Monday, April 30, 2007

Feeding the Reader: New Ways to Monitor Library Regulations and Court Filings for Free

Feeding the Reader: New Ways to Monitor Library Regulations and Court Filings for Free
MARY MINOW interviews Stacy Stern of Justia
LibraryLaw Blog, publication date: 28 April 2007
This is very exciting for anyone who's ever struggled to get their hands on the full text of filings in an important case. Read the court filings for important copyright cases as they happen. Also includes a regulation tracker.
"We are making the federal civil district filings online available for free for the first time. Filings are categorized by state, federal district court and legal practice area, and include the presiding judge and cause of action information for each case. Visitors can subscribe for free to RSS feeds of new cases that meet specific criteria, or to RSS feeds for customized searches. For example, with an RSS feed, visitors can track new Federal Court patent cases, cases that are filed in a specific court or cases filed against a particular company."

Friday, April 27, 2007

Legal Issues and User-Generated Content

Legal Issues and User-Generated Content
via madisonian.net, 27 April 2007
from the linked report: "The group found common points of agreement:
• Participatory video is a vigorous new phenomenon that is promising both for free speech and for new business opportunities; however, it is in its embryonic stages and needs to develop.
• Existing copyright management techniques are either poorly exploited (fair use) or imperiled (section 512).
• Finding successful ways to manage unauthorized use is critical to keeping existing spaces for new opportunities for public expression and for business growth."

Jack Valenti

Jack Valenti
by WILLIAM PATRY
The Patry Copyright Blog, publication date: 27 April 2007
"But no one should mistake that for his real self. He was a gentleman in the old school sense who always kept his word and called it as he saw it. I am deeply honored to have known him. May he rest in peace."

Thursday, April 26, 2007

EU Copyright Group Seeks Solutions to Digitisation Roadblocks

EU Copyright Group Seeks Solutions to Digitisation Roadblocks
by DUGIE STANDEFORD
Intellectual Property Watch, publication date: 20 April 2007
"Problems related to digital preservation, orphan works and out-of-print materials must be resolved if European Commission plans to digitise and make accessible Europe’s cultural heritage are to succeed, copyright experts said in an 18 April report."

Ohio U. Restricts File Sharing

Ohio U. Restricts File Sharing
by ELIZABETH REDDEN
Inside Higher Ed, publication date: 26 April 2007
"Ohio University employees will begin monitoring the network Friday for use of such file sharing programs as Ares, Azureus, BitTorrent, BitLord, KaZaA, LimeWire, Shareaza and uTorrent. Any use of peer-to-peer technology under the new policy could result in a loss of Internet access and, upon the second offense, a disciplinary referral — although it’s important to note that the university will be phasing the policy in on a flexible, still undetermined time frame, targeting the biggest users first, according to Sally Linder, a university spokeswoman.

Individuals seeking to use the software for legitimate purposes, such as exchange of data for a research project, must petition for an exemption from the university’s peer-to-peer sharing block, and be ready to explain their specific needs."

Spy Act Only Protects Vendors and Their DRM

Spy Act Only Protects Vendors and Their DRM
by ED FOSTER
InfoWorld, publication date: 24 April 2007
"In other words, it's perfectly OK for basically any vendor you do business with, or maybe thinks you do business with them for that matter, to use any of the deceptive practices the bill prohibits to load spyware on your computer. The company doesn't have to give you notice and it can collect whatever information it thinks necessary to make sure there's no funny business going on. And by the way, another exception provision specifically protects computer manufacturers from any liability for spyware they load on your computer before they send it to you. Of course, the exception for software companies checking to make sure you're an authorized user is the strongest evidence of what this bill is all about. After all, in terms of function, there's not much difference between spyware and DRM. Too bad for Sony this bill wasn't already the law when its rootkit-infected CDs came to light."

Judge Denies RIAA "Reconsideration" Motion in Capitol v. Foster, Calls Plaintiffs' Counsel "Disingenuous", Motives "Questionable"

Judge Denies RIAA "Reconsideration" Motion in Capitol v. Foster, Calls Plaintiffs' Counsel "Disingenuous", Motives "Questionable"
Recording Industry vs. The People, publication date: 24 April 2007
"The Judge labeled as 'disingenuous' the RIAA's contention that had it not moved to dismiss the case, it could have proved secondary liability on defendant's part:"

Saturday, April 14, 2007

Transcripts for Jan 31 Section 108 Study Group roundtable online

Transcripts for Jan 31 Section 108 Study Group roundtable online
Just today realized that the transcripts from the Section 108 Study Group Chicago Roundtable (January 31, 2007) were posted on February 23.

Notice of Roundtable on the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Treaty On the Protection of the Rights of Broadcasting Organizations

Notice of Roundtable on the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Treaty On the Protection of the Rights of Broadcasting Organizations
Federal Register, publication date: 12 April 2007
"The United States Copyright Office and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announce a public roundtable discussion concerning the work at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) on a proposed Treaty on the Protection of the Rights of Broadcasting Organizations. Members of the public are invited to attend and observe the roundtable, or to participate in the roundtable discussion, on the topics outlined in the supplementary information section of this notice"

Monday, April 09, 2007

Recording, movie industries lobby for permission to deceive

Recording, movie industries lobby for permission to deceive
by DAWN C. CHMIELEWSKI and MARC LIFSHER
Los Angeles Times, publication date: 7 April 2007
"The California Senate is considering a bill that would strengthen state privacy laws by banning the use of false statements and other misleading practices to get personal information. The tactic, known as pretexting, created a firestorm of criticism when detectives hired by Hewlett-Packard Co. used it last year to obtain phone records of board members, journalists and critics.

But the Recording Industry Assn. of America and the Motion Picture Assn. of America say they sometimes need to use subterfuge as they pursue bootleggers in flea markets and on the Internet."