Press Releases: August, 2006
California Lawmakers Pass Safeguards for Privacy-Leaking RFID Chips
Groundbreaking Bill Waits for Governor's Signature
Sacramento - The California State Senate passed tough new privacy safeguards late yesterday for use of "tag and track" devices known as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips embedded in state identification cards. The bill helps ensure that Californians can control the personal information contained on their drivers' licenses, library cards and other important ID documents.
EFF Sues Barney the Dinosaur to Defend Online Free Speech
Lawsuit Fights Baseless Copyright, Trademark Threats
San Francisco - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) asked a federal court Wednesday to protect the free speech rights of a website publisher who has suffered years of baseless legal threats over his parody of the Barney and Friends television show.
Dangerous Patent Law Ruling Threatens Free and Open Source Software
EFF Asks Supreme Court to Protect Open Source Innovation
San Francisco - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has asked the United States Supreme Court to overturn a dangerous patent law ruling that could pose a serious threat to Free and Open Source Software projects.
In a recent decision, the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed its own "suggestion test" as the main method for determining when a patent should be found obvious over knowledge in the public domain. Under this test, even the most obvious incremental advances and add-ons can be patented unless the Patent Office or a defendant in court produces a document that shows someone else suggested it prior to the patent being filed.
"The Federal Circuit's suggestion test forces litigants to search through reams of technical papers for a document in which someone, somewhere, bothers to state the obvious," said EFF Staff Attorney Corynne McSherry, who co-authored the amicus brief. "This is inefficient and burdensome, and contrary to the principles, policies, and standards the Supreme Court has upheld."
In its amicus brief filed Tuesday, EFF shows how this "suggestion test" has led to a massive surge in bogus patenting, especially in software. These bad patents then become weapons against legitimate innovators -- especially those working on Free and Open Source Software projects.
"Free and Open Source Software projects have become an integral part of the software industry and our nation's economy," said EFF Staff Attorney Jason Schultz, a co-author of the brief. "They often lack the resources or formal documentation to fight against bogus patents under the suggestion test, so it is principally important that the Supreme Court set the appropriate standard to prevent the approval of bogus patents."
The case, KSR International Co. v. Teleflex, Inc., and Technology Holding Co., is scheduled for oral argument in front the Supreme Court this fall.
For the full amicus brief:
http://www.eff.org/legal/cases/KSR_v_Teleflex/ksr_amicus.pdf
Contacts:
Corynne McSherry
Staff Attorney
Electronic Frontier Foundation
corynne@eff.org
Jason Schultz
Staff Attorney
Electronic Frontier Foundation
jason@eff.org
EFF Demands FTC Investigation and Privacy Reform After AOL Data Release
Internet Company's Publication of Search Logs Exposes Customers' Private Lives
Washington, D.C. - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) today asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate America Online (AOL) and require changes in its privacy practices, after the company recently released search history logs that exposed the private lives of more than a half-million of its customers.
Innocent Target of File-Sharing Lawsuit Deserves Attorney's Fees
RIAA Should Pay Victim's Legal Costs in Baseless Suit
San Francisco - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), along with the American Association of Law Libraries, the ACLU, and Public Citizen, filed a brief with an Oklahoma district court Thursday, strongly urging a judge to award the innocent target of a file-sharing lawsuit the cost of her attorney's fees in battling the baseless allegations of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Embroidery Fans Fight for Anonymity in Online Discussion Group
EFF Battles Heavy-Handed Tactics in Copyright Lawsuit
San Francisco - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has filed a motion to block a brazen attempt to unmask the identities of anonymous members of an online discussion group for embroidery fans.
