Patento.absurdium

Lots of interesting things going on this week, but I've not had time to post any of them here. I've really got to get that remote access setup. The idea of running Radio from my laptop just didn't pan out the way I wanted. I don't know if it's my fault or some problem with the setup, but trying to redeploy Radio on my laptop just didn't work. Anyway, I've ordered a static IP from Earthlink and by the end of next week I plan to have remote access.

NAPL reports business in the commercial print sector has hit a five-month low at 45.5. This is the second consecutive decline and the second consecutive sub-50 month. NAPL cautions this is not an indication the industry is going back into recession. My question is, what indication did they ever have the industry was coming out of recession.

ImageX licensed three of their patents to printChannel. This is interesting because printChannel is a good company with a solid service. I've been less than impressed with the recent rash of patents issued for print e-procurement and on-line printing. I believe most were errantly issued by the USPTO and would be held invalid if anyone bothered to pursue them. With printChannel agreeing to Imagex's licensing terms that may set some sort of precedent for the industry. This is something to watch.

Kinko's is rebuilding in Dallas. Kinko's continues to rebuild itself in the DFW area after installing a new CEO and shuttering its SoCal HQ. Gary Kusin, the new CEO, came from the office furniture industry. Sue Parks, recently named exec-VP of Ops, came from Gateway Computers and USWest. I'm told there are lots of ads in the DFW papers for programmers, engineers, etc at Kink's. Should be interesting to see what happens there over the next year. It is not easy to rebuild an entire company in a new city.