What Obama's Re-election Means for the Technology World

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axiler

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The patent reform law helps companies and inventors avoid costly delays and unnecessary litigation—letting them focus instead on innovation and job creation

So..Apple being awarded with the patent for actual rounded rectangle allows the to focus on innovation how?...

Source - http://arstechnica.com/apple/2012/11/apple-awarded-design-patent-for-actual-rounded-rectangle/
 

classzero

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[citation][nom]axiler[/nom]So..Apple being awarded with the patent for actual rounded rectangle allows the to focus on innovation how?...Source - http://arstechnica.com/apple/2012/ [...] rectangle/[/citation]
here at the bottom of your link
I think most people don't understand what it means that this is a design patent - it's not the same thing as a "regular" patent (a utility patent). Design patents allow a company to get an exclusive right to the form of a functional object so that a 3rd party can't make a different device with identical appearance (well, not legally at least). Almost every company that puts the time into making a distinctive shape for their devices gets one: Microsoft has one for the Xbox, George Lucas got one for Yoda etc.

Design patents are extremely narrow - you have to do your level best to copy them exactly in order to be found in infringement. Plus, they specifically cannot cover functionality - that has to be covered by a utility patent, if it's going to be protected. This design patent only protects a "portable display device" (that's the wording in the Patent itself), and only one with those specific design elements that are shown in the Patent Figures.
 

djscribbles

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[citation][nom]axiler[/nom]So..Apple being awarded with the patent for actual rounded rectangle allows the to focus on innovation how?...Source - http://arstechnica.com/apple/2012/ [...] rectangle/[/citation]

Nevermind that the quote is most likely regarding the reform to the patent system (such as first-to-file) rather than praise for the way the system is working.
 
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I like it when the government is computer illiterate. I'd rather have a senile old dude who wants to put a wiretap on my landline than a slick, savvy NSA that can use supercomputers to track and log every interaction I make with every facet of the digital world.
 

Marco925

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Except Obama bends over for Hu Jintao. Keep bending over obama! when our good friends in democratic Taiwan, where our IT comes from, ends up going into the hands of selfish dictators who would not hesitate to grab hold of us in the nads by imposing an embargo on IT Equipment if we don't follow their interests, you can say bye bye to your precious blackberry! Keep denying billions of dollars in economic growth for F16 Fighter jets to taiwan because China kicked and screamed No! Not only is the IT industry at stake, but the 23 million who depend on you for protection of their democratic rights as an ally are also at stake!
/endrant
 
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I may have too young to vote, but i wish Ross Perot was president back in 92'. Anyway, after congress passed a broadband bill for everyone in the US, i have to yet receive any in my place. Instead, my telephone bill doubled because of this compromise. #&!* you ATT!
 

southernshark

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The patent bill which Obama signed into law only made it easier for large companies to screw small investors out of the work which they produced. Obama is a horrible president.
 

jhansonxi

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[citation][nom]southernshark[/nom]The patent bill which Obama signed into law only made it easier for large companies to screw small investors out of the work which they produced. Obama is a horrible president.[/citation]The president doesn't get to write the legislation, only congress does.
 

danwat1234

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[citation][nom]Marco925[/nom]Except Obama bends over for Hu Jintao. Keep bending over obama! when our good friends in democratic Taiwan, where our IT comes from, ends up going into the hands of selfish dictators who would not hesitate to grab hold of us in the nads by imposing an embargo on IT Equipment if we don't follow their interests, you can say bye bye to your precious blackberry! Keep denying billions of dollars in economic growth for F16 Fighter jets to taiwan because China kicked and screamed No! Not only is the IT industry at stake, but the 23 million who depend on you for protection of their democratic rights as an ally are also at stake!/endrant[/citation]
I think Obama just bends over for Michelle Obama and vice versa. I have a feeling that he's a loyal man.
 

catswold

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[citation][nom]jhansonxi[/nom]The president doesn't get to write the legislation, only congress does.[/citation]

Umm . . . he did expressly state ". . . which Obama SIGNED into law . . ." The President always has the choice to sign a bill or to veto it. Clearly Obama favored the bill and thus attached his John Henry to it.
 

matt_b

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[citation][nom]jhansonxi[/nom]The president doesn't get to write the legislation, only congress does.[/citation]
The President has the option to sign or veto a bill, and he signed it which says he approved. So what did southernshark say wrong?
 

bit_user

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Cybersecurity +1

Net Neutrality +1

Online Piracy -1

Internet Advertising +1

Broadband 0

Patents 0

Total = 2

Instead of arguing, why don't you score your favorite politician?

I gave him 0 on broadband not because it's not important, but because the state of the telecoms industry makes this little more than a giveaway to the shareholders in telecoms companies. What we need is for telecoms to be regulated as a utility, like electricity, gas, and water. Then, just bid the telecoms against each other to build the cheapest, fastest network, and penalize them for any downtime (to make the network reliable).

I gave him 0 on Patents, because AIA is a joke. It does nothing to stop patent trolls or patents that aren't novel. We need real leadership - not just letting special interests write the legislation as they want. Anyway, it's good that he cares about the issue and is staffing up USPTO.
 

madjimms

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[citation][nom]JamesBondage[/nom]People on welfare shouldn't be allowed to vote.[/citation]
I'm on section 8 & food stamps, does that mean I shouldn't be allowed to vote because I'm not rich like you?
 

jhansonxi

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[citation][nom]matt_b[/nom]The President has the option to sign or veto a bill, and he signed it which says he approved. So what did southernshark say wrong?[/citation]All legislation is a mixed bag and generally requires an analysis of "good vs. bad". If they feel the good outweighs the bad then it gets signed otherwise it doesn't. One bill signed doesn't make a president good or bad, especially in the long term (decades later). Trying to get congress to pass something that is useful and not full of earmarks, especially when there are so many special interests dumping money into campaigns, is really difficult. If the President had line-item veto power it may help but it could be abused also. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line-item_veto#United_States
 
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