK, a patent's infringement and validity are heard together so there is no infringement finding- and thus injunction - before the validity of the patent is determined. Thus, a strategy that can be used in litigation is to get the UK court to say that the patent is invalid and/or not infringed and use that decision in the German infringement courts to cast doubt as to infringement and validity of the patent to try to avoid an injunction in Germany (and thus to avoid the period when an injunction could be granted between the infringement decision and validity decision). But no such luck for Abbott, "regret[tably]". Here is what happened.

        • Only 'natural persons' can be recognized as patent inventors, not AI systems, US judge rules [Ed: In some patent courts, common sense still prevails; Australia and South Africa now look desperate for any patents -- even bogus ones]

          AI systems cannot be granted patents and will not be recognised as inventors in the eyes of the US law, said a federal judge who decided to uphold a previous ruling by the US Patent and Trademark Office this week.

          Stephen Thaler, founder of Imagination Engines, a company in Missouri, applied in 2019 for two US patents describing a food container based on fractal geometry and an emergency light beacon. Instead of putting his own name on the applications, however, Thaler gave all the credit to DABUS, a neural network he built and claimed came up with both creations.

          The US Patent and Trademark Office, however, rejected both applications and said only “natural persons” are allowed to be named as an inventor on the patent paperwork. Thaler in response sued Andrei Iancu, who was the director of the patent office at the time, in federal court in eastern Virginia to challenge that decision.

        • Save Foods Granted A Patent For Its Proprietary Compound For The Natural Protection Of Edible Matter [Ed: Pursuing likely dubious patents at the EPO (quality went downhill) and conflating EPO with the EU, which are not the same thing and are not the same nations, either]

          Save Foods’ core applications are eco-friendly post-harvest treatments for fruits and vegetables. The Company’s proprietary blend of organic food acids reduces the need for conventional post-harvest fungicide by at least 50% - and in some cases entirely - and can reduce food waste due to spoilage by up to 50%. Crops currently being treated account for billions of dollars in sales around the world, and include citrus fruit, avocado, pears, mango and bell peppers.

        • European Union: The European Unified Patent Court – Is It Finally Within Reach? [Ed: Team UPC keeps lying, for profit, about UPC, with effectively fake/bogus/false 'news']

          The creation of a single European patent with unitary effect across participating EU Member States (Unified Patent/ UP) and a new Court system (Unified Patent Court/UPC) to enforce and defend such patents has been decades in the making.

          The UPC system will only be implemented once the UPC Agreement (Agreement) comes into force. This requires ratification of the Agreement by Germany, France, and Italy (as the countries from which most European patents originate) and ten other member states. While France and Italy have already ratified the Agreement, German ratification has been delayed by constitutional challenges, as previously reported by us here and here.

        • USPTO Grants ONK Therapeutics’ Foundational Patent for CISH Knockout in NK Cells for Use in Cancer Therapies [Ed: More patents or patent monopolies around cancer]
        • 2021 Mid-Year Review: Key Global Trade Secret Developments

          A trade secret is any information used in one's business that derives independent economic value from being kept secret. Unlike patents, trade secrets are protected indefinitely for as long as they remain a secret.

        • Patenting for the Decommissioning Market [Ed: Unbelievable; the convicted fraudsters (recently) from Marks & Clerk, Tomas Karger Robbie Gauld in this case, want to profit from destruction too, via patents]

          Owners of oil and gas installations and pipelines are required to decommission their offshore and onshore infrastructure at the end of a field’s economic life. Regulations are in place around the world to ensure decommissioning is executed in a safe and environmentally sound manner. Some estimates have indicated the United Kingdom Continental Shelf will have 1,616 wells decommissioned between 2020 and 2029. With mature fields located around the world, decommissioning may be set to be big business. However, the aforementioned safety and regulatory requirements often require overcoming technical challenges. The manner in which innovations stemming from addressing these challenges are managed form part of the commercial considerations of businesses operating in or looking to enter the decommissioning sector.

        • Should AI Systems Be Considered As ‘Inventors’ on US Patent Applications? [Ed: No, unless you wish to completely de-legitimise the patent system]

          An artificial intelligence system may technologically be able to “invent” things, but then such a system cannot literally be named as an “inventor” on an official patent application to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

        • Software Patents

          • [Older] Disambiguation Of Text With An Upper And Lower Case: Technical [Ed: Profoundly rigged courts, the EPO's BoA or TBA in this case, would of course accept bogus software patents that no court (that's not rigged by EPO thugs) would ever accept]

            This decision concerns a patent application with an improved text case feature. In the appeal, the Board considered that the software to remove the ambiguity of text with an upper and lower case was technical and inventive. Here are the practical takeaways from the decision T 0200/19 (Disambiguation of text with upper and lower case/BlackBerry) of 30.4.2021, of Technical Board of Appeal 3.5.05:

          • Drafting AI patent applications for success at the EPO – eligibility and claim formulation [Ed: Crooks and charlatans explaining how to get away with software patents at the crooked EPO, mostly by misusing a bunch of meaningless buzzwords]

            In this co-published piece, Haseltine Lake Kempner’s Kimberley Bayliss takes a practical look at different types of AI inventions and how to formulate claims for each category in view of the EPO’s patent eligibility requirements

      • Trademarks

        • Influencer issues to follow: IP counsel give social media tips [Ed: Trying to police social control media (which is all about mass control over people, minds, perception) for corporate brands]

          Counsel at Anheuser-Busch and three other companies discuss the importance of monitoring influencer content and the complexity of indemnification

      • Copyrights

        • A guide to Singapore’s new copyright law

          Singapore’s new Copyright Bill, which is likely to be enacted in November 2021, will reshape the balance between creators and businesses in many ways, according to counsel.

