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Studies by Mike Masnick Thu, Jan 8th 2009 9:18pm Share This Print

Filed Under: photos, teens Permalink.

20% Of Teens Send Sexually Explicit Photos Of Themselves?

from the really? dept Sure, we've seen all sorts of moral panic-type reports about kids not thinking so much about the consequences of what content they reveal about themselves online, but it still strikes me as a bit unlikely that one in five teens reports sending sexually explicit photos of themselves to others using either mobile phones or online tools. Perhaps it depends on the definition of "sexually explicit." This brings up another issue that was raised recently at the privacy discussion I attended recently. After someone pointed out that the younger generation is just used to being more open, a question was raised: is this a generational issue or a maturational issue? In other words, is the younger generation really just used to being more open about things, or is it that they haven't matured enough to recognize the potential impact of what they're doing -- and, as they age, will be more reasonable. I'm not sure anyone really knows the answer to that just yet. 4 Comments | Leave a Comment.. Studies

Studies by TIC Expert, Carlo Longino Thu, Jan 8th 2009 7:33pm Share This Print

Filed Under: ptsd, tetris Permalink.

New PTSD Cure: Tetris

from the where-have-all-the-gameboys-gone dept A newly published study from Oxford University suggests that Tetris is a useful tool for treating post-traumatic stress disorder. The study doesn't seem wholly comprehensive, but the basic idea is that the game engages the mind in such a way that it's essentially too busy working out where to put the pieces to have flashbacks. The key is that the game requires "visuospatial cognitive tasks" that preclude the mind's ability to generate mental images, so it's not necessarily Tetris itself that's the treatment, but rather it and other games that engage the mind in the same way -- so we'll go out on a limb and say first-person shooters and other games probably wouldn't be ideal. The author of the Guardian post raises a good question, though: what happens when you turn people hobbled by PTSD into people hobble by Tetris addictions? Carlo Longino is an expert at the Insight Community. To get insight and analysis from Carlo Longino and other experts on challenges your company faces, click here. 5 Comments | Leave a Comment.. Culture

Culture by Mike Masnick Thu, Jan 8th 2009 5:55pm Share This Print

Filed Under: communication, content, movies, video Companies: youtube Permalink.

YouTube Is Changing How We Think About Video

from the it's-not-just-for-presenting-a-story dept Whenever we talk about changes impacting the movie industry or the television industry, there's always someone who chimes in with claims about "how will we be able to make $200 million movies any more?" Of course, that question has a few false premises hidden in there -- such as the idea that movies have to cost $200 million to make. But perhaps an even bigger question is why movies need to exist at all. A few months back we were discussing how popular artforms change over time. Epic poems, stained glass, mosaics, book illumination, fresco painting, tapestry and plenty of other forms of culture were quite popular at one time or another, but eventually times changed and they went out of fashion. I'm reminded of that discussion in reading Clive Thompson's latest piece about how the rise of the ability for anyone to create and distribute videos on YouTube and other video sites is leading to the creation of video content that just can't be classified in the traditional manner. He talks about a video collage of thousands of people making videos of themselves holding up their hands with short sayings written on their palms. Is it a movie? Is it a documentary? Does it matter? The people who believe that TV shows and movies and such forms of broadcast content are the be-all, end-all of creative cultural content still don't recognize the true power of the internet as a communications platform, that allows individuals to interact and communicate in ways that simply weren't possible before. The official sites like Hulu may get lots of attention, but they're just about taking content from the TV and movie world and moving it to the web. The power of YouTube is that it enables something entirely new and different to emerge and to thrive. In the history of disruptive innovations, merely taking a product from one medium and moving it to another usually doesn't get very far. It's the projects that really embrace the new possibilities that are only possible via that new medium that really make an impact. 6 Comments | Leave a Comment..

Legal Issues by Mike Masnick Thu, Jan 8th 2009 4:32pm Share This Print

Filed Under: copyright, dmca, first amendment, free speech, takedown Companies: fox news Permalink.

