Stairway to Litigation: Laches in the Post-Petrella Era
For rock and roll fans, the opening notes to “Stairway to Heaven” are iconic. The band has amassed a huge fan base, and the song is arguably one of the…
ICANN’s gTLD Expansion: Internet Innovation, Hijinks, and IP Headaches
Last month registration opened for web addresses using the new generic top-level domain (gTLD) .nyc, and more than 50,000 domain names have been registered, making it the most prolific city-based…
Saving Face, Not Players: The NCAA’s Concussion Settlement
The NCAA reached a $75 million settlement this summer regarding a concussion lawsuit arising from the NCAA’s policy of allowing individual schools to create their own concussion protocols, which plaintiffs…
Recognizing the Perfect Monkey Selfie
Back in 2011, an Indonesian macaque snapped a grinning self-portrait. Naturally, it became an Internet sensation. The camera owner, British wild-life photographer Daniel Slater, is now suing Wikipedia for copyright…
Botnet Mitigations by the FBI, DOJ, and Microsoft Stop Cyber Attacks But May Trample on User Rights
Of all the software tools associated with cybercrime, botnets have perhaps the most widespread impact on commerce and on the operation of American businesses. The term “bot” has many meanings,…
Is Our Thirst for Knowledge Being Slaked?: An Overview of Knowledge Commons Governance
A desert watering hole attracts all kinds, with many predators foregoing easy meals in exchange for the water’s precious benefits. Arguably, sharing the water provides a net benefit to the…
Is Close Enough Good Enough?: “Comic Con” vs. “Comic-Con”
Today comic conventions are large, multi-day events that fans buy tickets a year in advance for. The comic conventions of 2014 have come a long way from the one-day event,…
Nuclear Fusion, Again
Lockheed Martin’s famed Skunk Works, renowned for developing advanced weaponry like the U-2 spy plane and the F-117 stealth fighter, has filed multiple patents relating to a new nuclear fusion…
What Does Termination of the “Redskins” Trademarks Mean for Washington’s Football Team?
The name was never a label. It was, and continues to be, a badge of honor. – Daniel Snyder Merrit Meets the Enemy. Victory over our Frontier Foes. Thirty-Seven Redskins…
Cutting Costs: Tax Deductions for Artists
Under the Internal Revenue Code § 183, individuals or corporations cannot take deductions for activities if “such activity is not engaged in for profit.” The IRS does not want to…