Many people talk about how expensive IP lawyers can be, but it takes a lot of very technical work, which always costs money. As Robert Heinlein always said, there ain't no such thing as a free lunch (TANSTAAFL).
But sometimes, there is. Firms almost always want to get a variety of experience and give something back to the community. Few people on the net seem to be aware of the range of pro-bono services offered by firms. Here is a list recently compiled by the ABA IP section. There are many others as well, I'm sure. So if you have an IP problem and don't think you have the funds to handle it, consider looking for a firm that might help you on a pro-bono or contingency basis.
Three D.C. area game shops have been raided and two people arrested for modifying game consoles to play pirated games.
From the article:
Authorities arrested two store employees on charges of conspiracy to commit copyright infringement and conspiracy to traffic in a device that circumvents technological protection measures, the ESA said.
This restriction comes from the DMCA, which prevents circumvention of technological measures to protect copyrighted works.
I actually have a modded PS2 just to play imported games, because PS2 games are tagged with a region code making it impossible to play games from other regions. DVD players use a similar scheme. Without the modded machine, I would have to buy a separate console to play Japanese games. Looks like I might have to do this. In my opinion, since region coding doesn't protect a copyrighted work per se, there is a basis for saying that region coding would not fall under this provision of the DMCA... It would still likely be a breach of the license agreement for purchase of the game, if they put it in there...
Today, President Bush H.R. 4818 into law. The Consolidated Appropriations Act provides for restructuring and increasing most PTO user fees.
The new fees apply immediately. The change even extends to any fees paid earlier today before the President signed the bill.
One significant change is the imposition of three separate fees for filing, searching, and examination, all of which must be paid at time of filing. See www.uspto.gov for more information.
Notice from the Patent Office.
Fee Schedule.
More information at IP Updates.
Another CNET series here on the latest developments in technology and gaming in South Korea. Very interesting. I really have to work on my Korean.
There's an interesting article on CNET about some of the changes Japan has been going through. It looks like they are finally on track to have a more efficient economy.
From the article:
1. The keiretsu way is fading. Nearly 70 percent of Japanese contracts were given to related corporate subsidiaries in the keiretsu network five years ago. Today, it's about 20 percent, according to Naoyuki Haraoka, chief executive director of JETRO San Francisco.2. A radical change for "salarymen." One controversial workplace experiment involves the Western-style concept of pay raises based on merit rather than on seniority.
3. Bigger is not always better. Some Japanese companies, such as Panasonic, employ nearly 300,000 people--triple the number at Intel and Dell--but experience much lower profits.
4. Falling behind in population. The country's population could drop from 127 million today to 100 million by 2050, exacerbating a labor shortage in the tech industry.
5. Lack of discipline blamed. Critics of Japan's education system say a shift in emphasis to creativity has dampened interest--and national strength--in hard sciences.
See also this page.