Fox News Uses DMCA To Take Down Videos Used In Commentary

from the notice-and-takedown-is-broken dept The DMCA has plenty of problems, but one of the more ridiculous is the whole concept of the "notice and takedown" procedure that service providers need to follow. Basically, if a copyright holder feels that its copyright is being infringed, it sends a DMCA notice to the service provider. In order for that service provider to keep its safe harbors that protect it from being liable for the content, the content has to be quickly taken down. At that point, the user can file a counternotice, but there's an extended period of time during which the service provider can consider the counternotice and decide whether or not to put the content back up. The reason it's set up this way is because the content companies who were pushing for the law convinced Congress that copyright violations online could be so damaging that content needed to be taken down immediately to prevent any "harm." The only "concession" to the fact that this process was likely to be abused was that filing a false takedown notice can get you in trouble as well. However, the process is still regularly abused to stifle speech. Take for example, the latest example, presented by the EFF, who notes that Fox News has used the DMCA takedown process to pull down three clips from Fox News that were being used by a group called Progress Illinois who was using the videos as part of commentary on current events -- a common and valid fair use of content. However, since YouTube had to quickly pull down the videos and is now taking time to review the counternotification, it makes it nearly impossible for Progress Illinois to use the videos in a timely manner. This is yet another example of how copyright is used to stifle free speech. This isn't just about "protecting" content or creating incentive to create more content. There's no commercial loss to Fox News to allow these videos to be used in this way. Forcing the immediate takedown serves only one purpose: to stifle free speech. In fact, you could make a decent argument that the DMCA violates the First Amendment with this policy (you know, "Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech...."). Given the seriousness of how such a process can stifle free speech, it's difficult to come up with a compelling reason why the DMCA shouldn't at least allow a "notice and notice" procedure, whereby the user accused of infringement is at least given a chance to respond before the content is taken down. 4 Comments | Leave a Comment..

(Mis)Uses of Technology by TIC Expert, Blaise Alleyne Thu, Jan 8th 2009 3:14pm Share This Print

Filed Under: fired, hired, social networks Companies: facebook Permalink.

Hired via Facebook? Fired via Facebook

from the *poke*-you're-fired dept We've seen stories of people being fired over email and even text message before, but now there's a story of a Canadian spa worker fired via Facebook (via Michael Geist). The woman still got dressed and went to in to work that day because she thought it was a joke. Using Facebook seems rather harsh, though she admits to being hired over Facebook and the firing was done via private message (as opposed to a wall post...), but it's no real surprise that a common method of communication eventually gets used this way. That doesn't mean it's not cruel, but I wouldn't expect it to be an isolated case (we've already seen legal papers served via Facebook). It's got to make you wonder what's next though, fired via Twitter? "@unfortunatesoul btw you're #fired sry" Blaise Alleyne is an expert at the Insight Community. To get insight and analysis from Blaise Alleyne and other experts on challenges your company faces, click here. 4 Comments | Leave a Comment..

Politics by Mike Masnick Thu, Jan 8th 2009 1:55pm Share This Print

Filed Under: barack obama, email, open records, president Permalink.

Obama Fighting For His Blackberry... But May Be Losing

from the the-lawyers-win!-the-lawyers-win! dept Right after the election, there was plenty of talk about how President-elect Obama would need to give up email just as President Bush did when he took office eight years ago. As plenty of people pointed out at the time, this seems like a pretty silly concept. There should be at least some way to allow Obama to continue to use this important and useful form of communication -- if only to allow him some access "outside the bubble" of DC. And, indeed, Obama made it clear that he would fight to figure out some way to keep emailing -- especially via his precious Blackberry. However, the latest news isn't looking good -- as Obama is noting that he still has been unable to convince both the security folks and the lawyers that he should be allowed to keep the Blackberry. Apparently, there are times when it's not so good to be the king. 44 Comments | Leave a Comment..

Too Much Free Time by Mike Masnick Thu, Jan 8th 2009 12:49pm Share This Print

Filed Under: content tax, isps, newspapers Permalink.

