November 2005 Archives

Company to Institute European Licensing Program Based on Growing Intellectual Property Portfolio

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 21, 2005--SigmaTel Inc. (NASDAQ:SGTL - News), a leader in mixed-signal multimedia semiconductors, today announced the establishment of a European Intellectual Property (IP) protection and licensing strategy. Similar to SigmaTel's ongoing IP strategy in the United States, the European licensing program will initially focus on the protection and enforcement of 19 patents related to power management, multimedia applications and MP3 hardware and software. The European licensing program will encompass current SigmaTel customers, who have an implied license when they purchase SigmaTel products, as well as other MP3 manufactures and MP3 semiconductor developers who may include SigmaTel intellectual property in their product designs.

LYON, France, Nov 15 (AFP) - The second global congress on the fight against intellectual property theft concluded here Tuesday with a call for greater awareness of the lucrative international crime.

"The pirates are gaining ground," said James Chandler, president of the Washington-based National Intellectual Property Law Institute, adding that the crime was growing exponentially in terms of size and sophistication.

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(Kyodo) _ Government officials from Japan and Hong Kong will meet Friday to discuss a Japanese request that the Chinese territory enhance protection of intellectual property rights, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Wednesday.

Tokyo believes Hong Kong needs to undertake more relief measures for companies suffering from unauthorized use and registration of corporate or brand names, after it investigated the IPR protection system there based on a request from an association of Japanese electronics manufacturers.

by Bruce Schneier
Founder and CTO
Counterpane Internet Security, Inc.
schneier@counterpane.com
<http://www.schneier.com>
<http://www.counterpane.com>

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Schwarzenegger arrived in Beijing on Monday to start a six-day mission to promote California products and encourage Chinese officials to crack down on the piracy of copyrighted music, movies and software.

The governor will visit Shanghai and Hong Kong later in the week. In Hong Kong, he will kick off an anti-piracy public-service campaign starring himself and action star Jackie Chan.

DUBLIN, Ireland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 11, 2005--Research and Markets (www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c27515) has announced the addition of Digital Rights Management - An Industry Outlook (2005-2008) to their offering.

The problem of leakage and theft of information among corporate and enterprises who work in collaboration is now steadily tackled by a software called Digital Rights Management (DRM). The software provides all time protection internally and externally of corporate firewalls.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, while speaking at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Anti-Counterfeiting and Piracy Summit, highlighted the Justice Department's efforts to protect intellectual property rights, and announced a comprehensive legislative proposal entitled the "Intellectual Property Protection Act of 2005," which would strengthen penalties for repeat copyright criminals, expand criminal intellectual property protection, and add critical investigative tools for both criminal and civil enforcement.

"This is a comprehensive legislative package designed by the Department of Justice to help overhaul and update America's intellectual property statutes," said Attorney General Gonzales. "This legislation is a reflection of the sustained commitment on the part of the Bush Administration, including the Department of Justice, to ensure that we are doing everything we can do to combat this problem."

LOS ANGELES, CA and PALO ALTO, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 11/08/2005 -- Ian C. Ballon, one of California's top intellectual property attorneys who is also an acknowledged authority on Internet law and e-commerce, has joined Greenberg Traurig LLP as a shareholder in its Los Angeles and Palo Alto offices. Ballon's clients include e-Bay, Inc., Knight-Ridder, Inc. (and its chain of national newspapers including The San Jose Mercury News), Fujitsu America, The San Jose Sharks NHL hockey team, EMI Records, Twentieth Century FOX Film Corporation and Universal Studios. At Greenberg Traurig, Ballon will continue to represent entertainment, technology and media companies in complex digital copyright, trade secret, trademark, domain name, database and Internet-related litigation and counseling.

More than 20 rare, carved wooden figures dating to the early 19th century recently were discovered in a cave at North Kona, Hawaii, according to several newspaper reports from the Big Island.

The California firm of Kennedy-Wilson International owns the property, which is being developed by Rutter Development Corporation.

On October 12, 1998, the U.S. Congress passed the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, ending many months of turbulent negotiations regarding its provisions. Two weeks later, on October 28th, President Clinton signed the Act into law.

The Act is designed to implement the treaties signed in December 1996 at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Geneva conference, but also contains additional provisions addressing related matters.

Old as the Barbary Coast, New as the Internet - No black flags with skull and crossbones, no cutlasses, cannons, or daggers identify today’s pirates. You can’t see them coming; there’s no warning shot across your bow. Yet rest assured the pirates are out there because today there is plenty of gold (and platinum and diamonds) to be had. Today’s pirates operate not on the high seas but on the Internet, in illegal CD factories, distribution centers, and on the street. The pirate’s credo is still the same--why pay for it when it’s so easy to steal? The credo is as wrong as it ever was. Stealing is still illegal, unethical, and all too frequent in today’s digital age. That is why RIAA continues to fight music piracy.

WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today commended lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, and in both chambers of Congress, for calling for modest reforms to the Patriot Act. In bipartisan "Dear Conferee" letters addressed to members of Congress ironing out the differences between the House and Senate Patriot Act reauthorization bills, 163 members of the House and 25 members of the Senate called for the adoption of the Senate version.

Japan, Switzerland also submitting requests on China's enforcement efforts

The United States has initiated a special process under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules to obtain information on China's intellectual property enforcement efforts, according to an announcement made in Geneva October 26 by U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Rob Portman.

"The United States is deeply concerned by the violations of intellectual property rights in China," Portman said. "Based on all available information, piracy and counterfeiting remain rampant in China despite years of engagement on this issue."

LONDON and NEW YORK, Oct. 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Kiln plc of London, U.K., a Lloyd's of London underwriter and Miller Insurance Services Limited (Miller) a Lloyd's broker, announced today that they will offer a new product called Open Source Compliance Insurance. Open Source Compliance Insurance is the world's first insurance policy to cover the specialized risks faced by enterprises that include or rely upon elements of Linux and other open source software in their commercial products or internal IT infrastructure.