Sanders Media

There has been a surge of lawsuits involving intellectual property and patent infringement recently. Many of them cross the border into the absurd. Here are a few examples.

1. A company called Psion filed suit against any company using the term “netbook”. Despite “netbook” being a generic term referring to small, very mobile laptops, Psion felt its trademarked “netBook” was being infringed. Never mind that their “netBook” was a completely different product. They had also ceased to manufacture their device several years ago.
2. A company in Texas is suing at least 20 companies for storing consumer payment information and allowing either stored value payments or one-click payments on their sites. Apple, MasterCard, Visa and Walmart are among the companies being sued. The company bringing the suit is a notorious patent hoarder. Their only form of income seems to come from lawsuits.
3. A very popular iTunes app store game, EDGE, has been forced out by a patent infringement lawsuit. The man bringing the suit has a history of bullying game developers with his numerous lawsuits. He claims to have the trademark on any software using the word “edge”.

These lawsuits may be merely an annoyance to larger companies, but they threaten to stifle the innovation that smaller companies have long provided. Another consequence is higher prices. How else do companies like Apple and Walmart make up for the millions paid out in these suits?

It’s a slow day, so I thought I’d talk about my current favorite things going on in the tech world. Here’s my Top 5.

1. iPhone: The so-called “Jesus Phone” is still a wonder. I’ve had both editions, and it’s still new and fresh. None of the copycats have come close to equaling it’s ease of use, sleek look and great features. I am really excited about the iPhone OS 3.0 due out soon.
2. Xbox 360: Despite it’s hardware issues, Microsoft (against all odds) has created a terrific gaming ecosystem. The online Xbox Live community is vibrant, and the game library is immense. The addition of Netflix streaming to Xbox Live has made it a can’t-live-without device in my home.
3. Gmail: I was once a Hotmail user who paid $20 a year to get a miserly 2GB of storage. Now, with Gmail, I get over 7GB for free. While there are some services that provide unlimited for free, I haven’t found any that match Gmail’s features. The creation of labels instead of folders is a great organization tool. I am also able to use Gmail as a web-based email client. It checks all of my email accounts, and brings the email to one place.
4. iTunes: This is still the best music organization tool for your music. iTunes enabled me to bring my music together better than any service I’ve come across. The recent move to DRM-free music, the App Store and the availability of movies and TV shows has made the iTunes store the best place to buy digital media.
5. Skype: This service has been around for awhile, but it’s still one of my favorites. I love being able to keep up with family in North Carolina and Colorado. In both places, there are new little ones that I’m able to watch grow up.

I’m sure I’ll think of 20 more things I love as soon as I post this, but it’s a good start.