White House Press Secretary Jay Carney described President Obama’s newly proposed patent policy yesterday during the daily press briefing. The administration introduced a package of executive orders and recommended legislation that takes aim at patent trolls. Technology companies have expressed early support for measures that they hope will help curb the growing onslaught of lawsuits negatively affecting innovation. Continue reading Tech Companies Support Federal Move Against Patent Trolls

Rather than crawl websites like a traditional search engine, Shodan navigates back channels tracking servers, webcams, printers, routers and other devices connected to the Internet. Each month, it gathers information on roughly 500 million connected devices and services. CNNMoney calls Shodan “the scariest search engine on the Internet.” As we move closer to the Internet of Things, it raises questions about how easy it may be to hack anything that is connected to the Internet. Continue reading Search Engine Exposes Vulnerability of Connected Devices

The Sony Betamax videocassette recorder allowed consumers to record TV shows and view later, marking the first time content creators were significantly concerned about the pirating and/or redistribution of television. It was a major concern of Hollywood, since it posed a serious threat to revenue. After a 5-4 Supreme Court decision, the technology was allowed to survive, launching a series of decisions that still affect the market today. Continue reading Court Copyright Ruling Continues in First Sale Tradition