Samsung is the answer to this question.
But how much intellectual property theft must go one to rack up two and half billion bucks of damages?
Samsung is the largest manufacturer of smart phones on the planet... So I would imagine it wouldn't take long to rack up a pretty big law suit, pretty quick.
Apple claims that some of the technologies/features of the 'galaxy' series of phones and tablets are out right copies of the iPhone & iPad! Everything from the packaging, to the the rounded corners, to the 'black-space' between screen and edge of device, to the "small square app icons", even on down to the packaging itself.
Apple says that they have lost out on five hundred million dollars worth of sales. They also feel that they are owed twenty five million for royalty damages. Oh ya and let's not forget the "Samsung was unjustly 'enriched' a whopping two billion dollars..." cherry on top!
This is of course is only a drop in the bucket for Samsung, the Korean company that was started in the 30's, has it's hands in everything from electronics to engineering/construction, who in 2010 laid out a 10 year growth plan based around five businesses, one being a biopharmaceuticals company with which Samsung has set aside... 2.1 trillion bucks. Just that ".1"... is one hundred billion dollars.
2.5 billion may sound like a lot, but when you step back and look at how much money is in the world, and how much money these business wield... It's really nothing, almost inconsequential. Samsung as a company, is the 35th largest economy in the world? Samsung makes more money then entire countries gross in a year!
I wonder where apple and microsoft sit on that list?
I know California is the 8th largest economy in the world. Wow is right.
Read the original article here
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Add "breathalyzers" to the list of driver requirements in France
If you're in France go ahead and add an 'alcohol breath test' machine to your driving check-list.
French politicians have passed a law that requires all drivers to carry breathalyzers in the vehicle at all times. The thinking behind this law is; that, those people who have been drinking will test their BAC once they get to their car and perhaps think twice before trying to drive home.
The number of vehicle deaths a year in France are around 4000, French law makers are hoping to save 500 lives per year once it is fully implemented.
While the law has already been passed in will not be enforced till November, as it isn't exactly easy to supply tens of millions of drivers with breathalyzers.
On a side note... manufacturers of breathalyzers are fairly pleased by this turn of events. Some are even saying (not surprising of course), that the only reason this law was passed or even brought forth was because these manufacturers lobbied for it.
http://www.newser.com/story/149405/driving-in-france-gotta-carry-a-breathalyzer.html
French politicians have passed a law that requires all drivers to carry breathalyzers in the vehicle at all times. The thinking behind this law is; that, those people who have been drinking will test their BAC once they get to their car and perhaps think twice before trying to drive home.
The number of vehicle deaths a year in France are around 4000, French law makers are hoping to save 500 lives per year once it is fully implemented.
While the law has already been passed in will not be enforced till November, as it isn't exactly easy to supply tens of millions of drivers with breathalyzers.
On a side note... manufacturers of breathalyzers are fairly pleased by this turn of events. Some are even saying (not surprising of course), that the only reason this law was passed or even brought forth was because these manufacturers lobbied for it.
http://www.newser.com/story/149405/driving-in-france-gotta-carry-a-breathalyzer.html
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
AT&T to show a little bit of sympathy ($1,000,000 worth of sympathy)
The global communications titan AT&T has just said it will drop the lawsuit against a man and his business named Michael Smith from Ipswich... a lawsuit for more then a million dollar bill in outstanding phone bills...
How does one business rack up that much in overages? Well the claim of Michael Smith is that someone 'hacked' into his phone service and made $900,000 worth of calls to Somalia... How expensive is it to call someone in Africa? This of course sounds like someone (or really a team of someones) were calling a lot over a long period of time.
I see two problems with the possibilities here:
If they racked up 900k in phone calls to Somalia in less then a month, wouldn't AT&T notice something was... a miss?
OR
If they racked up that amount over the course of several months... wouldn't all parties notice the increase in the phone bill price?
So obviously it sounds like something else is going on here that we aren't seeing.
Regardless AT&T has given up trying to collect on it. Either because they realized it was there fault and they really did get hacked and lost 900 thou in "billable" minutes, or they decided to cut their losses and head aches by trying to wade through litigation to collect.
What ever the reason... there is one man from Ipswich that is probably literally jumping for joy.
