I’m interested in the impact of the digital world on our society. In an interview with Tech Nation, Kevin Werbach of Wharton College and founder of the Supernova conference touches on that impact. He also touches on some mistakes made during his tenure with the FCC, such as the Communications Decency Act. Of course, that particular…
Author: Kevin A. Thompson
Kevin A. Thompson practices primarily in the area of domestic and international trademarks, copyrights and internet law issues. He is experienced with prosecuting international applications under the Madrid Protocol. Kevin counsels clients in the selection, clearance, and maintenance of trademarks. He advises them with respect to enforcement of rights, and assists in representing them in disputes around the world to protect their valuable intellectual property.
Kevin received his law degree from DePaul University College of Law in 1998 with Honors and Order of the Coif. Kevin received his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1993. He is on the Board of Managers for the Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago, having served in the past as the chair of its Internet Law Committee, and is also past chair of the Chicago Bar Association’s Computer Law Committee.
Techshow Roundup
I attended only one day of the ABA Techshow here in Chicago on Friday, March 23rd. I initially wrote this post on the train using my latest gadget acquisition, an EvDO Mobile Broadband Card I won at Techshow courtesy of Sprint. I was one of the lucky winners of their giveaway, and wow, it’s nice. …
Blawg Review #100
Wow, Blawg Review had it’s 100th edition this week! The Editor prepared a retrospective on the past issues which included my #42, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Blawgosphere, and #93, the Illuminati edition. It’s been fun, I look forward to more! I host again next January. Thanks, Ed, for your kind words to me in a…
Commentary: Google/YouTube sued by Viacom
It’s often been said that when Google, Inc. bought the YouTube service, it bought a lawsuit. There have been several, but the biggest one yet was filed on March 13, 2007. There are six counts, the first three are for infringements of the exclusive rights granted to copyright holders, and the remaining three are for…
YouTube received 100,000 takedown notices from Viacom
Here’s a link to a great discussion of the situation which has occurred recently when YouTube received 100,000 DMCA Takedown Notices from Viacom, claiming that all 100,000 videos infringed upon Viacom’s copyrights. The problem? A good number of the videos were legitimate. These users now face the burden of serving YouTube with written counter-notices asserting…
Blawg Review #93
Welcome to Blawg Review #93, the sub rosa, hidden, and subversive Illuminati edition! 1993 was an important year for the development of Internet and computer law. A seminal case that led to the creation of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (the “EFF“)was decided. That case was Steve Jackson Games, Inc. v. United States Secret Service and…
General Media v. Crazy Troll: Not reverse domain name hijacking to bring ACPA case for expired domain
General Media Communications, Inc. v. Crazy Troll, LLC (No. 06 Civ. 40581 LAKFM, Order re: partial summary judgment, January 16, 2007), 2007 WL 102988 (S.D.N.Y.) Plaintiff, General Media, is the publisher of Penthouse magazine. At one time, it owned the domain name penthouseboutique.com, but its bankruptcy trustee allowed it to lapse. General Media still has…
RIP: Bitpass
I first wrote about Bitpass, a micropayment service, here, back in July of 2005. I was sad to read that the service will shut down as of January 26th. Matt Marshall at VentureBeat has a great article discussing the demise here.
Recent “Phishing” conviction in California
A California man was recently convicted of a “phishing” scam. Specifically, Mr. Goodin’s conviction is based upon violations of the CAN-SPAM act (15 U.S.C. §§ 7701 et seq.), as well as 10 additional counts, including wire fraud, misuse of the AOL trademark, and attempted witness harassment. The article here at Mercury News makes a big…
Butera & Andrews v. IBM – Employer not liable for intentional hacking by unknown IBM employee
Butera & Andrews v. International Business Machines Corporation, 456 F.Supp.2d. 104, (1:06-CV-647, D. of Columbia, Order granting Motion to Dismiss, October 18, 2006.) Plaintiff Butera & Andrews is a law firm that specializes in federal government relations and litigation. It detected unauthorized intrusions into its computer systems in November of 2005. Security consultants tracked the…