U.S. Copyright Office - Anticircumvention Rulemaking

U.S. Copyright Office - Anticircumvention Rulemaking
U.S. Copyright Office, publication date: 23 November 2006
Wow. When the rulemaking was delayed a few weeks back I did get my hopes up a little, but didn't really expect much. While some very good exemptions were not granted, six were and it's encouraging.

"The Librarian of Congress, on the recommendation of the Register of Copyrights, has announced the classes of works subject to the exemption from the prohibition against circumvention of technological measures that control access to copyrighted works."

Trying Out the Zune: IPod It’s Not

Trying Out the Zune: IPod It’s Not
by DAVID POGUE
The New York Times, publication date: 9 November 2006
"But PlaysForSure bombed. All of them put together stole only market-share crumbs from Apple. The interaction among player, software and store was balky and complex — something of a drawback when the system is called PlaysForSure.

'Yahoo might change the address of its D.R.M. server, and we can’t control that,' said Scott Erickson, a Zune product manager. (Never mind what a D.R.M. server is; the point is that Microsoft blames its partners for the technical glitches.)

...
Microsoft’s proprietary closed system abandons one potential audience: those who would have chosen an iPod competitor just to show their resentment for Apple’s proprietary closed system."

Red Hot Chili Peppers, QOTSA, T.I. Rock For Zune

Red Hot Chili Peppers, QOTSA, T.I. Rock For Zune
by JONATHAN COHEN AND BRIAN GARRITY
Billboard, publication date: 10 November 2006
"UMG refused to license its music to the Zune unless it could receive a percentage of each device sold, in addition to standard music licensing fees for downloads and subscriptions.

'These devices are just repositories for stolen music, and they all know it,' UMG chairman/CEO Doug Morris says. 'So it's time to get paid for it.'"

WIPO At The Internet Governance Forum: DRMs, Access To Information, And Flexibilities

WIPO At The Internet Governance Forum: DRMs, Access To Information, And Flexibilities
by WILLIAM NEW
Intellectual Property Watch, publication date: 7 November 2006
"At the recent UN Internet Governance Forum in Athens, a World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) representative said there is a “new emphasis on limitations and exceptions to copyright and user rights in areas such as freedom of expression and access to information.” But there is a need to promote interoperability of technology standards in areas such as digital rights management “as a way to avoid fragmentation of the online cultural market and as a way to bridge the digital divide and technological gap in developing countries.”"

The Rain in Spain Falls Mainly on Libraries

The Rain in Spain Falls Mainly on Libraries
by WILLIAM PATRY, publication date: 1 November 2006
The Patry Copyright Blog
"If things are still not worked out, the EC brings an action before the European Court of Justice. That happened with the lending directive over Spain and Italy's failure to comply. The opinions by the Court, released October 26th, make interesting reading on how process works and on how directives as a statute are interpreted."
[Note: Spain and Italy were found to be in violation of the directive]

Piracy stats don't add up (Simon Hayes, NOVEMBER 07, 2006)

Piracy stats don't add up
by SIMON HAYES
Australian IT, publication date: 07 November 2006
"A confidential briefing for the Attorney-General's Department, prepared by the Australian Institute of Criminology, lashes the music and software sectors.

The draft of the institute's intellectual property crime report, sighted by The Australian shows that copyright owners 'failed to explain' how they reached financial loss statistics used in lobbying activities and court cases."

Digital Rights Management and Licensed Scholarly Digital Resources: A Report for ACRL

Digital Rights Management and Licensed Scholarly Digital Resources: A Report for ACRL
by KRISTIN R. ESCHENFELDER
Digital Library of Information Science and Technology, publication date: 23 September 2006