Taxing ISPs To Fund Newspapers?

from the *sigh* dept In trying to explain why a music tax is a bad idea, I pointed out that if you start with music, you quickly have to start adding pretty much every industry disrupted by the internet. The obvious one is movies, but what about newspapers? They're struggling due to the internet, so why can't they demand an ISP tax to support newspapers? The idea, of course, is that this was a ludicrous suggestion... but apparently some people have thought seriously about it. Reader Emmet Gibney points us to a blog post on the Macleans site (the same magazine that once told us that the internet and blogging sucked) where the concept of taxing ISPs to pay for online media publications is apparently seriously suggested. It appears to be an adjustment on the already ridiculous suggestion that some folks have made that newspapers should collude to charge for access to newspaper websites. At least the Macleans author recognizes this is unworkable... so, rather than looking at alternative models, he suggests that "the only solution" he sees is to create a "royalties" system that ISPs would be in charge of collecting for media publications. Who's next? Did the buggy whip makers ever suggest a "buggy whip tax" on automobiles? 29 Comments | Leave a Comment..

The Market by Mike Masnick Thu, Jan 8th 2009 11:38am Share This Print

Filed Under: bubbles, christina romer, economy, hal varian, joe stiglitz Permalink.

Has Our Economy Become Dependant On Bubbles?

from the that-wouldn't-be-good dept I've said in the past that economic bubbles aren't necessarily a bad thing for the overall economy. Afterall, a bubble (at least one in a productive area, such as technology) tends to get a lot of money thrown at some problems, allowing a variety of innovation to take place very rapidly -- effectively throwing a lot of ideas at a wall to see what sticks. The fallout from a bubble popping often harms investors who bet on the wrong players in the bubble, but the fundamental benefit to society is often positive: a lot of infrastructure gets built very, very fast, and the strongest survives (and often buys up leftovers for pennies on the dollar). However, there are others sides to the story as well. Joel West points to a recent interview of economists Martin Feldstein and Joe Stiglitz, where Stiglitz worries that we've built an economy based on bubbles: Joseph Stiglitz: We had the tech bubble, followed by the housing bubble. But once we fix the recent mess, what will replace these bubbles as the engine for the economy? Feldstein: What will replace the consumer spending bubble? (Both men): We run the risk of the economy becoming depend on constant stimulus to replace these bubbles. Stiglitz: I worry that after two years of stimulus, that the economy won't be going on its own, and then what will we do? Along those same lines, economist Hal Varian has written, in the Wall Street Journal, a very straightforward and clear explanation of why the economy is stuck in neutral right now. Basically, (and, yes, I'm significantly paraphrasing), there's no new bubble to invest in, so (as Stiglitz implies above), everyone's looking for the government stimulus package to basically act as an artificial bubble until such time as a new bubble rises out of the mess. And, for that to happen in a productive way, any sort of "stimulus" needs to create incentives for others to invest in productive, growth-producing parts of the economy, rather than just throwing cash at pork barrel spending projects. This is a pretty fine line to walk (especially since it's politicians who are working out the details, and they love pork barrel spending). And, to make matters even scarier, economist David Henderson points out that recent research from economists Christina and David Romer (it's worth noting that Christina Romer is Obama's choice to chair the Council of Economic Advisers) suggests that gov't fiscal policy in an attempt to modify business cycles doesn't work. In other words, things are going to be pretty messy in the economy for a while, unless we can come up with a productive and useful bubble quickly. Anyone have any suggestions? 32 Comments | Leave a Comment.. Culture

Culture by TIC Expert, Carlo Longino Thu, Jan 8th 2009 10:15am Share This Print

Filed Under: 3d, business models, change, movies, theaters Permalink.

Whisper It, But Maybe Movie Theaters Are Grasping The Need For Change

from the sticky-floors dept There have been several signs over the past year that movie theaters are beginning to understand that they need to change their businesses if they are to stay in business -- for example: bigger and better screens, more luxurious environments, richer technology like 3D, even making the pre-show ads more entertaining. While we're skeptical about some of these enhancements -- particularly when they're really only used as justifications for higher ticket prices, it does reflect that theater owners have recognized they have to change. One idea that's getting more and more attention is that theaters don't have to limit themselves to just movies. It's become common for theaters to show special events like concerts, or the Metropolitan Opera, that are well outside the typical fare of Hollywood films. This week, a number of theaters nationwide will show the BCS college football title game, hoping to draw some viewers away from their couches or sports bars. That might seem like an exercise in futility, but the theaters can offer something more: the game will be in 3D. Movie theaters used to be relevant because, apart from waiting for movies to show up (if ever) on TV, they were about the only place to catch films. When home video came on the scene, their position began to erode, and it continues to do so as home theaters get better and better. As a result, many theaters offer a comparatively poor movie-going experience. In addition to improving that experience, theaters will do well to un-pigeon hole themselves as movie houses, take advantage of their unique offerings, and diversify their content. Carlo Longino is an expert at the Insight Community. To get insight and analysis from Carlo Longino and other experts on challenges your company faces, click here. 32 Comments | Leave a Comment..

