You say "these guys feel blocked, and avoid the legal issues by... hark! INNOVATION!" but if you actually READ the letter they published, you will see that they have been working on the "new" design for 6 months. That's hardly a reaction to a patent being issued THIS month.
We’ve been working on an interesting new camera strap concept for the last six months. It’s nearing completion and we were planning on introducing it soon as a companion to our existing product line. Now, it will be our primary product.
I'm sure FFB38E is a derivative work of FFB38D ("it's exactly the same as it's predecessor except for one tiny tiny bit")! At the very least it's a mashup. So, according to copyright maximists, the answer would be NO!
"Not only did the monkeys produce nothing but five pages consisting largely of the letter S, they began by attacking the keyboard with a stone, then proceeded to urinate and defecate on it."
Sounds like the "Million Monkey" project has "Anonymous Coward"s commenting too..... ;)
Assuming the letter came with an indemnification clause that states that the payment waives any further action by the copyright holder, this might be a good thing. I would consider sending $10 to avoid the possibility of receiving one of the $1500/$2500 letters (like the ones going to some people that downloaded the Hurt Locker).
The net profits (those generated via the interNet using "approved" means) are smaller than the gross profits (those earned by the studio). Since the actors are paid on net profits, they will never make residuals. ;)
But seriously, it's easy for a studio to increase it's cost by greasing the hands of MPAA (and it's past employees that later go on to become judges dealing with copyright cases), lobbyists and politicians. I mean really, which is "better" for the industry, paying the actors or making sure the status quo is maintained?
About the only part of the app in question that in ANY way reflects on Star Trek other than the name would be the sound the darn thing makes....
It doesn't scan your body for broken bones, it doesn't sniff for airborne particles of poison, it doesn't... well... really anything the tricorder on Star Trek was supposed to do. But it is a cool app that SOUNDS like the tricorder. Must be copyright infringement (sounds like fair use to me). ;)
Sorry, no winner.... "transit in the middle" IS paid by Netflix as part of their service with their provider. I would imagine the vast majority of their ISP's monthly change goes to pay upstream costs. Just because they don't pay it DIRECTLY, doesn't mean they aren't paying it!!!
I wonder what percentage of people that spout the pro-copyright "pay the artist" spiel ever made a mix tape?
Come to think of it, I actually wonder how many times I actually PAID for "Hotel California"... I know it was on at least 3 different albums I had, and a couple of versions on tape (and a couple of mix tapes I recorded off the air BEFORE I could afford to buy the albums). Hmmm...
Now the real question.... I wonder how much of the money I actually paid for those albums actually made it to the artist (both the song writer AND the singer) vs the production company....
I'm not saying that copying is RIGHT or should be legal, I'm just saying that people that live in glass houses shouldn't throw rocks.
The point you seem to be missing is that Netflix rent it's "driveway" monthly and part of that driveway rental goes to the "highway" provider monthly. Nothing is free!
What actually happens is Netflix pays an ISP for service, the ISP pays for a bigger pipe from a backbone provider (what you are calling a "highway"). My ISP also pays for a backbone provider for a big chunk of monthly bandwidth and then provides a small slice of that to me.
Basically, the highway is already being paid for by BOTH parties (a percentage of both Netfix and my monthly service)...
So, where EXACTLY is the free ride, I don't see it?
Of course we have to keep in mind that the current providers of Internet are not likely to be the providers in 20 years.... Think about it, AOL (for those that don't know, used to be an ISP of sorts) capped bandwidth in the early '90s. Who would consider them an ISP today?
If service providers don't keep up with technology, some newer more agile company will (Google fiber maybe).
I'm an amateur photographer and I'm not a lawyer but I still have a theory....
Assuming you have:
100 professional photographers
100 identical studios
100 professional models
Every photographer takes 100 photos of each model
You will see TONS of "almost identical" photographs. Part of the reason for this is that models tend to have "routines". Each model will have her own, but many routines will be very similar. While it's most likely, that "similar" pics will come from the same model, it's still very likely that models with similar body styles will be more likely to have similar routines and result in similar pics.
And yes, the sign of a good photographer is to get the model to do what YOU want for your picture, however many of the best photos are just catching the right combination of pose, expression, etc. And if one photographer thinks it's "good", you can bet he wouldn't be the only one to see it and shoot it.
Assume he had chosen to leave without answering the officers questions, do you think it would have been allowed? If not, then by your definition he was detained, right?
What about if he decided to leave quickly (ie, run)? I bet his detainment would have included cuffs and bruised knees.
100 degrees Celsius equals boiling point of water (fact) and the temp in Boston is approaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit (also fact) it does NOT follow that thetemperature in Boston is approaching the boiling point of water --- HUGE FAIL!
Well technically at least, I'm sure 100 degrees Fahrenheit may be A boiling point for something (or someone), it's not THE boiling point they are talking about. ;)
On the post: Luma Labs Discontinues Popular Product Line After Competitor Gets A Patent... Despite Prior Art Going Back Over A Century
Innovation in SPITE of the patent system.
Correlation does not prove causation!
