As a follow-up to my recent posting on radio frequency ID tags in consumer goods, here is an article, WhereWare, that describes how wireless devices (notebooks, PDAs, cell phones) will be used as location tools to track their “owners every movement.”
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Daily Archives: August 25, 2003
DVD Code Copying Decision from CA Supreme Court
Today, the California Supreme Court issued a decision (53 pages, pfd) in DVD Copy Control Inc. v. Andrew Bunner, resolving “the apparent conflict between California’s trade secret law and the free speech clauses of the United States and California Constitutions.” Thanks to Jim Tyre for the heads-up. For reference, see this EFF press release: “The… Continue Reading
FCC Extends the Effective Date of Amended Fax Advertising Rules
From the FCC press release, August 19: “The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has extended to January 1, 2005, the effective date of its new rules requiring written consent before sending advertising faxes. This action does not change the effective date for the comprehensive telemarketing rules, including other rules regarding faxes, adopted on June 26, 2003.… Continue Reading
Lifespan of CD-RWs Critically Short
cdfreaks.com reports on a study by the Dutch magazine, PC-Active, involving tests on 30 separate brands of recordable CDs to ascertain whether data and audio tracks saved on the disks was still readable after a 20 month period. The very bad news was that despite marketing indicating data is stable for up to ten years,… Continue Reading
Thomson Acquires Techstreet
From the Techstreet press release, August 25: “Today, the Thomson Corporation (TSX: TOC; NYSE:TOC) announced that it has acquired Techstreet, Inc. a digital content delivery company that provides full-text industry standards and specifications to engineers, researchers, and technical and information professionals worldwide… The Techstreet unique offering also includes a large collection of technical books, materials… Continue Reading
H-P Develops Prototype E-book
From BBC News: “Researchers at Hewlett Packard have developed a prototype electronic book which can hold a whole library on a device no bigger than a paperback. The brushed metal device is about one centimetre thick and looks like an oversized handheld computer. The technological tome is dominated by a screen and a series of… Continue Reading
GAO Report Documents Problems for E-Archives
A recently released GAO report, Records Management: National Archives and Records Administration’s Acquisition of Major System Faces Risks, documents significant problems with the develpment of the Electronic Records Archives (ERA). The “ERA will authentically preserve and provide access to any kind of electronic record, free from dependency on any specific hardware or software.” Continue Reading
FindLaw Announces Aussie Law Firm Website Awards
The winners of the FindLaw Web Site Awards for 2003 were announced August 14. In the large firm category, the winner is Allens Arthur Robinson; in the mid-size firm category, Swaab Attorneys is the winner; and Immigration Solutions is the winner in the small firm category. Continue Reading
ACLU Hosts Online Forum on CAPPS II and Privacy
Links to resources from today’s ACLU forum, “CAPPS II: Passenger Screening and Privacy Concerns,” are as follows: press release Remarks by Laura W. Murphy, Director, ACLU Washington Legislative Office Fact Sheet: The Five Problems With CAPPS II: Why the Airline Passenger Profiling Proposal Should Be Abandoned Continue Reading
Copyright Wars
The Escalating Copyright Wars by Peter K. Yu, Michigan State University-DCL College of Law, to be published in the Hofstra Law Review, Vol. 32, Spring 2004: “Piracy is one of the biggest threats confronting the entertainment industry today. Every year, the industry loses billions of dollars in revenue and faces the potential loss of hundreds… Continue Reading
