Cyspeth - Slashdot User

Submission + - Subpoenas Issued over NSA Warrantless Wiretapping (lawbean.com)

Submitted by

Spamicles

on Thursday June 21, 2007 @07:04PM

Spamicles writes: "The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to subpoena documents from the Bush Administration related to the government's admitted eavesdropping on Americans' overseas emails and phone calls without getting court approval. In a 13-3 vote, the Committee decided to authorize chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) to issue subpoenas for documents related to the NSA warrantless surveillance program. Nearly any request is going to be met with tough resistance from the White House, and the confrontation over the documents "could set the stage for a constitutional showdown over the separation of powers.""

Submission + - Crackers Cause Pentagon to Put Computers Offline (time.com)

Submitted by

Anarchysoft

on Thursday June 21, 2007 @06:34PM

Anarchysoft writes: "As many as 1500 pentagon computers were brought offline on Wednesday in response to a cyber attack. Defense Secretary Robert Gates reported of the fallout both that the attack had 'no adverse impact on department operations' and that 'there will be some administrative disruptions and personal inconveniences.' When asked whether his own e-mail had been compromised, Gates responded, 'I don't do e-mail. I'm a very low-tech person.' There was no word whether the pony express was affected by the 'cyberattackers.'"

Submission + - Lawyer asks RIAA to investigate Bush twins 1

Submitted by tanman on Thursday June 21, 2007 @05:35PM

tanman writes: After reading an article in the Miami Herald that said "[President] Bush's twin daughters, gave him a CD they had made for him to listen to while exercising", a Florida lawyer calculated statutory damages of 1.8 million dollars and has sent a letter to the RIAA asking that they "display the same vigor in prosecuting this matter and protecting the rights of your rights-holders that it has displayed in enforcing those rights against other alleged violators." From the letter, "This is a serious violation of copyright. As you know, whichever of your member organizations that are right-holders for the copied musical works may be entitled to statutory damages of $150,000.00 per musical work copied."

Peer Review Starts for Software Patents 102

Posted by Zonk on Thursday June 21, 2007 @04:23PM from the clarity-to-a-muddy-situation dept.

perbert writes "As seen in an interview in IEEE Spectrum: Qualcomm v. Broadcom. Amazon v. IBM. Apple v. seemingly everyone. The number of high-profile patent lawsuits in this country has reached a staggering level. Hoping to curtail the orgy of tech-industry litigation, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is experimenting with reforming the way patents are applied for and processed. Launched on 18 June 2007 was an Internet-based peer-review program whereby anyone (even you) can help to evaluate a number of software patent applications voluntarily submitted for public evaluation. The one-year pilot Peer-to-Patent program is a collaboration between the USPTO and New York Law School's Institute for Information Law and Policy, in New York City. The program's Web site allows users to weigh in on patent applications by researching, evaluating, submitting, and discussing prior art, which is any existing information, such as articles in technology journals and other patents, relevant to the applicant's claims."

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