Google v Everyone
By Larry Downes on March 23, 2010 at 6:00 pm
I had a long interview this morning with the Christian Science Monitor . Like many of the interviews I’ve had this year, the subject was Google. At the increasingly congested intersection of technology and the law, Google seems to be involved in most of the accidents.
The interview got me thinking about why one company seems to be so central to problems of law and innovation, and the result is a very long post on my website, which I'll summarize here. (For the whole thing, see http://larrydownes.com/google-v-everyone/.) Read more about Google v Everyone
The Under and Overhyping of HTC v. Apple
By Larry Downes on March 5, 2010 at 12:42 pm
I'm quoted briefly in a story today in E-Commerce Times (see “Apple’s Patent Attack: This Too May be Overhyped” by Erika Morphy) about the patent lawsuit filed this week by Apple against rival mobile device maker HTC.
Apple, of course, produces the iPhone, while HTC makes Google’s Nexus One and other devices that run on Google’s Android operating system.
So right from the start this case looks less like a simple patent dispute and more like a warning shot over Google’s bow.
{C} Read more about The Under and Overhyping of HTC v. Apple
The Italian Job: The Real Reason the Google Convictions are Bad Precedent
By Larry Downes on February 25, 2010 at 9:32 pm
I was pleased to be interviewed last night on BBC America World News (live!) about the convictions of three senior Google executives by an Italian court for privacy violations. The case involved a video uploaded to Google Videos (before the acquisition of YouTube) that showed the bullying of a person with disabilities. (See "Larger Threat is Seen in Google Case" by the New York Times' Rachel Donadio for the details.)
Internet commentators were up-in-arms about the conviction, which can't possibly be reconciled with European law or common sense. The convictions won't survive appeals, and the government knows that as well as anyone. They neither want to or intend to win this case. If they did, it would mean the end of the Internet in Italy, if nothing else. Still, the case is worth worrying about, for reasons I'll make clear in a moment. Read more about The Italian Job: The Real Reason the Google Convictions are Bad Precedent
Amazon Marketplace: Liability in the Cloud?
By Larry Downes on February 20, 2010 at 7:22 am
I don’t usually blog “personal” stories, but this one is irresistible. It raises disturbing questions at the border of digital and physical life, and legal problems of trademark and the emerging issues of cloud computing and data liability. Read more about Amazon Marketplace: Liability in the Cloud?
Google Books Redux: The DoJ Tones Down its Objections
By Larry Downes on February 11, 2010 at 4:29 pm
I write today on CNET (see "Gripes over Google Books go Technical") about the Department of Justice's filing last week in the Google Books case. The Amended Settlement Agreement (ASA), released in November, will be discussed by the parties at a fairness hearing on Feb. 18th.
The DoJ continues to object to the settlement, but now their objections to the most recent version are considerably muted from earlier filings. Read more about Google Books Redux: The DoJ Tones Down its Objections