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Texas federal judge declares Bitcoin a currency, says Bitcoin investments fall under US securities law
Bitcoin's been in the news a fair bit lately due to the uncertainties surrounding the Mt. Gox exchange, where one can trade in the digital money for the official currencies of countries around the world. However, for many, Bitcoin remains an ephemeral idea, neither received nor recognized as a valid way to, you know, pay for stuff. Today, however, a federal judge in the Eastern District of Texas has officially recognized Bitcoin as a currency and declared that Bitcoin investment funds and transactions fall under the jurisdiction of US securities law, and therefore, the federal justice system as well. The ruling was handed down in a case brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission against a man who created a Bitcoin hedge fund and is alleged to have defrauded the investors in that fund. So, while most of us don't have to worry about Bitcoin fraud, it's good to know that the federal government is looking out for us should we decide to invest in the digital currency.
Personal Audio strikes again, has the Kindle Fire in its patent trolling sights
'Tis the season for reflecting upon our many gifts in life and giving thanks for them. If you're Personal Audio, however, once you've thanked your lucky stars that you own a patent on musical playlists, you then file an infringement suit against Amazon. That's right folks, Personal Audio is up to its old tricks again in the Eastern District of Texas, but instead of alleging iPods are infringing its IP, the Kindle Fire is squarely in the company's sites. The patents in question are number 6,199,076 that generally claims an audio player, and number 7,509,178 which claims the aforementioned downloadable playlists. Who knows if Amazon will settle out like Apple did, but as the web retail giant will move a ton tablets (among other things) this holiday season, it should have no shortage of cash do so.
WiLAN lawyers up, picks patent fight with Apple, Dell, HP, HTC and others
You know what the tech world needs? More patent litigation, which is why WiLAN is at it again in the rocket docket of the Eastern District of Texas. This time, instead of suing cable companies, it's going after the likes of Apple, Dell, HP, HTC, Kyocera, Novatel, Alcatel-Lucent and Sierra Wireless. There are two patents at issue: no. RE37,802 that covers CDMA and HSPA data transmission, and no. 5,282,222 which is related to data transmission tech with WiFi and LTE. Will the plucky patent troll get some quick cash, or will the big boys fight this one to the end? Stay tuned.
