Feds create puzzle not found on toy shelf (Homeland Security Gone Mad)

[qanda]

This is crazy!

Nothing about running a small store called Pufferbelly Toys prepared Stephanie Cox for a cryptic phone call from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

(snip)

The next day, two men arrived at the store and showed Cox their badges. The lead agent asked Cox whether she carried a toy called the Magic Cube. She said yes. The Magic Cube, he said, was an illegal copy of the Rubik's Cube, one of the most popular toys of all time. He told her to remove the Magic Cube from her shelves, and he watched to make sure she complied.

(snip)

Six weeks after her brush with Homeland Security, Cox is still scratching her head.

"Aren't there any terrorists out there?" she said.

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/front_page/109896512934940.xml

[JusticeForAll]

1. I want to wake up on November 3rd

Knowing this nightmare will soon be over.

[Flammable Materials]

29. November 3rd is the end of the beginning.

Please please PLEASE don't think that we're going to be able to breathe easy once Kerry gets elected.

The Reich-Wing will make life in America a living hell. All I have to say is "BRING IT ON, mothefuckers!"

[drscm]

2. I bet the color squares on the magic cube were really secret codes,

or else HS doesn't want any competition to their color system, or maybe the manufacturer of the rubic cube is big *bush supporter...

[stlchic]

3. Wolves and puzzle games....

they're out to get you!!!

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

:nuke:

[stlchic]

4. oops- double post

[ret5hd]

5. In case it is not obvious to others...

(the reasoning behid this episode is obvious to me, if not others)

our gov't main concern is property rights. the draconian DMCA was enacted to protect those rights. the constitution written for the iraqis was written to give those rights (corporate personhood) the force of a constitutional right. the venezuelan coup attempt was over those rights. our gov't only concern is protecting those who own. if you don't own, you don't count. the ownership society, etc.

the main (perceived) threat to those who own is "theft". therefor, this store owner (and the manufacturer of the toy) are terrorists, bent on destroying our nations way of life.

until we destroy the concept of corporate personhood, it will only get worse.

[NJCher]

9. it wasn't---thanks for the post

I think I'd have gotten it had I read the entire story but I didn't until I was trying to figure out what DMCA means.

Toward the end of the story is this:

"One of the things that our agency's responsible for doing is protecting the integrity of the economy and our nation's financial systems and obviously trademark infringement does have significant economic implications," she said.

It's bad enough that our military has been co-opted as a protection racket for the oil companies. Now we see those charged with our security are busy invading toy shops, and to compound the outrage, they went in based on faulty intelligence!!!




Cher

[Tansy_Gold]

22. The potential psychological effect of "the ownership society"

Those who don't "own" things are therefore not part of the "society." Even if there are no legal steps taken to disfranchise those who do not own property -- remember, that's the way it USED to be -- the psychological pressure will increase.

This is the equivalent to telling a child day after day after day that she/he is "bad" and then they grow up to be "bad."

As the boosh administration continues its shift of wealth from the working to the owning, and as overall wealth disparity increases even from the current level (which approaches that of pre-revolutionary France), the non-owning will be shunted further and further out of the picture.

Property rights -- and yes, that includes copyrights -- should never trump human rights.


Tansy Gold, owner of several copyrights

[fishwax]

28. nail on the head, there

well said.

[treading_water]

6. And this protects us from terrorists how????

[Gruenemann]

7. Wow, I feel so safe,

knowing the Heimatsicherheitsamt is protecting me from the terror of Rubik's cube!

[hatrack]

17. I thought it was the Geheime Staatspolizei

Then again, who know?

[radfringe]

8. but it's a MAGIC cube

that's where Saddam put all the WMD's and other missing explosives.. he put them into a Magic Cube and poof they disappeared...

[bacchant]

27. Here's the deal, Ashcroft got wind of these "magic cubes" and freaked

He immediately dispatched a couple of his holy warriors to destroy them before the pagan devices could do harm to God's Country.

