In a posting on September 10, I noted that Amazon was preparing a new service for mid-September release, called Look Inside the Book II. A press release today from Amazon announced that an expansion to the service has been launched, Search Inside the Book, that enables “customers to find books at Amazon.com based on every… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: October 2003
No More Free Gov’t Docs from GPO?
From Roll Call Newspaper Online, this free excerpt (subscription req’d to read complete article) on news about GPO and future public access to government documents: “In an effort to reverse declining sales revenue at the Government Printing Office, Public Printer Bruce James announced Tuesday that the agency will consider charging fees for many of the… Continue Reading
Marketing Association Seeks To Preempt CA Privacy Law
California’s pioneering anti-spam law, set to go into effect January 1, 2004 is the target of Congressional lobbying by the Direct Marketing Association (DMA). From a DMA press release dated October 21: “The DMA is working with numerous coalitions to pass a federal spam law that would set national standards and preempt state law, including… Continue Reading
Congressional Reactions to Growing Criticism of Patriot Act
Patriot Act Misunderstood, Senators Say: “Even as some members of the Senate Judiciary Committee said they want to see elements of the Patriot Act modified, others contended that some of the attacks on the anti-terrorism legislation have been unfair.” “The Justice Department’s push to defend the Patriot Act was in full swing Tuesday as senior… Continue Reading
Survey Identifies Top Corporate Law Firms
From Law.com: The go-to firms for litigation Top firms for labor and employment Leaders in IP representation Premiere firms for corporate transaction work Topping the list in all categories Survey Methodology Continue Reading
Crime Database Loses Participation of Another State
Georgia takes a pass on anti-terror crime database: Georgia has joined five other states that have opted to suspend participation, due to privacy concerns, in the DOJ initiated MATRIX (Multistate Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange) project. According to a statement by Gov. Sonny Perdue, “The State of Georgia will not transfer any additional information to the company… Continue Reading
Law Firm Memo Subject of NY Times Front Page Article
Is this a parody or a real-world look behind the scenes of a large law firm paralegal assignment: Legal Research? Get Me Sushi, With Footnotes. An excerpt of the memo is here. Note that it may not have the same resonance for those who do no work in NYC, but nevertheless may strike a familiar… Continue Reading
Update on RIAA’s Lawsuit Notification Letters
PBS.org Online NewsHour published an article yesterday with details on the statements made in letters the RIAA sent to 204 individuals last week notifiying them of impending lawsuits as a result of illegal music downloads in excess of 1,000 songs. “The letter begins with the warning that recording companies intend to file a lawsuit against… Continue Reading
3rd Circuit Upholds Internet Royalty Fees for Broadcasters
From the United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit, Bonneville International Corporation et al v. MaryBeth Peters (United States Register of Copyrights), No. 01-3720, October 17, 2003: the court affirmed the Copyright Office ruling that broadcasters who stream music on the web must pay royalty fees to recording companies, composers and musicians. Industry reacts to… Continue Reading
Survey Names Top Ten Online Legislatures
The Center for Digital Government announced the results of the 2003 Digital Legislatures Survey. Participation for the survey was solicited from all fifty states, and the Nevada Legislature Online was chosen the “most digitally advanced legislature in the country.” The Minnesota State Legislature and South Dakota Legislature websites were named second best. The rest of… Continue Reading
Hearing on DOJ’s Investigation and Prosecution of Terrorists
“Protecting Our National Security from Terrorist Attacks: A Review of Criminal Terrorism Investigations and Prosecutions,” Senate Judiciary Committee Full Committee, October 21, 2003. Official Hearing Notice, Witness List, Member Statements, and Testimony. Continue Reading
New Advocacy Website Addresses Issue of Open Government
OpenTheGovernment.org, Americans for Less Secrecy, More Democracy, is a new website formed by “a coalition of organizations united in our belief that we must remain a free society in which an open government helps the public make informed choices, hold government accountable, and address our most pressing needs.” The site is still under construction. The… Continue Reading
