P2P company sues RIAA over patent:
Yesterday a company named Altnet (who sells music and other products on-line through file swapping programs) sued the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) alleging patent infringement of USPN 5,978,791. Altnet has been joint venturing with Kazaa.The patent covers a technology known as “TrueNames,” which (according to a 2003 Altnet press release) covers “a method of identifying data based on the actual content of a file, rather than by the file name, origin, location, address, or other information that can easily be changed. A unique identifier, or hash, is assigned to the data using an algorithm in a patented process. Networking applications can use the hash to identify files correctly.”
Altnet is alleging that the RIAA infringes the ‘791 patent through its support of two antipiracy companies (Overpeer and MediaDefender) who use the technology to frustrate Altnet’s business. According to Cnet, Overpeer posts “millions of false or corrupted files on networks such as Kazaa, trying to make real files harder to find” whereas “Media Defender uses “interdiction” techniques, which essentially clog networks with requests that block real download efforts.” Both Overpeer and MediaDefender were likewise named defendants in the suit.
IP attorney Stephan Kinsella pointed to this story which I think is a perfect ending to a rather odd academic week filled with ironies o’plenty.
One story comes from my “Racism and Ethnicity” class in which I found out that unless you are an artificially constructed minority, it’s difficult to prove that you aren’t a racist. Even if you don’t say “you dirty jew” or “what is up my nigga” you could be a closet racist. Basically, you have to have close friends or associates you socialize with on a regular basis, that are “minorities.”
This of course is curious, because is Bumpkin Joe from out in the boonies required to bus in inner-city minorities once a week as part of a diversity exchange program? Unfortunately, despite the fact that I have enjoyed parts of the class (his Marxist leanings are surprisingly more fresh tasting than the slavishly hawkish neoconservatives that I’m so used to), the ad hominem attacks took the class down a couple notches in my book.
I’ll have to say about this is: I like big butts and I can not lie, you other brothers can’t deny that when a girl walks in with an itty bitty waist and a round thing in your face you get sprung.