Patent trolls are companies that have patents with no intent to use them and simply seek to earn money by forcing other companies to pay licensing fees in court. Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Representative Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), has introduced a bill designed to attack the business model used by patent trolls, and the […]
Dell has unveiled some new Inspiron notebooks including the 7000 series and the Inspiron 11 3000 series. The computer maker has also unveiled the new Inspiron 23 all-in-one computer. The Inspiron 7000 Series laptops promise impressive performance in very thin designs with diamond cut beveled edges. The 7000 Series uses forged aluminum to make it […]
After five years of debate and a 117-4 vote, New Zealand’s Parliament has passed a bill that says computer programs are not considered inventions and are therefore ineligible for patents. However, the phrasing of the bill is flexible enough to provide some leeway. Since “products or processes” are understood to be patentable inventions, software that is integral to the implementation of a process designed to improve hardware can be included in the terms of a patent application. The text of the bill, intended to replace the outdated Patents Act of 1953, states, “Protecting software by patenting is inconsistent with the open source model, and its proponents oppose it. A number of submitters argued that there is no ‘inventive step’ in software development, as ‘new’ software invariably builds on existing software.” You can come to your own conclusions on the matter by checking out the bill at the source link below.
Via: Ars Technica
Source: New Zealand Parliament, Patents Bill 235-2
Google may be getting Glass’s fashion situation under control by partnering with Warby Parker, but Glass’s potential to be dangerously distracting still seems like a problem. And where there’s a problem, West Virginian legislators know to step in with preemptive regulation. Apparently. More »
Netflix has been lobbying hard for changes to a law that it believed barred it from sharing the videos users watch on social media services, and now the law has changed. After H.R. 6671 passed through Congress last year without objection, President Barack Obama signed it into law today. As it previously existed, the Video Privacy Protection Act would have required users to approve sharing of each title watched in writing. The amendment removes that restriction, and should see the Facebook features already on Netflix internationally available in the US, soon. Hit the source link to read the bill itself, whether you’re increasingly wary of the reach of social media, or an Open Graph addict.
Source: Library of Congress, TheHill.com
See that guy? The one in the bubble? He’s probably up to no good. Thanks to President Obama, however, he’s going to have a much harder time duping innocent young ladies like the one also shown here. Per The Hill, the POTUS has just signed into law the Safe Web Act, which extends the Federal Trade Commission’s authority to “clamp down on Internet fraud and online scammers based abroad.” In simpler terms, it enables the entity to share data about “cross-border online fraud with foreign law enforcement authorities” through September of 2020. According to an unnamed official within the FTC, the existing edition of this act has allowed it to conduct over 100 investigations into cross-border fraud and scam, but it’s unclear how much crime was stopped and how many people were needlessly annoyed. We kid, we kid.
Filed under: Internet
Via: The Next Web
Source: The Hill
It’s pretty common for big groups to go out and eat together, and then split the tab afterwards. But the process of splitting up the bill can be pretty tedious, since someone usually has to break out the calculator (or calculator app) and add up the amount that each person has to pay.
But not with the Go Dutch Bill.
It’s a billing system that automatically churns out split-able (is there even such a word?) receipts so each member of the group can just grab the tab with their order and pay for it accordingly. It’s an extremely fun and novel concept, even though we’ll probably never see it come to light because it might be pretty complex to apply in practice.
But I’d love to be wrong on that one because this concept is totally awesome.
Go Dutch Bill was designed by Szu-Yu Liu and is up for the 2012 iF concept design award.
[via Yanko Design]
Not a month after Mach’s last carrier billing deal, UK network providers Vodafone, Three, O2 and Everything Everywhere are getting in on the action. The company’s direct billing solutions will initially allow the networks to charge app and online purchases straight to your bill, with in-app sales joining them at a later date. Don’t expect this to be implemented immediately, however, as the agreement covers the back-end processing — the individual carriers will be responsible for turning it on customer-side. They’ll likely inform you when they hit the switch and your phone bill becomes a monthly surprise.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile
Mach inks carrier billing deal with Everything Everywhere, O2, Vodafone and Three in the UK originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Sep 2012 02:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Google just chalked up one of the more important victories for driverless cars. California Governor Jerry Brown has signed bill SB1298 into law, formalizing the legal permissions and safety standards needed to let automated vehicles cruise on state-owned roads. While the bill lets anyone move forward with their plans, it’s clear from the ceremony that local technology darling Google is the primary impetus for the measure: Brown visited Google’s Mountain View headquarters to put ink to paper, and Google co-founder Sergey Brin oversaw the signing with his Google Glass eyewear on full display. If you’re dying to see driverless vehicles become mainstays of the Golden State, the official act making that possible is already available to watch after the break.
Filed under: Robots, Transportation
California Governor Brown signs bill clearing use of driverless cars on public roads (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 16:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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