Jim D’s Techdirt Profile

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Jim D’s Comments comment rss

  • Nov 12th, 2012 @ 5:11pm

    (untitled comment)

    To: Apple
    From: Samsung

    Dear Valued customer!

    We regret to inform you that, due to unanticipated increases to our operating expense....

  • Nov 9th, 2012 @ 4:53pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: I have to disagree

    My apologies then!

  • Nov 9th, 2012 @ 3:56pm

    Re: Re: I have to disagree

    Which fallacy? You neither name nor justify your claim that I have committed one. Are you not interested in a discussion of the issue? Or just not interested if someone disagrees with your own view?

    It is easy to point at something and say "that's wrong". It is more difficult to formulate a reasoned, coherent argument supporting your position. You're certainly not obligated to do the later, but without doing so your accusations amount to little more than childish foot stomping.

  • Nov 9th, 2012 @ 3:48pm

    Re: What about the Complainer-in-chief???

    He's the one in charge.(assuming you mean the president?) He only had to get his own permission, and I supposes he granted it to himself. The only other permission he needed was granted to him in 2008, and then again just a few days ago. Sounds like you didn't vote that way, but that doesn't change his authority in this. These seals did not get permission. I can't speak at a conference, much less take an outside paid consulting job, without permission where I work. It doesn't seem unreasonable to me that the military issues a formal reprimand when their soldiers act similarly against protocol.

  • Nov 9th, 2012 @ 3:39pm

    Re: I have to disagree

    Without permission. That is the key here. And they aren't getting "shit-canned" or fired. They're having a letter of reprimand put in their file. That means long-term advancement prospects are very small.

    Where I work, which is not anything military or sensitive, I would face similar penalties if I had any type of outside employment or consulting without permission. I hardly see this punishment for a violation of protocol--in the military, where such things are understood to be serious-- as unreasonable.

  • Jun 22nd, 2012 @ 8:06am

    (untitled comment)

    So, basically, "In retrospect, it was a bad bet to make. Doubling down on that bad bet was, however, the correct choice."

    What?

  • May 8th, 2012 @ 3:53pm

    It's about the publicity

    I doubt this is about Perfect 10 believing there to be any infringement. I guessing it's more about the free publicity that gets throw their way when they file suit against any well-known company.

  • Mar 15th, 2012 @ 12:00pm

    To all the righthaven haters

    You just don't see what excessive help & direction the court is giving them in this ruling.

  • Feb 7th, 2012 @ 8:58am

    Re: Re:

    I think we're in agreement here. I don't think Techdirt is disputing this aspect of TM law, only that it is a weakness and inconsistency with its ostensible purpose.

    For my own part, although I agree with TD's general argument, I wonder if other bodies of law might not be more appropriate to this sort of issue. For example, if General Mills decided to weaken the Cheerios brand by replacing substituting the current package contents with Fruit Loops while leaving the packaging the same, that should be their choice. However, if they wanted to make a Cheerios brand box of Moth Balls, that would be both damaging to their brand and a strong potential risk for confused customers, and should not be allowed, and indeed the FDA might have some jurisdiction over mandating corrective action.

    With this Pyrex case, I'm not sure what that other regulating agency or body of law would be, but neither am I sure that Trademark law is the best place for it either. What I do believe is that the inconsistent use of the Pyrex mark is irresponsible.

  • Feb 7th, 2012 @ 8:16am

    Re: Re: Science question

    ah, I missed the "wet" part. It seemed strange that sand would boil like that otherwise, and now I know that it did not. thanks.

  • Feb 7th, 2012 @ 8:13am

    Re:

    A trademark can apply to a product. Pyrex was not the company, Corning, it was one of their product lines. iPods are not the company, Apple is.

    Otherwise, what you see as a mistake, I see as the main point of the argument: The premise is that the purpose of trademark law (in part) is to protect customers from potentially inferior products that are presented in a way that confuses the consumer about their origin.

    Given this premise, techdirt is saying that it is inconsistent for the law to allow companies to use trademarks in a way that causes consumer confusion.

    It is a pretty straightforward if-then statement: If part of the purpose of trademark regulation is to avoid dangerous confusion for consumers, then trademark law should regulate trademark uses by the trademark owner that may cause that same type of confusion.

    To this, you might respond, "But it was only ever the purpose of trademark law to regulate the actions of those who do not own the relevant trademark. The confusion is seeks to avoid is the confusion created competitors, not the trademark holder"

    Perhaps this is true-- I am not familiar with that body of law. However, if this is your counter claim, then again I would say that this is the exact argument of techdirt. The underlying premise is not, "dangerous confusion caused by a competitor is bad", but instead, "dangerous confusion is bad."

    Therefore, it does not matter if the confusion is caused by a competitor or the trademark owner. Even if trademark law does not currently allow for regulating trademark usage by the owner, in order for it to be logically consistent with its original purpose, it should be concerned with any use of a trademark that could cause dangerous confusion.

  • Feb 7th, 2012 @ 7:55am

    Science question

    Given that the glassware in the video demonstrations above contained only sand, why did it appear to be boiling as the glass broke and the sand hit the granite?

  • Feb 7th, 2012 @ 7:53am

    Science question

    Given that the glassware in the video demonstrations above contained only sand, why did it appear to be boiling as the glass broke and the sand hit the granite?

  • Feb 7th, 2012 @ 7:45am

    This happened to me

    I broiled steak in "pyrex" glassware. It scared me (almost literally) pissless when I took it out of the oven an placed it on a granite counter top, at which point the whole think shattered, sending glass shards in a 360-degree radius.

    Luckily, I was not injured, only extremely surprised, and confused, until I googled "pyrex shattered" and found that what I thought was Pyrex was in fact "pyrex"

  • Jan 14th, 2012 @ 5:31am

    (untitled comment)

    Unfortunately, "Until Issues are Addressed" means "Until some of these nerds find something else to focus on and we can cram it through without notice"

  • Dec 29th, 2011 @ 9:30am

    Re: Re:

    Agreed-- if you add a few more geo/political perspective. Read half and synthesize a half doze different and conflicting perspectives and you'll be as close to the truth as is possible.

  • Dec 29th, 2011 @ 9:13am

    (untitled comment)

    I don't like the way thenTSA operates for security theatre instead of actual security, and then naively, obliviously ignores their own hypocrisy and inconsistencies.

    However, let's no one be surprised that the premier outlet of Russian anti-American propaganda-- Pravda-- published an op-Ed by an American criticizing a major American agency and policy.

  • Nov 21st, 2011 @ 12:47pm

    (untitled comment)

    What, I can't both support patents and support kidnapping and murder of children?

  • Aug 24th, 2011 @ 6:18am

    (untitled comment)

    re: recipes are not protected under copyright law

    While this is true in a limited sense of recipes as a list of ingredients, this is not often the case in the context of an entire recipe complete with instructions as found in a cookbook: The description of the recipe, along with the instructions/explanation for prepping the dish, may be covered by copyright. http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl122.html

    So, death penalty for the old ladies, but only if they're copying out the part that reads something like "be sure to sift the flower slowly to ensure proper blending and smoothness of the dough"

  • Jul 30th, 2011 @ 8:11am

    It's all mine!

    Hey folks, I just took a rock out of my garden and isolated it from the ground, so I'm about to register a patent against it. All you fuckers living on earth, touching the ground, get the hell off! It's all mine, bitches, and you're violating it!

    Ditto for kids. My kids is currently isolated from the others (only child, currently at home) Patenting him will make all the kids belong to me... and I'm hungry.

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