Does IBM Freeing Patents Really Need An Explanation?

Grok Headline matches for Does IBM Freeing Patents Really Need An Explanation?

Freeing the music from the computer

Freeing the music from the computer 05/03/2004 06:46 AM
SiliconValley.com May 3 2004 10:43AM GMT

Iran Freeing British Sailors

Iran Freeing British Sailors 06/23/2004 12:38 PM
Iran declared today that it was releasing the eight British sailors and marines it arrested early Monday, after they entered Iranian territorial waters of Shatt Al Arab.

Kidnappers Deny Freeing Filipino Hostage
(AP)

Kidnappers Deny Freeing Filipino Hostage
(AP) 07/10/2004 10:22 PM
AP - The Philippines confirmed Saturday it would withdraw its small peacekeeping contingent from Iraq on Aug. 20, as planned, but it was unclear if the announcement had saved the life of a Filipino hostage being held in Iraq.

Is Freeing Up Intellectual Property Not
In Our Economic Interest?

Is Freeing Up Intellectual Property Not
In Our Economic Interest? 01/05/2005 05:51 AM
Andrew Leonard, at Salon.com, has written an article picking up on a few different recent stories concerning how the entertainment industry is still trying to overly protect pieces of intellectual property. One of the stories he picks up on is that documentary we wrote about recently that can't be watched anymore, because the licenses to some of the content in the film have expired. Leonard finishes his piece by saying the reason this isn't getting much of a response is because there's no economic incentive in the industry to free up this content and let it be seen. This, unfortunately, is a misconception about the discussion over intellectual property. Too many people seem to assume that the idea of freeing intellectual property is somehow "anti-capitalist" or bad for the economy, when it's much more likely that the reverse is true. The idea behind the market is to let the market decide the price of a good, and that doesn't change if that value is zero (which it can be if the supply is infinite, as is the case with intellectual property). Intellectual property laws, however, set an artificial barrier, making the market inefficient. So, if anything, it's these intellectual property protections that are causing problems in the market. And, as people are beginni ng to realize, it is absolutely possible to make money off of content that most think have no economic value. Opening up that "long tail" opens up plenty of new opportunities to make more money, because the market expands. The resources available to make new goods and services becomes much wider, and those raw materials feed into new, valuable offerings that do have economic value. So, while making a documentary available again may not seem to have direct positive economic value, that's short-sighted. Opening up that content makes it possible for someone to figure out a way to add economic value to it.

The Memory Hole [rescuing knowledge,
freeing information]

The Memory Hole [rescuing knowledge,
freeing information] 04/23/2004 09:32 AM
The Memory Hole - Rescuing Knowledge, Freeing Information .. Something to show to the folks who were gung ho .. Via MemoryHole .. .. Such as .. memhole

thememoryhole.org
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NY police blame computer for delay in
freeing protesters

NY police blame computer for delay in
freeing protesters 09/05/2004 12:24 AM
Xinhua News Agency Sep 5 2004 3:07AM GMT

Software patents are bad for coders like
literary patents would be for writers

Software patents are bad for coders like
literary patents would be for writers 06/22/2005 01:49 AM
Cory Doctorow: Richard Stallman, creator of the Free Software movement, has written a tremendous essay for the Guardian on the risks of software patents. Richard undertakes a gedankenexperiment about "literary patents" and the impact they would have had on Victor Hugo as he sat down to pen Les Miserables.

Now consider this hypothetical literary patent: Claim 1: a communication process that represents, in the mind of a reader, the concept of a character who has been in jail for a long time and subsequently changes his name...

These patents would all cover the story of one character in a novel. They overlap, but they do not precisely duplicate each other, so they could all be valid simultaneously - all the patent holders could have sued Victor Hugo. Any one of them could have prohibited publication of Les Misérables.

You might think these ideas are so simple that no patent office would have issued them. We programmers are often amazed by the simplicity of the ideas that real software patents cover - for instance, the European Patent Office has issued a patent on the progress bar, and one on accepting payment via credit cards. These would be laughable if they were not so dangerous.

Link (Thanks, Phil and Eloisa!)

Munich OSS switch to go ahead, patents
or no patents

Munich OSS switch to go ahead, patents
or no patents 08/12/2004 09:52 AM
Merely paused for thought, says mayor

Two Laws of Explanation

Two Laws of Explanation 01/16/2004 10:56 AM
There’s been a lot of buzz recently around Edge.org’s assemblage of “Laws” proposed by Interesting People. Nobody asked me for one, but lately I’ve been doing some consulting for Dick Hardt’s stealth startup Sxip Networks while I look for a gig and it refreshed my appreciation of maybe the most important lesson I’ve learned over the last couple of decades, maybe enough to pump it up and claim it’s a Law, in fact two: Herewith the Two Laws of Explanation...

Laws of Explanation

Laws of Explanation 01/16/2004 10:59 AM

Tim Bray: When you’re explaining something to somebody and they don’t get it, that’s not their problem, it’s your problem; When someone’s explaining something to you and you’re not getting it, it’s not your problem, it’s their problem

Instant classic.  Added to my favorites.

