Happy Love Day!

February 14, 2014 by nvantreeck

Solve the equation above, and you too can be my Valentine.

I want to wish a Happy Valentines Day to everyone. Hopefully you have a special someone to share the day with, if not share your love with someone less fortunate. Besides the usual ‘This is a made up holiday by the card, flower, candy and jewelry cartel, it can be a day for sharing love with someone you love or everyone else. I think that is always a good thing. And no, I don’t want the candy or flowers or jewelry…just the cash that you would have spent on them will be fine!

– Ex astris, scientia –

I am and avid amateur astronomer and intellectual property attorney in Pasadena, California and I am a Rising Star as rated by Super Lawyers Magazine. As a former Chief Petty Officer in the U.S. Navy, I am a proud member of the Armed Service Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association working to aid all active duty and veterans in our communities. Connect with me on Google +

Norman

Gaia Is Go!

February 13, 2014 by nvantreeck

Gaia, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) unmanned astrometry spacecraft has taken its first image.

As I told you before, Gaia’s mission is make a 3D space catalogue of approximately 1 billion astronomical objects. It sounds like a lot, but that is only about 1% of the Milky Way!

Gaia will monitor each of its target stars about 70 times over a period of five years from its L2 vantage point.

So what does a billion pixel image look like?

Pretty good for a warmup. The final results should be spectacular. Not the pictures (this isn’t that kind of mission), but the data collected giving us the accurate distances and relative motions of the tracked objects. But some of the images may be spruced up a bit to make good copy.

And, if you remember my post from a few days ago, Gaia will be using parallax trigonometric techniques (like a parsec!) to measure the objects distance from us. See! There is a madness to my method, or

– Ex astris, scientia –

Norman

What Is The National Space Club?

February 12, 2014 by nvantreeck

Yesterday, I reposted a news story from NASA about the National Space Club. I thought it was very interesting, but I was really intrigued when I realized that I didn’t know who or what the National Space Club was. Why wasn’t I a member? It sounds like fun, perhaps I should join? These and other questions ran around muddling up my day, so I decided to do a hard hitting investigative report on: “The National Space Club: Friend or Foe?” But then I reigned in my overly dramatic side and just decided to find out more about the organization.

From their website:

“The National Space Club is the foremost entity devoted to fostering excellence in space activity through interaction between industry and government, and through a continuing program of educational support.

Through its programs, activities, and awards, the National Space Club works to promote space leadership and education. The active involvement of senior members of government, industry and academia serves to stimulate a range of activities focused on these objectives.

On March 7, 2014, The National Space Club will host its prestigious Dr. Robert H. Goddard Memorial Dinner. The Goddard Memorial Dinner is the major event of the Washington space calendar, first celebrated in 1958 which brings together nearly 2,000 members of the government, industry and educational space community. Awards are presented to a number of outstanding individuals for accomplishments in spaceflight, engineering, science, management and education. The premier award, the Goddard Trophy, is presented to the individual, group or program deemed to have made the most significant contribution to space activity in the previous year.”

So what exactly would my $30.00 membership get me? It turns out that the National Space Club is very much in line with other similar organizations, like the Planetary Society. It is a non-profit organization that has members from industry, government, educational institutions and private individuals all interested in promoting astronautics (basically space travel) to the public. The club has scholarships, internships and encourages educational space based activities.

The highlight of the year is the annual dinner that was announced yesterday for the Dr. Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy for excellence in promoting astronautics.

Perhaps if the club had a cool founder like Carl Sagan, or the current head of the Planetary Society, Bill Nye the science guy, I would have heard about them. But now that I know about them, I will see if there is anything I can do to help them out.

– Ex astris, scientia –

Norman

National Space Club Honors Kepler’s Planet Hunters.

February 11, 2014 by nvantreeck

NASA’s Kepler space telescope mission will be honored with the National Space Club’s preeminent award, the Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy, in March.

