The venture capital industry is downsizing toward smaller and fewer funds. What should the remaining VCs do? What should new VCs do? The answers will have a large influence on entrepreneurs, innovation, and wealth creation. Venture Capitalists Who Raise Money Now Will Win Later In the current environment, raising money is tough, not just for...
Barnes & Noble just announced its new eBook Store and a partnership with Plastic Logic, maker of the Plastic Logic eReader device. In so doing, Barnes & Noble has put its hat into the eBooks ring and poses a serious competitive threat to the Amazon Kindle and the Sony Reader. To the contrary, Barnes &...
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Twitter should feel pretty good about itself. But Twitter does not see it that way. According to Forbes.com, the recently hacked Twitter documents posted on TechCrunch suggest that Twitter is afraid of Facebook. Over the past several months, Facebook has copied Twitter in at least ten ways....
What do clients want from their lawyers? According to a new survey by Clemente Communications Group, middle-market companies want their professional services firms (including lawyers) to help them increase revenue growth and diversify strategically. These companies are looking for advisors who understand the key trends in their industries and their company's strategic priorities. In short,...
Now that G.M. is emerging from bankruptcy, it faces formidable challenges to become a viable business. The new G.M. will be significantly streamlined, retaining only the Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC nameplates. Hummer, Saab, Opel and Pontiac are being sold off or shut down. How can a smaller, leaner G.M. also be meaner? G.M.'s Strategic...
Google has announced plans for its Google Chrome Operating System. Chrome OS is a cloud based operating system for PCs that the company says will be characterized by "speed, simplicity, and security." In contrast to operating systems, like Windows, that sit on a computer's desktop, Chrome OS will be an open source, web standards based...
Cupertino, your iPhone has a trademark problem in China. While Apple is talking to China Unicom about selling the iPhone in China beginning in 2010, MacWorld reports that Hanwang Technology owns the trademark “i-phone” for mobile phones in China. As a result, Apple will run into problems selling the iPhone in China without reaching an...
Coke is not the only beverage company looking to expand in China. Pepsi has its eyes on China. Pepsi has about one third of the carbonated beverage market in China, while Coke has about one half of the market. Since the Chinese are not big soda drinkers, the two companies are focusing on the juice...
The patent troll loses one. Honeywell's intellectual property licensing unit, Honeywell Intellectual Property International (HIPI), recently lost a patent infringement suit that it brought against Novatek, a Taiwanese LCD panel manufacturer. What's notable is that Honeywell sued seven other defendants for infringing the same patent, and all of those defendants settled. Novatek refused to pay...
Can a web filter prevent another tool from showing up on your computer? Yes, according to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. On June 25, 2009, the Court held in Zango, Inc. v. Kaspersky, Inc., that the Communications Decency Act of 1996 (CDA) immunizes internet security companies from unfair business practices suits. See here for...