Intellectual Property

Could Independent Music Giant Amoeba Be Facing a Copyright Lawsuit Nightmare?

While the corpses of corporate music retail chains litter strip malls where outlets like Tower Records and Blockbuster Music once stood, Amoeba Music is an independent juggernaut with three California-based stores the size of supermarkets. They've been a celebrated shopping destination for music afi ... More >>

David Shields' How Literature Saved My Life Successfully Murders the Novel

Hold That Pose: Federal Judge Rules That Bikram Yoga Cannot Be Copyrighted

Quietly, after more than ten years of contentious lawsuits, Bikram Choudhury's copyright on the specific sequence of Bikram yoga has been overruled by the federal court. For the past year Bikram and his lawyers, the media, and the yoga community, have been focused on the legal warfare involving Greg ... More >>

Tonight David Byrne and Author Chris Ruen Explain Exactly, Specifically, and Definitively Why Illegally Downloading Music Makes You A Huge Asshole

Tonight, in the main branch of the New York Public Library, the long-running conversation about artist copyright, piracy in the digital age, changing (and disappearing) artist revenue streams, and illegal downloading continues with two people who've added much to that discourse of late: Talking Head ... More >>

The Costliest Battle in the High-Tech World

On the front lines of the new Cold War

Lady Gaga Accused Of Bullying! She Defends Herself! Exclusive Story

In came the email: "Lady Gaga (Ate My Heart, Inc /Stefani Germanotta) is a bully and suing the family business that owns the 12-year-old registered trademark brand Gaga Pure Platinum cosmetics because she can't get a federal trademark registration, after being blocked registration twice.

All Of The Arguments About Digital Music, Summarized

Piracy is theft. Piracy isn't theft because nothing physical is being stolen. You are taking money out of the hands of artists. Artists were already being ripped off by labels. Artists can make the money back by touring. Kickstarter.

Kim Dotcom: Has The US Already Lost The Case Against the Megaupload Founder?

Earlier today, news broke that Kim Dotcom, the larger-than-life Megaupload founder known for his love of sportscars and supermodels, won a key victory in the case against him. A judge just ruled that prosecutors had to turn over docs with evidence against him so he could defend himself against ext ... More >>

Is Google Censoring Links?

Not too long ago, there was talk that the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and the Recording Industry Association of America might sue Google, claiming that the web behemoth has used its search engine service to shape the online music market in a way trade groups do not like. T ... More >>

Can You Get Sued for File Sharing on Your WiFi Network?

If you own an open WiFi connection, you might have worried whether you're liable for any copyright infringement taking place on that network -- even if you didn't do it. In a ruling that has caught the attention of lawmakers and attorneys worldwide, a Finnish court just ruled that owners of open Wi ... More >>

The Pirate Bay: Soon To Be Banned?

The Pirate Bay has taken some hard hits in the past few months. Though the file-sharing site announced in February that it would delate torrents and move entirely to magnet links, law enforcement has continued to mobilize against the operation. In March, for instance, a leaked doc suggested Swed ... More >>

Are Fracking Chemicals a Secret? (UPDATE)

The health risks of hydraulic fracturing have been key in policymaking debates, with health advocates calling on legislators to assess fracking chemicals before allowing the polemic practice to take place. Friends of fracking, however, have pushed back against full disclosure: in Pennsylvania, for ... More >>

Organic Farmers Challenge Monsanto Patents in NY Court Hearing

A U.S. District Court hearing in downtown New York today could determine the eventual fate of several organic farmers from across the country, including some in upstate New York. The hearing centered on a "pre-emptive" suit led by the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association (OSGTA), against agr ... More >>

Breaking: SOPA, PIPA Lose Co-Sponsors, Might Be Stopped in Congress

After thousands of popular websites went offline today and many more individuals took to the Twitterverse to protest SOPA and PIPA, several co-sponsors of the anti-piracy bills have just withdrawn their support, telling reporters that they were worried about the legislations' impact on free speech, ... More >>

MTA Goes After East Village Artist for Painting on Used Metrocards [Updated]

Some of the artist's work.​The big bad wolf is hungry. Or jealous? EV Grieve today alerted us to the matter of East Village artist VH McKenzie, who has been creating oil paintings on discarded Metrocards that she then sells on Etsy for $48 apiece. The MTA found out about this, and sent her the ... More >>

Lady Gaga Sues Over Baby Gaga Breast Milk Ice Cream

​That 'Baby Gaga' breast milk ice cream that some enterprising London restaurant started peddling last month? It turns out that those with gag reflexes aren't the only ones who disapprove.

