A weekly wrap up of interesting news about virtual worlds, virtual goods and other social media. Piracy battle goes to CES, Wikipedia may join SOPA protest, Google social search faces privacy concerns A contentious battle over Internet anti-piracy legislation shifted from Washington to the Consumer Electronics Show, The Washington Post…
Social Media usage in the financial services industry is on the rise, which is now putting many registered investment advisers (RIAs) under the microscope for potential federal securities laws violations. RIAs that have not taken the time to review and update their social media policies and procedures may soon find…
A weekly wrap up of interesting news about virtual worlds, virtual goods and other social media. Will 2012 be the year of virtual worlds? What got me thinking about this was a blog post by Maria Korlova over at the HyperGrid Business Blog. In it, she maintains her firm…
One of the primary concerns that companies have regarding patent filings is the time it takes to get a patent. Recent changes to the patent laws have created a fast track option to “whisk” your patent through the process. To use this option you must file a petition and pay…
PhoneDog LLC filed a lawsuit last July against a now former employee, Noah Kravitz. PhoneDog, which reviews mobile devices, including phones and tablets, is claiming ownership of Kravitz’s Twitter followers. They claim he owes them $340,000 based on an assumed value of $2.50 per follower per month. The dispute arose…
On December 6, 2011 Zynga settled its copyright suits against Vostu USA Inc. and others. The first suit, case number 5:11-cv-02959, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California back in June, alleged that several of Vostu’s games infringed Zynga’s copyrights. Specifically, Zynga had alleged, that…
Facebook recently filed a Patent Application that Triggered a Congressional inquiry. The patent application, which describes technology for tracking users on other websites, resulted in a letter from Reps. Edward Markey, D- Mass., and Joe Barton, R-Texas, seeking information on its current privacy practices and future intentions for tracking user…
On September 30, 2011, a new set of digital marketing guidelines went into effect for distilled spirits companies in the United States and Europe. The self-imposed guidelines, detailed below, were developed jointly by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), the national trade association representing America’s leading…
The Supreme Court has validated the ability of software developers to prevent customers from owning the copy of software they acquire. Because software developers can limit the customers rights to a mere license, they can impose restrictions that can prevent the customer from reselling the software. This is a huge…
Given the great interest in “the cloud” from a business perspective, as well as Microsoft’s popularization of the concept with its “To the Cloud!” advertising campaign, it’s no wonder that many game providers are looking to the cloud as the next viable and profitable gaming platform. The cloud movement not…