Say That Again by Mike Masnick Thu, Jan 8th 2009 9:01am Share This Print

Filed Under: ideas, michael abrash, ownership Permalink.

The Dangerous Trend Of Thinking That Ideas Can Be Owned, Sold Or Stolen

from the locking-up-knowledge dept An anonymous reader called our attention to a comment reposting some fantastic thinking on the dangerous trend of believing we can own, sell or steal ideas. The comment was in response to a post on Slashdot from a college student worried that his professors were "stealing" his ideas. The commenter posted a bit from The Zen of Graphics Programming, by Michael Abrash, who among other things co-wrote the game Quake. The whole blurb is worth reading, but there are two things worth calling out. First, he points out that the idea is rarely the important part: This trend toward selling ideas is one symptom of an attitude that I've noticed more and more among programmers over the past few years-an attitude of which software patents are the most obvious manifestation-a desire to think something up without breaking a sweat, then let someone else's hard work make you money. Its an attitude that says, "I'm so smart that my ideas alone set me apart." Sorry, it doesn't work that way in the real world. Ideas are a dime a dozen in programming, too; I have a lifetime's worth of article and software ideas written neatly in a notebook, and I know several truly original thinkers who have far more yet. Folks, it's not the ideas; it's design, implementation, and especially hard work that make the difference. Second, he points out how ridiculous a scenario it is when everyone "owns" the ideas they came up with, and what it would lead to: A closely related point is the astonishing lack of gratitude some programmers show for the hard work and sense of community that went into building the knowledge base with which they work. How about this? Anyone who thinks they have a unique idea that they want to "own" and milk for money can do so-but first they have to track down and appropriately compensate all the people who made possible the compilers, algorithms, programming courses, books, hardware, and so forth that put them in a position to have their brainstorm. Put that way, it sounds like a silly idea, but the idea behind software patents is precisely that eventually everyone will own parts of our communal knowledge base, and that programming will become in large part a process of properly identifylng and compensating each and every owner of the techniques you use. All I can say is that if we do go down that path, I guarantee that it will be a poorer profession for all of us - except the patent attorneys, I guess. Exactly. The only unfortunate bit in the piece is that he then talks about an encounter with the author Neal Stephenson, where the two talked about the importance of sharing ideas and using networks to spread cheap or free tools to unleash the next creative genius. I'm a fan of Stephenson's work, and I'm sure that he at times talks up such things, but recently Stephenson has gone over to the other side, working part-time at Intellectual Ventures, one of the worst of the worst in terms of companies that are really trying to build a world where ideas are owned and limited. It's a shame that someone like Stephenson would get involved in such a project. 23 Comments | Leave a Comment.. Culture

Culture by Mike Masnick Thu, Jan 8th 2009 7:29am Share This Print

Filed Under: business models, concerts, music, nine inch nails, trent reznor, video Permalink.

