Here is Think IP Strategy’s weekly selection of top Online intellectual property news breaking in the blogosphere and internet.

Highlights this week included:

Dutch government wants penalties for P2P downloads (ArsTechnica) (IPKat) (TorrentFreak)

New Zealand Government rushes through controversial anti-piracy law (TorrentFreak) (ArsTechnica)

Please join the discussion by adding your comments on any of these stories, and please do let us know if you think we’ve missed something important, or if there is a source you think should be monitored.

Global

Global – General

A leveling of the IP playing field by Microsoft (IP Think Tank)

Global – Copyright

PK In the Know Podcast – includes recent COICA hearings (Public Knowledge)

Who profits from Piracy 2 (Plagiarism Today)

Copyright and the digital agenda (Laurence Kaye on Digital Media Law)

Distributor offers to ‘purify’ and monetize pirate files (TorrentFreak)

Global – Trade Marks & Domain Names

The high price of sex (.com) (IAM)

Canada

Canadian copyright update (IPblog)

iPod tax fight conceals another consumer copyright fee hike (Michael Geist) (Excess Copyright) (Excess Copyright)

Robertson #2: Freelance writers class action settlement approval heard: Robertson v. ProQuest, CEDROM, Toronto Star Newspapers, Rogers and Canwest (IP Osgoode)

Is copyright law economically relevant? (IP Osgoode)

Cloud-based content and TPMs: the Cloud’s part in the next incarnation of Copyright Reform (IP Osgoode)

Conservatives on their Digital Economy Strategy: Wait until after the election (Michael Geist)

NDP unveils its digital economy strategy: Reshaping internet access in Canada (Michael Geist)

The Liberal digital economy strategy: Extended edition (Michael Geist)

Access copyright’s election 2011 toolkit – About repealing fair dealing (Excess Copyright)

YouTube takes down Conservative Leader Steven Harper music clip on copyright claim (Michael Geist)

China

Taobao.com appeals against verdict that it should pay RMB 10,000 for failure to prevent counterfeit sales (IP Dragon)

Patents in China: Quantity obsessed quality challenged (IP Dragon)

Europe

Proposal suggests browsers should block users from BitTorrent sites (TorrentFreak)

India

Sholay strikes back over ringtones: Sholay Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd v. Vodafone (Spicy IP)

Israel

Is Google fair use? Israeli court to decide (1709 Blog) (The IP Factor)

Rav Aviner sues aviner.net for trademark infringement and damage to his IP (IP Factor)

Netherlands

Dutch government wants penalties for P2P downloads (ArsTechnica) (IPKat) (TorrentFreak)

Artists don’t think piracy hurts them financially, study shows (TorrentFreak)

New Zealand

New Zealand Government rushes through controversial anti-piracy law (TorrentFreak) (ArsTechnica)

South Africa

Vodacom re-brand: Seeing Red (Afro-IP) (IP finance)

Sweden

File-sharers await official recognition of new religion (TorrentFreak)

United Kingdom

EWCA (Civ) dismisses Gemstar’s appeal against judgment of invalidity of patents relating to various uses of electronic programme guides: Gemstar- TV Guide International Inc. v Virgin Media Limited (EPLAW)

United States

US Patents – Decisions

District Court E D Texas: Jury awards $63.8 million on retrial: Commil v. Cisco (EDTexweblog.com)

District Court E D Wisconsin: Sale of software containing disabled infringing functionality is not an act of direct infringement: Mikkelsen Graphic Engineering Inc. v. Zund America Inc., et. al. (Docket Report)

District Court Massachusetts accepts re-examination result in deciding preliminary injunction motion: Red Bend v. Google (Reexamination Alert)

US Patents – Lawsuits and strategic steps

Apple – ALJ Charneski denies motion for summary determination of non-infringement in Certain Personal Data and Mobile Communications Devices (Inv. No. 337-TA-710) (ITC Law Blog)

eBay – Attack by eBay on automatic auction patents among 28 reexamination requests filed week of 3/28/11 (Patent Law Center)

FlashPoint Technology – Initial determination dismisses Nokia and RIM from Inv. No. 337-TA-726 (ITC 337 Update)

Google – Google’s $900 million bid for Nortel’s patents (IPKat) (Article One Partners)

Jay Walker – Priceline founder files 15 patent suits against Google, Apple, and others (ArsTechnica)

Limelight – Suit alleges Limelight got licence from AST after filing a ‘frivolous and baseless’ DJ action (IAM)

Microsoft – ALJ Gildea sets procedural schedule in Certain Set-Top Boxes (337-TA-761) (ITC Law Blog) (ITC 337 Update)

Ogma – Ogma files new 337 complaint regarding Certain Motion-Sensitive Sound Effects Devices and Image Display Devices (ITC Law Blog)

S3 Graphics – ALJ Gildea denies complainants’ motion in limine to preclude obviousness argument in Certain Electronic Devices with Image Processing Systems (337-TA-724) (ITC Law Blog) (ITC Law Blog)

US Copyright

Students: shoplifting CDs worse than downloading music via P2P (ArsTechnica)

Pay per view takes on a new meaning – page-view bonuses for writers (1709 Blog)

P2P lawyer: more settlements since former-lobbyist judge’s ruling (ArsTechnica)

Statutory damages under The Copyright Act – Lessons from LimeWire: Arista Records LLC et a. v. Lime Group LLC (Copyright Litigation Blog)

US Copyright – Decisions

District Court C D California smacks down lawyer who tries to enforce copyright in 23 word email: Stern v. Does (Technology & Marketing Law Blog)

District Court W D Pennsylvania: Hacker faces injunction, damages and impoundment: Evony, LLC v. Holland (IPblog)

RIAA Lobbyist turned Judge backpedals on BitTorrent cases (TorrentFreak)

US Copyright – Lawsuits and strategic steps

Righthaven – Judge to copyright troll: your ‘business model’ isn’t my problem (ArsTechnica)

Sony – Source: Anonymous attacks on Sony annoying, not much more – Anonymous attack in response to Sony’s suit against hacker George Hotz (ArsTechnica)

Sony – Ends with a whimper, I mean a gag order: Sony v. George Hotz (Electronic Frontier Foundation)

Time Warner Cable – Time Warner, Viacom aim legal guns at each other over iPad app (ArsTechnica)