Law and Innovation

Fresh and interesting article posted on TechCrunch about Facebook attempt to legally clone the features and technology of Snapchat. However, Facebook may be violating Snapchat's patent(s).  Happy reading! "Facebook released Slingshot , its second attempt at an impermanent sharing app, last Tuesday. The app borrows heavily, in concept and features, from Snapchat, as well as smaller startups like Frontback and Look. Slingshot and Facebook Messenger feature the same photo and video recording interface–a very user friendly mechanism where you tap the main button to take a picture, and hold that button to record a video. There’s just one problem: Facebook may be violating Snapchat’s patent , “Single mode visual media capture”  that was approved over a year ago. Representatives from both Facebook and Snapchat declined to comment for this story, but the patent appears to describe the way both companies’ apps record media: “An...

Fresh and interesting article posted on The Vancouver Sun about a unique of its kind worldwide site blocking injunction against Google. More precisely, a Canadian court has ordered Google to completely block a group of websites from its worldwide search results (and not just "Google.ca"). The ruling was handed down despite Google's protestations that the court has no jurisdiction over Google locally or in the United States. Happy reading! "A B.C. Supreme Court decision ordering Google to block a company’s websites from its search engine results around the globe could have even more sweeping implications than Europe’s so-called “right to be forgotten” ruling, according to Internet legal experts. In the case of Equustek Solutions Inc. v. Jack, the court granted an interim injunction ordering Google to block websites associated with a company selling products in contravention of court orders. Google is appealing the decision, which was released Frida...

Fresh and interesting article posted on PatentlyApple about Apple, Cisco and AT&T filling amicus curiae  briefs supporting Microsoft in its appeal of a decision requiring it to hand over data about an Irish customer to U.S. law enforcement officials.  Happy reading! "Microsoft's case to prevent the United States government from using search warrants to demand data that is not stored in the United States has picked up a number of high-profile backers. Although Verizon, AT&T and the Electronic Frontier Foundation are supporting Microsoft's position, it was Apple and Cisco's legal teams that filed a joint amicus brief with the court in the Southern District of New York late on Friday. Apple makes the case that it offers iCloud services to customers for storing photos, contacts, calendars, documents and more. Because some of those servers are located outside the United States, Apple is subject to, or may become subject to, various foreign laws regarding ...

Fresh and interesting article posted on Business Insider about "9 New iPhone Features Apple Copied From Android And Others Today".  Should we all be super impressed by what we heard during Apple's annual developers conference, WWDC 2014 keynote, on Monday? I have mixed feelings about that. Don't get me wrong, I like and love Apple. However, it appears that the tradition of "borrowing" software features from big and small companies continues this year. In several lawsuits, Apple likes to refer to other competitors, such as Samsung, as "copyist". Yesterday, in CA, it was hard to miss that most of the (new) features were copied from Android and other popular apps and services like Dropbox, WhatsApp, Google Drive and Snapchat. One may ask: Is Apple still an innovator Company today? Happy reading! "Apple's Spotlight search now lets you search the internet too. Google's Android search feature has been able to do this for a lon...