Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Search and Rescue

Search and Rescue
by TIM O'REILLY
The New York Times, publication date: 28 September 2005
"As both an author and publisher, I find the Guild's position to be exactly backward. Google Library promises to be a boon to authors, publishers and readers if Google sticks to its stated goal of creating a tool that helps people discover (and potentially pay for) copyrighted works."

You Are the MPAA: A Broadcast Flag Update

You Are the MPAA: A Broadcast Flag Update
by DANNY O'BRIEN
EFF, publication date: 26 September 2005
"Listen. Suppose our sympatico politicos carve out a bunch of Digital TV provisions that, in fact, do have something to do with government finance? Suppose they stick those provisions in the Senate Commerce Committee's reconciliations bill (due October 26th), where they're practically untouchable?
But some key clauses on which these provisions depend will be omitted.
Consequently, it will it be vitally important that Congress passes another Digital TV bill to fill the gaps.
That Digital TV bill will contain -- oh, look at that! -- the Broadcast Flag language. Oh, and the RIAA's Digital Radio Broadcast Flag, too, just for the sake of completeness."

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

More rights are wrong for webcasters

More rights are wrong for webcasters
by JAMES BOYLE
Financial Times, publication date: 26 September 2005
"The World Intellectual Property Organisation has now managed to combine all three lamentable tendencies at once. The Broadcasting and Webcasting Treaty, currently being debated in Geneva, is an IP hat trick."

Top 10 worst products

Top 10 worst products
by TOM MERRITT
CNet, publication date: September 2005
"8. Flexplay
This is an idea whose time seems to keep coming up over and over again: self-destructive DVDs. Flexplay is still at it in Japan and hoping the idea will catch fire."

Monday, September 26, 2005

One IP Right to Rule Them All

One IP Right to Rule Them All
by DONNA WENTWORTH
Copyfight, publication date: 19 September 2005
"Copyright may be the 800-pound gorilla of the Internet, but there's a brand-new pseudo copyright in the works capable of swallowing massive chunks of the public domain, bones and all."

Movie Studios Form DRM Lab

Movie Studios Form DRM Lab
by ED FELTEN
Freedom to Tinker, publication date: 20 September 2005
"The only sensible explanation for this move is that Hollywood really believes that there are easily-discovered anti-copying technologies that the technology industry has failed to find.

So Hollywood is still in denial about digital copying."

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Google Can Cover Potential Costs Of Copyright Lawsuit

Google Can Cover Potential Costs Of Copyright Lawsuit
by PETER KANG
Forbes, publication date: 22 September 2005
"'While we think the news is cause for concern, we believe that Google possesses more than adequate financial strength to cover potential legal costs,' said S&P Equity Research."

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Court orders copyright filter on Kazaa

Court orders copyright filter on Kazaa
by DAVID FICKLING
Guardian Unlimited [UK], publication date: 06 September 2005
"Internet file-swapping was dealt a fresh blow yesterday after the Australian federal court ordered the world's largest file-sharing service to filter out copyrighted material from its network."

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Blizzard wins in court over reverse-engineered games

Blizzard wins in court over reverse-engineered games
by AARON McKENNA
The Inquirer, publication date: 02 September 2005
"In October of last year a court ruled that this was copyright infringement under the DMCA, and now the court of appeals has upheld the decision. As well as infringing copyright the court pointed out the End User License Agreement for the games reverse engineered which prohibits reverse engineering."

Courts Unlikely To Stop Google Book Copying

Courts Unlikely To Stop Google Book Copying
by CHRISTOPHER T. HEUN
Internet Week, publication date: 02 September 2005
“The principle that Google should have to ask [for permission] is proving untenable,” says Jessica Litman, a professor at Wayne State University Law School who has published a book on protecting intellectual property on the Internet, “Digital Copyright.” “The opt-out mechanism is pretty reasonable.”