The New York Times writes that “[a]fter repeated pledges by world leaders to avoid erecting trade barriers, protectionism is on the march, provoking nasty trade disputes and undermining efforts to plot a coordinated response to the deepest global economic downturn since World War II.  From a looming battle with China over tariffs on carbon-intensive goods to a spat over Mexican trucks using American roads, barriers are going up around the world. As the recession’s grip tightens, these pressures are likely [...]

Last Friday, the European Commission published a communication entitled “A Strategy for ICT R&D and Innovation in Europe: Raising the Game,” which recognizes the importance of intellectual property rights (IPRs) for innovative small and medium-sized companies in the EU.  The communication, which is meant to be a first step towards increasing the benefits to be gained in the EU from technology research and development (R&D), announces an increase in funding for technology research of over 50 percent between 2010 and [...]

Reuters speculates about the likelihood of the planned IBM-Sun merger raising antitrust concerns, writing that “[t]he prospect of staid IBM merging with brilliant but troubled Sun Microsystems could spark a bout of antitrust scrutiny in the United States and abroad as customers and suppliers raise concerns about competition.  The merger would give the combined company 65 percent of the $17 billion Unix server market, according to market researcher IDC. These are the big servers that major companies, the government and [...]

Oh. Heck. Yes.  I love, love, love this video.  It’s a trailer for “SuperNews,” an animated show that will on the on the Current network tomorrow. (Thankfully, full episodes are available online since my old-fashioned cable doesn’t carry the network.  Apparently Current is only delivered to the homes of you people who get your programming via the mysteries of the cosmos, i.e., satellite.) I’ve been known to rail against Twitter myself, which is why I find the video so funny. [...]

The San Francisco Gate has an op-ed which claims that President Obama’s ideas for helping small businesses don’t go far enough. The author of the piece, entrepreneur J.R. Johnson, writes that Obama’s proposed decrease in the capital gains tax for 75 percent of the investment if it is held for five years or more is a step in the right direction “but falls short and […] doesn't excite or encourage entrepreneurs to get off the sidelines.” Instead, he writes, the [...]

The Register reveals that “[t]he European Commission has reiterated its demand for the creation of a single European patent. It said the absence of such a protection is hindering the growth of technology companies in the European Union.”  The San Francisco Gate has another article on the Obama administration’s newest plan to direct aid to small firms, writing that “President Obama freed billions of dollars to help the nation's small businesses on Monday, hoping to get credit flowing again to [...]