This article is about a Supreme Court case which ruled that cominations of previous patents shall no longer be allowed to be registered as new patents. The obvious reason for this is that it could cause people to profit off of the simple prevention of innovation. For instance, if I were to register an invention which combined the functions of a car, airplane and boat I may be unwittingly discouraging others who are developing such a technology already but who have not advanced far enough to begin applying for a patent. Certainly, t his example shows how a rather obvious idea can be essentially "stolen" as a patent and used for one individual's profit. technological examples might well be far more complicated. As technology progresses, such encounters could well become even more common. So, the Court essentially is loosening its interpretation of what is an "obvious" idea. Anyone who chooses to sue over copyright infr ingement is now taking on an enhanced risk that their copyright will be invalidated due to obviousness. So on the whole, it would appear that large companies have gained the power to combine existing patents without paying a toll to "trolls" who sneak in and patent these combinations in a fraudulent manner. One potential negative consequence could be that someone who combines patents in a novel manner which is not obvious may well have his patent invalidated for obviousness. Overall, this makes copyright law far more objective. This does seem to be a sensible conclusion however, given the rapid pace of technology advances.

This article shows the way that big businesses generally try to crush competitors by either buying them out or outpacing them with increases in technology. Vonage is a service that offers far less expensive service with its VOIP technology. Usually, using the internet to make phone calls costs only the price of whatever internet service provider is providing a user’s internet. However, services such as Skype have failed to gain widespread popularity because of the inconvenience and unfamiliarity most people have with making internet phone calls. Vonage has closed this gap by providing regular phone service that uses the internet to connect. Naturally, Verizon is and should be concerned with this. It represents a very serious threat to their profitable business. When I was in Costa Rica I met a man who was the proprietor of a bed and breakfast who used Vonage. He explained to me the main advantage of using Vonage—tax evasion. While many users merely use the service for less expensive calls, it is possible to set up “virtual numbers,” which are simply phone numbers in the area code of the user’s choice. So, for instance, this man was able to set up a credit card account and bill people in Florida at his “virtual charge machine.” This exempted him from paying higher tax rates in Costa Rica. Whether this is actually legal I am not sure. Certainly, if it is, the Costa Rican government is not advertising it as a suggested technique.

LAWMAKERS PROPOSE REVERSAL OF NET RADIO FEE INCREASES

This article is interesting because it shows that power in numbers does still exist apart from the numbers of one's bank account. Clearly, the voices of many internet radio stations were heard in the proposition of this new bill. Of course, it has still yet to be passed, but that fact that congress is taking note is significant. If no major progress is made soon, it is likely that these internet broadcasters will continue to apply pressure on lawmakers. It is important to note on one hand the founding father's repeated stress of the importance of a strong media to keep the public well-informed. And despite the best attempts at some of the richest and most powerful men in the world, the internet continues to be an unregulated and increasingly important source of news for people worldwide.