Criminal law demands high standards of evidence and due process. IP infringement cases repeatedly fall short of those standards. Using criminal law to protect private monopolistic interests is counter effective. Japan has recently issued a new draconian law criminalizing “illegal” downloads. A single download can get you 2 years in jail, or fines up Read more …
Tag Archives: infringement
Should software businesses use IPRs to force their customers to stay with them?
Increasingly, software businesses are suing 3rd party providers on the basis of copyright. Whether those 3rd party providers are in breach depends a lot on context – there’s no easy answer. But is it a good idea to use IPRs to force vendor lock-in on your customers? Rimini Street is a fairly young business, it Read more …
Hollywood vs Silicon Valley – who will win?
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 …
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 …