Barry Diller's TV Initiative Aereo Opts for Bankruptcy

A couple of years ago, Barry Diller wanted to break into the video content distribution game. His gimmick was Aereo, a firm which promised streaming TV for gadgets. His trick was to use micro-antennae to capture cable television signals and send them to Aereo users. (The blog techcrunch.com has a useful overview of this initiative.) The cable barons fought back via litigation and won their case before the US Supreme Court.

Recently, Aereo declared a financial no mas and declared bankruptcy. The AP story appears in siliconvalley.com.

The firm is continuing to tout the value of its Internet recording technology, and try to snatch financial victory from legal defeat.

Copyright Litigation Filed Over "Happy Birthday" Song

Millions of Britons probably missed the
Warner-Chappell memo about copyright protection
for Happy Birthday to You.  

Believe it or not, the song Happy Birthday to You has been subject to copyright protection for decades. I'm willing to guess that the millions of people who've blown out birthday candles never imagined themselves a beloved lyric away from a cease and desist notice.

According to an Associated Press story reprinted in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's online edition, two firms are about to enter a courtroom battle over rights to the song. The defendant is LA-based Warner/Chappell Music Inc., which represents a stable of musicians, including Aretha Franklin and Madonna. The firm, a division of Warner Music, also owns rights to the song Winter Wonderland. 

"Drunken" Moose Found in Tree

Time for something a little silly, courtesy of the Swedes. According to an AP story reprinted in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, a moose which apparently ate one too many fermented apples literally found itself up a tree. The episode, which took place in southwestern Sweden, includes an observation that the moose might have been "'half-stupid.'"