Tiny trackback explanation...

Tiny trackback explanation... 04/09/2004 03:54 PM

Another friend asked me what Trackback was today and I showed them my old guide to it and to be honest it wasn't very helpful for them. But I found a way to say it more simply even than that. Here is trackback in a nutshell: If someone links to one of my posts, my post will link back to them.

"explanation for the latest name change"

"explanation for the latest name change" 02/13/2004 02:37 PM

"Josh Marshall's explanation"

"Josh Marshall's explanation" 01/05/2005 04:16 PM

""In this case, I think ignorance is
most of the explanation.""

""In this case, I think ignorance is
most of the explanation."" 09/06/2004 08:36 AM

Explanation Sought for Lobster Decline

Explanation Sought for Lobster Decline 08/23/2004 01:08 AM
Abcnews.go.com - Sun Aug 22, 10:04 am GMT

Worst Explanation From Tech Support?

Worst Explanation From Tech Support? 05/20/2004 11:16 PM

Calpundit: The WMD Hunt....A Real
Explanation at Last?

Calpundit: The WMD Hunt....A Real
Explanation at Last? 01/27/2004 03:33 AM
embraced this explanation .. must-read post

calpundit.com/archives/003127.html
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"this explanation for the e-mail dumping
phenomenon"

"this explanation for the e-mail dumping
phenomenon" 07/31/2004 10:19 AM

Shark Tank: Just so long as there's an
explanation

Shark Tank: Just so long as there's an
explanation 06/17/2005 07:23 PM
It's the day before a scheduled buildingwide power outage, and in the midst of making sure the site is ready, pilot fish is accosted by a user who wants to know why her speaker is suddenly working.

Great explanation of the World Live Web

Great explanation of the World Live Web 12/30/2004 04:35 AM
Nice post from a blog that I'll be watching more closely from now on: Welcome to the World Live Web!...

"Calpundit: The WMD Hunt...A Real
Explanation at Last?"

"Calpundit: The WMD Hunt...A Real
Explanation at Last?" 01/28/2004 03:23 AM

Google: An explanation of our search
results

Google: An explanation of our search
results 04/15/2004 03:47 AM
An explanation of our search results .. Google has officially responded .. Please read our note here .. ad

google.com/explanation.html
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Documents give different explanation for
inmate's death (USATODAY.com)

Documents give different explanation for
inmate's death (USATODAY.com) 06/28/2004 06:43 AM
USATODAY.com - Conflicting accounts of the death of one Iraqi prisoner illustrate what investigators are grappling with as they re-examine cases to see whether U.S. military or civilian personnel should be charged with crimes.

Explanation of "winner's curse" in
upcoming Google IPO auction

Explanation of "winner's curse" in
upcoming Google IPO auction 05/03/2004 11:35 PM
An economics professor explains how the psychology behind bidding on things for investment reasons tends to limit the amount of the high bid.

Google intends to sell shares of itself through an auction in which Google stock is sold to those willing to pay the most per share.  This means, for example, that if only 20% of the bidders end up with Google stock, these 20% will consist of people who bid the most for Google.  Now, if you end up being one of these "lucky" 20% should you worry that the winner's curse has stricken you since you apparently valued the stock at an amount greater than what most investors believed Google to be worth?  

Rational investors will take the winner's curse into account when making a bid.  For example, assume that before the auction you think a share of Google is worth $100.  But you figure that if you end up being a winner in the auction it means that most investors think Google is worth less than $100.  So, the act of winning will cause you to think Google is worth only $80 a share.  You should, therefore, bid no higher than $80, an amount diminished by the winner's curse.

Link

a nice simple explanation of smart
antenna systems

a nice simple explanation of smart
antenna systems 12/31/2004 07:10 PM
The International Engineering Consortium has a nice simple explanation of smart antenna systems. Vendors are starting to use smart antennas in 802.11 equipment to increase performance.

Byron York & Halliburton: There's a good
explanation � if anyone is interested

Byron York & Halliburton: There's a good
explanation � if anyone is interested 12/20/2003 07:36 AM
Price Gouging? Actually, No .. account

nationalreview.com/york/york200312190859.asp
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Bush's Mocking Drowns Out Kerry's
Explanation of Iraq Vote

Bush's Mocking Drowns Out Kerry's
Explanation of Iraq Vote 08/11/2004 10:51 PM
President Bush has challenged John Kerry for a yes-or-no answer on a critical campaign issue on which Mr. Kerry must maintain a difficult balance.