          The bill contains several welcome provisions on copyright ownership, recognition of authors’ moral rights, computational analysis of data, and piracy, say sources.

          It was tabled for a first reading before the parliament on July 6 and is now scheduled for a second reading on September 13.



Recent Techrights' Posts

Comparing U.E.F.I. to B.I.O.S. (Bloat and Insecurity to K.I.S.S.)
By Sami Tikkanen
New 'Slides' From Stallman Support (stallmansupport.org) Site
"In celebration of RMS's birthday, we've been playing a bit. We extracted some quotes from the various articles, comments, letters, writings, etc. and put them in the form of a slideshow in the home page."
Thailand: GNU/Linux Up to 6% of Desktops/Laptops, According to statCounter
Desktop Operating System Market Share Thailand
António Campinos is Still 'The Fucking President' (in His Own Words) After a Fake 'Election' in 2022 (He Bribed All the Voters to Keep His Seat)
António Campinos and the Administrative Council, whose delegates he clearly bribed with EPO budget in exchange for votes
Adrian von Bidder, homeworking & Debian unexplained deaths
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Sainsbury’s Epic Downtime Seems to be Microsoft's Fault and Might Even Constitute a Data Breach (Legal Liability)
one of Britain's largest groceries (and beyond) chains
 
People Don't Just Kill Themselves (Same for Other Animals)
And recent reports about Boeing whistleblower John Barnett
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, March 18, 2024
IRC logs for Monday, March 18, 2024
Suicide Cluster Cover-up tactics & Debian exposed
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 19/03/2024: A Society That Lost Focus and Abandoning Social Control Media
Links for the day
Matthias Kirschner, FSFE: Plagiarism & Child labour in YH4F
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Linux Foundation Boasting About Being Connected to Bill Gates
Examples of boasting about the association
Alexandre Oliva's Article on Monstering Cults
"I'm told an earlier draft version of this post got published elsewhere. Please consider this IMHO improved version instead."
[Meme] 'Russian' Elections in Munich (Bavaria, Germany)
fake elections
Sainsbury's to Techrights: Yes, Our Web Site Broke Down, But We Cannot Say Which Part or Why
Windows TCO?
Plagiarism: Axel Beckert (ETH Zurich) & Debian Developer list hacking
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Links 18/03/2024: Putin Cements Power
Links for the day
Flashback 2003: Debian has always had a toxic culture
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
[Meme] You Know You're Winning the Argument When...
EPO management starts cursing at everybody (which is what's happening)
Catspaw With Attitude
The posts "they" complain about merely point out the facts about this harassment and doxing
'Clown Computing' Businesses Are Waning and the Same Will Happen to 'G.A.I.' Businesses (the 'Hey Hi' Fame)
decrease in "HEY HI" (AI) hype
Free Software Needs Watchdogs, Too
Gentle lapdogs prevent self-regulation and transparency
Matthias Kirschner, FSFE analogous to identity fraud
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 18/03/2024: LLM Inference and Can We Survive Technology?
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, March 17, 2024
IRC logs for Sunday, March 17, 2024
Links 17/03/2024: Microsoft Windows Shoves Ads Into Third-Party Software, More Countries Explore TikTok Ban
Links for the day
Molly Russell suicide & Debian Frans Pop, Lucy Wayland, social media deaths
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Our Plans for Spring
Later this year we turn 18 and a few months from now our IRC community turns 16
Open Invention Network (OIN) Fails to Explain If Linux is Safe From Microsoft's Software Patent Royalties (Charges)
Keith Bergelt has not replied to queries on this very important matter
RedHat.com, Brought to You by Microsoft Staff
This is totally normal, right?
USPTO Corruption: People Who Don't Use Microsoft Will Be Penalised ~$400 for Each Patent Filing
Not joking!
The Hobbyists of Mozilla, Where the CEO is a Bigger Liability Than All Liabilities Combined
the hobbyist in chief earns much more than colleagues, to say the least; the number quadrupled in a matter of years
Jim Zemlin Says Linux Foundation Should Combat Fraud Together With the Gates Foundation. Maybe They Should Start With Jim's Wife.
There's a class action lawsuit for securities fraud
Not About Linux at All!
nobody bothers with the site anymore; it's marketing, and now even Linux
Links 17/03/2024: Abuses Against Human Rights, Tesla Settlement (and Crash)
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, March 16, 2024
IRC logs for Saturday, March 16, 2024
Under Taliban, GNU/Linux Share Nearly Doubled in Afghanistan, Windows Sank From About 90% to 68.5%
Suffice to say, we're not meaning to imply Taliban is "good"
Debian aggression: woman asked about her profession
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 17/03/2024: Winter Can't Hurt Us Anymore and Playstation Plus
Links for the day