Creative Commons, the non-profit organization whose focus is providing workable alternatives to current copyright laws for the digital world, has created a new public domain copyright license for web content. See their press release here, and read about how the licensing process works from the perspective of an early adopter, pioneering attorney/blogger Denise Howell. Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Digital Rights
ElcomSoft eBook Case Documents
Cryptome.org purchased copies of court documents from the USA v. Elcom ebook copyright case and has made them available at no fee here. A jury found the Russian software company not guilty on December 16, 2002. See also this News.com article for more details about the decision, as well as the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s (EFF)… Continue Reading
Comments Filed with FCC on Copyright Protection
The non-profit Center for Democrary & Technology is involved in keeping discussions of digital copyright issues front and center. The organization filed comments with the FCC concerning the escalating controvery over proposed copy protection systems for digital TV broadcasts for coypyright holders. They support the position that there must be a balance of the discretionary… Continue Reading
Sony Becomes Key Player in Digital Rights Management Arena
This Information Week article reports on the huge advantage recently gained by Sony Corp. in the arena of digital rights management (DRM). Their strong position was established as a result of a licensing agreement with ContentGuard Inc., owner of a significant portfolio of DRM patented technologies. Continue Reading
DVD Copying Controversy Escalates
321 Studios has chosen to play David to Motion Picture Association of America’s Goliath in the legal arena. This small company has released a software application for $99.99 that allows purchasers to easily make copies of DVD movies to blank DVDs. The MPA contends that the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 prevents 321 Studios… Continue Reading
Tech Law and Public Policy
The Samuelson Law, Technology and Public Policy Clinic at Boalt Hall is actively involved in educational efforts focused on privacy law, digital rights management and copyright issues. The site maintains a BriefBank, to which public interest groups and legal scholars contribute briefs on law, technology and public policy. The site has a basic search engine… Continue Reading
CDs and Copy Protection
The battle between music CD publishers and consumers who are burning copies will continue unabated, due to quickly applied modifications in CD technology. This is according to Princeton University computer science student Alex Halderman, whose expertise on the subject has been widely acknowledged (check out his resume!) Alex will present his paper, Evaluating New Copy-Prevention… Continue Reading
Is It Your PC or Their PC?
In a follow-up to my 10/22/02 posting on trusted computing, globetechnology.com addresses the issue of how PC users will increasingly be forced to comply with industry imposed digital rights management solutions if they want to use most of the applications on the PCs. Continue Reading
Impediments to Digital Rights Controls
An interesting interview with Jeffrey Hunker, dean of the H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University that focuses on what is at stake in the battle over digital rights management from the perspective of consumers and industry. Privacy, security, and revenue are key factors. Continue Reading
Digital Rights Panel
O’Reilly Network Weblogs published the transcript of the Digital ID World 2002 conference panel discussion on Digital Rights Management, featuring Appellate litigator and blogger Denise Howell. Continue Reading
Protecting Fair Use Rights in the Digital World
DigitalConsumer.org is an advocacy group (that states a membership of 44,000) that is promoting a Consumer Technology Bill of Rights that supports the right of consumers to use their PCs to make and view copies of digital content (CDs, DVD’s, TV broadcasts) for personal use. The site links to current news on files sharing, copyright… Continue Reading
