Defensive patenting---i.e., filing a patent specifically to avoid the threat of litigation---is a common strategy in the world of intellectual property for private companies focused on information technology. Free software and open source ("FOSS") projects, however, are historically wary of defensive patenting. Why is this? And what strategies might make defensive patenting more appealing to the FOSS community? In this talk, UC Berkley's Jason Schultz and Jennifer Urban proposeed a possible defensive patent strategy (including a proposed license) for FOSS and discussed the advantages and challenges (legal, economic, and cultural challenges) of their approach.

Jason Schultz and Jennifer Urban - CIS Speaker Series 2011

The Center for Internet and Society (CIS) is a public interest technology law and policy program at Stanford Law School that brings together scholars, academics, legislators, students, programmers, security researchers, and scientists to study the interaction of new technologies and the law and to examine how the synergy between the two can either promote or harm public goods like free speech, privacy, public commons, diversity, and scientific inquiry. The CIS strives as well to improve both technology and law, encouraging decision makers to design both as a means to further democratic values.

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As you may have noticed (even in the barrage of election coverage), I've been silent since the end of July. The reason is rather simple: since July, I've taught five classes (Contracts, Intellectual Property Survey, two sections of Internet Law, and a new course (for me), Employment Discrimination Law). To do that well, along with being a present husband and father to my two young sons, and maintain forward motion with my scholarship, Hearsay Culture gives way. I don't like that effect, but its unavoidable so long as I continue to do the show gratis (which is not a complaint; its a reality).
      
So, on this momentous and nerve-wracking Election Day afternoon, I'm pleased to post one new show, Show # 259, September 16, my interview with the amazing Prof. Shannon Vallor of Santa Clara University, author of Technology and the Virtues: A Philosophical Guide to a Future Worth Wanting. Shannon has written an exceptionally important and unique work focusing on what personal virtues should guide our integration of new technologies into society. Defining the contours of what she calls "technonormal virtues," Shannon calls on informed citizens to become "moral experts" in a collective effort to create "a future worth wanting" (or, even better, demand for "useful tools that do not debilitate us.") Because Shannon writes about philosophy and virtue as an applicable construct rather than an abstraction, her book should be required reading for anyone seeking better understanding of how we might achieve the best social and moral results from our technological advancements.

I very much enjoyed the interview, and hope that you find it valuable and gripping. Indeed, with so much left to discuss, look for part two of the interview in December!
	  
{Hearsay Culture is a talk show on KZSU-FM, Stanford, 90.1 FM, hosted by Center for Internet & Society Resident Fellow David S. Levine. The show includes guests and focuses on the intersection of technology and society. How is our world impacted by the great technological changes taking place? Each week, a different sphere is explored. For more information, please go to http://hearsayculture.com.}

Shannon Vallor - Hearsay Culture Show #259 - KZSU-FM (Stanford)

I'm pleased to post show # 258, June 24, my interview with Prof. Paul Ringel of High Point University, author of Commercializing Childhood. Paul's study may seem superficially beyond Hearsay Culture's scope, until one considers the role of marketing, especially to children, on the Internet. Paul's book frames part of this heretofore-unknown marketing history by focusing on early American efforts to create children's magazines. As a historian, Paul explores the motivations for creating such magazines, as well as their successes. In our interview, we discussed this history and how we might think about today's technologically-enhanced efforts to capture children's eyeballs. I greatly enjoyed this discussion with my friend Paul, and hope that you find it enlightening!

Postscript: Look for the Fall 2016 quarter schedule in August, which begins in September 2016. Have a great rest of the summer!
	  
