Utah Politicians Finally Understanding Why Banning Keywords On Trademarks Is Dumb
from the slowly-but-surely dept
Earlier this month, Utah politicians passed legislation banning the sale of keyword-triggered ads if the keywords were trademarked. One of the sponsors of the legislation bizarrely claimed that this kind of activity was akin to identity theft since someone looking for one product might suddenly become interested in a competing product. Of course, he never explained how that's any different than a supermarket putting similar products near each other, and maybe even competitor's coupons beneath a popular product. Of course, it sounds like the politicians who pushed for the law never bothered to actually talk to internet companies to figure out how all of this stuff works. It's only now, after the legislation has been passed, that the politicians figured it was worth maybe understanding what their legislation would actually do. So now that they've met with a bunch of tech execs, they're saying that they probably won't actually enforce the law and may even look to change or potentially repeal it. Wouldn't that have made a lot more sense prior to introducing, campaigning for and passing the legislation?
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Worst Internet Laws by Cixelsid on Apr 30th, 2007 @ 1:08am
Probably no coincidence that Utah features multiple times in the Top 10 Worst Internet Laws as decided by Eric Goldman.
Utah is proof that religion makes you stupid.
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by GroundedInReality on Apr 30th, 2007 @ 4:19am
indeed. The entire human race would be better off without all these God freaks passing laws on stuff they don't understand. Most can't even read thier own holy books and follow the "laws" in them.
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How About Keyword Ads for Dead Babies? by dorpus on Apr 30th, 2007 @ 4:27am
In the Sichuan Province of China, a couple had a son with an inoperable brain tumor. When their next-door neighbor's baby died, they remembered an urban legend that said eating a baby that just died will cure any disease. The couple dug up the baby's corpse from the grave, severed its head, and served the torso to their son. The three have been charged with desecrating a corpse.
Picture at
http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20070429-00000019-rcdc-cn
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Re: How About Keyword Ads for Dead Babies? by Anonymous Coward on Apr 30th, 2007 @ 5:44am
Yeah.. but did it work?
I mean, did the tumor go away?
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but did it work? by Lewis Salem on Apr 30th, 2007 @ 5:55am
Booya!
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Re: Re: How About Keyword Ads for Dead Babies? by Sanguine Dream on Apr 30th, 2007 @ 6:00am
Who cares if it works! I'm going to be like a tech company to patent, copyright, and trademark it anyway. Then after someone else brings it to market I'll sue them into nothingness.
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Wow... by JS Beckerist on Apr 30th, 2007 @ 6:11am
Way to be relevant dorpus.
Blind faith, and the utter LACK of proof is what LETS religion make you stupid.
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Utah and religion by james on Apr 30th, 2007 @ 6:50am
Have you been to Utah lately? The Mormon population is line 15 % and very few hold any public office.
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Utanians by dorpus on Apr 30th, 2007 @ 7:00am
Do they still have that terrible plastic sphere sculpture on I-80 an hour west of SLC? A monument to Mormon bad taste.
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How do I get in touch with the Internets? by Ben on Apr 30th, 2007 @ 7:25am
This is so confusing. When I saw the original story, I thought that the Internet was headquartered in Utah and therefore under their jursdiction. Now I find out that's not the case?! Whoever is running the Internet is doing a wonderful job keeping it secret, because our politicians don't seem to have the tools to regulate this powerful entity!
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Not limited to internet bills by Tom on Apr 30th, 2007 @ 7:57am
There was a bill in the NH legislature proposing requirements for seatbelts on motorcycles.
When you crash on a motorcycle, the last thing you want is to be strapped to it.
There was a similar bill for Farm tractors. A farmer friend of mine said if it has a cab/roll cage, you want it. If it doesn't, a seatbelt is death as the tractor rolls over on you.
Common sense isn't common.
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Re: Worst Internet Laws by Anonymous Coward on Apr 30th, 2007 @ 8:14am
So, I guess Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein were morons?
Your comment was stupid - what does that make you?
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Politics... by Anonymous Coward on Apr 30th, 2007 @ 9:14am
In the olden days in order to become a leader you had to be known by the people and be knowledgable of the people, industries, and so forth of the area you were trying gain a political seat in.
These days politicians know next to nothing about the things they are trying to regulate and to make it worse they acutally depend on lobbyists, focus groups, and corporations to keep them informed of the issues.
I don't know how to ride a motocycle therefore I'm not qualified to make a law telling everyone else (including actual riders) how to ride one.
Due to the fact that policians have so much responsibility they should be held to a higher standard of understanding the issues they try to pass laws about.
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Re: Utah and religion by Anonymous Coward on Apr 30th, 2007 @ 10:13am
Just because you live their doesn't mean you shouldn't check your facts before you quote them. A simple google of "mormon population utah" will give you a link to this
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_2886596
which estimates ~60% of the population in utah is mormon. Too churchy for me.
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Stupid Politicians by Lorri Randle on Apr 30th, 2007 @ 12:59pm
Okay, I may not agree with the law that was passed in Utah, but come on guys, it has nothing to do with religion!
I know a LOT of politicians who have made stupid rules, laws and mistakes-take a look at our government now, and they aren't mormon...
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Enforcement by Anonymous Coward on Apr 30th, 2007 @ 3:08pm
Translation: They've promised the execs to use "selective enforcement" (as usual with many laws).(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
i wNT TO FIND out how many population in utah by ronak on May 5th, 2007 @ 8:37am
i like utah a lot because it has a red dirt of out side
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