I read with interest an article from CNet about a ruling yesterday by a Federal judge in Virginia who found that software that pops up ads over particular web pages (such as is done by the defendant, WhenU, and others such as Gator) are annoying, but legal and do not infringe on the rights of those whose pages over which the windows pop.

What I find most interesting about this ruling is that it bolsters the idea that users own and should control their own desktops, making it safe for software such as Safari that blocks pop-up ads.