[Zorra]

10. Maybe "Homeland Security" is really "Corporate Protection Agency". n/t

[Supersedeas]

38. Homeland morphs into Oligarchy and into Political Security for those who

tend it.

[sniffa]

11. saddam was pLanning on

reconstituting his rubik's cube programs and giving rubik's cubes to terrorists.

[saigon68]

12. THEY ARE NOT THE ONLY IDIOTS CHECK OUT THIS idiot BOZO

World Photos - AP

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/041027/481/kgi50110271826



Staff Sgt. Coleman Shelley, 42, of Miami, from the 284 th Base Support Battalion in Giessen, Germany, poses in front of a poster promoting voting in the 2004 US presidential elections at the base on Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2004. 'We would rather have our commander in chief re-elected, because he has all the knowledge that is needed to fight the war in Iraq (news - web sites) and the war on terrorism,' said Shelley, who served in Iraq for 15 months with the 1st Armored's Headquarters Detachment Engineer Brigade. (AP Photo/Bernd Kammerer)

[tkmorris]

14. Oh man Saigon68

That picture in your signature is priceless. May I borrow it?

[saigon68]

33. Go for it--- be my guest

spread the news high and low

[MADem]

15. SEND HIS FAT ASS TO IRAQ

After they ART 15 the little fucker for advocating a political candidate whist in uniform. He's a friken STAFF SGT, he should know better. But oh, I forgot--this is BUSHWORLD, where Gen. Boykin, in full dress uni, can stand up in a church and insult people who aren't Christians by saying that HIS God is better than anyone else's.

Oh, and when they hand out vests, make sure that fat fuck gets one of the Nam era ones--with all that flab on his schnitzel eating ass, he doesn't need the Interceptor--a couple of steel plates in webbing will do fine for him.

Jerk. Obtuse idiot. He doesn't get it--his ass WILL be in Iraq, and Iran, and probably an aluminum 'personnel transfer tube' if his hero gets re$elected.

[saigon68]

34. So right the man is an Idiot

A sheep waiting to be led to the slaughter. I only hope that when his shit is blown away in Iraq-Nam that he doesn't also have someone less enthusiastic killed along side of him.

What a shill for Halliburton, what blind following of a Judas (Pet)Goat


LOL

[teryang]

25. Campaigning in uniform

Illegal as hell. What an asshole!

[saigon68]

35. The CHIMPANZEE will give this Patriot in Uniform a medal

It is illegal but so what--- No bid contracts to Halliburton which result in stealing from the taxpayer are also illegal

[Eugene]

13. This does make some bureaucratic sense.

Stopping conterfeit goods is a long time role for
U.S. Customs, now part of Homeland Security.
Treasury agents did Customs enforcement in the past.
I makes organizational sense for DHS agents to
inherit the job along with the agency.

Though, I think that DHS itself is a dumb idea.

:dem:

[MADem]

16. I cannot agree

They need to put this kind of horseshit under the Patents and Trademarks umbrella. If they have to break it away, put it under COMMERCE, whatever, they should do it. TOY ENFORCEMENT DOES NOT BELONG UNDER HOMELAND SECURITY, even those whacked out Osama toys.

What ends up happening is you get crazy ass muthas with no real power who play games with their credentials. If you look at Treasury credentials, they are similar to the ones carried by FEEBS, and of course Secret Service--seeing as they are a part of Treasury. But a pencil chewing crazyass IRS auditor can, if he wants, con some poor dummy into thinking he is SS.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

18. Well you may not agree, but that is what they did

US Customs, US Coast Guard and US Border Patrol, the 3 main commerce-law-enforcing agencies in the US government are under DHS.

Mistake?

Yes, most likely, but they wanted USCS, USCG and USBP intel in the network, and the easiest way to do that was take the whole agency.

[MADem]

20. My response was to the assertion that the move

made bureaucratic sense. I cannot agree that it makes bureaucratic sense. I am cognizant that it occurred, but I think it was a dumb move. See the subject lines.

