Hi all, I'm doing my thesis on the patent war in this area. I just came across a line that MMI is allegedly running around with regarding the strength of it's FRAND patents "It takes only one bullet to kill".
http://www.fosspatents.com/2012/02/motorola-likens-its-enforcement-of.html
After Google was given the approval by the EU and US to acquire Motorola Mobility (the de-merged manufacturing wing of Motorola) MMI took aim at Microsoft in Germany, a location now considered 'dangerous for business' because of patent misuse and the system around it. Microsoft is now moving some offices out of Germany in a move to protect itself from any outcome with MMI (which as we know now has the financial firepower of Google behind it).
http://www.fosspatents.com/2012/04/patent-abuse-hurts-german-economy.html
Wow. So take charge of a company with 17,000 patents and you can scare the competition out of some countries? I note though that the EU has launched an investigation of abuse of industry essential patents by Motorola, so the upgrading of the firepower is attracting political and regulatory attention in a dangerous way. Just consider the repeated blows Microsoft took regarding Windows over the years by both EU and US regulators.
These patent wars have gone out of control. Patents were originally supposed to stimulate innovation by giving inventors peace of mind that their ideas would not be duplicated by others. Nowadays it seems patents are used to discourage innovation by scaring competition. Patents are given for things way too vague or are used against competitors who aren't duplicating the patented product.
I completely agree ^^ there are used as weapons by the wealthiest companies to attack which I think ruins the system. Let's not get started on patent trolls...
Related
read it here...
http://www.theverge.com/2012/1/20/2721418/sopa-bill-withdrawn-by-lamar-smith
It looks like Wednesday's SOPA Blackout Day should be considered a success: Reuters is reporting that the Stop Online Piracy Act has been withdrawn by its chief sponsor, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith. This comes only hours after Senator Harry Reid announced that next Tuesday's scheduled vote on the Protect IP Act (PIPA) was going to be postponed. While the SOPA bill is off the table for now, there's no indication that it's being completely abandoned — Smith told Reuters that he's pulling the measure "until there is wider agreement on a solution," and also said that he has heard the critics loud and clear and is taking their concerns seriously.
Since the proponents of SOPA and PIPA have indicated that they're still very interested in pushing through an anti-piracy bill in some form, the latest moves indicate more of a holding pattern than a final resolution. We will closely monitor the situation as Congress mulls new legislation that's more likely to have a chance at passing a vote.
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Yeah but does it matter?
look like they took Megaupload down with existing laws.
Looking for a Review for my new Comics apps, Made by my team...
Amazing Spider-man comic imaginary story developed based on amazing Spider-man movie 2012
Play Store link - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.comixstory.spiderman&hl=en
Donation Version : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.comixstory.spidermanpaid&hl=en
Spiderman, or more accurately "Spider-Man," is one of the most celebrated and popular superhero characters, and was first created in the early 1960s by comic book artist Steve Ditko, and writer Stan Lee. His first appearance in a comic was in the 1962 Spider-man, in many ways, represents a departure from the typical hero of the time, and was in part inspired by the upsurge of interest in comics by the teen market.
Every superhero has an origin story, a way in which the ordinary person somehow becomes extraordinary. Spider-man is no different. When we first meet Peter Parker, he’s a socially awkward, shy high schooler who on a science trip gets bitten by a radioactive spider (in the 2000s film version this is changed to a genetically engineered spider). Parker’s blood is affected by this bite, and he is suddenly stronger, very fast, and is able to shoot webs, climb buildings, and leap long distances.
After Peter’s uncle is killed, Peter takes on the role, as many superheroes do, of vigilante, and he’s not always well received by the media in this attempt. When Peter begins working as a photographer, his newspaper employer does everything he can to vilify Spider-man in the press. Later, Spider-man becomes something of the resident hero to the people in New York City.
What many have argued makes Spider-man most appealing is that his alter ego of Peter Parker is really the true person. Since this hero begins as Peter, he remains Peter, unlike characters like Superman/Clark Kent who assume an alter ego that really doesn’t represent their true nature. Peter is an awkward but very intelligent “science nerd,” and he is plagued by problems like trying to get through college on little money, helping his Aunt May after his Uncle Ben dies, and trying to balance the hectic schedule of vigilante versus starving student, and later teacher. Peter is essentially the average guy, with all the troubles of the average teen and then young adult, making him very appealing.
Though the 2000s film versions of Spiderman focus on Peter’s love for his neighbor Mary Jane (MJ), the comic’s origin story differs in this respect. Peter does have a girlfriend in high school, Gwen Stacy, who is depicted in the third modern film as a potential love interest. To remain true to the origin story, Gwen would have appeared in the first film, as girlfriend to Peter, and would have been killed by the Green Goblin. MJ is a pal in the comics, who later becomes romantically involved with Peter, and the two are married much later in the comic series.