On the post: The Color Purple... Trademarked
Re: Re: Mashup or derivative work?
Technically it's the same "except for one small nibble". ;)
On the post: The Color Purple... Trademarked
Re: Re: Mashup or derivative work?
On the post: The Color Purple... Trademarked
Re: Re: Mashup or derivative work?
On the post: Luma Labs Discontinues Popular Product Line After Competitor Gets A Patent... Despite Prior Art Going Back Over A Century
Patent # 7866899
On the post: The Color Purple... Trademarked
Mashup or derivative work?
On the post: Details Emerging On Stingray Technology, Allowing Feds To Locate People By Pretending To Be Cell Towers
That's primarily the gas generator....
http://www.technologyreview.com/communications/32282/?mod=related
On the post: Did A Few Million Virtual Monkeys Randomly Recreate Shakespeare? Not Really
Monkeys or ACs
Sounds like the "Million Monkey" project has "Anonymous Coward"s commenting too..... ;)
On the post: Entertainment Industry Now Shaking Down People At $10 Per Infringement
Shakedown or Indemnification?
On the post: Hollywood Accounting: Darth Vader Not Getting Paid, Because Return Of The Jedi Still Isn't Profitable
Net VS Gross
But seriously, it's easy for a studio to increase it's cost by greasing the hands of MPAA (and it's past employees that later go on to become judges dealing with copyright cases), lobbyists and politicians. I mean really, which is "better" for the industry, paying the actors or making sure the status quo is maintained?
On the post: Wasn't The PATRIOT Act Supposed To Be About Stopping Terrorism?
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759
On the post: Google Kills Tricorder Android App After CBS Sends A DMCA Takedown?
It's got to be the audio clip....
It doesn't scan your body for broken bones, it doesn't sniff for airborne particles of poison, it doesn't... well... really anything the tricorder on Star Trek was supposed to do. But it is a cool app that SOUNDS like the tricorder. Must be copyright infringement (sounds like fair use to me). ;)
On the post: Twitter Keeps Suspending Accounts Based On Highly Questionable DMCA Claims
Allegedly infringing materials....
On the post: Ante Upped Some More: $2,500 For John Sununu And Harold Ford Jr. To Pay Netflix's Broadband Bills
BZZZZZZ.....
On the post: Don Henley Hatred Of YouTube Clouding His Vision On PROTECT IP
Mix Tapes....
Come to think of it, I actually wonder how many times I actually PAID for "Hotel California"... I know it was on at least 3 different albums I had, and a couple of versions on tape (and a couple of mix tapes I recorded off the air BEFORE I could afford to buy the albums). Hmmm...
Now the real question.... I wonder how much of the money I actually paid for those albums actually made it to the artist (both the song writer AND the singer) vs the production company....
I'm not saying that copying is RIGHT or should be legal, I'm just saying that people that live in glass houses shouldn't throw rocks.
On the post: Let's Up The Ante: We'll Pay John Sununu & Harold Ford Jr. $1,000 To Pay Netflix's Broadband Bill
Nothing's Free!
What actually happens is Netflix pays an ISP for service, the ISP pays for a bigger pipe from a backbone provider (what you are calling a "highway"). My ISP also pays for a backbone provider for a big chunk of monthly bandwidth and then provides a small slice of that to me.
Basically, the highway is already being paid for by BOTH parties (a percentage of both Netfix and my monthly service)...
So, where EXACTLY is the free ride, I don't see it?
On the post: Will John Sununu And Harold Ford Jr. Agree To Pay Netflix's Broadband Bill Next Month?
AOL "Capped" Bandwidth
If service providers don't keep up with technology, some newer more agile company will (Google fiber maybe).
On the post: Judge Slams Photographer For Bogus Copyright Lawsuit: Says Use Some Common Sense, Points Out 'Utter Lack Of Similarity'
I have a theory...
Assuming you have:
100 professional photographers
100 identical studios
100 professional models
Every photographer takes 100 photos of each model
You will see TONS of "almost identical" photographs. Part of the reason for this is that models tend to have "routines". Each model will have her own, but many routines will be very similar. While it's most likely, that "similar" pics will come from the same model, it's still very likely that models with similar body styles will be more likely to have similar routines and result in similar pics.
And yes, the sign of a good photographer is to get the model to do what YOU want for your picture, however many of the best photos are just catching the right combination of pose, expression, etc. And if one photographer thinks it's "good", you can bet he wouldn't be the only one to see it and shoot it.
On the post: Police Say They Can Detain Photographers If Their Photographs Have 'No Apparent Esthetic Value'
Asked questions or detained?
What about if he decided to leave quickly (ie, run)? I bet his detainment would have included cuffs and bruised knees.
On the post: Associated Press Carelessness Reaches Boiling Point
Math FAIL
Assuming....
100 degrees Celsius equals boiling point of water (fact) and the temp in Boston is approaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit (also fact) it does NOT follow that thetemperature in Boston is approaching the boiling point of water --- HUGE FAIL!
Well technically at least, I'm sure 100 degrees Fahrenheit may be A boiling point for something (or someone), it's not THE boiling point they are talking about. ;)