Clear Channel Buys Patent For Instant Live CDs

An anonymous reader writes "According to this Rolling Stone article, and this article at P2P, everyone's favorite monopolist, Clear Channel, is bullying DiscLive and other companies in the available-after-the-concert live CD business by forbidding them from operating in their venues. Looking at the actual Clear Channel patent itself, it's obvious that, unlike what is said by their Instant Live program head Steve Simon, their patent is very specific, and doesn't cover all media types and all onsite production, so isn't CC just standing behind a bogus patent to continue to act like a monopolist? Anyone have prior art to invalidate their patent?"

Comments

Prior Art?

[Gilesx]

Anyone remember the Grateful Dead's policy on bootlegging, how they encouraged it and even gave a special area at the front of the stage for bootleggers to stand and get a decent recording?

Isn't this an instant recording of a live event? Hasn't this been going on for 20 years?

Solution

[thirdofnine]

The only solution to all this bulls#$t is to get rid of patents all together, or have a major reform of the patent system to being it in line with the majority's idea of a patent system, and not what big business thinks it should be.

In its current format, it is just being abused by big business to stifle innovation, and as a means to create an income though suing anyone any everyone who even remotely does something similar to what they have a patent on.

This is the only solution, and should be done as well as a complete re-write of the copyright laws, and civil lawsuit laws, as they too are now just a revenue stream for big business.

This is also fast becoming the case here in Australia too as Australia becomes America through the FTA (Free Trade Agreement).

Well that is my AU$0.02 (US$0.014178) worth.

Third of Nine