http://www.techdirt.com/ Easily digestible tech news.... http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130524/01462423203/ex-prenda-lawyer-brett-gibbs-pleads-poverty-to-judge-wright.shtml#c472 Fri, 24 May 2013 13:40:19 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130524/01462423203/ex-prenda-lawyer-brett-gibbs-pleads-poverty-to-judge-wright.shtml#c472
Let is remember that ACS:Law in the UK was making a good]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130524/00583723201/if-you-thought-copyright-was-mess-earth-what-does-it-look-like-space.shtml#c197 Fri, 24 May 2013 13:40:13 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130524/00583723201/if-you-thought-copyright-was-mess-earth-what-does-it-look-like-space.shtml#c197 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130524/00583723201/if-you-thought-copyright-was-mess-earth-what-does-it-look-like-space.shtml#c196 Fri, 24 May 2013 13:39:24 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130524/00583723201/if-you-thought-copyright-was-mess-earth-what-does-it-look-like-space.shtml#c196 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/19133923200/copyright-patent-its-all-same-to-worlds-third-largest-news-agency.shtml#c523 Fri, 24 May 2013 13:38:26 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/19133923200/copyright-patent-its-all-same-to-worlds-third-largest-news-agency.shtml#c523 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/12122823187/guy-sues-twitter-taking-away-his-twitter-handle.shtml#c107 Fri, 24 May 2013 13:36:45 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/12122823187/guy-sues-twitter-taking-away-his-twitter-handle.shtml#c107
It makes no more sense than copyrighting numbers or single letters.

I live in rural Amana, Iowa. If I start a busimess, I can't call it Amana Widget Central, because The Amana Society has the word "Amana" trademarked. It was first used when their commune came to Iowa in 1856. The word itself comes from the Bible - Amana is a place in the Golan Heights in Lebanon. When the corporation was formed in 1932, it acquired all property, separate from the church.

Now that was fine as long as Amana's boundaries were coexistent with the land owned by the Society. But later on, the Post Office redistricted and gave my family's farm an address of Amana.

This has been tested in court by a business in the village of Amana. They lost.

The law needs to be loosened up. Who should be able to own a place name?]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/19133923200/copyright-patent-its-all-same-to-worlds-third-largest-news-agency.shtml#c508 Fri, 24 May 2013 13:36:14 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/19133923200/copyright-patent-its-all-same-to-worlds-third-largest-news-agency.shtml#c508 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/19133923200/copyright-patent-its-all-same-to-worlds-third-largest-news-agency.shtml#c490 Fri, 24 May 2013 13:35:07 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/19133923200/copyright-patent-its-all-same-to-worlds-third-largest-news-agency.shtml#c490
If you can't be bothered to do a quick search for intellectual property on FUCKING WIKIPEDIA as a quick reference check, especially since it identifies copyright and patents as two completely separate types of IP in the last sentence of the first paragraph on the wikipage, then you deserve to literally be thrown out on your ass from any respectable news organization for such a blatantly obvious screw-up.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/17321623162/released-video-silva-beating-shows-his-last-moments-video-actual-beating-still-missing.shtml#c996 Fri, 24 May 2013 13:34:50 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/17321623162/released-video-silva-beating-shows-his-last-moments-video-actual-beating-still-missing.shtml#c996 BakersfieldNow provides a link to a copy of the Kern County Coroner's Final Report investigating the death of David Silva.

The report is numbered C00905-13, dated 5/8/2013 01:00.

The link for the PDF is contained within the story,]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/19133923200/copyright-patent-its-all-same-to-worlds-third-largest-news-agency.shtml#c476 Fri, 24 May 2013 13:34:47 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/19133923200/copyright-patent-its-all-same-to-worlds-third-largest-news-agency.shtml#c476
As noted in a post above, is there a difference between the RIAA, the MPAA, and the record companies? Obviously there is and because Mike and the other authors here eat, sleep, and breathe their demonization they probably know the difference. But how many times does a commenter here get called out for conflating them? As long as they're all hated and the groupthink is satisfied, what's the difference?]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/18225323199/president-obama-is-troubled-about-chilling-effects-his-own-administration-is-causing-to-journalism.shtml#c743 Fri, 24 May 2013 13:32:58 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/18225323199/president-obama-is-troubled-about-chilling-effects-his-own-administration-is-causing-to-journalism.shtml#c743
I was replying to the AC that posted:

Re: Re: Chilling...
The same patriot act that Obama is gleefully using today?

NOT your stupid Hitler quote, moron...]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130524/00583723201/if-you-thought-copyright-was-mess-earth-what-does-it-look-like-space.shtml#c180 Fri, 24 May 2013 13:31:54 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130524/00583723201/if-you-thought-copyright-was-mess-earth-what-does-it-look-like-space.shtml#c180 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130524/00583723201/if-you-thought-copyright-was-mess-earth-what-does-it-look-like-space.shtml#c166 Fri, 24 May 2013 13:27:00 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130524/00583723201/if-you-thought-copyright-was-mess-earth-what-does-it-look-like-space.shtml#c166 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/17515223193/riaa-copyright-reform-we-need-is-to-make-everyone-else-copyright-cops.shtml#c1145 Fri, 24 May 2013 13:26:32 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/17515223193/riaa-copyright-reform-we-need-is-to-make-everyone-else-copyright-cops.shtml#c1145 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/02350923170/new-bill-would-stop-patent-trolls-hiding-behind-shell-companies.shtml#c433 Fri, 24 May 2013 13:25:16 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/02350923170/new-bill-would-stop-patent-trolls-hiding-behind-shell-companies.shtml#c433
https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/113/hr2024]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130524/00583723201/if-you-thought-copyright-was-mess-earth-what-does-it-look-like-space.shtml#c156 Fri, 24 May 2013 13:25:08 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130524/00583723201/if-you-thought-copyright-was-mess-earth-what-does-it-look-like-space.shtml#c156 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130524/00583723201/if-you-thought-copyright-was-mess-earth-what-does-it-look-like-space.shtml#c135 Fri, 24 May 2013 13:25:02 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130524/00583723201/if-you-thought-copyright-was-mess-earth-what-does-it-look-like-space.shtml#c135 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/12122823187/guy-sues-twitter-taking-away-his-twitter-handle.shtml#c90 Fri, 24 May 2013 13:21:54 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/12122823187/guy-sues-twitter-taking-away-his-twitter-handle.shtml#c90 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/17515223193/riaa-copyright-reform-we-need-is-to-make-everyone-else-copyright-cops.shtml#c1123 Fri, 24 May 2013 13:20:58 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/17515223193/riaa-copyright-reform-we-need-is-to-make-everyone-else-copyright-cops.shtml#c1123 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/17321623162/released-video-silva-beating-shows-his-last-moments-video-actual-beating-still-missing.shtml#c972 Fri, 24 May 2013 13:17:45 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/17321623162/released-video-silva-beating-shows-his-last-moments-video-actual-beating-still-missing.shtml#c972 KERO 23ABC had reported that Kern County would be releasing the CHP dash cam video, but their story has now been updated. The new story says the Sheriff's Department will not be releasing the CHP dash cam video.

]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/19133923200/copyright-patent-its-all-same-to-worlds-third-largest-news-agency.shtml#c452 Fri, 24 May 2013 13:16:57 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/19133923200/copyright-patent-its-all-same-to-worlds-third-largest-news-agency.shtml#c452
Knowing the difference between laws helps to avoid confusion over the difference between murder and rape, theft and fraud, copyright and patents.]]>