COPYCENSE

"A group of companies that operate electronic databases have agreed to pay freelance writers up to $18 million to settle copyright infringement claims brought under a class action lawsuit, according to a settlement announced Tuesday."

Associated Press. Writers Settle with Databases for $18M. Business Week Online. March 29, 2005.

Editor’s Note: Jonathan Tasini, formerly president of the National Writers Union and the named defendant in the Supreme Court case, is now president and executive director of the Creators Federation.

See also:
Richard Wiggins. The Tasini Decision: A Victory for No One. LLRX.com. Aug. 15, 2001.

Carol Ebbinghouse. Tasini Case Final Decision: Authors Win. Information Today. June 28, 2001.

Rachel Metz. Freelancers Hit the Jackpot. Wired News. March 29, 2004.

Legal Information Institute. New York Times Co., Inc., et al. v. Tasini et al.. June 25, 2001.

SNTReport.com™ The Online Journal for Social Software, Digital Collaboration & Information Policy. A Seso Group™ Venture.

"The much-heralded Supreme Court showdown in the Grokster case today between old-fashioned entertainment and new-fangled technology found the justices surprisingly responsive to warnings from Grokster and its allies that a broad definition of copyright infringement could curtail innovation.

"Justice David H. Souter asked Donald B. Verrilli, Jr., the lawyer arguing for the Hollywood studios and the recording industry, to envision ‘a guy sitting in his garage inventing the iPod.’

"That David Souter, the least technically minded of the justices, was an indication of how this confrontation of powerful interests had engaged the court.  But by the end of the lively argument, any prediction about what the court will actually decide appeared perilous."

Linda Greenhouse. Justices Seem Responsive to Arguments on File Sharing. The New York Times. March 29, 2005.

See also:
John Borland. Supreme Court Takes Hard Look at P2P. News.com. March 29, 2005.

Jon Healey. Technology or Piracy? Court Asked to Draw Line. Seattle Times. March 29, 2005.

Ted Bridis. Supreme Court Weighs in on File-Sharing. ABC News. March 29, 2005.

National Public Radio. Supreme Court Weighs Online File-Sharing Case. All Things Considered. March 29, 2005.

National Pubic Radio. Slate’s Jurisprudence: File-Sharing. Day to Day. March 29, 2005.

David McGuire. At a Glance: MGM v. Grokster. WashingtonPost.com. March 29, 2005.

Katie Dean. Camping Out for the Grokster Case. Wired News. March 29, 2005.

Update:
Andrew Leonard. Music Rules. Salon. March 30, 2005.

Jim Puzzanghera. Justices Wary of Barring Tools for File-sharing. San Jose Mercury News. March 30, 2005.

SNTReport.com™ Covering the Intersection of Collaboration and Technology. A Seso Group™ Venture.