Reznor 'Leaks' 400 GB Of High Def Concert Footage

from the keep-it-up dept Trent Reznor is making it awfully difficult for me to finish the presentation I'm giving about him next week at MidemNet, because he keeps on doing stuff that should be mentioned in that presentation (I may have to ask the MidemNet folks for more time!). The latest is a post on the NIN.com site (which, annoyingly, doesn't have permalinks for his posts -- though others repost it in the forums on the site) saying: The internet is full of surprises these days. I was contacted by a mysterious, shadowy group of subversives who SOMEHOW managed to film a substantial amount (over 400 GB!) of raw, unedited HD footage from three separate complete shows of our Lights in the Sky tour. Security must have been lacking at these shows because the quality of the footage is excellent. If any of you could find a LINK to that footage I'll bet some enterprising fans could assemble something pretty cool. Oh yeah, you didn't hear this from me. posted by trent reznor at 12:56pm It's stuff like this that makes fans love Reznor that much more. While bands like Radiohead tried to get people to pay just to remix their songs, Reznor makes it fun to be a fan. As the link above to the forum notes, the content is now available via BitTorrent, and everyone at NIN headquarters is looking forward to what comes out of it -- though, they point out that with so much high def video, it's really mainly targeted at expert users first, and amateurs are probably better off waiting a bit until other copies are made available in easier to handle formats. Funny to see this in contrast to how Warner Music and the other record labels are dealing with online videos, where they demand money for every usage, pissing off the very musicians they're supposed to represent. Once again, Reznor is leading the way. I'm just hoping he takes a little time off so that I can get this presentation done and not have it be out of date on the day of the presentation. 33 Comments | Leave a Comment..

Computers by Mike Masnick Thu, Jan 8th 2009 5:50am Share This Print

Filed Under: competition, execution, ideas, nicholas negroponte, olpc Companies: olpc Permalink.

OLPC Discovers Economic Reality; Cuts Staff

from the but-the-dream-is-closer... dept We've certainly been somewhat harsh on Nicholas Negroponte's OLPC program in the past -- not because we don't like the idea of helping underprivileged kids building technology skills, but because of the way Negroponte has run the project from the beginning. He's acted as if he were the only one who should be working towards that goal and any competition was seen as a betrayal. Also, he took a very top down Negroponte-knows-best approach to building the laptop, which has led to significant problems within the team and with the product not living up to expectations -- showing once again that ideas are easy, it's the execution that's difficult, and if you limit the execution to just one company, you're cutting off a lot of the opportunity. So, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that OLPC is now cutting its workforce in half, and slashing salaries for remaining employees. Negroponte blames the economy, but that seems like an especially weak excuse, given just how strongly small, inexpensive mini-laptops (netbooks) are selling these days. Clearly, there's tremendous demand out there for super cheap, small laptops. The problem is that Negroponte decided from the beginning that his product was only for kids in developing countries, and left a massive market underserved (the rather weak give one, get one program was hardly serving the market). But, again, the point is clear: the overall market is doing a rather amazing job serving the market. They're providing all sorts of very cheap mini laptops at price points even below what the OLPC is going for. No, most netbooks don't have some of the bells and whistles of the OLPC that help it survive a rough environment, but it seems rather likely that used netbooks and newer cheaper netbooks will find their way into developing countries soon enough as well -- just as second hand mobile phones have made it. So, in the end, Negroponte's original vision may get served, but it will get served by the market and competition, rather than his own grand master plan. 10 Comments | Leave a Comment..

Politics by Mike Masnick Thu, Jan 8th 2009 3:43am Share This Print

Filed Under: confusion, conversion coupons, digital tv Companies: consumers union Permalink.

Consumers Union Wants Congress To Delay Digital TV Transition

from the oh-please,-just-get-it-over-with dept Now, we all agree that the FCC has screwed up the conversion to digital TV for over-the-air TV watchers, especially with the "coupon" program running out of money. But, it's still pretty ridiculous for Consumers Union to ask Congress to delay the transition (found via Consumers Unions' newly owned Consumerist). The transition to digital TV has been delayed for years. It was amazing that we finally got a hard deadline of February 2009 given how many forces were fighting against it. Part of the problem was always some ridiculous sliding scale of when we'd be "ready." But, a hard deadline was set, and now it's important to just get it over with. The end result will be much better for consumers, because the old spectrum will finally be put to good use where it can provide an awful lot of value. Yes, the transition coupon program has been poorly run. Yes, it would be better if we figured out a better way (even now) to get converter boxes to people. Yes, there are still a number of people who haven't gone out and picked up a convertor box. Yes, there will be some confused people who turn on their TV and discover it won't work, but it's a very small number of people at this point, and given how much time they've had to deal with it, having their TVs not work should be the final kick in the pants to move forward. There's simply no good reason to delay the transition yet again. Update: Unfortunately, it looks like the incoming Obama administration supports a delay as well. 62 Comments | Leave a Comment..

