Major League Baseball has struck out in its attempt to get the U.S. Supreme Court to intercede in a fantasy baseball dispute.
The justices on Monday said they won't take up MLB's challenge, backed by the National Football League Players Association, of prior court rulings favoring a fantasy league company. The announcement came without comment in a standard list of case statuses published by the high court (PDF).
MLB's Internet media arm, later joined by the pro-baseball players' union, had claimed that C.B.C. Distribution and Marketing--a Missouri company that sells fantasy sports products via the Web, e-mail, regular mail, and phone--was using baseball players' names and statistics without a license, thereby violating the players' rights to publicity under state intellectual property laws. (A right to publicity, of course, is a person's right to control and profit from the commercial use of his name and likeness.)
The original lawsuit actually came from C.B.C. The company sued MLB after the pro baseball association began providing fantasy baseball games on its own Web site. MLB offered C.B.C. a license only to promote MLB's products, not to continue selling its own fantasy baseball games. Fearing a lawsuit from MLB if it continued business as usual, C.B.C. filed its own suit.
C.B.C. won at the district court level and again last year at the appeals court level, which held that the company's "first amendment rights in offering its fantasy baseball products supersede the players' rights of publicity."
First AOL, next a revolution.
AOL co-founder Steve Case announced Wednesday his online health and wellness company, Revolution Health Group, has acquired HealthTalk, pushing his company into the ranks of the second-largest health information site on the Net.
The deal is designed to bolster Revolution's offerings beyond the health and wellness category and into the area of supplying content on chronic conditions. The acquisition marks yet more activity in the online health care arena, which has seen not only mergers but also the birth of medical and health-related search engines, according to American Medical News. There's also been a surge in the number of Web sites relating to health, well-being and care, such as Caring.com.
HealthTalk's site covers a range of chronic illnesses, from rheumatoid arthritis to Alzheimer's to cancers to colitis. The multimedia site, which includes original content with medical experts and interactive programming, draws more than 1 million unique visitors per month. The site is accessed by more than 500,000 members, who receive targeted health information.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Revolution Health Group, with its latest acquisition, reaches more than 12 million unique visitors a month, putting it behind only the WebMD Health Network, which generates 40.8 million unique visitors per month.
HealthTalk will operate as a site within the Revolution Health Network, which includes CarePages.com and RevolutionHealth.com. The Revolution Network is also affiliated with drugstore.com and SparkPeople.com.
The Supreme Court said Tuesday that it will consider a patent case between LG Electronics and a group of Taiwanese companies, including Quanta Computer, according to Reuters.
The case could have far-reaching implications on the computer industry because it would determine whether patent holders can receive royalties from various companies as the product moves its way through the manufacturing chain.
LG claimed that the companies infringed on its patents on microprocessor chips in its computers. But Quanta and the other Taiwanese companies said LG licensed its technology to Intel, which made microprocessor chips that it sold to the companies.
The U.S. District Court for Northern California had ruled in favor of the Taiwanese companies, but that ruling was overturned in July 2006 by a federal appeals court. The Taiwanese companies are asking the Supreme Court to overturn that decision.
Quanta's customers include Hewlett-Packard, Dell, IBM and Sony. It also makes the iPhone for Apple.
The EcoSmart Convertible Messenger/Backpack
(Credit: Targus)Targus has just announced a new set of laptop carrying cases that are both green--as in the color green--and green, as in environmentally friendly.
The company press release notes, "Targus' new EcoSmart series of messenger bags, backpacks, and top loading laptop carrying cases are made of PVC-free material, which makes the production of EcoSmart cases less harmful to the ecosystem. In addition to the removal of PVC material, plastics used on the cases are recyclable and all metal hardware is nickel-free."
The EcoSmart Sling
(Credit: Targus)Targus' new line of EcoSmart cases will be come in four styles: Convertible Messenger/Backpack (pictured), Sling (pictured), Messenger, and a Top Loading case. No word yet on pricing, but the release says the bags will be available for the holidays and that, "All of the cases include a padded notebook sleeve with scratch resistant, quilted lining; a security strap; and a detailed workstation with a key hook, pen loops, accessory pockets, and plenty of storage options. The cases fit 15.4-inch laptop computers and include specially designed pockets for a water bottle and MP3 player. The backpack includes a tuck-away shoulder strap as well as a removable shoulder strap. The Top Loading case also includes a removable shoulder strap."
Personally, I wish Targus would make a case that you could either eat or smoke after you were finished with it. But I guess this is a step in the right direction.
In all likelihood, there are far fewer than six degrees of separation between you and breast cancer, and the idea of breast cancer awareness through gadgets is not a new one. So why not support a good cause through consumerism? Belkin's new Nano cases provide yet another opportunity for doing so, with 10 percent of the proceeds benefiting Susan G. Komen for the Cure. (Belkin is promising a minimum $100,000 donation.) One eligible cases is the "Hope" Remix Metal for iPod nano ($29.99), which is constructed of durable acrylic and brushed pink metal and features a removable carabiner. The other is the Sport Armband for iPod nano ($29.99), which is a water-resistant, fitness-friendly case with light-pink detailing. The latter is a particular compelling gift idea for a female friend or family member as "exercise substantially reduces the odds of ever getting breast cancer, lengthens survival, and considerably enhances quality of life for women with breast cancer."
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