Slashback: Galileo, Backlight, Tariffs 167
The man is not often wrong. Doc Searls writes: "I wrote a piece piece at the Linux Journal site that you might want to check out. The very first comment is 'This needs to be Slashdotted.' I agree. And not because I'm looking for attention. I want to *call* attention to the CARP Report, which will kill Webcasting with fees. It's a big deal, and I don't see anybody else talking about it. Yet. And we need to."
Would you say that these are more 'puppies," "babies," or "mommas"? Vladimir Vuksan writes: "There are already hundreds of so called Java midlets that will presumably execute on these Nokia puppies or any other Java enabled browser. Check out http://midlet.org/jsp/index.jsp"
Too bad I can't get the entire Economist free just by reading the ads. FortKnox writes: "ZDNet is running a story about generic "Ad-Free Subscription Services" being used on the internet today. The review of these services is from the 'Ad Space Buyer' and how marketing execs are not keen on the idea. Something interesting to read, seeing Slashdot is testing the services."
How about a countersuit for strong-arm tactics? iosphere writes "According to an article on Wired, the judge in BT's case issued a ruling that questions whether or not the technology that was patented is really analogous to todays definition of a hyperlink. She questions how the patent, which was written with only a single computer terminal in mind, can apply to the internet as we know it now."
Update: 03/15 00:31 GMT by T : arget writes with a few more data points: "An article at News.com suggests that Prodigy has won a TKO in the first round. Another story at ZDNet is more neutral, but quotes an expert saying that prior art will 'come back to haunt BT's efforts.' Both articles agree that motions for summary judgement and probably a ruling will come soon."
Portable Monopoly kylus writes "Roughly a month after it was last mentioned here, the Gameboy Advance light project over at Portable Monopoly takes another step closer to fruition. While the official release date is in May, the group will begin accepting preorders on Friday, March 15th for the $35 light kit, which has been officially named 'Afterburner.' In addition to this news, they've provided some video captures of the product in action."
Remember, as reader Vito puts it, that's Portable Monopoly's warranty-voiding, solder-requiring, tech-support-suiciding Gameboy Advance internal lighting kit. :) Your own risk, et cetera.
This goes beyond disputes about how to spell "meter." meehawl writes with an update on the European Union's plans for a GPS workalike system, which we had previously reported had been scrapped.
"So after the Pentagon removed GPS's Selective Availability, the maximum GPS accuracy is typically within 10 to 20 meters. Differential GPS can reduce this to minute levels, very useful for calling in airstrikes and pinpointing installations, and so on.
So it's probably no surprise that the the European Union's plans to build their own GPS system, the Galileo Project, met such stern resistance from the U.S., with Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz asking EU defence ministers not to go ahead, saying it could complicate US satellite-assisted warfare and furthermore could be more easily used by anti-US military forces.
The EU has has now rejected the latest message from the U.S., a State Department exhortation to forgo development. Interestingly, the latest rebuff was framed as an anti-monopoly stance, that competition in satellite navigation would be good for business.
Apparently, Osama is responsible for this latest rebirth of the European space industry.
Perhaps more worryingly, in a related development a UK company was awarded the "Skynet 5" military communications system contract. Don't these people watch movies at all?"
The principle of the thing. Boone^ writes "It's been well covered, but The Tech Report has written a nice little article going through the finer points of the proposed levy and why there should be more people than just Canadians lobbying against it."
Perhaps some more apprentices will emerge from the woodwork? pynchin writes "Kyle Sallee, creator of Sorcerer GNU Linux has just announced on #sorcerer that he will no longer be involved with SGL. Some disgruntled SGL users forked the distro a few days ago -- see www.lunar-penguin.com for details."
Mobile java games.. (Score:3, Interesting)
Seriously, J2ME looks very useful; i think i'll have to download the kit to see how it works. Some of the stuff is very useful, considering I have my phone with me practically all the time. A portable graphical calculator, a note pad, games, a dictionary/language translator, and currency convertors? This'll really cut down on all the stuff you have to carry round. Hopefully charges for connecting to the internet via mobile phones will come down so it is cost-effective to use this kind of stuff.
P.S. Look under >graphics>adult for a *very* useful applet for your phone. Although it will be distracting to use when getting into those complicated positions
GPS Monopoly (Score:5, Interesting)
Okay now I'm not a conspiracy theorist, and I agree that a unified GPS would be a *good* thing for global communications and security etc.... however
from the article... The US has another vital unilateralist interest; if GPS is the only global positioning network, all positioning on the planet can only be done by America, so that if the US wants to block, say, a military or civilian aircraft sale by the Europeans it can simply ban the use of GPS avionics in the aircraft's positioning system. French President Chirac is uncompromising about the consequences - this would be economic, security and technological 'vassalage'.
