Legal
To Stop Distracted Driving, Cape Town Police Confiscate Phones
We get it, driving and phoning at the same time is dangerous, yet people continue to do it, regardless of the consequences – financial or otherwise. Now police in Cape Town, South Africa, are trying a new approach: They have started confiscating phones for 24 hours. The situation is a little worse for drivers who lose their phones on a Friday, since traffic offices are closed over the weekend. At the time of confiscation, the driver is given an opportunity… continue…
Developers Win With Oracle-Google Verdict
Developers received the news that they were hoping to hear at the end of the closely watched Oracle-Google trial. The verdict: Google’s use of 37 Java APIs did not violate copyright laws and, as a result, developers aren’t liable for paying hefty licensing fees or maintaining a sizable legal retainer to fight off any litigation that could have arisen. Judge William Alsup noted the code in question is considered a utility function of Java and required for interoperability. In his ruling, Alsup… continue…
Internet Defense League Pounces On ACTA, CISPA
A huge buzz circulated on the Internet this year over bills like SOPA/PIPA, ACTA and CISPA. The online community was clearly on the verge of receiving blows that could have killed it. Fortunately, as the world’s attention focused on Facebook’s IPO and other breaking news, a non-profit group called Fight for the Future had an idea to create the Internet Defense League. Any website, blog or even YouTube channel can join to fight against anti-piracy laws. A list of big websites have already joined: Reddit, Mozilla,… continue…
‘Entrepreneur Visa’ Would Allow Longer Stays for Entrepreneurs
Foreign students with post-graduate degrees in math, science, or engineering from American colleges may find it easier to stay in the U.S. should proposed legislation pass into law. The legislation, created by a bipartisan group of senators, would create an entrepreneur’s visa to allow foreigners who start new businesses and create jobs to remain in the country. The proposal calls for a total of 75,000 visas for immigrant entrepreneurs in science and technology. The bill also includes a proposal for a targeted… continue…
Microsoft Protects Copyrights With Google Transparency
Google’s Transparency Report is a great tool for analyzing how many URL removal requests the search giant is processing. The weekly number of URLs removed reached about 285,000 the week of May 14. That’s double the 130,000 removals it processed during the week of July 18 a year ago. Microsoft is one of the largest users of Google’s Transparency Report, monitoring it to remove URLs that it believes contain infringed copyrights. Other companies that also rely heavily on it include… continue…
Oracle, Google and the Future of Programming
When a jury ruled that Google violated copyright laws by improperly using Oracle’s Java API to design the Android OS, it couldn’t reach an agreement on Google’s claims of “fair use.” The outcome of this trial will be significant to the future of programming, since it may limit code reuse across languages. Restricting use by forcing payment from licensees could cripple innovation. Multiple sources have already begun to comment on the potential losses, including this from Ars Technica: If the… continue…
Yahoo Board Member Who ‘Vetted’ CEO Will Step Down
Today’s Yahoo news: The board member who oversaw the hiring of CEO Scott Thompson has reportedly decided not to seek re-election at the company’s next annual meeting. In addition to the pressure she’s under at Yahoo, International Game Technology CEO Patti Hart is being pressed by that company’s board to step away from Yahoo so she can focus on her day job. Says Kara Swisher, who first reported the development: The departure makes her the first — but definitely not… continue…
Oracle-Google Mixed Verdict: What’s Next
Android developers caught a break in the Oracle-Google trial with the jury’s mixed decision Monday. But the trial’s not over and even more litigation is expected. The jury found that Google had infringed on Oracle’s copyrights for the Java programming language, but were deadlocked on whether APIs built with Java constituted fair use of the code. Google will not have to redesign the Android code, nor will developers have to rewrite existing projects, and Oracle will be limited to statutory… continue…
CISPA, Your Privacy and Why You Should Care
SOPA, PIPA and ACTA are gone. Say Hello to CISPA. CISPA — the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act — passed the House of Representatives last week by a vote of 248 to 168. The Senate is now considering the measure. If it passes, it’s not clear it will become law, since President Obama has threatened to veto it. Where SOPA was created to combat piracy, CISPA is intended improve information sharing in order to guard against “cyber threats.” It’s… continue…
Another Back-Room Deal to Prevent Poaching
Apple, Google, Intel, Pixar, Adobe, Intuit — large and prestigious firms — are all named as defendants in an anti-trust lawsuit over their supposed gentleman’s agreement not to poach software engineers from each other. If true, it would mean that if you’re a software engineer at Apple, but you really want to work at Google, well, no Google recruiter was going to call. This isn’t the first whiff of anti-poaching collusion among these companies, either. In 2010, the Department of Justice came… continue…
Alice Hill
C.S. Magor
Cat Miller
David Brumbaugh
David Chie
Dawn Kawamoto
Don Willmott
Elisabeth Greenbaum Kasson
Gayle Laakmann McDowell
Lekan Oguntoyinbo
Leslie Stevens-Huffman
M Noivad
Mark Feffer
nick kolakowski
Stephen Lahanas
Susan Hall
Vincent Chow
