IP News
December 31, 2014
Federal Circuit Finds Internet Method Unpatentable Under <i>Alice</i><br>Federal Circuit: No Collateral Estoppel For Similar, But Unrelated, Patent
Ninth Circuit Arguments in <i>Innocence of Muslims</i> Case
December 31, 2014
Actress Cindy Lee Garcia's two-year quest to scrub the Internet of her appearance in the anti-Islamic film <i>Innocence of Muslims</i> was the departure point for roving arguments before an 11-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in December. The Ninth Circuit considered Garcia's claim to a copyright in her performance in the film and whether it warrants an injunction barring Google Inc. from hosting the video on YouTube.
Keeping an Eye on the Federal Trade Commission's View on Data Security Breaches by Companies
December 31, 2014
In recent weeks, the entertainment industry has been rattled by the hacking and public release beginning in November of a massive amount of internal documents and e-mails from Sony Pictures Entertainment. By mid-December, the incident had already generated several class action lawsuits, alleging negligence and violation of state statutes. But the frequent hacking of consumer information is a liability issue that entertainment companies must be prepared for, too.
Will Privacy Come Of Age in 2015?
December 31, 2014
Some 43% of companies report knowing that they experienced a data breach last year. Since breaches are hard to detect, it's safe to say that the other 57% can't be sure whether they were breached or not. One thing that's certain is that big data breaches were the story of 2014 ' and it seems likely that they will keep coming.
Your Website's Terms Of Service Are Unenforceable
December 31, 2014
The vast majority of terms of service (TOS) on websites are unenforceable. Companies spend a great deal of time and money in crafting what they believe to be appropriate TOS, which they hope will provide them with the various protections, safe harbors and advantages needed in dealing with the public or in transacting business. Unfortunately, in most cases those bits will not have any legal bite.
<b><i>Online Extra</b></i> Google GC Calls Out MPAA 'Secret' SOPA Campaign
December 24, 2014
The movie industry was already having a bad week with the Sony hacking and then the fallout between North Korea and Hollywood over 'The Interview.' Now Kent Walker, Google Inc. senior vice president and general counsel,'has spoke out against the Motion Picture Association of America'in a blog post on Dec. 18. He says he is 'deeply concerned' about reports the MPAA has led a secret campaign to revive failed Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) legislation. '
Obama Weighs In To Favor Net Neutrality
November 30, 2014
President Obama, saying he is fulfilling a promise he made during his 2008 presidential campaign, stepped onto the "net neutrality" battlefield on Nov. 10 by releasing a statement (complete with video) calling on theFCC to adopt rules that prevent Internet service providers from charging more for faster online access and that "protect net neutrality."
Internet Copyright Infringement: An Emerging White-Collar Crime
November 30, 2014
Both white collar criminal prosecution and civil remedies thwart the unauthorized use of copyrighted material. Traditionally, injunctions and damages are more commonly used than criminal prosecution to frustrate infringements. However, the increasing use of the Internet for infringement activities makes criminal sanctions a better deterrent than traditional civil actions, thus Internet copyright infringement is emerging as a white-collar crime.
