A DU CALL TO ACTION!!!! EVERYONE must contact this guy TODAY.

[Snoutport]

I don't know if you read the article in breaking news about Congressman Hank Johnson asking Congress to look into the security groups HBGary Federal, Palantir Technologies and Berico Technologies, that were offering to hack into private computers of Liberals for the chamber of commerce. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, declined to pursue the matter. Lamar Smith has no right to cover up what might be the Watergate of our generation.

WE MUST WRITE OR CALL REP. Lamar Smith IMMEDIATELY AND DEMAND AN INVESTIGATION!


The Honorable Lamar Smith
United States House of Representatives
2409 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-4321

DC Phone: [phone]
DC Fax: [phone]
his email is here: https://lamarsmith.house.gov/Contact/default.aspx

C'mon people! YOUR tax dollars might be being used to spy on you because you are a liberal. CALL TODAY!

[drm604]

1. K&R

:kick:

[Snoutport]

3. I sent my email. YOUR TURN!

[xchrom]

2. recommend

[Recursion]

4. The word "Palantir" is the intellectual property of JRR Tolkien's estate

Maybe somebody should call Houghton Mifflin?

[drm604]

6. I'm not a lawyer and I could be totally mistaken

but unless there's some reasonable chance that "Palantir Technologies" could be mistaken for Tolkien's works or for Houghton Mifflin, and thus cause them financial harm, I don't think that there'd be much of a case here.

[Snoutport]

7. They are pretty militant suers though, from what i hear! nt

[Recursion]

That's what I was thinking; Chris Tolkien is famous for suing anybody who uses his dad's stuff

Worth a shot, at least.

[Snoutport]

9. LOL... would be nice to see. nt

[drm604]

8. Hey, it might be worth contacting them.

What do I know? It could be legitimate infringement.

[starroute]

10. Sounds like there's case law against it

http://ezinearticles.com/?Can-You-Copyright-News-Headlines?&id=5357557

Typically, single words, short phrases, advertising slogans, characters and news headlines have been refused copyright protection even where they have been invented or newly coined by an author. The courts have given different reasons for denying copyright protection to such works. One reason offered by the Courts is that the 'works' are too trivial or not substantial enough to qualify for copyright protection. The case of Exxon Corporation v Exxon Insurance Consultants Ltd (1981) 3 All ER 241 is a leading English precedent where copyright was refused for the word Exxon as an original literary work.

Exxon argued it enjoyed copyright in the word Exxon having invested time and energy in employing linguists to invent the word, contending that the actual size of the literary work doesn't preclude a work from acquiring copyright protection. The court found that the work was too short or slight to amount to a copyright work.

The Court also stated that although the word was invented and original it had no particular meaning, comparing it with the word 'Jabberwocky' used for Lewis Carroll's famous poem. US case law has only recognised limited intellectual property rights in invented names or fictional characters in exceptional cases. There is no modern English or Australian case which has recognised that titles, phrases, song and book titles should be granted copyright protection.

[drm604]

11. But aren't we discussing trademark law rather than copyright law?

They're two different things.

[Snoutport]

5. Link to article

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4789919

[Vincardog]

12. Sorry, that zipcode is for another district. NT

[Snoutport]

14. lol...it came off of his own congressional website!

you'd think they'd get the zip code right!

[sabrina 1]

13. Thanks. Very important. Here's some more info

on Hank Johnson's request to Congress. I put it up a couple of weeks ago:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x675273

Rep. Johnson: This scandal cries out for an investigation. I’ll do it by myself if I have to.”

[Snoutport]

15. GOod info! Thanks for sharing the link nt