digital/copyrights

More copyright and DRM grimness

June 24, 2004

Lawrence Lessig comments on the official 'introduction to the public' of the INDUCE Act in America, which would basically criminalise anyone who 'encourages children, teenagers and others to commit illegal or criminal acts of copyright infringement': The proposal alone is troubling enough. But the outrageous part is that there is talk that this massive new […]

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Dear Microsoft, If you didn't listen to Cory, please listen to David

June 23, 2004

David Weinberger has had a little chat with the people at Microsoft: Obviously, creators need to be be paid for their work, but not for every bit of value they create: You shouldn't have to pay me if you re-read my book or lend it to a friend, even though you are getting more value […]

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Queen Beatrix bags Dutch national anthem

June 22, 2004

According to my Dutch friend Bram Janssen, Queen Beatrix is trying to copyright the Dutch national anthem. Never mind that the anthem is over four hundred years old, she still claims first dibs on it. “The anthem is mine,” she says. (Add mad cackle as appropriate.)

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Michael Gartenberg likes DRM

June 22, 2004

Michael Gartenberg doesn't get why DRM is a bad thing, but he doesn't really make a strong case for why Cory or anyone else who stands in Cory's corner is wrong. A key sentence is “Our research shows clearly that DRM is only an issue to consumers when it's technology they keep bumping into” – […]

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Cory's DRM talk wikified

June 21, 2004

I think I'll just borrow Joi's post: Cory's excellent drm rant which he presented at Microsoft Research has now been wikified to allow people to comment and add to it. Excellent. The talk's also been recorded by Jason Kottke. Wish I'd had that idea first!

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Cory on DRM

June 18, 2004

Cory publishes his Microsoft Research DRM talk from June 17th, which really is a must read. A snippet for you: When MP3 rolled around and Sony's walkman customers were clamoring for a solid-state MP3 player, Sony let its music business-unit run its show: instead of making a high-capacity MP3 walkman, Sony shipped its Music Clips, […]

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Noxious copyright warnings; noxious copyright websites

June 12, 2004

Earlier today, James 'did a Cory' and took his camera with him to the cinema so that he could take a photo of the noxious copyright warning at the beginning of The Day After Tomorrow. He didn't quite get the same reaction Cory got, but did get a link to the FACT (Federation Against Copyright […]

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Stephen Joyce scuppers readings

June 10, 2004

Stephen Joyce, James Joyce's grandson and last remaining relative, has pulled the plug on readings of Ulysses which had been planned to celebrate the centenary of Bloomsday (16 June – the day on which the events in Ulysses take place). He declared that 'any public reading of what is regarded as the most influential novel […]

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Free vs. Free

June 5, 2004

Since posting the Something for Nothing essay, I've noticed one particular stumbling block cropping up time and again. I've seen the same point brought up in Something for Nothing's comments; on the IRC channel #freeculture; and during the Q&A after Lawrence Lessig's London lecture. The problem appears to stem from two interpretations of the word […]

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Photos from Larry Lessig's lecture

May 31, 2004

Ooh, the alliteration… Anyway, Chenwei and Tian have posted some photos that they took at the reception after Larry's lecture. Thanks guys!

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Copyright – it's not just about MP3s

May 29, 2004

Just two examples that illustrate further how out-of-hand copyright law is now. Reynolds works for the London Ambulance Service, and has just been on a course covering new treatment guidelines. He and his colleagues will, however, be getting an out-of-date version of the course handbook because the copyright holders won't allow the London Ambulance Service […]

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Back from Lessig

May 28, 2004

Well, I'm back from London, with a throat that feels as if I've been gargling glass shards, so forgive my brevity. (Plus, my memory for lectures is crap. I tend to remember overall impressions, not individual points. It's a miracle I made it through uni, frankly.) Lawrence Lessig was very good last night. Interesting talk, […]

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Something for Nothing in fifteen words

May 24, 2004

For the terminally short of attention out there, here's my Free Culture audiobook essay in 15 words: Lessig++ RIAA– Free culture = more creativity New publishing models Download, read, buy = sales up Discuss!

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Something for Nothing: The Free Culture AudioBook Project

May 24, 2004

Copyright. We all know what that is – it's how creative people protect their work from theft. Copyright is what stops people ripping you off or making money from your hard work. Isn't it? Most people are very aware of worth these days. eBay gives value to junk that might previously have been given away. […]

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Riiiight

May 19, 2004

The great thing about interviewing Lawrence Lessig is that he has a lot of interesting things to say, and says them concisely and articulately. The not-so-great thing about interviewing Lawrence Lessig is that I have to listen to myself saying 'Riiiiight' after every answer as I transcribe. Wow, I manage to sound like I have […]

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