Legal Commentary

Real Counterfeits of Virtual Swords
Square Enix, the company behind the Final Fantasy computer games, movies and other media has a novel intellectual property issue. Someone is importing copies of its swords. Keep in mind that prior to being knocked off, these swords existed only as virtual swords to be wielded in video games...

US Patent 7456052 - Tethered CNTs for thermal interface
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7456052.htmlThis patent is another in Intel's continuing effort to find thermal interface solutions using carbon nanotubes. Claim 1 reads:1. A process:coating at least one surface of least one of a heat sink and of a die with a metal;oxidizing carbon nanotubes ropes in sulfuric and nitric acids, whereby the carbon nanotubes ropes are cut into a plurality of short carbon nanotubes with open ends having carboxyl linkages attached thereto;treating at least one end of at least some of a plurality of carbon nanotubes by applying organic moieties thereto; andtethering one end of the at least some of the carbon nanotubes of the plurality of carbon nanotubes to the metal.

Scrutinizing the scrutiny
Judicial reconfirmations in Connecticut have usually been a low-key affair, so it was newsworthy last week when an all out battle erupted on the floor of the Senate during the reconfirmation of Judge Patricia Swords...

Square Enix Launches Lawsuit Over Counterfeit Final Fantasy Swords
Square Enix, the Tokyo-based creator of the Final Fantasy franchise, has filed a federal lawsuit for copyright infringement against four wholesalers whom Square Enix claims were selling unlicensed replicas of the swords used in the Final Fantasy games...

US Patent 7326605 - Conversion of metallic CNTs to semiconducting CNTs using hydrogen doping
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7326605.htmlSingle wall carbon nanotubes have metallic or semiconducting properties depending on the diameter of the tubes and the arrangement of the carbon lattice with respect to the length of the tubes...

US Patent 7407640 - Defunctionalizing CNT composites with radiation
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7407640.htmlOften in order to effectively incorporate carbon nanotubes in a polymer matrix the nanotubes need to be functionalized with another molecule for uniform distribution in the polymer and to avoid clumping of the nanotubes...

Asbestos-like Nanotubes
Pose Serious Health Risks

Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Failure

Mobile Homes
Risk for Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Continental Carbon
Settles with Landowners in Pollution Suit

Cipro
The FDA is seeking to add black box warnings of the risk of tendon rupture associated with Cipro and Levaquin. The ruptures can involve Achilles tendon, shoulder, hand, bicep or thumb tendons, and is especially increased in patients older than 60, or people who have received kidney, heart or lung transplants, as well as people on steroid therapy...