Archive for February 2005
A New Look at Web Services
"Web services are poised to revolutionize the way content sites get their goods to the folks who want them.
"Joshua Tauberer is trying to render obsolete Web surfing to track congressional bills. People usually have to check out dozens of Web addresses, like the U.S. Congress site, OpenSecrets.org, and political blogs, to find out if special interests are putting money into the campaign coffers of a bill’s sponsor, read what bloggers are saying about the bill, and find out if there’s any related legislation.
"But last year Tauberer, a graduate linguistics student at the University of Pennsylvania, built GovTrack.us to automatically retrieve the latest news and blog entries related to federal legislation from hundreds of sites. Copyright law is one topic he’s particularly interested in, and he wants to help others take advantage of all the information about it floating in cyberspace. He’s doing so via a series of related software and Internet technologies people commonly call Web services."
Olga Kharif. All Your Info in One Place. BusinessWeek Online. Feb. 8, 2005.
SNTReport.com™ Covering the Intersection of Collaboration and Technology. A Seso Group™ Venture.
Symposium Examines File-Sharing Networks
"Ferraris, guns and alcohol are all legal, even though manufacturers know their wares could be used to break the law.
"So should a similar standard apply to Internet users who share – or some would say, ‘steal’ – digital music?
"Legal scholars interested in copyright law discussed that question Saturday at a symposium put on by the Northern Kentucky Law Review."
Reid Forgrave. File-Sharing Networks Examined. Cincinnati.com. Feb. 6, 2005
SNTReport.com™ The Online Journal for Social Software, Digital Collaboration & Information Policy. A Seso Group™ Venture.
Google Launches Map Service
"In its latest play in the ongoing search wars, Google on Tuesday quietly launched a beta site for a new map service.
"Google Maps offers maps, driving directions and the ability to search for local businesses. The search giant appears to be working with TeleAtlas for the mapping products. Neither Google nor TeleAtlas could be reached for comment.
"The service offers a few tweaks to standard mapping products. Someone using the service can click and drag the maps, instead of having to click and reload, for example, and magnified views of specific spots pop up in bubbles."
Margaret Kane. Google Finds Its Map Service. News.com. Feb. 8, 2005.
See also:
Danny Sullivan. New Google Maps Now Live. SearchEngineWatch. Feb. 8, 2005.
SNTReport.com™ The Online Journal for Social Software, Digital Collaboration & Information Policy. A Seso Group™ Venture.
Slides from K. Matthew Dames’ Lecture on Licensing
As reported Wednesday in SNTReport.com, executive editor K. Matthew Dames gave a lecture to information professionals at the AeA David Packard Conference Center in Washington, DC on licensing digital information. The lecture, entitled "Licensing in the Digital Age," was the second in a series sponsored by the Washington, DC chapter of SLA, among others, that addresses some of the most important legal and policy issues that information professionals face today.
Dames will moderate the lecture for the next presentation in the series, "Digital Rights Management," on Wednesday, March 9, 2005, also at the AeA David Packard Center in Washington, DC. Those interested in attending the March 9 lecture may register online at the AIIM National Capitol Chapter website, or contact organizer Barbie Keiser.
An electronic copy of the lecture notes, as well as additional resources, are posted below.
Lecture Notes
K. Matthew Dames, "Licensing in the Digital Age." (.pdf). Feb. 9, 2005.
Additional Licensing Resources
Yale University Library. Liblicense: Licensing Digital Information; A Resource for Librarians.
Yale University Library. Licensing Terms & Descriptions.
Yale University Library. Definitions of Words and Phrases Commonly Found in Licensing Agreements.
Florida State University. Software Site Licensing.
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. Licensing Principles.
Ed Foster. Ed Foster’s Gripelog.
Media Campaign Intensifies As Grokster Case Nears
"Garret the Ferret is one hip copyright crusader. The cartoon character urges young cybercitizens toward ethical downloading and–in baggy jeans and a gold ‘G’ medallion–reminds them that copying and sharing software is uncool.
"He is also a byproduct of the long-roiling public relations battle between copyright owners, who say they are threatened by digital piracy, and technology advocates opposed to strict controls on digital media copying and on software that make piracy so easy.
"With the Supreme Court scheduled next month to hear a pivotal case pitting copyright holders (represented by MGM Studios) against the makers of file-sharing software (Grokster and StreamCast Networks), participants are putting their message machines into high gear."
Tom Zeller. Messages Grow Manic as Piracy Nears High Court. News.com. Feb. 7, 2005.
See also:
Declan McCullagh. Supreme Court Sets Date for File-Sharing Case. News.com. Jan. 21, 2005.
John Borland. Supreme Court to Hear P2P Case. News.com. Dec. 10, 2004.
SNTReport.com™ Covering the Intersection of Collaboration and Technology. A Seso Group™ Venture.
A New Game Plan for Sony
"At the Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas last month, Sony Electronics executives feasted at a five-star restaurant, toasting their businesses’ double-digit growth and hoping the profits would lift the fortunes of the ailing conglomerate.
"But the boom in electronics wasn’t enough to offset weak results for Sony’s other properties, when the company reported its quarterly earnings a few weeks later. For the company’s top brass, the disparity underscored the need for Sony to go double time with a convergence strategy that it has been incubating for nearly a decade.
"The strategy: Make its movies and games accessible on its gadgets, to help it beat Panasonic, Samsung Electronics and Royal Philips Electronics in an increasingly competitive consumer electronics market."
Richard Shim. Sony Hits Play for New Game Plan. News.com. Feb. 7, 2005.
SNTReport.com™ The Online Journal for Social Software, Digital Collaboration & Information Policy. A Seso Group™ Venture.
K. Matthew Dames Gives Presentation on Licensing
K. Matthew Dames, executive editor of SNTReport.com, is presenting a talk in Washington, DC on Wednesday entitled "Licensing in the Digital Age." The talk will review the key terms and conditions of modern licenses and discuss how the trend toward licensing threatens the viability of federal copyright law. Today’s presentation is part of a brown bag lecture series on information law and policy issues that Dames is moderating throughout the winter and early spring of 2005.
Series Description: Once a legal backwater that interested only specialists, information law issues are now considered central to the nation�s communications, legal and economic infrastructure. While information law is more important than ever, information professionals often lack the necessary knowledge and tools to navigate the thicket of laws, regulations, treaties and policies.
COPYCENSE 