The Wall Street Journal recently ran an article describing how the natural efficiencies of large networks can yield an undesirable long term outcome: the monopolization of the internet by a small number of firms. The article draws comparisons to earlier technological monopolies. If the internet is inf fact moving into a similar age of monopolistic ...

As reported by IP-Watch (http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/2010/10/29/compromise-un-protocol-treaty-against-biopiracy-adopted-in-japan/), in Nagoya Japan, members of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity adopted an international treaty to help ensure that benefits from using genetic resources are more fairly shared with their source country.  The Access and Benefit Sharing Protocol or “Nagoya Protocol,” will presumably work to combat “bio-piracy.” Biopiracy is ...

The U.S. Commerce Department and the Federal Trade Commission are preparing independent reports on online privacy regulatory measures, which will be considered by the government. The agencies are likely to advocate different approaches, from a laissez-faire self-regulation based on agreements between users and websites, to binding “do not track” lists which would regulate online privacy ...

Microsoft is suing Motorola saying that Motorola phones that use Google Inc.’s Android software infringe some of Microsoft’s smart-phone patents. Email synchronization, calendar and contacts are some of the functions in question. Motorola had licensed some of the technology from 2003 to 2007 and had failed to renew the licenses despite continuing to use the technology.

The Globe and Mail reports that the Conservatives are “actively looking to recruit allies across the Commons floor” to support and help shape the proposed copyright legislation. The bill is expected to be introduced later this week and reportedly will, among other things, make it a crime  to pick “digital locks” attached to media files. ...