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They See Me Trollin'

By Michele Narov 7/18/12 4:32pm

They See Me Trollin'

(Photo: Wikipedia)

Anti-Jihadist Trolls Wage War on Terrorist Message Boards

Terrorists: they’re just like us! They use message boards to communicate and organize. Before, these message board were largely free of “first!!!1″ and painstakingly detailed ASCII art, but perhaps no more. Now, according to Wired, participants in the U.S. government’s “Viral Peace” program are prepared to fight for freedom the American way: with trolling, naturally.

Perhaps not since To Catch a Predator has Internet vigilantism seemed so entertaining. Shahed Amanullah, senior technology advisor to the State Department, developed the program to address the world of online terrorism and fill what he recognizes as a void in US counterterrorism strategies. Read More

By Kelly Faircloth 7/03/12 12:33pm

They See Me Trollin'

(Illustration by David Saracino / New York Observer.)

Survey Says: Patent Troll Shenanigans Cost U.S. Companies $29B Annually

Patent trolls–or, as a new study drolly dubs them, “non-practicing entities”–have a business model that’s simple, elegant, and dastardly: Buy broad patents and start suing companies that could conceivably be infringing upon them. And the costs are adding up to a nice chunk of change: Two researchers estimate the costs at no fewer than $29 billion, reports Ars Technica.

Plus, that’s just direct costs for things like lawyer bills and licensing fees. A previous study by the same pair put indirect costs at the stratospheric tab of $83 billion. Read More

By Kelly Faircloth 5/15/12 12:03pm

They See Me Trollin'

(Illustration by David Saracino / New York Observer.)

No Sooner Does Etsy Raise $40M Than It’s Hit With a Dumb Patent Suit

Man, is there anything worse than getting mugged on payday? Just last week, Etsy announced a $40 million Series F with investors including Union Square Ventures and Accel Partners, a round that’ll help the company go global. But Unified Messaging Solutions–a subsidiary of the patent pitbulls over at Acacia Research Corporation–has other plans. GigaOm reports that firm has just filed a lawsuit accusing Etsy of infringing its patents on “methods for storing, delivering and managing messages.”

Sure it has, Unified Messaging Solutions. Sure it has. Read More