Archive for April 2005
Lessig Speaks On Flash Restrictions
"Copyright reformer Lawrence Lessig gave Flash developers an earful Wednesday about how their platform of choice is perceived in the free-software world.
"Flash is the enemy," said Lessig, a Stanford University professor and board member of the Free Software Foundation, as he described the opinions of leading free- and open-source-software advocates.
"Lessig, addressing attendees of the Flashforward2005 conference here Wednesday, sounded familiar themes in his talk, titled ‘The Costs of Copyright.’
He argued that the digital age has created new demands for the sharing of content that old-media copyright law cannot meet. As a result, he said, outdated copyright law is casting a pall over creative expression and education."
Paul Festa. Lessig Preaches Openness to Flash Faithful. News.com. April 6, 2005.
See also:
Paul Festa. Fighting for a New Net Copyright Deal. News.com. June 6, 2003.
SNTReport.com™ The Online Journal for Social Software, Digital Collaboration & Information Policy. A Seso Group™ Venture.
Duke Curtails Free iPod Program
"Dude, not everybody’s getting a free iPod next year.
"Duke University, which handed out Apple iPod digital music players to all incoming freshmen last fall, has altered its program, saying it will dole out iPods across the undergraduate student body, but only for classes in which the teacher has requested it."
Jefferson Graham. Duke’s Free iPods Will go Just for Classes. USA Today. April 7, 2005.
See also:
Ina Fried. Duke Puts Restrictions on Free iPod Program. News.com. April 7, 2005.
Michael Felberbaum. Duke Students will Have to Buy Their Own iPods Next Year. Chicago Sun-Times. April 7, 2005.
SNTReport.com™ The Online Journal for Social Software, Digital Collaboration & Information Policy. A Seso Group™ Venture.
Movie Industry to Follow Apple’s iTunes Lead
"Michael Arrieta, senior vice president of Sony Pictures, said at a US Digital Hollywood conference that it wanted to create an "iTunes" for films.
"Films will be put onto flash memory for mobiles over the next year, said Mr Arrieta, and it will develop its digital download services for films.
"Movie studios are keen to stop illegal file-sharing on peer-to-peer nets and cash in on digital the download market."
BBC News. Sony Wants an ‘iTunes for Movies’. March 31, 2005.
SNTReport.com™ The Online Journal for Social Software, Digital Collaboration & Information Policy. A Seso Group™ Venture.
MSpot Unveils Multimedia for Phones
"Start-up MSpot hopes to take on the fledgling satellite radio industry with a new service that delivers streaming news, talk and music programming to mobile phones.
"Palo Alto, Calif.-based MSpot is set to launch its MSpot Radio service on Monday, initially targeting customers of Sprint’s PCS Vision mobile phone service."
‘David Becker. New Service Brings Radio to Phones. News.com. April 3, 2005.
SNTReport.com™ The Online Journal for Social Software, Digital Collaboration & Information Policy. A Seso Group™ Venture.
A Deep Look at DRM
"There are many things in the world that you feel to be true, but you’re not exactly sure why. So if you’re a thinking person, you’re left with this nagging suspicion that you should be better able to come up with a better explanation than ‘But it’s just wrong!’
"For many people, myself included, digital rights management (DRM) technologies fall into this category.
"Even if we have no intention of breaking copyright law by downloading music or movies willy-nilly, and even though many of us earn our livings through the production and sale of copyrighted material, we’re still offended that the entertainment and media conglomerates of the world – the Content Cartel, as one commentator has labeled them – are pushing so hard to ensure that every song, every movie, every television show, is wrapped up tight in some form of DRM that controls access to the content and use of it."
Adam C. Engst. Why DRM Offends the Sensibilities. TidBITS. March 5, 2005.
Attribution: SNTReport.com first discovered news of this look at DRM through a posting in LibraryLaw Blog, edited by Mary Minow.
SNTReport.com™ The Online Journal for Social Software, Digital Collaboration & Information Policy. A Seso Group™ Venture.
Russian Library Guilty of Copyright Infringement
"A Moscow court has found Maxim Moshkov, owner of the biggest and most popular Russian on-line library, lib.ru, guilty of breaching copyright law.
"It was the only lawsuit brought against Moshkov that has ended in success for the plaintiff."
MosNews. Russia’s Biggest Online Library Found Guilty of Breaching Copyright. MosNews.com. April 1, 2005.
See also:
CCRC Staff. Russian Courts Attack On-line Libraries. Computer Crime Research Cente. April 1, 2005.
SNTReport.com™ The Online Journal for Social Software, Digital Collaboration & Information Policy. A Seso Group™ Venture.
College Students: Early Adopters of Legal Downloading
"College junior Kyle Taylor is downloading hundreds of songs by No Doubt, Bruce Springsteen and others onto the Compaq laptop in his cramped dormitory room.
"With a few more clicks of his mouse, Taylor is watching commercial-free ‘Seinfeld’ episodes on his computer. In just minutes, he then downloads the entire movie ‘A League of Their Own.’ The 20-year-old is not breaking any laws. Nor is he at risk of expensive lawsuits by the entertainment industry over copyright violations."
Ted Bridis. Students Using New Generation of Downloads. BusinessWeek Online. April 3, 2005.
SNTReport.com™ The Online Journal for Social Software, Digital Collaboration & Information Policy. A Seso Group™ Venture.
COPYCENSE 