(Mis)Uses of Technology by TIC Expert, Kevin Donovan Thu, Jan 8th 2009 1:36am Share This Print

Filed Under: google maps, kidnapped children, street view Permalink.

Google Street View Helps Find Kidnapped Child

from the well-who-woulda-thunk? dept You may remember that a couple months ago an advocacy group was trying to whip up a storm about Google's Street View service. The claim alleged that child predators would use Street View to find where children live and then kidnap them. Well, it turns out that Street View did assist with a kidnapping. Only, not as the worriers predicted. Instead, a smart cop was able to use Street View to help relocate a kidnapped child. In fact, in conjunction with the GPS data for the child's phone, provided by the cellular provider, the officer was able to use Street View to remotely find what he thought may be a motel in Virginia. Furthering Googling confirmed Street View and local police were able to find the child. Obviously, stories like this will be far and few between -- but so will ones where bad guys use technology in an evil way. That's the reality: technology can be good or bad, it depends on the user. Luckily, in this case, we had a clever cop using technology for the best. Kevin Donovan is an expert at the Insight Community. To get insight and analysis from Kevin Donovan and other experts on challenges your company faces, click here. 33 Comments | Leave a Comment.. Culture

Culture by Mike Masnick Wed, Jan 7th 2009 11:23pm Share This Print

Filed Under: competing with free, piracy, uk, video games Permalink.

Despite Whining About Piracy, Secondhand Sales, Video Game Sales At All Time Highs

from the well,-look-at-that... dept We've been noting how both the movie industry and the music industry had terrific years in 2008, despite the public perception being passed around by certain legacy companies in both industries that they were being decimated by "pirates." Apparently the same is true in the video game industry as well. Dan writes in to let us know that, at least in the UK, video games sales were at a record high, despite all hand wringing about the need for DRM and how piracy and secondhand sales have been destroying the industry. Once again, it seems like if you just put out a good product and give people a reason to buy, they're more than willing to do so. Still, how long will it be until we hear UK cultural secretary Andy Burnham declaring that the video game industry needs special protection against the scourge of piracy? 9 Comments | Leave a Comment..

Computers by TIC Expert, Carlo Longino Wed, Jan 7th 2009 9:29pm Share This Print

Filed Under: sdxc, storage Permalink.

Storage Isn't Much Of An Issue Anymore

from the is-that-the-library-of-congress-in-your-pocket-or... dept The trade group behind the SD memory card format today announced a new standard, called SDXC, that will support memory cards of up to 2 terabytes for devices like digital cameras and cell phones. While the amount of storage that can be crammed into smaller and smaller physical formats continues to grow, the idea of being able to carry around 2 terabytes of data in a device like a smartphone still seems pretty amazing. Combined with the growth of broadband networks, particularly wireless ones, are we nearing a point where the accessibility of data will no longer be a concern? Between being able to easily carry around most, if not all, of your data and always-on broadband networks making the rest of it constantly accessible, the point at which we can easily access any of our information from any location looks to be just over the horizon. That's not to say that plenty of obstacles remain, including our ever-growing demand for more and more storage space, and the need for more pervasive (and less restrictive) wireless broadband networks, but those obstacles are becoming less and less formidable all the time. Carlo Longino is an expert at the Insight Community. To get insight and analysis from Carlo Longino and other experts on challenges your company faces, click here. 25 Comments | Leave a Comment..

(Mis)Uses of Technology by Mike Masnick Wed, Jan 7th 2009 7:28pm Share This Print

Filed Under: security, trusted computing, vulnerabilities Companies: intel Permalink.

Trusted Computing Not So Trustworthy

from the but-of-course... dept As pretty much anyone in computer security recognizes, any bit of "secure" computing is only secure for a limited period of time. Eventually, the security will be cracked. Yet, we still keep hearing about expectations for some new technologies to solve all our security problems. For example, we've been hearing for years about the wonders of "trusted computing," which basically gets mocked every time some company tries to roll it out (which is why it's gone through five or six name changes over the years). The latest news is that Intel's implementation of a trusted computing offering, called Trusted Execution Technology, has security vulnerabilities that allow it to be circumvented. In other words, it's not trustworthy, nor secure. Of course, it's not widely used, either, so it's not a big deal. But, once again, there is no magic bullet for security that solves all security problems. 15 Comments | Leave a Comment..

