2011-08-05

Google Responds To Microsoft Tweets In An Update

Android Experience 2010Image via Wikipedia
Like I speculated, the conditions and consequences of a joining for the bid were not acceptable. Google explains in the updated blog-post why.

Interesting is, that it might look like the 4 Billion patent buyout could not be very successful for the bidders:
Ultimately, the U.S. Department of Justice intervened, forcing Microsoft to sell the patents it bought and demanding that the winning group (Microsoft, Oracle, Apple, EMC) give a license to the open-source community, changes the DoJ said were “necessary to protect competition and innovation in the open source software community.” This only reaffirms our point: Our competitors are waging a patent war on Android and working together to keep us from getting patents that would help balance the scales.
Now you know why Google bid PI :) I said from the beginning, Google never wanted to spent this much money for patents that can't be enforced easily. And such a big group of companies may not use this power without getting problems from official side. Good. Now have Luck with your patents, Apple, Microsoft, Oracle and EMC. We know you.

In the end, Google made everything right. So not spent money for things you can't get much use out of it, don't join the devil and keep on support open software and hardware standards.

[via Official Google Blog]
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Is The Copyright Money Madness Coming To An End?

Administrative units of the United KingdomImage via Wikipedia
Who would have thought that? The British government said copyright has gone too far and will establish more exceptions. Ars Technica wrote an article and wondering about the tone of the speech.

Oh wouldn't that be great? Having a world again where fair-use means it? Where private people could benefit from information without fear of the big , bloodsucking companies?
We wish.... Maybe the shining knight comes from the United Kingdom. Or will the 4 horsemen of the Apocalypse intervene and making all people "pirates" ?

Let's see. But it's good to see that not all politician have completely lost their mind/soul.

[via Ars Technica]
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Madness: Now Companies Sue Themselves - Zynga vs. Vostu vs. Google

F-18 Heads Up Display (HUD) with gun symbology...Image via Wikipedia
What a strange scenario. Everyone sues everyone. No wonder in this Hippocratic industry called tech-business. But now it's getting grotesque. Zynga sues Vostu in Brazil for copyright infringements. They host their games on Orkut, a big player in Brazil which is run be Google. And Google is also a shareholder of Zynga.

Oh my goodness. So this is the way tech works today? Targeting their own shareholders? Looks like the only winning team are the lawyers. Nice job everyone. Now you know why China will rule us very, very soon. And Zynga, because who can resist playing CityVille. Hurry up, make an Android app, before someone other makes a game like that on Android. Opps... it already happened :)

[via Huffington Post]
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2011-08-04

Google To Fire Back... Finally.

Google speaks clear words. And that's good. They tell us, what we all know.
But Android’s success has yielded something else: a hostile, organized campaign against Android by Microsoft, Oracle, Apple and other companies, waged through bogus patents.
Of course Microsoft's recation is also impressive. On Twitter, Brad Smith, Microsoft General Counsel, tweeted:
Google says we bought Novell patents to keep them from Google. Really? We asked them to bid jointly with us. They said no.
Well, our Anti-Googler MG Siegler on Techcrunch, made up an article about... well about the reaction of Microsoft. Saying Google is making fools out of themselves. But not that I think about any kind of neutral journalism from MG Siegler when it comes to Google, he may have ask Brad Smith what the conditions were, for a joined bid.

Handing over the rights for Android to a consortium? Paying money for patent-licenses within the group? So, let's play the Anti-Siegler here: I'm sure the conditions for a joined bis were unacceptable. I can not figure out, why a joint venture with every main competitor would make sense. Therefore I'll guess, the rules for the join of Google wasn't very tempting for them. Despite that I see no way, how it could stand against the Federal Trading Commission if all the big players are planing world domination together. Okay, it's the USA, so we might forget about that not being possible.

For me it's clear. Those typical patent-trolls made bids to put Google, and especially Android, under pressure.  Google itself bought 1030 patents from IBM that could influence the attackers desktop PC market. I think it's time for Google to step into the fight with all their power to end this charade of crying companies that lost all their innovation. You want Android to disappear? Then make something better or die. That was once wht America made big. Not the ridiculous court wars over patents. This is something kids do in their sandbox. Destroying others sandcastles if they are better than the own one. And I would give that child a clear advice.

[Via Official Google Blog: When patents attack Android]

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Zuckerberg's Sister Left Facebook

MUNICH, GERMANY - JANUARY 24: Randi Zuckerber...Image by Getty Images via @daylife . All rights reserved.
Randi Zuckerberg, the sister of Mark Zuckerberg, left Facebook today.

Big deal, big deal... Well, but she was kind of the 2nd face for Facebook, and made some politic talks and represented Facebook for a part of the politician world.
It's confirmed by her verified Twitter-account, with a tweet of herself.

So, no more Randi there, but there are stil 749.999.999 million people left. And probably, if you read the end of this article, we might have a few thousands more. Or not, if they all move to Google+ now :)

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2011-08-01

12 Trolls Doesn't Make A Party - Come And Lose Your Patents

Interesting. The call from the MPEG-LA to all companies holding possible patents against Google's free and open WebM video standard, have been heard. 12 mateys entering the boat and might sink with it. Of course, the names will kept from public. Well unless they step into the ring officially. The FSF already called out for a boycott of the MPEG LA supporters.

The latest patent lawsuit from Oracle shows how fast you can lose the same patents you're claiming against someone. Over 40 patents are marked as invalid. That means, all the other, smaller companies, can now use them without fear. Before that they had to pay, if they wanted to get away without a big lawsuit.
So I'll guess that's exactly what Google is saying. Bring them on, and lose them. I have no doubt that this will be a tough fight with some losses on both sites. But in the end, I hope for freedom and justice, that there must be a way left to have an open video standard, and not a big monopoly with questionable behavior.

Check the full article of the Streaming Media Magazine to learn more.

WebM Patent Fight Ahead for Google? - Streaming Media Magazine: "In February, MPEG LA announced a call for patents essential to the VP8 video codec specification as outlined in Google’s WebM release. The press release announcing the call asked for submissions by March 18, so I thought I would check in with a spokesperson at MPEG-LA to see if there was any activity.

I learned that there had been plenty. Twelve parties have stepped forward with patents that they believe are essential to the VP8 standard, on which Google's WebM is based, though no patent pool has been formed yet and MPEG LA is not releasing the patentholders' names at this time."
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