How does one business rack up that much in overages? Well the claim of Michael Smith is that someone 'hacked' into his phone service and made $900,000 worth of calls to Somalia... How expensive is it to call someone in Africa? This of course sounds like someone (or really a team of someones) were calling a lot over a long period of time.
I see two problems with the possibilities here:
If they racked up 900k in phone calls to Somalia in less then a month, wouldn't AT&T notice something was... a miss?
OR
If they racked up that amount over the course of several months... wouldn't all parties notice the increase in the phone bill price?
So obviously it sounds like something else is going on here that we aren't seeing.
Regardless AT&T has given up trying to collect on it. Either because they realized it was there fault and they really did get hacked and lost 900 thou in "billable" minutes, or they decided to cut their losses and head aches by trying to wade through litigation to collect.
What ever the reason... there is one man from Ipswich that is probably literally jumping for joy.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
2008 legislation made it possible for Vietnam soldier to receive Medal of Honor
Army Specialist Leslie Sabo died in Vietnam in 1970.
His patrol was ambushed by the North Vietnamese in what would later become known as the "Mother's Day Ambush".
Being in a rear position when he patrol came under fire, instead of staying behind, he charged forward and took out several enemy combatants.
When a grenade fell next to a wounded American, Sabo threw the grenade away, and protected the soldier with his own body.
His patrol was ambushed by the North Vietnamese in what would later become known as the "Mother's Day Ambush".
Being in a rear position when he patrol came under fire, instead of staying behind, he charged forward and took out several enemy combatants.
When a grenade fell next to a wounded American, Sabo threw the grenade away, and protected the soldier with his own body.
Even though Sabo had been already wounded by small arms fire, he then crawled straight towards the enemy bunker which was emitting a constant stream of heavy machine gun bullets.
He then held a grenade until it's fuse had all but run out, before pitching it at the bunker. The resulting blast took Sabo's life, but also allowed for his patrol to successfully repel the "Mother's Day Ambush".
We will never know exactly how many of his comrades lives he saved that day, but it is clear that Leslie Sabo gave his life so that his brothers-in-arms might make it through the day.
For one reason or another, although his commander submitted Sabo for the Medal of Honor, his files were lost in the confusion of war and the incalculable amount of paper work that comes with it.
Thanks to the help of an army researcher, his files were finally brought in sight. And thanks to several members of congress, the statute of limitations requiring Medal of Honor recommendations to be made within three years of the incident, was altered enough that Sabo's case could be reexamined.
And of course this led to Sabo being posthumously presented with the highest award achievable in the United States military, the Medal of Honor.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Supreme Court strikes down 3/4 of AZ's controversial immigration laws.
While most people were hanging on the edge of their seat to hear the outcome of the 'affordable care act' the supreme court semi-surprised the people by instead by declaring three parts of the immigration laws unconstitutional:
1) Requiring all immigrants (14 yrs +)to obtain and carry immigration registration papers.
2) Making it a state criminal offense for an illegal immigrant to seek work or hold a job.
3) Allowing police to arrest suspected illegal immigrants without warrants.
These policies which had an eerily 'totalitarian' ring to them, (which many people throughout the country, citizen or not, picked up on) severely threatened the rights of people with less then legitimate citizenship status/visas.
Arizona was thrust into the lime light, with some states following suit with similar immigration laws/provisions. It is reassuring to see the supreme court strike down laws that are infringing on human rights, even though the laws were targeted at "non-Americans".
The only law left in place was
4) Peace enforcement officers are required to check the immigration status of the participants of lawful stops, arrests, or lawful contact.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arizona_SB_1070
1) Requiring all immigrants (14 yrs +)to obtain and carry immigration registration papers.
2) Making it a state criminal offense for an illegal immigrant to seek work or hold a job.
3) Allowing police to arrest suspected illegal immigrants without warrants.
These policies which had an eerily 'totalitarian' ring to them, (which many people throughout the country, citizen or not, picked up on) severely threatened the rights of people with less then legitimate citizenship status/visas.
Arizona was thrust into the lime light, with some states following suit with similar immigration laws/provisions. It is reassuring to see the supreme court strike down laws that are infringing on human rights, even though the laws were targeted at "non-Americans".
The only law left in place was
4) Peace enforcement officers are required to check the immigration status of the participants of lawful stops, arrests, or lawful contact.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arizona_SB_1070
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