Legal Issues by Mike Masnick Wed, Jan 7th 2009 5:33pm Share This Print

Filed Under: eff, patent busting, patents Companies: eff, seer systems Permalink.

EFF's Patent Busting Project Scores Another Hit

from the more-good-news dept While it's taken quite some time, the EFF has had considerable success with its project to bust ten awful patents. The latest is that the USPTO has agreed to re-examine a patent from Seer Systems involving online music. Again, the really tragic thing about all of this is that the EFF started this patent busting project almost five years ago, and the process is still in its early stages. And that's for ten of the most ridiculous patents you'll find today. Think of what a mess it is to challenge so many other bad patents. 8 Comments | Leave a Comment..

Legal Issues by Mike Masnick Wed, Jan 7th 2009 4:13pm Share This Print

Filed Under: defamation, opinions, reviews Companies: yelp Permalink.

Negative Review On Yelp Leads To Defamation Lawsuit

from the this-again? dept There have been plenty of stories about companies suing people for posting negative reviews about their business practices, and it still seems like a really dumb thing to do -- as in the end all it does is call a lot more attention to the negative review. That's what appears to be happening with a lawsuit over a negative review of a chiropractor on Yelp. The review claimed that the chiropractor was using questionable business and billing practices. The chiropractor threatened the reviewer -- and even though the review was deleted, sued the guy for defamation. Of course, now the details of the supposed unethical billing practices (involved trying to bill insurance companies significantly more, and when that didn't work coming back to the guy and asking him to pay up instead) are getting a lot more attention. 14 Comments | Leave a Comment.. Scams

Scams by Mike Masnick Wed, Jan 7th 2009 3:04pm Share This Print

Filed Under: fraud Companies: maytas, satyam Permalink.

Latest Massive Fraud: Satyam Found To Be Swimming Naked

from the tide-goes-out dept Warren Buffet's famous quote is that "It's only when the tide goes out that you learn who's been swimming naked." Over the past few months, the tide has been going out with a vengeance, and we're certainly discovering plenty of folks swimming naked. The latest, of course, is Satyam, the Indian tech company whose CEO admitted that he basically has been making up the company's financial reports for years. It turns out that about $1 billion in cash the company claimed it had... don't actually exist. That's a pretty big problem, because that $1 billion represented about 94% of all the cash the company claimed to have. Oops. It makes you wonder what, exactly, Satyam's auditors have been up to the past few years. This might explain why the company attempted to do a highly controversial merger deal last month, where Satyam tried to buy construction firms Maytas (Satyam backwards), owned by the sons of Satyam's founders. The deal between companies in two obviously unrelated industries seemed like a pretty clear cash grab for the family -- except most people didn't realize that the cash grab was actually to cover up all the lies on the financial statements. Of course, there are some amusing side notes to this whole thing. Just a few months ago, for example, Satyam was awarded the "prestigious" Golden Peacock award for (of all things) corporate governance. That award is now being stripped away, but it seems a little late for that. Then, of course, there was the stock analyst who claimed that Satyam was an obvious buy just after the original merger deal fell apart. Considering that the stock dropped 90% today, that seems like an awfully bad call. Anyway, as with any downturn, it's no surprise that some of the scammers are being outed. It certainly doesn't mean that all companies are scamming, but it is a reminder that unless you're personally involved, it's pretty tough to take a company's word on what it's actually been doing with its money. 16 Comments | Leave a Comment.. More Stories >> Search Techdirt And now, a word from our Sponsors.. var federated_media_section = ''; var federated_media_section = ''; var federated_media_section = ''; Popular Posts Professional Unions And The Labor Struggles Of The 21st Century The Grand Unified Theory On The Economics Of Free An Economic Explanation For Why DRM Cannot Open Up New Business Model Opportunities Perhaps It’s Not The Entertainment Industry’s Business Model That’s Outdated Saying You Can’t Compete With Free Is Saying You Can’t Compete Period Why I Hope The RIAA Succeeds Step One To Embracing A Lack Of Scarcity: Recognize What Market You’re Really In Infinity Is Your Friend In Economics Poll

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