Archive for January, 2007

The FBI and cybercrime

Wednesday, January 31st, 2007

It is going to be very interesting series of articles about computers crimes at www.wired.com website and there is also a good thread at www.slashdot.org website about Internet surveillance technique being employed by the FBI.

Buildings as branding tools

Tuesday, January 30th, 2007

Just spoted very interesting article at www.chosun.com website.

Vista devoided restrictions

Tuesday, January 30th, 2007

Alex Ionescu claims on his website www.alex-ionescu.com, that he has succesfully bypassed protection implemented in Microsoft Windows Vista which is called Protected Media Path. It is designed to seriously degrade the playback quality of any video and audio running on systems with hardware components not explicitly approved by Microsoft. More details at www.slashdot.org website.

Blue-ray protection?

Wednesday, January 24th, 2007

Another “effective technological protection measure” of copyrighted works is scraped. Details about Blue-ray case at www.slashdot.org website.

Illustration of interoperability

Tuesday, January 23rd, 2007

Just check www.eboy.com website with his excellent illustrated comment at interoperability in the context of technological protection measures.

New Apple products

Tuesday, January 23rd, 2007

There are some samples of new Apple’s products at www.worth1000.com website. I would tell you about that with with tongue in cheek of course. However if I was Apple’s trademark attorney I’d be really very happy.

Information

Saturday, January 20th, 2007

I live in Chicago currently, where I started classes at Chicago-Kent College of Law to pursue LL.M. in International Intellectual Property Law. I will not be able to update this website regularly in the next week. Anyway warm greetings from the Windy City.

Out of jurisdiction

Friday, January 12th, 2007

You may read that www.thepiratebay.org team wants to buy Sealand (The Principality of Sealand – quasi-state located in the North Sea) to put there its servers to avoid jurisdictions of any other state. More details in the article at www.buysealand.com website.

MINI targeting promotion

Thursday, January 11th, 2007

MINI USA has placed interactive billboards in four cities (Chicago, Miami, New York and San Francisco) and invited MINI owners in those cities to join their targeted advertisement pilot program. The owners sign up at www.miniusa.com website and receive a RFID keyfob in the mail. When that MINI owner drives by the billboard, a targeted message appears. Each owner tells what to show when they drive by.

Beata sings beautifully

Tuesday, January 9th, 2007

I decided to write about that because of couple of reasons. Beata Czernecka is my friend, she sings beautifully and you may download some of her music from the Net without any problems i.e. legally and without “DRMs”. Well, just check www.mp3.wp.pl website.

Using copyright against press

Sunday, January 7th, 2007

Ailin Graef is Anshe Chung - owner of the Anshe Chung Studios in the Second Life game. For all of you are not into such issues I recommend to read a brief description at www.wikipedia.org website. Regarding her claim that this game made her millionaire (a real one not virtual) www.cnet.com magazine decided to carry out an interview about this story During the interview which was held in the game’s world, Ailin Graef’s avatar was attacked by a bunch of flying pennises. It was a result of an action done by so-called griefers which are malicious gamers, who per analogiam act like spammers. Some websites published articles about this event, amongst them was also www.boingboing.net. Meanwile Ailin Graef’s husband decided to persuade such websites to remove pictures of this incident. He based their claims on copyright to virtual figure. More details at Steve O’Hear’s blog and in the article at www.news.com website.

Ad wars

Sunday, January 7th, 2007

There is nothing to write more. Just see how Media Markt fights with Saturn (both big and well-known malls claim to have the lowest prices).

I had no time to research in this subject but meanwhile a reader of this website - Marcin Prządło has sent me some URLs which may explain this issue. There are two articles about capital connections between those companies (Media Markt and Saturn) available at www.money.pl and www.metrogroup.pl websites.

Alan’s sabotage method

Saturday, January 6th, 2007

What to do if you are a declared opponent of RIAA/MPAA and you also issue very negative oppinions about so-caled “DRM” systems and patents for “software invnentions”? Wouldn’t be a solution to prepare some “inventions” on “DRMs” to use them to sabotage the problem? I know that for some of you it may sound funny but please check for what patents is applying Alan Cox. More details at www.freshpatents.com website.

Interview after lecture

Friday, January 5th, 2007

After Larry Lessig’s lecture the NetzpolitikTV carried out an interview with John Perry Barlow. He shows very interesting statements about civil disobedience in the aspect of “virtual” copyrights.

One of many articles about the issue of civil disobedience is available at www.wikipedia.org website.

Chroniona Nazwa Pochodzenia soon for Oscypki

Friday, January 5th, 2007

You may read that on February 2, oscypek as a first regional product from Poland will receive European Union patent - protected designation of origin. Such information is directly taken from the article with also not so well-chosen title “Oscypek with European Union’s patent” which is available at www.onet.pl website (I am sorry English readers it is in Polish language). I will not refer to mistakes written in this article because it’s hopeless. I am just happy that this tasty product will be the first Polish Protected Designation of Origin.