In a reversal of what is generally considered the real world and what is virtual, metatags suddenly matter in a court of law, even if they haven’t mattered online for some time now. For one defendant, they matter as much as just under a half-million dollars matters. Dropping keywords into the metatags of a website is an old school SEO technique. And by old school I mean pre-googlistoric. Stuffing metatags in the age of Google, which ignores them, is about as useful as peacock feathers on an armadillo.
Actors And Studios In Dispute Over Online Clips
Negotiations between the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the major studios stalled last week after the two parties could not reach an agreement on how actors should be compensated for online clips.Studios want to distribute clips of old TV shows and movies without actors’ permission and pay them a flat fee instead of paying each actor individually. The actors union is against the measure.
TiVo Wins Patent Dispute
Just off the wire, Dish Network has failed to convince an appeals court to overturn TiVo’s earlier patent win against the company. TiVo’s earlier win is upheld.
Google Nears Settlement In Gmail Dispute
Independent International Investment Research (IIIR) is near to a settlement with Google regarding its claim to the Gmail trademark in the United States, according to a request for extension filed by IIIR at the US Patent and Trademark Office.
Bloggers Resolve Dispute On CNN
Before their appearance on CNN this morning, bloggers Kathy Sierra and Chris Locke issued a joint statement responding to issues raised throughout the blogosphere following Sierra’s revelation of death threats against her, as well as the depiction of her image in misogynistic sexual photos.
Google Responds To GMail Trademark Dispute
Addressing a petition for cancellation of the GMail trademark in the US, Google responded to the US Patent and Trademark Office that International Independent Investment Research’s application for the trademark was invalid from the beginning.
Cisco and Apple Settle Up iPhone Dispute
The legal spat between Apple and Cisco over use of the term "iPhone" was nothing that, speculatively, a big bag o’money couldn’t solve. Though the terms of the settlement both companies announced yesterday are confidential, it isn’t unreasonable to think that Cisco got some benefit beyond mutual use of the term and an interoperability agreement.
The statement reads this way:
MySpace User Count Dispute Returns
Once again, the actual number of users of the MySpace social networking website has come into question, with the 100 million figure quoted by other sites leaving out an important detail.
VeriSign, ICANN Settle Dispute
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the US Dept. of Commerce backed overseer of the Internet has agreed to settle a lawsuit brought on by VeriSign, the governor of all things .com and .net, over ICANN’s interference with VeriSign’s controversial Site Finder.
Peering Into Internet Dispute
Level 3 has cutoff the peering connection to Cogent Communications, and that has disrupted Internet service for customers.