Tech Law Prof Blog

Australia: Attempt to Register Linux TM Rejected

ZDNet Australia is reporting that an attempt by the Linux Australia advocacy group to register the "Linux" trademark for the benefit of Linus Torvaalds, the creator of the open source operating system, as failed.  The Australian trademark authority ruled that the mark isn't distinctive enough to be registered.  The full story is here, and the information on the registration is at this link.

Wrong IP Address Leads to Child-Porn Accusation for Couple

From the September 12, 2005 Wichita Eagle, this story about a couple who was misidentified by their ISP in response to a police child porn investigation.  It raises interesting points about the process by which online forensics can go wrong.

Prof. Michael Geist on Canada's "Do Not Hesitate to Call List"

Professor Michael Geist, the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law of the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Law, has written an analysis of Canada's proposed Do-Not-Call list.  Prof. Geist argues that the substantial revisions to the original proposal has yielded a "Do Not Hesitate to Call" List bill instead.  You can read his article here.