Archive for January 2006
Big Film’s Lobbyist Accused of Piracy
The Motion Picture Assn. of America, the leader in the global fight against movie piracy, is being accused of unlawfully making a bootleg copy of a documentary that takes a critical look at the MPAA’s film ratings system.
The MPAA admitted Monday that it had duplicated “This Film Is Not Yet Rated” without the filmmaker’s permission after director Kirby Dick submitted his movie in November for an MPAA rating. The Hollywood trade organization said that it did not break copyright law, insisting that the dispute is part of a Dick-orchestrated “publicity stunt” to boost the film’s profile.
John Horn. MPAA Finds Itself Accused of Piracy. LATimes.com. Jan. 24, 2006.
CopyCense™: K. Matthew Dames on the intersection of business, law and technology. A business venture of Seso Digital LLC.
Blackberrys About to Lose Juice
“The prospect of a wide-scale shutdown of the BlackBerry mobile e-mail service is closer to becoming reality, as the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday turned down a request to review a major patent infringement ruling against BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion.
“In 2004, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the only federal appeals court in the country for patent cases, rejected RIM’s argument that it was not infringing on NTP’s patents because a critical piece of the BlackBerry service was located in Canada and not in the United States.
“RIM then petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case and filed an emergency request asking to stay the lower court’s decision until the high court decided whether to hear the case. But RIM lost that fight in October when its request was rejected by the court.”
Marguerite Reardon. U.S. Supreme Court Rejects RIM’s Appeal. News.com. Jan. 23, 2006.
See also:
Toni Locy. High Court Won’t Hear BlackBerry Appeal. SiliconValley.com. Jan. 23, 2006.
CopyCense™: K. Matthew Dames on the intersection of business, law and technology. A business venture of Seso Digital LLC.
Only Strong Will Survive In Online Music
“The music industry’s annual conference is abuzz with the success of legal download services such as Apple iTunes, but some participants warn that a shakeout could be coming among its many competitors.
“There are some 355 online music sellers, according to a report by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry released last week, and their revenues tripled to $1.1 billion in 2005.
“But with Apple’s iTunes Music Store commanding a dominant share in many of the biggest markets, there are concerns that some of its smaller rivals may be forced to consolidate.”
Adam Pasick. Shakeout Looms In Booming Digital Music Sector. Reuters. Jan. 23, 2006.
See also:
BBC. Apple iTunes Users Growing Fast. Jan. 23, 2006.
CopyCense™: K. Matthew Dames on the intersection of business, law and technology. A business venture of Seso Digital LLC.
In the Rootkit’s Wake, DRM Schemes Proliferate
“This year may be the year that gadget makers finally conquer the living room, replacing DVD players, VCRs and personal video recorders with all-in-one media devices that serve up HDTV, pre-recorded movies and digital music. If so, it will likely also be the year that people learn the meaning of DRM, an acronym the industry says stands for digital rights management, but critics say should stand for digital restrictions mongering.
“The technologies come in many flavors. High-end audio companies are already running into difficulties with DRM. The conundrum will only get more complicated when video is added to the home networking mix.”
Ryan Singer. The Year of Living DRMishly. WIred News. Jan. 24, 2006.
CopyCense™: K. Matthew Dames on the intersection of business, law and technology. A business venture of Seso Digital LLC.
Change Computers, Lose Software License?
“An interesting idea has been floated in our on-going discussion about how users can lose their license to use software because of a hardware problem. Is the real problem confusion over whether software is licensed to the user or to the computer? And is it the customers, or the hardware and software vendors, who are confused about what a license should really mean?
“The discussion was originally spurred by a story in which a user found neither Microsoft nor eMachines would reactivate her OEM license for Windows when she had to replace the motherboard, a situation that has struck many readers as outrageous.”
The Gripe Line Weblog. Licensed Users or Licensed Machines? Jan. 24, 2006.
CopyCense™: K. Matthew Dames on the intersection of business, law and technology. A business venture of Seso Digital LLC.
Elsevier Spends $12.5M on Washington Lobbying
“British companies have spent more than $165 million since 1998 with an American lobbying industry that is being described by U.S. Democrats as ‘part of a poison tree of corruption.’
“According to Alex Knott, the political editor of the Centre for Public Integrity, British lobbying in Washington was higher than for any other country, and was more than the total spent by 35 American states.
“The highest spenders were GlaxoSmithKline ($32.4 million), BP ($26.8 million), HSBC ($23.8 million), Reed Elsevier ($12.5 millon) and Reuters ($12.2 million).”
Tom Baldwin and Anna Stroman. British Firms Top Foreign Spending On U.S. Lobbyists. The Times of London. Jan. 20, 2006.
Update:
Issues in Scholarly Communication. What Does Elsevier Lobby For? Jan. 28, 2006.
CopyCense™: K. Matthew Dames on the intersection of business, law and technology. A business venture of Seso Digital LLC.
Big Telecom Moving Away From Content Neutrality
“Do you prefer to search for information online with Google or Yahoo? What about bargain shopping — do you go to Amazon or eBay? Many of us make these kinds of decisions several times a day, based on who knows what — maybe you don’t like bidding, or maybe Google’s clean white search page suits you better than Yahoo’s colorful clutter.
“But the nation’s largest telephone companies have a new business plan, and if it comes to pass you may one day discover that Yahoo suddenly responds much faster to your inquiries, overriding your affinity for Google. Or that Amazon’s Web site seems sluggish compared with eBay’s.
“The changes may sound subtle, but make no mistake: The telecommunications companies’ proposals have the potential, within just a few years, to alter the flow of commerce and information — and your personal experience — on the Internet.”
Christopher Stern. The Coming Tug of War Over the Internet. WashingtonPost.com. Jan. 22, 2006.
Updates:
Drew Clark. Verizon Splits With Other Bells On Need For ‘Net Neutrality’ Solution. National Journal’s Insider Update. Jan. 27, 2006.
Lauren Gelman. President Bush Must Get Serious. The Wireless Internet Institute. Jan. 24, 2006.
CopyCense™: K. Matthew Dames on the intersection of business, law and technology. A business venture of Seso Digital LLC.
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