My buddy was part of the Basmati Rice triumph. It seems that a big conglomerate ag biz (Monsanto?) decided that it was they, not the indigenous Indian farmers that spent the last 2000 years perfecting that strain of rice, owned it.
Vindina Shiva (sp) is one of my heros. Indeed, patent law has become entirely skewed in favor of corporations. Which should be no suprise. Big companies have hundreds of millions, billions and possibly tens of billions, if you count their cartel organizations such as the Chemical Manufacturing Association, to pour into legislation and lobbying. This is exactly why I get so charged up when talking about keeping citizen media free and realizing the disturbing power inequity between this community and corporate media. I just don't think that many people have a clue about unchecked corporate power and how it impacts their everyday life. I'm shutting up now... Cheers, Ron On Jan 11, 2007, at 1:42 PM, sull wrote: > I just recently watched the documentary "The Future of Food". > If you want a dose of true patent absurdity and corporate abuse... > watch it. > Gets into patenting "life" via genetics, as it relates to agriculture > mostly. > > Sick World. > > On 1/11/07, Steve Watkins <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > Ive read about it elsewhere and the patent seems real enough. > > > > For me the biggest absurdity is the patent system in general, that > > lets these over-generalised patents be granted in the first place. > > > > We can only hope that saner attitudes prevail if/when this one comes > > to court. > > > > An even more extreme example I recall from the past was here in the > > UK, BT the telecoms giant thought that an old patent they had was > > describing the very concept of hyperlinks, and that they should > > therefore be considered the patent-holders for that rather essential > > web technology. It didnt stand up in court. > > > > Anybody know much about the differences between European and US > patent > > law? I believe that in the US you are allowed to patent 'business > > processes', something thats not true on this side of the pond. And > > then more recently there was some hoohar about whether the EU would > > accept software patents, cant remember what happened with that > > 'initiative', think it stalled for now. > > > > Cheers > > > > Steve Elbows > > > > --- In [email protected] <videoblogging% > 40yahoogroups.com>, > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > > > > Is this true!? > > > > > > Because if it is this is the hieght of absurdity and I know a > WHOLE > > > lot of people who will want to here about it so they can laugh and > > > laugh... and then cry. > > > > > > It's the first I've heard of such a thing, that's for sure. > > > > > > -Mike > > > mmeiser.com/blog > > > > > > > > > On 1/9/07, WWWhatsup <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > http://www.out-law.com/page-7623 > > > > > > > > Google, Apple and Napster are being sued over their online video > > businesses > > > > by a company that stopped offering internet video years ago. > > Intertainer > > > > holds a patent that it says is being infringed by some of the > tech > > world's > > > > biggest names. > > > > > > > > The company now only consists of two people, according to press > > reports, but > > > > it will seek to assert its patent rights in a Texas court after > > filing an > > > > action on 29th December. It had applied for a patent covering > > internet video > > > > distribution, and that was awarded in 2005. > > > > > > > > Intertainer was founded in 1996 to distribute films over the > > internet and > > > > won investment from Sony, Microsoft and Intel. It stopped that > > business in > > > > 2002. > > > > > > > > The company holds nine patents, and the current action is > based on > > US patent > > > > number 6,925,469, which covers the distribution and > management of > > digital > > > > media files. > > > > > > > > Intertainer is seeking an injuction and unspecified damages from > > the three > > > > companies and it is thought likely that it will pursue further > > suits if this > > > > one is successful. Intertainer founder Jonathan Taplin told the > > New York > > > > Times that the company would now begin a patent licensing > business. > > > > > > > > "Intertainer was the leader of the idea of entertainment on > demand > > over > > > > internet platforms before Google was even thought up," he said. > > > > > > > > The choice of a Texas court is likely to have been influenced > by the > > > > reputation that some Texas courts have for handing out patent- > related > > > > judgments favourable to patent holders. > > > > > > > > Intertainer did not file the application for the patent in > > question until > > > > 2001, five years after the company was founded and after some > > companies were > > > > already offering video and audio material for download. That > delay > > in filing > > > > could complicate the company's claims. > > > > > > > > Google owns YouTube, which leads the world in internet video. > The site > > > > offers short clips of often amateur-produced content for > viewing on > > > > computers and was bought by Google for shares worth $1.65 > billion last > > > > autumn. > > > > > > > > Apple owns and operates iTunes, the world's biggest legal music > > download > > > > service which is also moving into the business of selling video > > downloads. > > > > > > > > See: US Patent No. 6,925,469 > > > > > > > > http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser? > Sect2=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch- > bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&d=PALL&RefSrch=yes&Query=PN%2F6925469 > > > > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------- > > > > WWWhatsup NYC > > > > http://pinstand.com - http://punkcast.com > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------- > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > Sull > http://vlogdir.com (a project) > http://SpreadTheMedia.org (my blog) > http://interdigitate.com (otherly) > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
