AFP Sues Google for Copyright Infringement
"Agence France Presse has sued Google, alleging the Web search leader includes AFP’s photos, news headlines and stories on its news site without permission.
"The French news service is seeking damages of at least $17.5 million and an order barring Google News from displaying AFP photographs, news headlines or story leads, according to the suit filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia."
Reuters. Agence France Presse Sues Google Over News Site. News.com. March 18, 2005.
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Programmers Hack iTunes Store
"A trio of independent programmers has released new software that allows people to tap into Apple Computer’s iTunes music store and purchase songs free of any anticopying protections.
"Joined by Jon Johansen, the Norwegian programmer responsible for distributing DVD-cracking code in late 1999, the programmers say their PyMusique software is a "fair" interface for iTunes, primarily aimed at allowing people who use the Linux operating system to purchase music from Apple’s store."
John Borland. Hackers Build Back Door into iTunes. News.com. March 18, 2005.
SNTReport.com™ The Online Journal for Social Software, Digital Collaboration & Information Policy. A Seso Group™ Venture.
Lessig Invites Readers to Update ‘Code’
"Further nudging outward the boundaries of online publishing, Stanford University Professor Larry Lessig will put his 1999 book ‘Code’ online today and invite Internet users to help him write an updated version.
"A noted copyright expert and proponent of free software, Lessig is putting the 297-page treatise about technology, culture and regulation on the Web in the form of a ‘wiki,’ a site that can allow people to freely edit its contents. The law professor will take the contributions at http://codebook.jot.com and edit them into a printed version of the book."
Michael Bazeley. Professor’s Online Publishing Experiment. San Jose Mercury News. March 16, 2005.
See also:
JotSpot. Lawrence Lessig and JotSpot Invite the Internet Community to Update ‘Code’. (Press Release). March 16, 2005.
SNTReport.com™ Covering the Intersection of Collaboration and Technology. A Seso Group™ Venture.
Creative Commons: A Major Impact on Copyright
"When Chuck D and the Fine Arts Militia released their latest single, ‘No Meaning No,’ several months ago, they didn’t try to stop people from circulating free copies on the Internet. They encouraged it.
"They posted the entire 3-minute, 12-second song and its various vocal, drum and guitar components online and invited everyone to view, copy, mix, remix, sample, imitate, parody and even criticize it.
"The result has been the creation of a flood of derivative work ranging from classical twists on the hip-hop piece to video interpretations of the song. The musicians reveled in the instant fan base. They were so pleased that they recently decided to publish their next entire album, due later this spring, the same way, becoming the first major artists to do so."
Ariana Eunjung Cha. Creative Commons Is Rewriting Rules of Copyright. WashingtonPost.com. March 15, 2004.
(Editor�s Note: The Post allows free access to their stories on the Web for 14 days before sending the stories to the paper�s fee-based Archives.)
SNTReport.com™ The Online Journal for Social Software, Digital Collaboration & Information Policy. A Seso Group™ Venture.
BitTorrent’s Strength Focuses on Legitimate Use
"Most file-sharing programs aren’t the most upstanding citizens of the computing world. Yes, the entertainment industry hates them for the way they’re used to download movies and albums without paying — but many of these programs also fail to treat their own users well, often installing an unadvertised, unwanted load of advertising and spyware.
"BitTorrent is different. This free, open-source program offers a spyware- and nuisance-free installation. And while it is certainly handy for downloading movies and other copyrighted material for free, it’s also increasingly used to distribute software and entertainment legally.
"This makes BitTorrent (www.bittorrent.com) not only a fascinating test case for legal experts, but it also looks a lot like the logical fusion of peer-to-peer file-sharing and traditional downloading. It’s too robust to stamp out with lawsuits, but too effective not to adopt for commercial use."
Rob Pegoraro. BitTorrent May Prove Too Good to Quash. WashingtonPost.com. March 13, 2005.
(Editor�s Note: The Post allows free access to their stories on the Web for 14 days before sending the stories to the paper�s fee-based Archives.)
SNTReport.com™ The Online Journal for Social Software, Digital Collaboration & Information Policy. A Seso Group™ Venture.
Search Engine Finds CC Licensed Materials
"Looking for photos, music, text, books and other content that’s free to share or modify for your own purposes? The Creative Commons search engine can help you find tons of (legally) free stuff on the web.
"The Creative Commons was founded in 2001 to introduce a new form of copyright that’s less restrictive than the ‘all rights reserved’ approach generally in practice today. The goal was to restore ‘balance, compromise, and moderation – once the driving forces of a copyright system that valued innovation and protection equally.’
"By using a Creative Commons license, content creators adopt a ‘some rights reserved’ form of copyright that encourages sharing and modifying content by others."
Chris Sherman. Finding Free Content in the Creative Commons. SearchEngineWatch. March 3, 2005.
SNTReport.com™ The Online Journal for Social Software, Digital Collaboration & Information Policy. A Seso Group™ Venture.
Do Bloggers Get Journalistic Privileges?
"I’m not one of these people who thinks you need a graduate degree, an ID card or an official stamp of approval to call yourself a journalist. Anyone with an idea and a computer can now play the role of reporter, commentator or social critic. People can tell the difference between a New York Times correspondent and BozoBlogger.com, and both have something to contribute.
"But this is starting to matter for legal reasons. Time magazine’s Matt Cooper and Judith Miller of the New York Times may wind up going to jail for protecting their sources in the Valerie Plame case, but at least they have the standing as journalists to challenge the prosecutor who wants to imprison them. Would a blogger have the same standing?"
Howard Kurtz. Regulating Cyberspace?. WashingtonPost.com. March 11, 2005.
See also:
Jonathan Glater. At a Suit’s Core: Are Bloggers Reporters, Too?. The New York Times. March 7, 2005.
(Editor�s Note: The Post allows free access to their stories on the Web for 14 days before sending the stories to the paper�s fee-based Archives.)
(Editor�s Note: The Times allows free access to their stories on the Web for seven days before sending the stories to the paper�s fee-based Archive.)
SNTReport.com™ Covering the Intersection of Collaboration and Technology. A Seso Group™ Venture.
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