Is Open Source Being Privatized?
“The success of open source programmers has had a far-reaching impact on the tech industry. Linux has spread to more than 25% of the world’s servers and has become a legitimate rival to Microsoft Corp.’s Windows. The open-source approach is compelling enough that IBM and Sun Microsystems Inc. have become major supporters, utterly changing how they market software.
“Yet in recent weeks the open-source community has been thrown into tumult. Software giant Oracle Corp. has acquired two small open-source companies and is in negotiations to buy at least one more. Many experts believe this is the beginning of a broader trend in which established tech companies scoop up promising open-source startups.”
BusinessWeek Online. Open Season On Open Source? March 13, 2006.
CopyCense™: K. Matthew Dames on the intersection of business, law and technology. A business venture of Seso Digital LLC.
Scanr Lets Digitization Go Mobile
“Camera phones are nice to have and fun to use, but let’s be honest: Is there any practical reason to have a camera on a cell phone?
“For the most part, the quality isn’t great, and most people are just snapping random shots of themselves, their kids or their pets. Now, a new company called Scanr wants to provide a more utilitarian use of that camera phone by turning it into a mobile scanning device.
“Scanr is aimed at the mobile professional, such as a real estate agent or sales representative who needs to quickly exchange and process documents and now relies on the retail copying stores.”
Sara Kehaulani Goo. Mobile Scanning by Camera Phone. WashingtonPost.com. March 12, 2006.
CopyCense™: K. Matthew Dames on the intersection of business, law and technology. A business venture of Seso Digital LLC.
Now Is the Golden Age of Animation
“Old-timers in Hollywood sometimes talk about a golden age of animation, seven or eight decades ago, when cartoons were funny, beautiful, and perfect. But the truth is, toons have always been a bit of a backwater — the province of Disney kiddie flicks, Looney Tunes, maybe a rudimentary special effect.
“Until recently. These days, animation is everywhere. Even the most realistic movies call on animators to simulate an ungettable shot or to make a moment just a smidge more perfect.
“Fifty years ago, there were about 1,000 animators in Hollywood — half of them at Disney. Today, there are countless digital animators, effects specialists, and videogame makers in every major city. From the wackiest cartoon to the grittiest docudrama, the true golden age of animation has just begun.”
Matt Brady. How Digital Animation Conquered Hollywood. Wired. March 2006.
CopyCense™: K. Matthew Dames on the intersection of business, law and technology. A business venture of Seso Digital LLC.
Google As Bookstore
“Still embroiled in controversy over its plans to digitize several of the world’s largest library collections, Google is inviting U.S. and U.K. publishers to sell online access to their copyright texts through its book search site.
“Right now, Google Book Search users can view free snippets of copyright books catalogued by its service but cannot read entire books online. They have the option of perusing a full version by clicking on links to outside booksellers or library catalogs.
“The new offering would allow people to sign in and purchase immediate, browser-based access to books, Google said on its site. Purchasers would not, however, be allowed to save a copy of the book to their computer or to otherwise copy pages from the book.”
Anne Broache. Google To Broker Online Book Sales. News.com. March 13, 2006.
See also:
Search Engine Watch Blog. Google Partnering With Publishers To Sell Online Books. March 13, 2006.
Maija Palmer. Publishers’ Soul Searching Over Google Plan. FT.com. March 13, 2006.
Alison Bone. Google to Sell Access to Book Content Online. Information World Review. March 13, 2006.
Kimberly Maul. Publishers to Control Paid-Access Books Available Through Google. The Book Standard. March 10, 2006.
Kimberly Maul. Checking Out the Machines Behind Book Digitization. The Book Standard. February 21, 2006.
CopyCense™: K. Matthew Dames on the intersection of business, law and technology. A business venture of Seso Digital LLC.
NASCAR Is Spelled C.R.E.A.M.
“According to the news release, Daytona 500 is a mix of yuzu, bergamot, mandarin, tarragon, sage, nutmeg, cardamom, amber and sandalwood. It is supposed to be “a fresh, masculine modern fragrance that captures the thrill and exhilaration of the Daytona 500.”
“Elizabeth Arden and International Speedway Corporation, which owns Daytona International Speedway and the licensing rights to the race, hope it is a mix that will inspire not only men, but women (as purchasing agents for their boyfriends and husbands). It is one more way to get women to buy into NASCAR. International Speedway is the sister company of NASCAR, which is doing its part to attract women and their purses with its latest link: a licensing deal with Harlequin Romance novels.
“Not to be left out of the money grab, drivers have forged their own licensing deals and, with NASCAR, are promoting Crock-Pots.”
Viv Bernstein. Eau de Nascar: Licensing and the Smell of Money. The New York Times. March 12, 2006
See also:
Orlando Business Journal. Elizabeth Arden Launches Daytona 500 Scent. Feb. 8, 2006.
Elizabeth Arden. Elizabeth Arden Partners with International Speedway to Launch the Daytona 500(R) Fragrance for Men. (Press release) Feb. 8, 2006.
CopyCense™: K. Matthew Dames on the intersection of business, law and technology. A business venture of Seso Digital LLC.
Airline Uses DMCA Against YouTube
“American Airlines is demanding that Google and video-sharing site YouTube reveal the name of the person who posted a portion of one of the airline’s training videos on their Web sites.
“Someone uploaded part of a video used to train flight attendants on YouTube and Google Video. The airline subpoenaed those companies on Feb. 21 under the controversial Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), according to an airline spokesman. Under the provisions of the DMCA, companies have the right to request information in the event that their copyright materials are infringed upon.
“The video in question, titled “Flight Attendant, Upside Down,” is under copyright, the spokesman said.”
Greg Sandoval. American Airlines Subpoenas Google, YouTube. News.com. March 9, 2006.
See also:
EFF Deep Links. DMCA Subpoena Provision Still Endangers Privacy. March 9, 2006.
CopyCense™: K. Matthew Dames on the intersection of business, law and technology. A business venture of Seso Digital LLC.
Amazon.com to Challenge iTunes’ Download Dominance
“Amazon.com is in talks with three Hollywood studios about starting a service that would allow consumers to download movies and TV shows for a fee and burn them onto DVD’s, according to three people briefed on the discussions.
“If the advanced negotiations are successfully concluded, Amazon’s service would position itself in the media world alongside rivals like Apple Computer’s iTunes as a place where people go not just to order goods to be sent by mail, but to instantly enjoy digital wares as well.
“So far, Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios and Warner Brothers are engaged in the talks, said one person close to the talks who, like the others, asked not to be identified because the negotiations are continuing.”
Richard Skilos. Amazon Considering Downloads. The New York Times. March 10, 2006.
See also:
Byron Acohido and Laura Petrecca. Amazon Seeks Deal for Movie, TV Downloads. USA Today. March 12, 2006.
Bambi Francisco. Amazon Movie Downloads Are Coming. MarketWatch. March 10, 2006.
CopyCense™: K. Matthew Dames on the intersection of business, law and technology. A business venture of Seso Digital LLC.
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