Excellent explanation of the merits of
RSS for fast reading by Robert Scoble

Excellent explanation of the merits of
RSS for fast reading by Robert Scoble 01/05/2004 04:58 AM
offers some reasons he thinks RSS is better than HTML .. Scoble

radio.weblogs.com/0001011/2004/01/03.html#a6054
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Kerry Thrashes Around! - Plus another
explanation of the jobs mystery. By
Mickey Kaus

Kerry Thrashes Around! - Plus another
explanation of the jobs mystery. By
Mickey Kaus 08/11/2004 10:09 AM
looks into various reports .. today's column .. Mickey Kaus

slate.msn.com/id/2104926
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PARK SERVICE STICKS WITH BIBLICAL
EXPLANATION FOR GRAND CANYON

PARK SERVICE STICKS WITH BIBLICAL
EXPLANATION FOR GRAND CANYON 01/04/2005 10:49 AM
PARK SERVICE STICKS WITH BIBLICAL EXPLANATION FOR GRAND CANYON The Bush Administration has decided that it will stand by its approval for a book claiming the Grand Canyon was created by Noah’s flood rather than by geologic forces, according to internal documents released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).

Miller Time (Again) - The New York Times
owes readers an explanation for Judith
Miller's faulty WMD reporting. By Jack
Shafer

Miller Time (Again) - The New York Times
owes readers an explanation for Judith
Miller's faulty WMD reporting. By Jack
Shafer 02/14/2004 07:22 AM
Judith Miller fiasco .. Miller Time (Again) .. behind the woodshed .. followed up .. February 12 .. follows

slate.msn.com/id/2095394
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""The fact is, if third- or fifth-grade
students made the mistakes made in the
test prep materials, they would be
flunked and no one would be asking them
for an explanation.""

""The fact is, if third- or fifth-grade
students made the mistakes made in the
test prep materials, they would be
flunked and no one would be asking them
for an explanation."" 03/26/2005 09:39 PM

Where Do They Come Up With These
Patents?

Where Do They Come Up With These
Patents? 01/16/2004 01:03 PM
Wouldn't it be nice if we could have a day go by without one of these silly patent cases where a "company" (usually consisting of one or two lawyers) gets a patent on something that shouldn't be patentable, doesn't do anything with the patent, and then sues companies that are doing something similar? How is it possibly a "patentable" idea to take the domain name john.smith.name and assign the user an email address john@smith.name? Why is that something that should be patented? Apparently, though, it is patentable, and because of that, Network Solutions and Register.com are being sued. Of course, it's Global Name Registry that runs the .name registry - so it's not entirely clear as to why the suit is focused on the other two players (except, of course, that they probably have a lot more money). I'm curious if someone can explain to me how this patent (and the resulting lawsuit) encourages "innovation"?

Bad Patents

Bad Patents 06/12/2004 09:38 PM

I can't decide whether the EFF's "Patent Busting" project is too clever by half. Will it really do any good? The big problem in patents isn't that bad ones can be overturned -- especially given how difficult and expensive it can be to do so. The problem is the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and its abysmally lousy record for issuing lousy patents. Until someone -- namely Congress -- tackles the issue of patent quality, getting lousy ones overturned is only working at the margins of a much bigger mess.

We Need More Patents?

We Need More Patents? 01/05/2004 01:44 PM
When I was an undergrad, Lester Thurow's book Head to Head had just come out and was incredibly popular. I was forced to read it for three different classes. In it, he talks about the forces of globalization and how the US, Japan, and Europe (mainly Germany) would compete for world economic supremacy in the nineties. It's been a decade since I last read the book, but what I remember from it was that he was a big fan of government intervention in industry and believed that Germany was clearly poised to beat the US throughout the nineties. Of course, that didn't happen. Now, Thurow is back and saying that the world needs more patents and stronger patent enforcement - but that governments should buy up all those patents. In other words, more big government incentives. It didn't work a decade ago, and I don't see why it should work now either. In the interview linked above, he says that without copyright enforcement there would be no music. Of course, that's not true. First of all, there was music before there was copyright protection for it. More importantly, though, it assumes that there simply can't be any business model for music or intellectual property that doesn't involve copyright protection. That's very uncreative. There are other business models (some of which we've discussed before) and forcing everyone to adopt an obsolete one is only going to hinder, not help, innovation.

IBM gives away 500 patents

IBM gives away 500 patents 02/01/2005 09:47 PM

In a bold move in the field of intellectual property , IBM announced the donation of 500 patents .

(thanks to Jamie Carroll )

NO MORE PATENTS

NO MORE PATENTS 04/23/2004 01:26 AM

JPEG Hits New Patent-Infringement Snag. Forgent Networks slaps 31 companies with lawsuits alleging patent infringement over compression technology it claims is core to the JPEG image standard. [eWEEK Technology News]

STOP THE MADNESS!  I say anybody who tries to enforce patents on open standards should be shot or put in jail.  Well maybe only shot in the arm or leg - but definitely hurt!

More Microsoft Patents

More Microsoft Patents 09/05/2004 12:48 PM

Pressing Patents

Pressing Patents 04/13/2004 08:32 AM
There are at least 30 more unsettled patent cases involving Microsoft. At the same time, Microsoft is building up a hefty patent arsenal of its own.
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Does IBM Freeing Patents Really Need An Explanation?

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