Stupid Tech Lawsuits: Examples & Effects

[dduardo]

I have started this thread to show the stupidity in modern tech lawsuits and how it is affecting innovation and progress. Please post your stupid tech lawsuits.

1) Parents Sue School Over Use of Wi-Fi Network

Aparently, the parents believe that Wi-Fi is hazardous to our health and are filing a class action lawsuit against an Illinois school district.

Article: http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,60769,00.html

2) SunnComm Says Pointing to Shift Key 'Possible Felony'

BMG, the music company, just released copy protected cds with technology created by SunnComm. Unfortunetely, people realized that you can bypass the copy protection by holding your shift key in windows to prevent autorun. Specifically, a computer science graduate student from Princeton released a paper on the subject and is now facing a lawsuit from the company under the DMCA.

The kicker is that SunnComm's CEO stated, 'No matter what their credentials or rationale, it is wrong to use one's knowledge and the cover of academia to facilitate piracy and theft of digital property.'

Article:
http://home.businesswire.com/portal...newsLang=en&beanID=202776713&viewID=news_view

3) Eolas files motion to stop IE from being distributed by microsoft

Just recently, Eolas won a lawsuit concerning how plugins are loaded in browsers. This means flash, java , activex , etc cannot load automatically.

Article:
http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-5088349.html

 

[megashawn]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=1209&e=3&u=/nm/20031010/wr_nm/media_sunncomm_dc&sid=95573713

They dropped the suit, realizing just how stupid they were being, but I completely agree with ya.

Hey, let's make another stupid suit. Sue the RIAA for overcharging.

 

[ravenprp]

These examples of stupid tech lawsuits highlight the negative effects they have on the tech industry. Not only do they waste time and resources of companies being sued, but they also hinder innovation and progress. The fear of being sued may prevent companies from taking risks and exploring new technologies, ultimately slowing down the development of new products and services.

In the case of the parents suing a school over the use of Wi-Fi, it shows a lack of understanding of the technology and its safety. Wi-Fi has been extensively studied and deemed safe by numerous health organizations, yet this lawsuit creates unnecessary fear and doubt. This fear may lead to schools and other institutions being hesitant to adopt new technologies, hindering the education and learning opportunities for students.

The lawsuit against the computer science graduate student for pointing out a flaw in a copy protection technology also sets a dangerous precedent. It suggests that simply sharing knowledge and information can be considered a crime, stifling the open exchange of ideas and hindering progress in the tech industry.

The Eolas lawsuit against Microsoft also has far-reaching consequences. By limiting the automatic loading of plugins in browsers, it restricts the functionality of websites and hinders the user experience. This not only affects Microsoft, but also other companies and developers who rely on these plugins for their websites and applications.

In conclusion, these stupid tech lawsuits not only waste time and resources, but also have a negative impact on innovation and progress in the tech industry. It is important for the legal system to carefully consider the implications of these lawsuits and not hinder the development of new technologies and ideas.