Mass Awakening - The Collapse Of Close Source Corporations That Wanted To Enslave Humanity Using The Corrupt Politicians - Podcasting Community Faces Patent Troll Threat; EFF Wants to Help - Open Source Planet

Another day, another patent troll. Or so it seems. The threat of the patent troll is not new—we’ve written about it time and again. But the troubling trend of suing downstream users and content providers really makes us mad. First it was the app developers, then those who scan documents to email. Now, the latest outrage: podcasters. Yes, really. And EFF wants to help organize those facing the threat so that we can guage the size of the problem and hopefully help people find counsel and a way to work together in response. 

First, some background. A company called Personal Audio is claiming that it owns a patent that covers podcasting technology and has send podcasters letters, demanding that they pay Personal Audio to use the technology. As with many patents, this one is dangerously broad and vague, allegedly covering, well, any and all podcasting. Just take a look at this language:

Apparatus for disseminating a series of episodes represented by media files via the Internet as said episodes become available…

Of course, as with most software patents, this one fails to explain how that “apparatus” would actually work, apparently letting its owner make the ridiculous claim that essentially any apparatus that disseminates episodes infringes its patent.

So far, Personal Audio has sued some pretty high-profile and beloved podcasts, like the Adam Carolla Show and HowStuffWorks. It also sent its threatening letters demanding a license to numerous podcasters, like Majority Report’s Sam Seder (we got a chance to talk to him a little about the problem on his show here).

Are you a podcaster? Have you received a letter from Personal Audio? We think there are more of you out there than you realize. EFF would like to understand how big the problem is and make sure you’re all in touch with each other. We can also help you find counsel. If you’ve heard from Personal Audio, please send us an email at podcasting@eff.org.

Source: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/02/podcasting-community-faces-patent-troll-threat-eff-wants-help

"Massachusetts Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren struck a strong populist tone in her prime time speech at the Democratic convention Wednesday night, saying that the political system is rigged in favor of powerful interests, but that she and President Obama would work tirelessly to change that. In a rousing stemwinder that ignited the convention hall, Warren attacked those entrenched interests, saying they stood in the way of real progress for average Americans. In doing so, she also lumped Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in with that crowd of entrenched interests, accusing Romney of favoring policies that would enrich him and his business friends at the expense of the majority of the country...".* She also spoke about how corporations are not people. The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur breaks it down.



*Read more here from Jonathan Terbush in The Raw Story: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/09/05/elizabeth-warren-no-romney-corporations...

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