The Legislature's "Trademark Protection Act" that was passed in the recent general session promises to protect registered companies from Internet search engines allowing competitors' names to pop up when someone searches for a company's trademarked product.
Funny. Rightdot, based in Westport, Conn., received final patent approval March 13 for its system that allows Internet users to distinguish between official and unofficial Web sites through identification symbols on Internet search page site descriptions.
Business and individual Web sites would be qualified as "official" by registering with the company.
The Utah law would allow companies to register their trademarks with the state for a fee. If a competitor's name or advertisement popped up while a consumer was searching on the Internet for the registered company, it could sue the search engine and the competitor.
Jim Grossman, founder of Rightdot, says his service accomplishes the same goal as the law, by protecting a company from others trying to use its name to promote themselves. But his service is countrywide, while Utah's law just covers searches based within the state.
The law passed shortly before Grossman's patent was approved, but the patent application has been in the works for seven years and was published in 2002.
Clueless in SLC: The McGillis School at 1300 East and 700 South in Salt Lake City has a pollution problem.
School staff often find themselves having to hose off the shoes of schoolchildren after recess because of the inordinate amount of dog feces on the playground.
Parents say too many irresponsible dog owners let their pets romp freely on the playground and don't pick up the doggie doo, leaving it for the students to encounter during their play.
The school has had to pay a maintenance crew to clean up the messes and may soon resort to calling Animal Control. At a recent meeting with the Douglas Neighborhood Association, School Administrator Matt Colberson said the school may have to build a fence around the playground, which includes a soccer field. He said most neighbors are responsive and are trying to help. But the few who don't may wreck it for everyone.
Sign of the times? Perhaps a few lights burned out in coincidentally strategic places at the pedestrian signal on the north side of the 500 East and 100 South intersection in Salt Lake City. Or, maybe a mad technical genius decided to hack into the system to send a general message to society.
Whatever the reason, the orange "Don't Walk" sign, which usually is an open hand signifying "halt," appears to be the image of a semi-closed fist with an extended middle finger.