Sports Fans Shut Out: Channelsurfing.net Owner Brian McCarthy Busted for Alleged Video Piracy

​To the dismay of sports fans, when they now click on channelsurfing.net for free, pirated NBA games and pay-per-view events, they'll find a long announcement that starts: "This domain name has been seized by ICE - Homeland Security Investigations . . ." The owner of channelsurfing, Brian McCarth ... More >>

The Huffington Post Trademarks the Letter "H"

​For journalists, it's worth wondering what kind of document request Gawker reporter John Cook used to figure out that Arianna Huffington and her recently really rich website The Huffington Post successfully trademarked two variations on the capital letter "H." Maybe Cook just got a wacky tip ... More >>

Eddie Huang Eyes a Possible Expansion to San Francisco

​One day, Eddie Huang may get the smack-down he's been craving with San Francisco's Chairman Bao truck: in an interview with The Feast, Huang says he plans "to take my business to the West Coast...that's the second place we would look at" after New York. In the meantime, he says there's "all k ... More >>

Blogger Wars Heat Up: Google Explains Its Sudden Move Against MP3 Blogs

​"I get DMCA takedown notes almost every other week," Pop Tarts Suck Toasted proprietor Patrick Duffy told us on Tuesday, after Google's Blogger service, which hosted PTST, had summarily deleted the blog. "It's ridiculous, but I always remove the offending mp3's ... it seems that I hit the max ... More >>

"Internet Media Corporation" Sues Tribune for Use of "Preselected Internet Locations"

​Something called "Internet Media Corporation" is suing the Tribune Company (Chicago Tribune, etc.) for patent infringement. They claim the media company has stolen its "System for Providing Easy Access to the World Wide Web Utilizing a Published List of Preselected Internet Locations Together ... More >>

Christina Tosi Explains Why the Her Crack Pie Is Now Trademarked

GlenwoodNYC.comEdible intellectual property. ​ Sometime during the past couple of months, new additions appeared on the Momofuku Milk Bar and Bakery menu: 'TM' symbols next to the cereal milk, compost cookie, and crack pie. Had someone been caught in the act of trying to copycat Christina Tosi ... More >>

Noose-Door Columbia Prof Claims Computers Hacked in Plagiarism Hunt

A lawyer for former Columbia Teachers College professor Madonna Constantine -- who first came to public attention when a noose was affixed to her office door -- claims the school either erased or lost computer hard drives that would have cleared her of plagiarism charges that led to her firing. Pau ... More >>

Columbia's Knotty Noose Problem

There's still no culprit for a notorious noose at Teachers College—but plenty of evidence behind the firing of Madonna Constantine

Columbia Fires 'Noose' Professor for Plagiarism

A law firm hired by Teachers College concluded that Madonna Constantine had lifted the work of others

Anti-Energy Drink Feud

Brooklyn Zipper Innovator Sues the Gap

Code Warriors

Free culture takes flight at NYU

Real Invention

They patented the 'gerbil shirt'—but it's a record of creativity, not greed

Mondo Kim's Busted for Bootlegs

A Touch of Grey

Unlimited supply, EMI, there is no reason why, if the label sues there's sure to be a fight

No Trust

Congress and movie star dance the anti-download bolero

Five to Three

Merger mania picks back up; a smaller Warner gives up

Wired to Wired

Dean Finds That Courting Blogocrats Means Answering Tough Questions

Music

Darknet Blues

The Music Industry Makes Peace With Big Software—at Dial-Up Speed

Dow v. Thing

A Free-Speech Infringement That's Worse Than Censorship

Smear for Smear

Enron Pits 'Times,' 'Salon' Against Freelancer

License to Ill

Other People's Property

Academics Square Off Against Hollywood on Internet Content

The Bayer Boondoggle

Anthrax Crisis Shines a Light on Pharmaceutical Company Thuggery

He Who Waits

Fate of Hackers’ Hero Now in Judge’s Hands

Down By Law

When Movie Moguls Wage War to Protect Copyright, the First Amendment Ends Up on the Cutting Room Floor

The Empire Strikes Back

Alternative-Energy Scientist Fights to Save Patent

Free Radical

Superhacker Kevin Mitnick: Menace to Fear or Rogue to Love?

DVD Desperadoes

Are the Hackers Unfairly Prosecuted?

Fade to Black

The Motion Picture Association Shuts Down Crypto Research

e-Toy Story

Make the Music

The Boss's Souvenirs

For Bronx-Bashing Steinbrenner, a Few Terms of Endearment