Month: June 2014

Creator Of Flappy Bird Clone Claims His Duplication Is Covered By Trademark

(…) it takes a special kind of person to copy someone else’s game entirely and then try to prevent future cloning via a bit of peremptory legalese.

Samuel David couldn’t even be bothered to use his own screenshot on the game’s iTunes page.

You know, if you’re just going to clone someone else’s game, at least have the self-awareness to realize that trying to “protect” your “work” (especially with bogus claims) going forward just makes you look like an idiot, and a hugely disingenuous one at that.

Link (Techdirt)

faithInHumanity–;

Everyone Go Crazy: Prepare To Blame The Internet For Murder-Inducing Ghost Stories

Prosecutors say two 12-year-old southeastern Wisconsin girls stabbed their 12-year-old friend nearly to death in the woods to please a mythological creature they learned about online. One of the girls told a detective they were trying to become “proxies” of Slender Man, a mythological demon-like character they learned about on creepypasta.wikia.com, a website about horror stories and legends. They planned to run away to the demon’s forest mansion after the slaying, the complaint said.

Link (Techdirt)

Of course they will get away with it…

… there hasn’t been “separation of power” in the US in a very long time.

EFF Tells Court That The NSA Knowingly And Illegally Destroyed Evidence In Key Case Over Bulk Surveillance

The filing lists out the history of the government repeatedly destroying relevant information, despite the preservation orders from the court, and despite clear language noting that the government had to preserve exactly this kind of data. The DOJ’s argument that it thought the data under FISA-approved programs didn’t count seems especially weak, given that the DOJ itself was part of trying to hide that those programs even existed. As the EFF filing notes, the argument seems preposterous in context. For example, at one point, the DOJ claims that it thought EFF didn’t mean FISC-approved programs because it talked about “warrantless” surveillance. However, as EFF notes, even FISC-approved programs are still warrantless, because a FISC order is not a warrant. 

Link (Techdirt)

You have to love a country where corruption is institutionalized

Congressman Bob Latta (R-OH) today introduced legislation to ensure the Internet remains open and free from government interference by limiting the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) authority to regulate broadband under Title II of the Communications Act.

So Bob Latta wants to ensure the internet stays free by removing the last bits of regulations that stop the big telcos from abusing their monopoly-like situation.

Why?

Oh, no, there’s no reason to wonder. We already know. Latta is bankrolled by the big broadband companies with AT&T, NCTA, Verizon, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, American Cable Assocation and Centurylink among his top campaign supporters. Because, of course they are.

Link (Techdirt)

Verizon wants to have their cake and eat it too

They claim that this infrastructure must be considered Title II, in order to get those subsidies, tax breaks and rights of way. And they insist that it’s proper to classify it as Title II because it offers voice service over those lines. But, at the very same time, they claim that all other services that they provide, must be classified under Title I.

Oh, and it gets better: they claim that in order to pay for all of this (even though they’re getting all these breaks and subsidies), they have to raise the prices on telephone service — which they’ve done at a fairly astounding rate.

And, we’re not done with the scam yet. As we’ve been describing for years, part of this shell game is that Verizon promises that, under Title II, it will install this fiber to everyone — and then never delivers. And then, for the final kick in the gut, after it fails to deliver on those promises, it gets local politicians to drop the requirements it agreed to in order to get the subsidies.

Link (Techdirt)