The National Space Club is recognizing Kepler for revolutionizing astrophysics and exoplanet science by expanding the census of planets beyond our solar system and fundamentally altering our understanding of our place in the Milky Way galaxy. The award citation acknowledges the Kepler team’s significant contribution to U.S. leadership in the field of rocketry and astronautics.

“This is an outstanding achievement for the entire Kepler team,” said John Grunsfeld, NASA’s associate administrator for science in Washington. “Kepler continues to surprise and inspire us on a regular basis and I’m delighted to see the team’s pioneering work acknowledged with the Goddard Trophy.”

The trophy will be presented at a 57th Annual Robert H. Goddard Memorial Dinner March 7 in Washington. Previous winners of the Goddard Trophy include NASA’s Curiosity and Mars Science Laboratory team, James A. Van Allen and the Apollo 11 astronaut crew.

Developed jointly by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., and NASA’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., Kepler was launched in 2009. It is the first NASA mission to find Earth-size planets in or near the habitable zone, the region in a planetary system where liquid water can exist on the surface of an orbiting planet.

“Kepler’s determination that most stars have planets and that Earth-size planets are common provides impetus to future missions that will determine whether many planets have atmospheres compatible with the possibility of life,” said William Borucki, Kepler principal investigator at Ames. “The future science enabled by the Kepler results will be one of the mission’s greatest legacies.”

Borucki and the team continue to analyze four years of collected data. Discoveries include more than 3,600 exoplanet candidates, of which 246 have been confirmed as exoplanets. They expect hundreds, if not thousands, of new discoveries contained within the data. This could include discovering long-awaited Earth-size planets in the habitable zone of sun-like stars.

Ames Center Director S. Pete Worden praised Kepler as “a hallmark of Ames ingenuity and humankind’s collective spirit to advance the frontier.” Worden said, “We may come up with ideas no one thinks are possible, but the collaboration of hundreds of scientists, engineers and managers from around the world has taken us closer to answering one of the ultimate questions: Are we alone?”

Jim Fanson, Kepler development phase project manager at JPL, commented on the historical implications of the mission. “Kepler has revolutionized our understanding of solar systems around other stars in the galaxy, and in so doing has transformed our view of our own island home,” Fanson said.

The National Space Club is a non-profit organization devoted to fostering excellence in space activity through interaction between industry and government and through a continuing program of educational support. A full list of 2014 award winners is online at:

http://www.spaceclub.org/awards.html

Ames is responsible for the Kepler mission concept, ground system development, mission operations and science data analysis. JPL managed Kepler mission development. Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. in Boulder, Colo., developed the Kepler flight system and supports mission operations with the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado in Boulder. The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore archives, hosts and distributes Kepler science data. Kepler is NASA’s 10th Discovery mission and was funded by the agency’s Science Mission Directorate.

For more information about the Kepler mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/kepler

Source: NASA

– Ex astris, scientia –

Norman

Using Copyrighted Articles in Patent Prosecution Is A Fair Use.

February 10, 2014 by nvantreeck

In a battle of intellectual property lawyers, U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Keyes recently sided with the patent attorneys. He ruled that a law firm’s use of copyrighted scientific journal articles in prosecuting patent applications constituted fair use.

American Institute of Physics v. Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner involved science and technology articles published by Plaintiffs American Institute of Physics and John Wiley & Sons, Inc. The law firm of Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner (Schwegman) obtained and later copied eighteen of the Plaintiffs’ copyrighted journal articles for use in its patent prosecution practice. The Plaintiffs allege that by obtaining the copies without paying for a license, and by making internal copies within the law office, Schwegman committed copyright infringement. The Plaintiff agreed submitting copies to the Patent Office was permissible. Both Schwegman and the USPTO maintain that Schwegman’s copying of the articles for their files and review constitutes a non-infringing “fair use.” The publishers disagreed.

