C.O.P.D.,chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, blocks airflow through the lungs.

VOA: special.2009.06.03

"We're now seeing stability in the C and D blocks, " says Arbogast.

FORBES: Google Likely Out, And Happy

And the first rumblings of a rights-management system for controlling the sharing of physical things are appearing: The IP-hoarding firm Intellectual Ventures received a patent in October for a 3-D printer feature that blocks the creation of verboten objects.

FORBES: Inside Thingiverse, The Radically Open Website Powering The 3D Printing Movement

The spectrum is being auctioned off in five blocks, labeled A, B, C, D and E.

FORBES: Google Likely Out, And Happy