This could really be a REAL concern for other nations. Granted living in the US, it doesn't conern me as much on the loss of communications end, but what does concern me is the potential for abuse, and the backlash that abuse might cause...
Maybe a second network, but compatible network isn't such a bad idea after all.
-ryanRegarding the hypertext lawsuit... (Score:3, Interesting)
BT's Hidden Text patent was filed in the U.S. in 1977 and issued in 1989. Hidden Text patents filed in Europe have already expired.
Perhaps this sort of thing should be pointed out here in the U.S. to our government. Should we allow lengthened patents, then those evil evil British Terrorists might have a patent on a technology we've based a majority of our new economy on.
Re:GPS (Score:1, Interesting)
Paid for by the U.S. _taxpayers_.
Independent record labels (Score:5, Interesting)
Here's a great idea for someone to implement: An indie label rights clearinghouse.
Nothing in the proposal disallows an independent webcaster from using content for free with the permission of the record label. So if we can get a website up that will allow indpendent webcasters and small record labels to meet, they could agree that no broadcasting fees will need to be paid.
Both sides win. Indie labels that weren't going to get any radio play anyway lose nothing by allowing free webcasting. Indie webcasters get to use songs for free.
If Big Music wants too much money for you to use their stuff, then don't promote Big Music.
Re:GPS (Score:4, Interesting)
court finding is interesting but long... (Score:1, Interesting)
So, just don't keep cache your documents before you view them.
from page 11:
"BT argues that this citation to the prosecution history merely discusses the advantages of the technology of the Sargent patent, rather than distinguishes prior art. BT further argues that the file wrapper describes a number of different "stores," and Prodigy improperly attempts to narrow the claim to only one of those descriptions.
However, BT is incorrect. "Teaches" is a term of art in the patent world - what the patent "teaches" is the invention. Therefore, the explanations in this passage relating to the way data is stored in the system are of particular significance. In this passage, the applicant notes that the manner of storing information is the distinction between his invention and prior art.
The parties are particularly concerned about whether this passage disclaims the use of RAM as a "main store." This quote, found in two of the applicant's appeal briefs, supports Prodigy's contention that RAM has been disclaimed. The briefs open by describing the prior art in the world of "data base storage and retrieval system[s]." (Jan. 24, 1986 Appeal Br. at 1; Jan. 5, 1987 Appeal Br. at 2.) The applicant acknowledges that the usefulness of "abbreviated keyed-in selection data is recognized in the prior art." (Jan. 24, 1986 Appeal Br. at 2; Jan. 5, 1987 Appeal Br. at 2.) In such systems (i.e., abbreviated keyed-in selection data systems), "Then one might store the necessary full address linkage data in RAM where it is readily accessible for use in translating a user's keyed-in single digit . . . into the full disk-store address of the next desired screen." (Jan. 24, 1986 Appeal Br. at 2; Jan. 5, 1987 Appeal Br. at 2.) However, this "scheme" has its disadvantages "as more voluminous and complex data bases are considered." (Jan. 24, 1986 Appeal Br. at 2; Jan. 5, 1987 Appeal Br. at 2.) These drawbacks, as stated by the applicant, are that more RAM must be used for this function, proper updating may become complicated, and inefficient use of RAM and disk storage may result.
The applicant explains that his invention flies in the face of the conventional wisdom regarding storage of the address linkage data. "
My petition submission: (Score:3, Interesting)
Cruds, I have a final due in English too. . .
Ah oh well; here it goes. It is rather long mind you. I am submitting this through the petition that www.beethoven.com [beethoven.com] has running.
(begin paste)
As a citizen who believes in the rights of independent artisans to create their own works, I am highly opposed to the ideas for regulation recently introduced by the CARP report.
Art is something that should be free to be spread to all should the artist be willing. While I do not support or condone illegal music broadcasts in any form or by any medium, I do believe that if an artist working under no other contract chooses to release his or her work to the public domain that those who seek to fulfill the artist's wishes and spread that work of art should be allowed to do so with no extra fines or fees levied upon them.
Charging money for Web broadcasts of works in the public domain (let us ignore for the moment works that should not be distributed without proper royalties being paid) is the same as charging me money for putting up a painting in my living room and inviting my friends and family over to view it.
In fact it is even worse then that.
For in this case the painting is one that I was given freely by a friend, or even one that I may have painted myself.