{Hearsay Culture is a talk show on KZSU-FM, Stanford, 90.1 FM, hosted by Center for Internet & Society Resident Fellow David S. Levine. The show includes guests and focuses on the intersection of technology and society. How is our world impacted by the great technological changes taking place? Each week, a different sphere is explored. For more information, please go to http://hearsayculture.com.}

Paul Ringel - Hearsay Culture Show #258 - KZSU-FM (Stanford)

I'm pleased to post show # 257, June 17, my interview with Prof. Neil Netanel of UCLA Law, author of From Maimonides to Microsoft: The Jewish Law of Copyright Since the Birth of Print. I've had occasion to discuss Jewish intellectual property law in the past, and always seize the opportunity when it arises. Neil offers such an opportunity, as he's written a thoroughly researched and annotated history of the Jewish copyright law and theory. As we discussed, this was a particular challenge since the word "copyright" is largely absent from Jewish writing. Drawing on extensive Jewish law and commentary over centuries, Neil articulates the many facets of Jewish copyright theory that capture elements of modern copyright theoretical bases like personhood and Lockean labor. By examining not just the theory but the types of disputes that arose in Rabbinical courts, as well as the relationship between Jewish jurists and their non-Jewish counterparts, we had a unique and fascinating discussion. Having a prolific and thoughtful scholar on the show is always an honor; thus, I hope that you enjoy this in-depth conversation with one of intellectual property law's scholarly giants!
	  
{Hearsay Culture is a talk show on KZSU-FM, Stanford, 90.1 FM, hosted by Center for Internet & Society Resident Fellow David S. Levine. The show includes guests and focuses on the intersection of technology and society. How is our world impacted by the great technological changes taking place? Each week, a different sphere is explored. For more information, please go to http://hearsayculture.com.}

Neil Netanel - Hearsay Culture Show #257 - KZSU-FM (Stanford)

It's been a busy summer, having (a) taught an exciting (and sadly timely) new course on Employment Discrimination Law. As a result, Hearsay Culture has taken a bit of a summer hiatus; but, I have a few more shows from the past two months to post. Here's the first, show # 256, May 20, my interview with Francesca Musiani of the French National Centre for Scientific Research, Profs. Derrick L. Cogburn of American University's School of International Service (SIS), and Laura DeNardis of American University's School of Communication, co-editors of The Turn to Infrastructure in Internet Governance. Francesca, Derrick and returning guest Laura, along with co-editor Nanette Levinson, have gathered leading scholars and thinkers on the state of Internet operations. This area is critically important as the Internet moves into governance by international, rather than American, organizations. Particularly given the chaotic state of our public discourse, it is essential for policymakers to understand the various forces that operate to expand and constrain the Internet. In our discussion, we covered a range of topics, from Internet governance politics to whether international bodies can take on this complex task. I greatly enjoyed this wide-ranging discussion!
	  
{Hearsay Culture is a talk show on KZSU-FM, Stanford, 90.1 FM, hosted by Center for Internet & Society Resident Fellow David S. Levine. The show includes guests and focuses on the intersection of technology and society. How is our world impacted by the great technological changes taking place? Each week, a different sphere is explored. For more information, please go to http://hearsayculture.com.}

Francesca Musiani, Derrick Cogburn and Laura DeNardis - Hearsay Culture Show #256 - KZSU-FM (Stanford)

I'm pleased to post Show # 255, May 13, my interview with Prof. Michael Schudson of the Columbia School of Journalism, author of The Rise of the Right to Know: Politics and the Culture of Transparency, 1945–1975. Michael is one of the leading media historians writing today, whose many books have helped shape the media studies field. His focus in this work is the mid-century struggle to offer public access to government operations despite the many traditions and practices that pushed against such openness. The post-war era was marked by many ebbs and tides of openness, of which the passing of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) was most well-known. In our discussion, we focused on FOIA and other open government laws, its challenges and the impact of this history on our understanding of the Wikileaks-Snowden era. I was thrilled to have Michael on the show, and hope that you find the discussion enlightening.
	  
{Hearsay Culture is a talk show on KZSU-FM, Stanford, 90.1 FM, hosted by Center for Internet & Society Resident Fellow David S. Levine. The show includes guests and focuses on the intersection of technology and society. How is our world impacted by the great technological changes taking place? Each week, a different sphere is explored. For more information, please go to http://hearsayculture.com.}

Jason Schultz and Jennifer Urban - CIS Speaker Series 2011

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