[absolutezero]

23. I thought the USCG

was under the department of defense. It is a military branch right?

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

26. The Coast Guard has never been under Defense.

In time of war it is on loan to the Navy. Last time that happened was WWII. No Defense Department until 48.

Traditionally, it was under the Treasury Department, along with Customs since the jobs are very similar.

In 1967 Johnson moved it to the newly formed Transportation Department, which was a horrible idea.

Two years ago, Bush moved it to DHS which was an even worse idea.

Oh, and there is a legal reason why the CG is not under DoD... the US law called the Posse Comitatus Act forbids the US Military from enforcing US laws on civilians outside of military affairs. They defined "military" as being under the Department of Defense.

That gives the CG a "civilian" status to enforce laws and treaties anywhere.

[sandnsea]

24. Call yourself Customs

Just because you're under Homeland Security doesn't mean you can start intimidating people. I have a Coast Guard station right near me and they're still called the Coast Guard. When there are reports about the INS in the news, they're still called the INS. And on and on. This was clear abuse of power, it wasn't even justified, it's plain wrong.

[yardwork]

19. Found this on google

http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa040497.htm

Rubik's Cube ® was first called the Magic Cube (Buvuos Kocka) in Hungary. The puzzle had not been patented internationally within a year of the original patent. Patent law then prevented the possibility of an international patent. Ideal Toy wanted at least a recognizable name to copyright; of course, that arrangement put Rubik in the spotlight because the Magic Cube was renamed after its inventor.

Rubik became the first self-made millionaire from the communist block. The eighties and Rubik's Cube went well together. Cubic Rubes (the name of cube fans) formed clubs to play and study solutions. A sixteen-year-old Vietnamese high school student from Los Angeles, Minh Thai won the world championship in Budapest (June 1982) by unscrambling a Cube in 22.95 seconds. The unofficial speed records may be ten seconds or less. No one has solved the puzzle in less than fifty-two moves, but twenty-two is a considered possibility.

Rubik has established a foundation to help promising inventors in Hungary. He also runs the Rubik Studio, which employs a dozen people to design furniture and toys. Rubik has produced several other toys, including Rubik's Snake. He has plans to start designing computer games and continues to develop his theories on geometric structures. Rubik's Cube is now being distributed by Seven Towns, visit their official Cube website with additional history on the Cube.

[MADem]

21. What the hell was happening in that toyshop, then????

Perhaps the owner was one of them terrists, or worse, one of them DEMOCRATS.....

I'd put nothing past these asses. I can't believe what has happened to this country!

[Carolab]

30. I suggest you e-mail this story

to RUBIK

[VegasWolf]

31. How many people think awol could solve Rubick's cube that was

one twist off center??

New Information Shows Bush Indecisive, Paranoid, Delusional

[Carolab]

32. Found this

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

Rubik® and Rubik's Cube® are registered trademarks throughout the world of Seven Towns Limited. Seven Towns Limited is the exclusive worldwide licensee of copyright in the Rubik's Cube puzzle and is the registered proprietor of European Community Trade Mark registrations in the images of the Rubik's Cube puzzle and the puzzle itself.

Rubik's Cube, Rubik's Magic, Rubik's Snake, Rubik's Tangle, Rubik's Triamid, Rubik's Infinity, Rubik's Eclipse, Rubik's Mini Cube, Rubik's Snake Key Ring, Rubik's Cube Key Ring, Rubik's Bricks, Rubik's Double Tangram are trade marks of Seven Towns Ltd.