In holding that fair use applied, the court applied the fair use provisions of the copyright statute which requires the courts to consider the following factors in deciding this issue:

The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
The nature of the copyrighted work;
The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
The effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

In this case, the court determined that all four fair use factors weighed in favor of finding that Schwegman’s use is fair as a matter of law. As explained by Magistrate Keyes:

The record demonstrates no genuine dispute that Schwegman’s use of the Articles was new and different and did not merely supersede the original purpose of the Articles. Also, the undisputed facts demonstrate that the nature of the Articles is predominantly informational. Further, although Schwegman did make complete copies of the Articles in its patent prosecution practice, the only reasonable inference to draw from the record is that Schwegman’s copying of the Articles was consistent with the new and different purpose and character of Schwegman’s use. And there is no evidence to suggest that Schwegman’s copying impacted a traditional, reasonable, or likely to be developed market for the Articles.

The decision is good news for fair use advocates and patent lawyers, but it must still be affirmed by the district court.

How Can I Help?

If you, or someone you know, need any help with Intellectual Property issues, from filing a patent, trademark or copyright, or just need advice regarding how best to protect your inventions, ideas or your brand, please contact me for a free 30 minute consultation at nvantreeck@usip.com or call TOLL FREE at 1-855-UR IDEAS (1-855-874-3327) and ask for Norman.

– Ex astris, scientia –

Norman

Looking Up For A Change.

February 10, 2014 by nvantreeck

High-altitude scientific balloons have been used for years by scientists for a variety of studies including hauling telescopes to near space for observations. However, planetary scientists haven’t been able to use them. That’s because they needed a highly stable system to accurately point their instruments and track planetary targets as they move.

Now NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Va., has designed a new pointing system — the Wallops Arc Second Pointer (WASP) — that can point balloon-borne scientific instruments at targets with sub arc-second accuracy and stability. A full scale test is scheduled later this year.

“Arc-second pointing is unbelievably precise,” said David Stuchlik, the WASP project manager. “Some compare it to the ability to find and track an object that is the diameter of a dime from two miles away.”

WASP is designed to be a highly flexible, standardized system capable of supporting many science payloads and frees scientists from having to develop their own pointing systems. Now, they can focus on creating the instruments.
– Ex astris, scientia –

Norman

Tech Industry Testifies Before Congress on Copyright Reform.

February 7, 2014 by nvantreeck

Businesses that rely on the fair use doctrine and open source technology recently testified before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet. The hearing featured testimony from representatives of crowdfunding website Indiegogo Inc., nonprofit software developer Beneficent Technology Inc., manufacturer SparkFun Electronics Inc., television monitoring company SnapStream Media Inc., and cloud-computing company Rackspace Inc.

The hearing was part of Congress’s broad review of U.S. copyright laws with the goal of updating the country’s copyright protection scheme. In prior testimony, content creators from the music and film industries argued for stronger protections to combat infringement in the digital age, particularly online piracy.

In the latest hearing, the tech companies called on Congress to protect their business models as part of any future copyright reform. They stressed that innovation and intellectual property protection do not always have to go hand in hand. “Innovation doesn’t just come from control” of the intellectual property, Van Lindberg, Rackspace’s vice president of intellectual property, told the committee.

Jim Fruchterman, president and chief executive officer of Beneficent Technology, stressed that his company relies on fair use. “Intellectual property laws, at their best, can encourage technological advances, reward creativity, and bring benefits to society,” Fruchterman said. “To make this possible, we must keep the balance in copyright. We need to defend fair use as a laboratory for creativity.”

Finally, Danae Ringelmann, Indiegogo co-founder and chief customer officer, suggested a new approach is needed in a digital world where everything can be easily copied and distributed. “Rather than try to fight it, because it’s like water rolling down a hill, try to embrace it,” Ringelmann said.

Source: Corporate Counsel

How Can I Help?

– Ex astris, scientia –

Norman

Move Over Internet, There’s A Cosmic Web In Town!

