Utah Politicians Finally Understanding Why Banning Keywords On Trademarks Is Dumb

from the slowly-but-surely dept

Mon, Apr 30th 2007 12:33am — Mike Masnick

Earlier this month, Utah politicians passed legislation banning the sale of keyword-triggered ads if the keywords were trademarked. One of the sponsors of the legislation bizarrely claimed that this kind of activity was akin to identity theft since someone looking for one product might suddenly become interested in a competing product. Of course, he never explained how that's any different than a supermarket putting similar products near each other, and maybe even competitor's coupons beneath a popular product. Of course, it sounds like the politicians who pushed for the law never bothered to actually talk to internet companies to figure out how all of this stuff works. It's only now, after the legislation has been passed, that the politicians figured it was worth maybe understanding what their legislation would actually do. So now that they've met with a bunch of tech execs, they're saying that they probably won't actually enforce the law and may even look to change or potentially repeal it. Wouldn't that have made a lot more sense prior to introducing, campaigning for and passing the legislation?

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19 Comments

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Cixelsid, 30 Apr 2007 @ 1:08am

Worst Internet Laws
Probably no coincidence that Utah features multiple times in the Top 10 Worst Internet Laws as decided by Eric Goldman.

Utah is proof that religion makes you stupid.
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GroundedInReality, 30 Apr 2007 @ 4:19am

indeed. The entire human race would be better off without all these God freaks passing laws on stuff they don't understand. Most can't even read thier own holy books and follow the "laws" in them.
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dorpus, 30 Apr 2007 @ 4:27am

How About Keyword Ads for Dead Babies?
In the Sichuan Province of China, a couple had a son with an inoperable brain tumor. When their next-door neighbor's baby died, they remembered an urban legend that said eating a baby that just died will cure any disease. The couple dug up the baby's corpse from the grave, severed its head, and served the torso to their son. The three have been charged with desecrating a corpse.

Picture at
http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20070429-00000019-rcdc-cn
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Apr 2007 @ 5:44am

Re: How About Keyword Ads for Dead Babies?
Yeah.. but did it work?

I mean, did the tumor go away?
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Lewis Salem, 30 Apr 2007 @ 5:55am

but did it work?
Booya!
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Sanguine Dream, 30 Apr 2007 @ 6:00am

Re: Re: How About Keyword Ads for Dead Babies?
Who cares if it works! I'm going to be like a tech company to patent, copyright, and trademark it anyway. Then after someone else brings it to market I'll sue them into nothingness.
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JS Beckerist, 30 Apr 2007 @ 6:11am

Wow...
Way to be relevant dorpus.

Blind faith, and the utter LACK of proof is what LETS religion make you stupid.
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james (profile), 30 Apr 2007 @ 6:50am

Utah and religion
Have you been to Utah lately? The Mormon population is line 15 % and very few hold any public office.
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dorpus, 30 Apr 2007 @ 7:00am

Utanians
Do they still have that terrible plastic sphere sculpture on I-80 an hour west of SLC? A monument to Mormon bad taste.
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Ben, 30 Apr 2007 @ 7:25am

How do I get in touch with the Internets?
This is so confusing. When I saw the original story, I thought that the Internet was headquartered in Utah and therefore under their jursdiction. Now I find out that's not the case?! Whoever is running the Internet is doing a wonderful job keeping it secret, because our politicians don't seem to have the tools to regulate this powerful entity!
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Tom, 30 Apr 2007 @ 7:57am

Not limited to internet bills
There was a bill in the NH legislature proposing requirements for seatbelts on motorcycles.

When you crash on a motorcycle, the last thing you want is to be strapped to it.

There was a similar bill for Farm tractors. A farmer friend of mine said if it has a cab/roll cage, you want it. If it doesn't, a seatbelt is death as the tractor rolls over on you.

Common sense isn't common.
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Apr 2007 @ 8:14am

Re: Worst Internet Laws
So, I guess Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein were morons?

Your comment was stupid - what does that make you?
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Apr 2007 @ 9:14am

Politics...
In the olden days in order to become a leader you had to be known by the people and be knowledgable of the people, industries, and so forth of the area you were trying gain a political seat in.

These days politicians know next to nothing about the things they are trying to regulate and to make it worse they acutally depend on lobbyists, focus groups, and corporations to keep them informed of the issues.

I don't know how to ride a motocycle therefore I'm not qualified to make a law telling everyone else (including actual riders) how to ride one.

Due to the fact that policians have so much responsibility they should be held to a higher standard of understanding the issues they try to pass laws about.
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Apr 2007 @ 10:13am

Re: Utah and religion
Just because you live their doesn't mean you shouldn't check your facts before you quote them. A simple google of "mormon population utah" will give you a link to this

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_2886596

which estimates ~60% of the population in utah is mormon. Too churchy for me.
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Lorri Randle, 30 Apr 2007 @ 12:59pm

Stupid Politicians
Okay, I may not agree with the law that was passed in Utah, but come on guys, it has nothing to do with religion!
I know a LOT of politicians who have made stupid rules, laws and mistakes-take a look at our government now, and they aren't mormon...
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Apr 2007 @ 3:08pm

Enforcement
So now that they've met with a bunch of tech execs, they're saying that they probably won't actually enforce the law...
Translation: They've promised the execs to use "selective enforcement" (as usual with many laws).
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ronak, 5 May 2007 @ 8:37am

i wNT TO FIND out how many population in utah
i like utah a lot because it has a red dirt of out side
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Galak, 19 Mar 2009 @ 4:46pm

Re: How About Keyword Ads for Dead Babies?
Even though that was a terrible thing to do, you can't judge the entire church based on on any one individual's actions. Just because those people did that doesn't necessarily mean that they all do it.
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Galak, 19 Mar 2009 @ 4:55pm

Re: Stupid Politicians
Mormons aren't bad people. Sure we may not be perfect, but we're good, hard-working, friendly people. We worship Jesus Christ and His Father. I don't mean to be rude or anything but all I'm trying to say is that we are not bad people, okay?
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