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.
Copyright Office Posts Orphan Works Comments
The U.S. Copyright Office has posted 711 unique comments in response to the "Orphan Works" inquiry.
Attribution: SNTReport.com first discovered news of these comments through a posting in Lessig Blog, edited by Lawrence Lessig.
U.S. Copyright Office. Orphan Works Comments.
See also:
Federal Register. Library of Congress, Copyright Office: Orphan Works. Jan. 26, 2005.
Editor’s note See also SNTReport.com’s prior story on the Orphan Works copyright circular.
SNTReport.com™ The Online Journal for Social Software, Digital Collaboration & Information Policy. A Seso Group™ Venture.
Judiciary Committee to Analyze Patriot Act
"The tumultuous process of reviewing portions of the USA Patriot Act is about to begin. Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Penn., said Thursday that his Judiciary Committee will begin a series of three hearings starting April 5 to examine the 2001 law and consider which sections should be renewed before their Dec. 31 expiration date."
Declan McCullagh. Patriot Act to be Scrutinized. News.com. March 31, 2005.
See also:
No author. PATRIOT Act Goes Too Far. Patriot-News. March 31, 2005.
American Library Association. USA PATRIOT ACT of 2001. Aug. 31, 2004.
SNTReport.com™ The Online Journal for Social Software, Digital Collaboration & Information Policy. A Seso Group™ Venture.
Freelance Writers Settle Copyright Suit
"Freelance writers have reached a settlement worth as much as $18 million with The New York Times Co. and other defendants in a copyright infringement case involving work posted online or in databases, the writers’ representatives said on Tuesday.
"A motion for approval of the settlement was filed last week in federal court in New York, said Gerard Colby, president of the National Writers Union, one of several writers’ groups that brought the class-action lawsuit."
Reuters. Freelance Writers Win Online Settlement. MSNBC News. March 30, 2005.
See also:
Rachel Metz. Freelancers Hit the Jackpot. Wired News. March 29, 2005.
National Writers Union. $18 Million Settlement to Freelance Writers Filed for Court Approval. (Press Release.) March 29, 2005.
SNTReport.com™ The Online Journal for Social Software, Digital Collaboration & Information Policy. A Seso Group™ Venture.
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