Archive for December 20th, 2004
Specter Succeeds Hatch as Congress’ Copyright Chief
"In the realm of protecting music and movies from electronic theft, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) has been the entertainment industry’s most powerful ally in Congress. A songwriter himself, Hatch has waged war against illegal file swapping, backing laws to stiffen copyright protections and keeping the issue in the spotlight with a steady stream of high-profile hearings.
"In 2005, term limits require that Hatch hand over his chairman’s gavel to Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) — an otherwise routine power shift that could have far-reaching implications for high-tech firms, movie studios, record companies and the future of downloading.
"Opponents of the entertainment industry in the copyright debate see Specter’s ascension as an opportunity to gain ground in a fight that they say has been stacked against them."
David McGuire. Uncertain Landscape Ahead for Copyright Protection. WashingtonPost.com. Dec. 16, 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™ Covering the Intersection of Collaboration and Technology. A Seso Group™ Venture.
RIAA Files 754 New File-Swapping Suits
"The Recording Industry Association of America Latest News about Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has announced that its member companies filed a new wave of copyright infringement lawsuits against 754 individual file-sharers.
"A share of this wave of lawsuits filed Wednesday was brought against users of university computer networks. Twenty individual file sharers at the Columbia University, Old Dominion University, the State University of West Georgia, the University of Pennsylvania, Westchester University and Widener University were named in the suit.
"Residents of Pennsylvania, Virginia, Georgia, Missouri, New York, Connecticut, Illinois and the District of Columbia were among those included in the suit. While the names of the alleged violators are yet unknown, the RIAA does have numerical ISP account addresses the defendants used."
Jennifer LeClaire. RIAA Members File 754 More File-Sharing Suits. E-Commerce Times. Dec. 17, 2004.
See also:
Andy Sullivan. Record Industry Sues 754 for Internet Song Swaps. Reuters. Dec. 16, 2004.
Update: John Borland. Court Nixes RIAA Subpoenas. News.com. Jan. 4, 2005. (Judge rules (.pdf) the RIAA must file lawsuits before obtaining the names of alleged copyright infringers from Internet service providers.)
SNTReport.com™ Covering the Intersection of Collaboration and Technology. A Seso Group™ Venture.
Eight Copyright Myths Exposed
"A handful of myths have spawned practices, particularly among bloggers and Website owners, that turn copyright law on its head. These myths are rooted in the assumption that everything is up for use online unless and until proven otherwise. Those myths and that ease have fostered a presumption of entitlement that causes Netizens to treat the Internet (and non-electronic sources as well) as a buffet spread of photos, articles, sounds and multi-media files free for the plucking and posting.
"Despite all the media attention to recent lawsuits cracking down on unauthorized music downloads, these myths are still in surprisingly widespread circulation. In the past six months, otherwise educated people have asserted eight different fallacies to me as if they were law. Every one of them has the potential to lead the ill-informed into the land of copyright infringement, where even a short stay can carry a whopping price tag.
"Note: The discussion below will use the term ‘permission’ to include both explicit permission from the copyright holder and any legally imputed permission, whether due to the work being in the public domain or through fair use, the exercise of the special reproduction right granted to libraries and archives under 17 U.S.C. Section 108, or the limited instructional exemption granted by 17 U.S.C. Section 110. Also, this discussion addresses only works created in the United States or otherwise subject to U.S. copyright law."
Kathy Biehl. Bloggers Beware: Debunking Eight Copyright Myths of the Online World. LLRX.com. Dec. 16, 2004.
SNTReport.com™ The Online Journal for Social Software, Digital Collaboration & Information Policy. A Seso Group™ Venture.
Apple iTunes Sells 200 Million Songs
"Apple Computer on Thursday said it has now sold more than 200 million songs through its iTunes Music Store–and it has new plans to keep the sales trend continuing upward.
"It took the company 11 months to sell its first 50 million songs and then another four months to get to 100 million songs. Three months later, the company hit 150 million, and it took just two months to get to 200 million.
"Apple has not only kept its sales growing, but it has maintained a commanding share of the online sales market, despite stepped-up competition from stores using Microsoft’s Windows Media file format. The company also faces an uphill battle to convert those still using free file-swapping services such as Kazaa."
Ina Fried. iTunes Hits 200 Million Download Mark. News.com. Dec. 16, 2004.
SNTReport.com™ The Online Journal for Social Software, Digital Collaboration & Information Policy. A Seso Group™ Venture.
Google: No Bias from Newsbot
"Google News trumpets its ability to stay abreast of current events ‘solely by computer algorithms without human intervention.’ But the robot approach has come under fire. Rather than representing news, the bots often reflect a bias that exists on the Net.
"Search for, say, John Kerry, and you’ll get fringe sites like s5000.com. We asked Krishna Bharat, chief scientist for Google News, if he should put a few pulses on the payroll for quality control."
Lucas Graves. Google’s Newsbot Isn’t Biased!. Wired. Dec. 2004.
SNTReport.com™ The Online Journal for Social Software, Digital Collaboration & Information Policy. A Seso Group™ Venture.
COPYCENSE 