Last week, Craigslist sent a clear message to sites offering third-party posting software. Powerpostings.com, owned by one Igor Gasov, had been offering customers the ability to post (including multiple postings) and manage ads on Craigslist. Craigslist sued them for copyright infringement, referencing the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, and trademark law. The defendants didn’t contest, and Craigslist was awarded a $1.3 million judgment.
In the past, other companies have offered Craigslist posting software, but Powerpostings took it too far. They also offered listing agents, who would post ads for customers, and they used false email addresses on Craigslist. No doubt there were several violations of Craigslist’s terms of use, in addition to the alleged trademark and copyright violations. Because Powerpostings didn’t appear in court, Craigslist didn’t have to prove anything. Craislist would have had to prove they registered parts of their Web site, and that Powerpostings copied those parts, for copyright infringement to have taken place. But considering all the allegations against them, it was probably a smart move for Powerpostings to accept a lesson learned the hard way.
Dental Design Patent and Trademark Infringement: Discus v. Biolase
Discus Dental and Zap Lasers, makers of surgical laser instruments, and cofounded by Dr. Dorfman, notable from his ABC's Extreme Makeover show, filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against a company called Biolase, which makes an “iLase” cordless medical laser. The claims were made against Biolase after it began to market its iLase product for sale in the U.S. in March.
According to the Complaint, the issue involves Discus' product the Styla, which is a hand-held cordless soft-tissue laser device, U.S. Patent No. D587,803. Discus claims patent infringement of the design of the Styla in view of a hand-held laser device that Biolase has. The claim for trademark infringement is a bit unclear because we believe that Biolase's product is simply called "iLase".
Biolase CEO David M. Mulder recently stated that "we are very confident in the breadth of our intellectual property portfolio, and in the strength of our laser technology, and we intend to vigorously defend the Company against these allegations levied by Discus and Zap."
Biolase asserts that the suit is being made merely for the design of the unit, and not its functionality or technology.
SPEECH & What Archive? 'Melbourne Flottante'
Speech and What Archive? Melbourne Flottante
Speech and What Archive? began on a floating house on a river in Chatou at the invitation of A Constructed World.
In Melbourne Flottante, we continue to consider what is kept and why it is kept, how things may be mapped, traced or stored, the possible shape and content of an archive, who may speak and what is kept unsaid, and generally what is privileged in culture so that it is available to the future.
The exhibition is composed of a presentation element, where objects that in some way act as archives will be exhibited at Y3K, and archive development, where the curators will work on methodologies of archiving and re-presentation for the duration of the show.
Speech and What Archive? began on a floating house on a river in Chatou at the invitation of A Constructed World.
In Melbourne Flottante, we continue to consider what is kept and why it is kept, how things may be mapped, traced or stored, the possible shape and content of an archive, who may speak and what is kept unsaid, and generally what is privileged in culture so that it is available to the future.
The exhibition is composed of a presentation element, where objects that in some way act as archives will be exhibited at Y3K, and archive development, where the curators will work on methodologies of archiving and re-presentation for the duration of the show.
Speech and What Archive? Melbourne Flottante is curated by Marie Gaultier and Anna Hess (Paris) and Liv Barrett and James Deutsher (Melbourne) with the support and counsel of A Constructed World.
Speech and What Archive is a project of A Constructed World. This project was made possible with funding and support from Vision Forum and Linköping University; CNEAI, Chatou; Social Practice MFA Program, CCA, San Francisco; and Villa Arson, Nice.
Speech and What Archive is a project of A Constructed World. This project was made possible with funding and support from Vision Forum and Linköping University; CNEAI, Chatou; Social Practice MFA Program, CCA, San Francisco; and Villa Arson, Nice.
Two events on Saturday 17 April from 4:30 to 6 at Y3K (205 Young St. Fitzroy)
Paris Flottante
In September 2009, the first workshop of Speech & What Archive was organised on La Maison Flottante in Chatou, France. Geoff Lowe introduced it with a lecture. Liv Barrett & Marie Gautier will try to re-give this lecture by mind.
Speech & What Archive? Speaking Event
As a work of civic collection, at a time when our future is being destroyed, ACW and the curators of Melbourne Flottante would like to invite you to participate in a Speaking Event in the Melbourne room.
You are invited to present any avowal around this subject of Speech and What Archive - what-can-we-say, what-will-we-keep in a short text, speech, performance, song, action or reading of up to 5 minutes.
Your presentation does not necessarily have to address contemporary art, it can be about the environment, garbage, media, politics, whatever-you-want. At a time when artists pay-to-say-what-they-want we offer this free platform.
Documentation of the event will be shown during a similar public event, Explaining contemporary art to live eels #6, for the closing of the exhibition Double Bind at Villa Arson, 29 and 30 May . On the last day of this weekend ACW's eels will be the released back into the Pallion river in Nice.
Some people including Veronica Kent and Sean Peoples, Lizzy Newman Jon Campbell, Jarrod Rawlins, Keith Al-Hasani, Ruby Lowe and Justin Clemens have already confirmed their participation but feel free to come and speak as well.
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