February 7, 2014 by nvantreeck

Cosmologist theorize that galaxies are embedded in a cosmic web of “stuff”, and that most of the “stuff” is dark matter.

Using a quasar as a sort of cosmic flashlight, astronomers have taken an image of this Web, confirming parts of the theory. Cosmological calculations showed that as the Universe grows, matter becomes clustered in filaments and nodes under the force of gravity, like a giant cosmic web.

Using the 10-metre Keck telescope in Hawaii, astronomers took the first images of these web filaments.

It is very interesting to look at the similarities of our man made web with the structures made in nature.

So now another piece of the dark matter/dark energy puzzle is in place. Eventually, we may find the remaining 90% of the Universe. But, baby steps for now.

– Ex astris, scientia –

Norman

Department of Commerce Report on Copyright Policy in the Digital Age.

February 6, 2014 by nvantreeck

As Congress continues to hear testimony regarding potential changes to the U.S. copyright system, the Department of Commerce issued a green paper on Copyright Policy, Creativity, and Innovation in the Digital Economy. It addresses striking the proper balance between the rights of copyright holders and the innovative power of the Internet and the free flow of information.

“Copyright law strikes a number of important balances in delineating what is protectable and what is not, determining what uses are permitted without a license, and establishing appropriate enforcement mechanisms to combat piracy, so that all stakeholders benefit from the protection afforded by copyright,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. “Ensuring that our copyright policy provides incentives for creativity while promoting innovation on the Internet is a critical and challenging task. The Green Paper released today is an important step toward ensuring that the United States’ creative industries continue to have a substantial impact on strengthening our nation’s economy.”

The green paper was prepared by the Department of Commerce’s Internet Policy Task Force (IPTF) with input from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). According to the USPTO, it is the most thorough and comprehensive analysis of digital copyright policy issued by any administration since 1995.

The report includes recommendations to establish a stakeholder dialogue on improving the operation of the notice and takedown system under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) as well as proposals to solicit public comments and convene roundtables on:

The legal framework for the creation of remixes;
The relevance and scope of the first sale doctrine in the digital environment;
The application of statutory damages in the context of individual file-sharers and secondary liability for large-scale online infringement;
The appropriate role for the government, if any, to help improve the online licensing environment, including access to comprehensive public and private databases of rights information.

How Can I Help?

– Ex astris, scientia –

Norman

The Sun Is A Little Loopy.

February 6, 2014 by nvantreeck

Although the Sun is currently trying to decide if it is going to remain active or go dormant for an extended period, it is still providing some spectacular sights.

One of the more amazing things produced by the Sun are the enormous magnetic loops.

The Solar Dynamics observatory, SOHO and the Stereo spacecraft, among others, keep a constant eye on the Sun, measuring our star for changes that might affect us and data for analysis.

The SOHO image above show the vast network of magnetic loops produced by the Sun.

These magnetic loops can always be found when observing the Sun using the proper safety equipment. Everywhere there is a sunspot, you have the beginning and end of a magnetic loop.

Although that is an easy way for you to see magnetic loops, they occur for almost every Solar event, like a coronal mass ejection. The bending and breaking of these loops cause a lot of activity on the Sun and the cause is still only speculation. Beauty and danger all in one. Sounds like a movie.

– Ex astris, scientia –

Norman

Astronomy and Law

Astronomy and Law Blog

Monthly Archives: February 2014

Happy Love Day!

Gaia Is Go!

What Is The National Space Club?

National Space Club Honors Kepler’s Planet Hunters.

Using Copyrighted Articles in Patent Prosecution Is A Fair Use.

Looking Up For A Change.

Tech Industry Testifies Before Congress on Copyright Reform.

Move Over Internet, There’s A Cosmic Web In Town!

Department of Commerce Report on Copyright Policy in the Digital Age.

The Sun Is A Little Loopy.