An enactment of the regulations put forth by the CARP report or the enactment of any regulations similar to those, would be tantamount to charging an artist a fee just for painting.
Or charging a musician a fee just for playing their songs for free to anybody who is willing to listen.
This is the equivalent to the long feared Thought Crimes. Except that this is a viewing crime, a listening crime. But instead of charging each individual listener, instead the creator or the distributor of the work is charged instead.
If a United States Citizen opened up his or her house as a museum and allowed artists to freely put up works of art within the house, and allowed other fellow citizens to visit his or her house viewing these works of art, no mention of fees would be involved. In fact it would be quite likely that the citizen who worked to hard to create such a wondrous endeavor for his or her fellow citizens would have their museum granted with not for profit status and be given support by the government at a variety of levels to continue in the wonderful task that he or she is accomplishing.
Indeed, if a citizen pays for with their own money and sets up a radio station to support local artists for no fee, then that individual would be heralded as being a good hardworking samaritan who is doing his or her best to support the arts. Indeed many of the various taxations and regulator fees that are applicable to commercial radio stations would be bypassed and declared unapplicable to this wondrous spreader of the arts.
But under these regulations, if the same citizen guided by the same motivations sets up an online Internet webcasting station and pays for all of the equipment and server fees him or her self, if this United States Citizen dedicates their time and energy to giving freely available public domain artwork out to all for their enjoyment and enrichment;
now this person would be charged potentially thousand of dollars a month in regulatory fees.
This is wrong. Plain and simply, it is wrong. Dedication, hard work, and sacrifice towards an ideal should never in the lands of a free country be grounds for doing no less then what amounts to punishing a person.
This, this, hopefully what I have said, shall help to convince you that charging fees for none commercial entities is wrong.
But what about commercial entities?
I have no problems with fees levied as a portion of an organizations income. And indeed if that Organization is making even a portion of their income off of works of which the rights to are owned by another organization or person, then the profiteering organization should indeed pay a portion of their income in both federal taxes and in royalty fees to those of whom's work they are making a profit of.
But never should a company or an organization be charged more in regulatory fees or taxes or royalties then that organization is bringing in.
Indeed we all know that it is foolishness to charge anybody at a 200% tax rate. Indeed this is detrimental to all. The government itself shall find itself of reduced income after the organization being taxed to such an exorbitant extent is put out of business. It is not good practice to raise chickens, wait for the first batch of eggs to come through, and then kill all of the chickens.
The competitors also lose. They lose money and potential future talent. For it is by the smaller organizations, from free none profit art museums to small for profit radio stations that new and upcoming talents are revealed. The market itself can be carefully gauged from the responses that these new and upcoming artists receive.
Indeed, if Seattle Washington had not had outlets for independent bands to play their music in and gain popularity at, then Universal Music Group (a subsidiary or Universal Studios) would itself have been shortened a few millions dollars a year in revenue for quite number of years by the band Nirvana alone. This is not even taking into account the numerous other musicians who started there way in local clubs and moved up to small independent labels until they were able to eventually make it big so to speak and infuse the U.S. economy with the money that their fans spent on their CDs, Concerts, and other merchandise.
Had those musicians had to pay out thousands of dollars a month just for the right for other people to listen to them, then we all would be a bit poorer.
That the independent labels existed and were fairly taxed according to their profits and nothing else was the sole criteria responsible for allowing many worthwhile artists to align themselves with the major publishers.
The independent artistry industries are ones that we all rely on, and I dare say that one that we all need to continue to survive. My very own art teacher has yet to become a successful world renowned painter, but the money that she makes by selling her works through independent channels has allowed for her to pursue a teaching carrier in which she has the possibility, the potential, to teach artistry to someone who may very well be the next Grand Master of painting.
We can never know if that shall happen or not, but the ever lasting hope that it can happen, that it will happen, the knowledge that it has happened before, that the next great Artists born unto this world shall be an American, is what encourages us to keep going a system which allows for free and open potential and possibility for all.
Over taxing that industry, removing even once source of that potential, is to let that dream, that hope, those aspirations of not just the many, but those aspirations of the all; die.
Please, vote to instead levy only fair and reasonable taxes upon Internet Music Broadcasters. Removing them from business is to remove so much more.
*(End Paste)*
There it is, how do you like it?
Re:It's already too late to cancel the tarriff (Score:2, Interesting)
There is no legal reason why a tarriff of 0% could not be set. It's set. It's just 0%. It's been done before in regard to the GST. Some goods are taxable for GST purposes but the tax is zero-rated (I believe that's the term). I think "medical devices" (eyeglasses, hearing aids and the like) fall into that category.