Patent Problems

“We refuse to succumb to patent trolls.”

–Rick Flamm, SVP of legal and general counsel at Nintendo of America, in a press release

Video game giant Nintendo has won its third patent infringement lawsuit of 2012. In this case, a Maryland judge dismissed a suit by IA Labs, which claimed that many of Nintendo's Wii products infringed on two of its patents. In a release, Nintendo said that it respects the intellectual property rights of others, and that it will continue to fight unfair patent lawsuits.

Sports Scandal

“We have given your requests careful consideration, and have concluded that there is no basis for delaying the imposition of any discipline in this matter, and particularly not as it may apply to a club or any non-player employee of a club.”

–Jeff Pash, GC of the National Football League, in an e-mail to the NFL Players Association

In the wake of this month's NFL bounty scandal, the players' association asked the league not to punish 20-odd players cited for their alleged involvement until the association completed its own investigation. The league, however, acted swiftly, suspending several coaches for their involvement in the “pay for pain” programs. No players have yet been disciplined.

Penalizing Prostitution

“Adult services advertising existed on the Internet before Backpage.com and will continue on the Internet regardless of Backpage.com.”

–Liz McDougall, GC of Village Voice Media

Village Voice Media is fighting critics of its online classified site Backpage.com, which has come under fire for prostitution advertising. Opponents of Backpage say that it exploits minors, some of whom are featured in ads or lured into the sex trade through the site. But McDougall argues that Backpage reports suspected illegal activity to authorities, and that shutting it down would simply drive sex traffickers further underground.