Weekend Open Thread

During the week starting August 13, Google received takedown requests for 1,496,220 URLs, up 35% on the record set just two weeks earlier and a huge 1,137% increase over the 131,577 URL takedowns requested August 8 2011.

Google says that during the last four weeks it was asked by 1,825 copyright owners and 1,406 anti-piracy reporting organizations to remove 5,733,402 URLs across 32,545 domains, truly huge numbers which on recent trends look likely to increase.

One thing I have learned (from being around since BEFORE the damned internet), is not one thing popular connected to the internet can actually be expected to be worth anything to the internet past 5 years.

A jury has found Samsung guilty of infringing at least some Apple patents in the mega-infringement trial between the two companies.

The jury’s verdict, which is now being read, finds Samsung guilty of most of the charges read thus far, which cover various utility patents. The jury also found Samsung guilty of violating various design patents held by Apple.

The jury has yet to announce its decision with regard to whether Samsung willfully violated Apple patents or on Samsung’s countersuit.

Now Apple will slap injunctions on importing of most Android products and then demand huge royalty payments like $50 a device.

Apple wins, everybody else, you and me included, loses.

There is still the small Samsung vs Apple matter to resolve too.

Samsung lost on every claim in their counter-suit and got $0.

It will just further cement Apple's domination of the smartphone market for another couple years.

I wonder what the lawyers make off of this.

oh Apple paid off Lucy Koh

Now we get to see how much of the jury verdict & award is set aside by the judge as is often the case in big civil lawsuits. And then the inevitable appeals.

CNET looks at why the Android community should be a little more nervous after today's ruling.

While the monetary damages are significant, they pale in comparison to the precedent set by this jury that Apple's design patents are valid and worth protection, giving it license to go after any company with a similar looking product. That's bad news for any company building an Android smartphone or tablet.

"This is a big loss for Google," said Roger Entner, an analyst at Recon Analytics. "There were actually two parties being sued by Apple. Google just wasn't named."

So yes, the battle may range on for another few years. But thanks to this decision, public perception will be on Apple's side. The decision was so lopsided that it has to make all of the other Android partners a bit nervous. While an appeal is an option, it doesn't look good.

Even as the legal machinations roll on, Android players may indeed start lining up to strike licensing deals with Apple.

Do any of them want to subject themselves the kind of circus that Samsung has had to deal with? Samsung spent the last few weeks revealing all kinds of juicy details and pouring resources into a legal strategy that ultimately was fruitless.

Samsung is by far the strongest Android player, and had the resources to mount the best possible legal campaign. In addition, Google had been quietly providing its own support.

But if all of that wasn't enough, what chances does HTC or LG have if Apple were to begin looking elsewhere? HTC is already smarting from a loss with the ITC, and isn't relishing another legal clash against Apple.

With many Android users already paying a license fee to Microsoft, and now needing to pay an additional fee to Apple, Google's free operating system isn't as free as it used to be.

"Google distributes Android for free, but the IP licensing costs -- from Apple lawsuits and Microsoft's successful IP licensing business -- are getting quite expensive," said Avi Greengart, an analyst at Current Analysis.

Judge Lucy Koh worked on several apple cases(2002-2008) as their outside console/attorney, was given apple stock options, and still has many relationships with her former employer.. Her failure to recuse herself is a gross miscarriage of justice.

They are basically saying stupid crap like "Rectangular screens with rounded edges" are infringing!

Just wanted to say that it's my birthday!

Lay juries should not be deciding patent cases.

I guess not. Stay uninformed America!

Good-bye Neil Armstrong.

»usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08···t-age-82

With the threatening prospect of Tropical Storm Isaac turning into a hurricane and making landfall in the midst of one of the busiest refining hubs in the U.S., refining companies have begun closing their facilities in the U.S. Gulf Coast, shutting down at least 8% of the country's total fuel-production capacity.

The storm-induced refinery closures have already shut down 1.3 million barrels a day of fuel-production capacity, or 8% of total output, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

The market will likely feel the effect of the resulting fuel-supply crunch for about a week, said Dominick Chirichella, analyst at Energy Management Institute.

Isaac is "certainly a refinery issue more than a crude-oil issue," Mr. Chirichella said.

Meanwhile, emergency crews were still fighting a fire at Venezuela's largest refinery, a 640,000-barrel-a-day plant in Amuay, after an explosion left at least 41 people dead. As of Monday's market close, worries of a regional capacity shortfall had sent Nymex gasoline prices to $3.17 per million British thermal units, up 7.7 cents from Friday's close. U.S. refiners, which export gasoline to Latin America, could see demand rise to make up for Venezuela's lost production.

.... and announce their latest model, the special edition limited run

Samsung Infringe! (TM)