The conflict between Hollywood and Silicon Valley is, at a deeper level, one between Content and Function, which I think Function will win. But there’s more: Content is also struggling, because there is simply too much of it. The combination of a data flood of biblical proportions with exploding possibility of function, will drown any Read more …
News
The SOPA discussion in a larger context
Technology is breaking down the distinction between Content and Function. This has a profound effect on Business Models based on IP rights. The SOPA discussion is a good example of the fight between Function and Content – which IP right will win? What is Content, what is Function? Content is the stuff you access Read more …
Self driving cars – IP aspects
In an earlier post (read it here) I wrote about self-driving cars, and how they have the potential to change our society a lot. No more people dying on the roads, no more traffic jams, important reduction of CO2 exhaust, but also massive job losses for car insurance people, taxi drivers, etc. I concluded by Read more …
Open Source hardware – does it work?
Open Source hardware is the next step in the development of “open” licenses; A review of the most important OS hardware licenses show them to be a combination of known techniques, like creative commons, and “covenant not to sue” for patents or design rights; Their validity and enforceability seem somewhat weaker than the software Open Read more …
Is Facebook turning us into digital slaves?
We are uploading digital versions of ourselves into social media – we have different layers of existence now. Those digital persons are like digital slaves, owned by the social media. Current IPRs are an important part of the digital shackles. We will need digital human rights to do away with digital slavery. Any science fiction Read more …
Role of IPRs in Open Innovation – the case against copyright
I gave a presentation at the British Library on 29th November 2011 (#OIBL) – here is a written down version of that presentation. The key point I made was that Open Innovation benefits greatly from properly functioning Intellectual Property Rights. My particular focus was on copyright, which I believe is broken up to the point Read more …
Four reasons to take the driver out of the car
At TEDx Brussels recently, Paul Rojas made a presentation (you can see it here) about a car driven by a computer. The project has been very successful; from a technology point of view, a human driver is, today, no longer necessary. That got me thinking – would it be a good idea to abolish human Read more …
A solution to patent warfare (and trolls)
Intellectual Property Rights (“IPRs”) are hot in the media these days. Headlines about patent trolls, the great patent bubble, patent warfare, pirate parties and the broken patent system appear almost daily. This is good, because there are obvious problems with our IPR system. It seems that most observers are agreeing that the current IPR system risks Read more …
New technology and Belgium
Is the Belgian legal system light-years away from understanding or using basic contemporary technology, and therefore uniquely disqualified to rule on any IP issues around such technology? The Court of Appeal of Antwerp, Belgium’s second city, ruled on a request to block access to the Pirate Bay website on 26th September 2011. Many people have Read more …
Characteristics of a new copyright system (ctd)
In my three previous posts, I explained why I believe the current copyright system is broken, what the requirements of a new system would be, and what the characteristics of a new system could be. That last post only addressed part of the characteristics – here’s the rest. 1. The platform will become a social Read more …