Kirsten Thompson, Comic Book Resources; Pepe the Frog Artist Suing InfoWars for Copyright Infringement
"The lawsuit specifically cites a poster that pictures Pepe in the company of President Donald Trump, InfoWars founder Alex Jones, Ann Coulter, Roger Stone, Matt Drudge and Milo Yiannopoulous (among others) and the text “MAGA,” which refers to Trump’s presidential campaign slogan. Furie claims that InfoWars is selling this poster in its online store, though he did not authorize such use of the character.
The complaint can be read here in its entirety."
Tuesday, March 6, 2018
2018 National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductees announced; Dept. of Commerce Blog, March 2018
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WHAT IF ‘STAR TREK’ WERE FREE? HOW THE STORIED SCI-FI FRANCHISE COULD INSPIRE COPYRIGHT REFORM; Newsweek, March 5, 2018
Andrew Whalen, Newsweek;
"CBS and Paramount are unlikely to see things the same way. While Star Trek: Discovery press releases trumpet the “ideology and hope for the future that inspired a generation of dreamers and doers,” plans for streaming market domination depend upon exclusivity. The metaphor equating artistic expression and property has become so ingrained that companies regularly reduce their consumers to provisional licensees, subject to whatever controls the copyright holder decides upon, even long after the point of purchase.
“Star Trek stands on the shoulders of giants. It exists because they plundered some of the most interesting stories and memes of science fiction, just as all science fiction writers do, to tell their own story. And to argue that when they did it that was the legitimate progress of art and whenever anyone else does it, it's theft, is pretty self-serving and kind of obviously bullshit,” Doctorow said. “It's a ridiculous thing for a law to ban something that ancient and fundamental to how we experience art.”
Countering the monopoly exercised by copyright holders will require a broader social realignment, under which people come to understand art as a shared cultural endowment, rather than product—a mindset beyond capital."
WHAT IF ‘STAR TREK’ WERE FREE? HOW THE STORIED SCI-FI FRANCHISE COULD INSPIRE COPYRIGHT REFORM
"CBS and Paramount are unlikely to see things the same way. While Star Trek: Discovery press releases trumpet the “ideology and hope for the future that inspired a generation of dreamers and doers,” plans for streaming market domination depend upon exclusivity. The metaphor equating artistic expression and property has become so ingrained that companies regularly reduce their consumers to provisional licensees, subject to whatever controls the copyright holder decides upon, even long after the point of purchase.
“Star Trek stands on the shoulders of giants. It exists because they plundered some of the most interesting stories and memes of science fiction, just as all science fiction writers do, to tell their own story. And to argue that when they did it that was the legitimate progress of art and whenever anyone else does it, it's theft, is pretty self-serving and kind of obviously bullshit,” Doctorow said. “It's a ridiculous thing for a law to ban something that ancient and fundamental to how we experience art.”
Countering the monopoly exercised by copyright holders will require a broader social realignment, under which people come to understand art as a shared cultural endowment, rather than product—a mindset beyond capital."
Manhattan teen cartoonist prompts review of Scholastic awards’ copyright rules; amNewYork, March 5, 2018
Nicole Brown, amNewYork; Manhattan teen cartoonist prompts review of Scholastic awards’ copyright rules
"“How come the @Scholastic @artandwriting award requires kids to sign over ‘irrevocable copyright’ if they win?! And why is it hidden in the ‘Terms & Conditions’ link that no one reads? Is it weird that I think that’s wrong?” [Sasha Matthews] wrote in December...
...[T]he ability to display the work could be granted through a license, Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig said.
“Once you enter into a license to promote the work, you have all the permissions you need,” he told amNewYork. “That’s exactly what they could have done here, but rather than entering a license, they just grabbed the copyright.”
Matthews wrote about the copyright issue for a school assignment and got it published in February on the blog Boing Boing."
"“How come the @Scholastic @artandwriting award requires kids to sign over ‘irrevocable copyright’ if they win?! And why is it hidden in the ‘Terms & Conditions’ link that no one reads? Is it weird that I think that’s wrong?” [Sasha Matthews] wrote in December...
...[T]he ability to display the work could be granted through a license, Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig said.
“Once you enter into a license to promote the work, you have all the permissions you need,” he told amNewYork. “That’s exactly what they could have done here, but rather than entering a license, they just grabbed the copyright.”
Matthews wrote about the copyright issue for a school assignment and got it published in February on the blog Boing Boing."
Monday, March 5, 2018
Intellectual Property Enforcement and Litigation in China; American Bar Association (ABA) webinar, Thursday, March 8, 2018
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The need to protect intellectual property in China is a concern that all brand owners, innovators, content creators, and artists should take into consideration. Join IP attorney Scott Palmer as he advises companies and in-house attorneys on protecting and enforcing intellectual property, and taking advantage of recent developments in China.
Our distinguished panelist will discuss:
- Recent developments of note in the IPR space
- Establishing and perfecting your rights in China
- Selecting the best course of action—administrative, judicial, and/or criminal recourse
- Warning letters and negotiating with infringers
- Obtaining injunctions and claiming monetary damages through litigation
- Evidence issues, procedural peculiarities, and best practices for litigating IPRs in China
- Customs and border control protection
Adidas Prevails in ‘Three Stripes’ Trademark Case; Reuters via New York Times, March 1, 2018
Reuters via New York Times; Adidas Prevails in ‘Three Stripes’ Trademark Case
"A European court has sided with the German sporting goods maker Adidas on Thursday in its long-running attempt to block two trademarks for parallel stripes on shoes filed by a Belgian footwear company, saying they infringed on its own iconic three-stripe design."
"A European court has sided with the German sporting goods maker Adidas on Thursday in its long-running attempt to block two trademarks for parallel stripes on shoes filed by a Belgian footwear company, saying they infringed on its own iconic three-stripe design."
Are Open Data Efforts Working?; Government Technology, March 2018
Adam Stone, Government Technology; Are Open Data Efforts Working?
"Data managers say that in their fondest dreams, they’ll do more than count data sets and track clicks. They are looking for metrics that connect open data to social outcomes.
Are babies healthier because of open data? Are streets safer? That’s the holy grail of open data metrics, and data chiefs from cities large and small agree that we’re not there yet. In these still-early days of open data, there’s no algorithm that will cleanly and clearly describe the impact of open data on society at large.
“There needs to be more conversation at the national level about how to measure success, especially on the public side,” Roche said. “Maybe there needs to be a standard set of metrics across cities to let us benchmark the use of open data. It’s something we all need to be exploring.”"
"Data managers say that in their fondest dreams, they’ll do more than count data sets and track clicks. They are looking for metrics that connect open data to social outcomes.
Are babies healthier because of open data? Are streets safer? That’s the holy grail of open data metrics, and data chiefs from cities large and small agree that we’re not there yet. In these still-early days of open data, there’s no algorithm that will cleanly and clearly describe the impact of open data on society at large.
“There needs to be more conversation at the national level about how to measure success, especially on the public side,” Roche said. “Maybe there needs to be a standard set of metrics across cities to let us benchmark the use of open data. It’s something we all need to be exploring.”"
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