We’ve noted a few times now how the 2021 infrastructure bill includes more than $42.5 billion to shore up broadband access. And while a huge chunk of that money will absolutely be going to giant telecom monopolies with a long history of subsidy fraud, a lot of the funding is genuinely going to help fund […]
The world of the cosmetics industry is no stranger to trademark disputes. Without really diving in, I can think of several reasons why this would be. It is a saturated market in which both very large and much smaller companies play. It’s an industry which produces products that basically beg for descriptive product names and […]
Wayne County, Michigan cops and prosecutors love seizing property. According to law enforcement, seizing cash and cars from people (while often not charging them with crimes) is the best way to break up criminal organizations and disrupt the illegal drug market. What’s left unexplained is how Wayne County’s forfeiture program does anything more than make […]
For many, many years we’ve detailed how big pharma companies, who only care about the monopoly rents they can receive on medicine while under patent, have concocted all sorts of scams and schemes to avoid having to compete with generic versions, even after their patents have expired (or been invalidated). But one of their older […]
You hate to see it. But you know it’s always there. And it’s not even hidden below the surface. It’s right there on top: the disdain expressed by law enforcement officers for the people they’re supposed to be serving. If you believe the people you swore to serve and protect are worth less than the […]
I don’t think I’ve ever had a story sent in to me more than Bill Willingham’s Substack/press release announcing that he was putting the Fables comic book property into the public domain, as part of a dispute he’s having with DC Comics. As of now, 15 September 2023, the comic book property called Fables, including […]
Designed for the world of hybrid work, Windows 11 can help you work more simply and seamlessly from anywhere. Windows 11 Pro also includes a number of productivity-focused features, such as the ability to snap multiple windows together and create custom layouts, improved voice typing, and a new, more powerful search experience. Personal and professional […]
Who among us has not considered shoving a camera into our underwear… but for the greater good… on the public’s dime? No need to raise your hands. We already know where they are. The only thing better than lots of surveillance is even more surveillance. That’s the unofficial tagline of the Intelligence Community, as headed […]
The “cord cutting” trend cable execs spent a decade claiming was a fad just broke another round of new records. According to Leichtman Research, major cable TV providers lost another 1.7 million subscribers last quarter, as users flock to streaming, over the air TV, TikTok, or, you know, books. Roughly 17,700 customers cut the cord […]
This week, our first place winner on the insightful side is James Burkhardt, responding to a commenter who compared Elon Musk’s silly server-destroying adventure to Alexander cutting the Gordian knot, and taking the analogy further: Except after Alexander cut this knot, the ox cart kept dumping goods on the road, because the knot kept the […]
Five Years Ago This week in 2018, ISPs were using new tactics to try to stop California’s net neutrality bill on the home stretch, while California was also eyeing a more questionable bill to fix the internet of broken things, and Ajit Pai was falsely claiming that states are powerless to protect broadband consumers. We […]
Well, this is a bit of a doozy. This case — via the Institute for Justice — involves a possible First Amendment violation but somehow ends with a judicial blessing of cops who make things up after the fact to justify an arrest that has already taken place. That’s literally what happened here. Mason Murphy […]
Back in March we were greatly dismayed by the the ruling in Hachette v. the Internet Archive over the legality of “controlled digital lending” and the Archive’s “Open Library.” It seemed clear that Judge John Koeltl did not understand some of the fundamentals of fair use (it also appeared that he went into their oral […]
Hoo-boy, if you pay even mild attention to the video game industry, you’re already going to be aware of the complete shitshow famed game-engine Unity has on its hands right now. By way of throat-clearing, you need to know how Unity got to where it is to understand what’s happening now. The game engine has […]
As the US government stumbles around to try to come up with an AI regulatory policy, it seems like they’re focused on trying every bad idea on for size. You may have heard how Senator Schumer just had the first of his AI Summits, including a bunch of big name folks, who probably are not […]
The US government may try to prosecute you for violating sites’ terms of service. But it won’t be handling its own actions the same way. Instead, the government embraces fakery of all sorts, from fake colleges used to eject immigrants just trying to further their education to setting up fake drug stash houses to entrap […]
Say goodbye to the hassle of multiple cords and hello to a simplified, streamlined charging experience. With the 3-in-1 USB-C cord, you can now charge your iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch all at the same time. With three ports for dual charging, this versatile cable cuts back on wire clutter while boasting extra length for […]
So, last Friday, the 5th Circuit released its opinion in the appeal of an absolutely ridiculous Louisiana federal court ruling that insisted large parts of the federal government were engaged in some widespread censorial conspiracy with social media, and barred large parts of the government from talking to social media companies and even academic researchers. […]
To be clear: SpaceX’s Starlink service is a game changer for those out of range of broadband access. Getting several hundred megabits per second in the middle of nowhere is a decidedly good thing, assuming you can afford the $600 hardware and $110 a month subscription cost. That said, a few telecom analysts had quietly […]
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that the NCAA has appeared all over Techdirt, representing itself as a jealous and prolific defender of all the intellectual property rights the college athletics organization has, or imagines it has. Like any good cabal, the NCAA is both extremely insular and also aggressive when it comes to anyone else using […]
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