A Hong Kong computer user was Monday convicted of copyright infringement in what is believed to be the world’s first piracy case involving the use of BitTorrent software
The Taiwanese government has announced that it will violate patent laws to manufacture a drug that can help fight bird flu virus. In doing so, they have spelled out their reasoning very clearly: We have tried our best to negotiate with Roche, it means we have shown our goodwill to Roche and we appreciate their patent. But to protect our people is the utmost important thing
The Federal Opposition says it is concerned that a parent could be jailed for five years if they tell their partner their child is being held under the Government’s proposed anti-terrorism legislation. While John Howard denies that his dodgy terrorism laws are unconstitutional and just like those in use in the UK, Australian-born human rights barrister Dr Angela Ward points out that the key difference in the laws lies in the fact that the UK terrorism legislation is subject to review against its Human Rights Act
It sounds like a conspiracy theory, but it isn’t. The pages coming out of your colour printer may contain hidden information that could be used to track you down if you ever cross the US government
Sweeping new anti-terror laws include a plan to jail people for up to seven years for promoting feelings of ill will
or hostility between different groups that would threaten the peace
The Bush administration pledged to veto legislation banning the torture of prisoners by US troops after an overwhelming and almost unprecedented revolt by loyalist congressmen. The mutiny was the latest setback for an administration facing an increasingly independent and bloody-minded legislature. But it also marked a key moment in Congress’s campaign to curtail the huge powers it has granted the White House since 2001 in its war against terrorism
Fairtrade coffee, which up to now has mostly been marketed by small groups trying to give impoverished farmers a bigger cut of the pie than food giants like Nestle, lands in British supermarkets with a Nestle brand in two weeks’ time
Cultural monopolists desperately want us to believe that without copyright we would have no artistic creations and therefore no entertainment. That is nonsense. We would have more, and more diverse ones.
A world without copyright is easy to imagine. The level playing field of cultural production — a market accessible for everyone — would once again be restored. A world without copyright would offer the guarantee of a good income to many artists, and would protect the public domain of knowledge and creativity. And members of the public would get what they are entitled to: a surprisingly rich and varied menu of artistic alternatives
The High Court of Australia has unanimously ruled that mod-chips are legal, but the implications of the case for game manufacturers are not clear
Republican lawmakers are drafting new legislation that will make marriage a requirement for motherhood in the state of Indiana, including specific criminal penalties for unmarried women who do become pregnant by means other than sexual intercourse
. According to a draft of the recommended change in state law, every woman in Indiana seeking to become a mother through assisted reproduction therapy such as in vitro fertilisation, sperm donation, and egg donation, must first file for a petition for parentage
in their local county probate court — via JetAmI
Sony has an odd response to complaints from fans who have discovered they cannot import their CD content to an iPod. Individuals who complain to Sony BMG about iPod incompatibility are being directed to a web site that provides information on how to work around the technology. In short, some labels appear to have been instructing customers how to defeat DRM — which is a violation of DMCA
The Australian Medical Association is backing calls for the Federal Government to consider making a drug used as an alternative to surgical abortion more readily available. The Australian Democrats are seeking to overturn a government decision to ban the use of the drug
Centrelink has barred staff from accessing a union web site as the agency’s 25,000 workers in Victoria today start three weeks of rolling national stoppages. The Community and Public Sector Union claims the agency blocked access to its web site on Friday just as it started an online survey on the latest wage offer
A new research report suggests that those who download music online are also likely to cheat at schools/universities and to shoplift. Not only does music file-swapping harm artists, but it also points to an erosion of respect for intellectual property that threatens Canada’s economy and values at the core of our society,
said Graham Henderson, president of the Canadian Recording Industry Association, which commissioned the polls. I’m sure paying for your own research project makes for wonderfully objective data
The leader of the Republican Party in the US House of Representatives, Tom DeLay, has been indicted on a criminal conspiracy charge over an illegal campaign finance scheme. A Texas grand jury has charged DeLay and two associates with orchestrating political donations to local Republicans, knowing the donations were illegal
LimeWire is working on new code that will block non-licenced material. The new code checks to see if shared material is licensed, if it is not, the LimeWire client will politely inform the user, LimeWire can’t determine if one or more files have been published under a suitable license. These files will not be shared
Queensland Premier Peter Beattie has urged the Commonwealth to rewrite its proposed new anti-terrorism laws, saying the laws could undermine basic rights. Prime Minister John Howard will meet state and territory leaders on Tuesday to discuss the 12-point anti-terrorism package that would give police extra powers to stop and search people, and allow suspects to be held for up to 14 days without being charged. Civil libertarians and academics says the measures will unfairly target the nation’s Muslim community
David Mery is a London geek who was going down into the tube one night in July when he was arrested on suspicion of terrorism. He was held, his flat was searched, his computers and phones were confiscated, his data was copied, and his photo, DNA and fingerprints were taken. He was released the next day, but his computers were not returned, nor was his record expunged — via BoingBoing
The Authors Guild has filed a class action lawsuit against Google. The lawsuit claims that Google’s scanning and digitising of library books as a part of the Google Print Project constitutes massive copyright infringement
. In addition to the lawsuit The Authors Guild has also issued a press release to explain its actions. Google has responded, pointing out that the Library Project is fully consistent with both the fair use doctrine under US copyright law and the principles underlying copyright law itself, which allow everything from parodies to excerpts in book reviews
Copyright terms have been continually extended since they were passed into English law by the Statute of Queen Anne. As these monopoly rights have grown, so the public domain has shrunk, greatly reducing our access to creative works, condemning vast quantities of our culture to obscurity and disappearance, and limiting the opportunities for future creators to build upon the works of the past. The 14+14 campaign has a simple goal: to restore a balance long lost by returning copyright to its original term as laid down in the Statute of 14 years with the option of a 14 year renewal — via BoingBoing
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