Seven Towns Ltd will prosecute unauthorized reproductions of the Rubik's Cube Puzzle, the Rubik's brand or any other intellectual property rights identified above. Such reproductions may also be seized and destroyed by customs authorities throughout the world.


http://dev.rubiks.com/lvl3/index_lvl3.cfm?lan=eng&lvl1=inform&lvl2=contct&lvl3=useofr

Also:
Seven Towns Limited
7 Lambton Place
London W11 2SH
England
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Also, this explains the Seven Towns Ltd. Copyright policy:

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PROTECTION
IN THE TOY & GAME INDUSTRY

PATENT

The most comprehensive protection of an idea is a patent. Many attorneys / solicitors advise this form of protection. This can be arranged through a patent agent.

However it is usually impractical to patent ideas for two main reasons:

The fees and costs in pursuing a patent are considerable. Even for professional inventors, the ratio of ideas to successes is such that it is economically not justified to take out patents on their ideas.

The time taken for a patent to be granted and enforced is usually much longer than the lifecycle of a product. There are very few items of longevity in the toy world. Most companies change at least one-third of their line every year. Although court action can be retrospective in most cases the damage has already been done.

Patents can be taken out for the USA, United Kingdom, Europe or any individual countries throughout the world. The Patent Convention Treaty (P.C.T.) now enables one filing to be made for all the countries who are party to this treaty which covers almost all of the countries that a toy or game inventor would consider filing in.

DESIGN REGISTRATION

The next strongest form of protection is design registration. Any graphic material can be registered (provided it is original) for a few hundred pounds at the Design Registration Office. This protects against all similar designs even if those designs were conceived separately and are coincidental.

Photographs or drawings with an aesthetic content (not industrial product engineering drawings) can be registered. Again this is expensive if registration is done speculatively.

The biggest disadvantage of Design Registration is that a different design working in the same way and achieving the same effect probably will not infringe the design right.

COPYRIGHT

A good and much used form of protection is copyright. Any graphic or textual material can be copyrighted by writing Copyright or putting a 'c' in a circle followed by the name of the person or company who owns the copyright and the date. (For extra security, a copy of the work may be deposited with a solicitor / attorney or at a bank to prove a date of copyright.)

Copyright gives good protection for games and for items that can be manufactured and/or made up into three dimensions from drawings without further invention.

However, there are disadvantages:

It is difficult and expensive to detail a design or mechanism comprehensively.

Small deviations from the original material may invalidate a copyright infringement.

In order to make a claim, it is necessary to prove that the infringing party has directly copied the original material. Coincidental similarity is not covered.

NON-DISCLOSURE LETTER

Some solicitors / attorneys advise that inventors should get companies to sign a non-disclosure letter or confidentiality form before they see a new idea.

This gives protection specific to the relationship between the inventor and person or company to whom the idea is submitted.

However because this type of document is legally biased in favour of the inventor and is constrictive, most companies will not sign. There need to be huge disclaimers in order to protect the viewing company and that when agreed to will probably make the document fairly worthless. In order to evaluate a product it is difficult to treat it with confidentiality and a company may unwittingly be liable to the inventor in the future no matter how many years later. An employee may dream up a new idea (even at a new company) without remembering the inspiration from it came from material he viewed years earlier, and the original company could still be liable. Please note and remember that although this seems unfair, toy companies are besieged by inventors with "fabulous" ideas. They can easily afford not to bother to go through complicated and expensive negotiations on a legal document with severe implications before they view what more often than not turns out to be an item of no interest.

CONCLUSION

Whatever form of protection an inventor has, it is important to keep an accurate record of what was shown and submitted to be signed by both parties.

Litigation is rarely financially successful.

The simplest and most effective protection is reputation, and I suggest that anyone wishing to submit an idea should call or write for references. The toy and game industry is small enough for word to get around very rapidly of any unethical business behavior.

Once an idea has been licensed it is usually up to the licensee to protect the product. They have the expertise and, more importantly, the money to do so.

http://www.seventowns.com/patent_info.htm

[Chovexani]

36. God Bless Tom Ridge!

Protecting America from the scourge of bongs and faux Rubiks cubes! :eyes:

[area51]

37. DHS

The DHS ("homeland security") should be called what it really is -- the dept. of fatherland security.