Newspaper May Have Given Implicit License To Copy

An anonymous reader writes "Following up on the story of Righthaven, the 'copyright troll' that is working with the Las Vegas Journal Review to sue lots of websites (including one of Nevada's Senate candidates) for reposting articles from the LVRJ, a judge in one of the cases appears to be quite sympathetic to the argument that the LVRJ offered an 'implied license' to copy by not just putting their content online for free, but including tools on every story that say 'share this' with links to various sharing services (including one tool to 'share' via Slashdot!)."

Common Sense?

[Haedrian]

If common sense finally wins in one of these cases, it'll be the end of the world as we know it.

Until they file an appeal.

Re:Um...

[Yvanhoe]

How exactly is this going to work?

How concisely you sum up years of interrogations about this whole "intellectual property" thing !

Re:Reform is needed.

[jgagnon]

Just wait for lawyers to start patenting their particular model of "lawyering" and then the fun REALLY starts. :p

Re:A limited reading

[Haedrian]

Just to be clear, browsers allow users to right-click.

They've been suing the wrong people all this time.

Mozilla, Google and Microsoft are the culprits!

The end of the world as we know it?

[Chas]

But I feel fine!

Re:Reform is needed.

[trum4n]

They can afford SleepNumber beds.

Re:They need help

[L4t3r4lu5]

At which point, all court rooms can be issued with a small PA system and a button on their desk. Every case of "RIAA Vs. " or "MPAA Vs. " etc which they encounter, they can press the button. In a big booming voice, the PA system will play "DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE. and that'll be that.

Trapdoor to shark pit underneath the plaintiff's lawyers is optional.

Re:Reform is needed.

[Profane MuthaFucka]

I like that argument technique - make up a fact, for example, divorce rates are going through the roof, and blame it on a group that you don't like.

Seriously, I like that technique.