A current that runs throughout the comic books and films is the idea of the responsibility of power, or “with great power comes great responsibility.” Peter is not just a superhero that thinks on instinct and violently dispatches his nemeses. Instead he’s a thinker, who tries, in many cases, to create justice in his world. He understands the nature of power, and its corrective force, and endeavors to remain free of the taint of corruption so that he can see things clearly. Many of his nemeses are strong characters who choose to use their power or intelligence in corrupt and villainous ways. Peter is not always successful in resisting abuse of power, but perhaps part of his appeal is his constant struggle to be a better person, not just a more powerful superhero.
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FUNTERIOR : STOP IMAGINING, START PLAYING
Online furniture/furnishing store, Mebelkart.com launches India’s first AR app FUNTERIOR for online home décor / furniture buying, Future of buying is here now.
Number of times buyers have those moments when they absolutely love a piece of furniture, want to buy it before anyone else does, but end updropping the plan because they are unsure of how the product is going to look/match/ indulge in their sweet homes et al.!
Now, that’s an unwanted sight for both the buyers and sellers. Consumes a lot of time and energy of the buyer. The customers need to be sure about the piece of furniture they are paying for and online furniture shopping fails to do this most of the times. That’s the catch in shopping furniture online; the fact that its online and how it’s going to look in the living room is left on the customers imagination. A better furniture shopping experience for online shopping enthusiasts can be created if there is scant role of imagination and more surety about the desired product.
MebelKart.com has brought its users the perfect Diwali gift; an easy to use app that enables buyers to shop for the world class furniture online with an interface which enables them to visualize the furniture of their choice in their houses real time, virtually. Helping them takeinformed purchase decision.
Funterior, is one game changing app launched by Mebelkart.com which aims at giving a superior quality user experience to online shopping enthusiasts, especially in the home decor section. The idea is simple and easy. Buyers can now choose a home decor product of their choice from the Funterior catalogue, adjust it in their rooms through their mobile devices, get a look and feel of how it’s going to look in their living rooms and make an informed choice. This app has the potential to overcome the only drawback of shopping furniture online, which is not knowing how the product is actually going to look! The best part is that not only the app will ease the shopping woes of buyers but it would also reduce returns for online portals. Win-win for both buyers and sellers. Based on the concept of augmented reality, this app further simplifies shopping for furniture, online.
How To Use The FunteriorApp ?
It cannot get simpler than this. Follow these quick and easy steps and bring home furniture just by sitting and clicking from home.
1. Open the App
2. Select a product from our catalogue (Example: Sofa)
3. The camera of the phone opens up and you can adjust the Sofa in your living room and see how it sits with your interiors, curtains and other furniture.
4. Click and save the image of the furniture placed in your room and share it with your friends on Whatsapp, Facebook, Snapchat and any other medium of your choice.
5. Take reviews and be doubly sure before you buy the product.
6. If the Sofa looks good, buy it without much ado.
Our Vision and Road Ahead
Funterior is a product specially designed to align with the company’s vision to ease the furniture and home decor buying experience for customers. Mebelkart is a $4 million annualized GMV group which intends to create a dent in the furniture and decor industry in India by using technology.
Funterior has already signed up with two of the largest furniture retailers in India and is targeting both online and offline retailers across India and abroad. The company also aims to connect with Interior Decorators who could use this app for a better customer experience. The company is keen to promote this app across international markets from where the app is being downloaded at a steady pace.
Company’s background
Mebelkart was started in December 2012 by Rahul Agrawal(IIT Kanpur),Ranjeet Kumar Vimal(IIT Bombay) and Nikhil Saraf(BITS Pilani) out of a need to find a piece of furniture for their newly rented apartment in Bangalore. The trio who are also 2nd generation furniture entrepreneurs ended up creating Mebelkart which recently clocked a $4 million annualized revenue run rate within 18 months of commencing operations. The website has more than 50,000+ products from 1000+ suppliers and intends to be the largest furniture and home decor store in the country.
Looking forward for ur review!!
Mod edit: links removed. Please do not make "teaser" posts to drive traffic to another website.over iPods is near jury deliberations: A decade long battle of whether Apple violated the antitrust law, has now come to a question that whether iTunes 7.0 was a product improvement or an attempt to suppress competition for its iPod music players.
I am new to these forums, usually I am a car enthusiast and student, with a minor in gaming and consuming copious amounts of alcohol.
I was curious as to what you all do for a living? The amount of intricate knowledge on these boards is absolutely astonishing, and I can't help but think you are all high level computer programmers, hackers, or developers. No offense to any of those categories.
So, what is it that you do when you aren't here? Clearly you have excelled in the areas of taking, breaking, and improving upon already amazing technology, so what is it that you chose to do with your lives outside of this? I don't think the answers will surprise me, but then again, I'm absolutely sure they will.
SHOOT!
(on a personal note): I am a server at a mid-scale high volume restaurant trying to make ends meat (get it?) while attending business school for a business management degree, after falling short on a game design degree due to lack of interest.
We have a thread for this discussion in the Off-Topic forum.
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