17551926
submission
Adrian Lopez writes:
A bill giving the government the power to shut down Web sites that host materials that infringe copyright is making its way quietly through the lame-duck session of Congress, raising the ire of free-speech groups and prompting a group of academics to lobby against the effort.
The Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act (COICA) was introduced in Congress this fall by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT). It would grant the federal government the power to block access to any Web domain that is found to host copyrighted material without permission.
Opponents note that the powers given the government under the bill are very broad. Because the bill targets domain names and not specific materials, an entire Web site can be shut down. So for example, if the US determines that there are copyright-infringing materials on YouTube, it could theoretically block access to all of YouTube, whether or not particular material being accessed infringes copyright.
17523604
submission
Adrian Lopez writes:
The Internet blacklist bill known as COICA is up for vote on Thursday, with the first vote to be conducted by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Senators for California, Vermont, Wisconsin, New York, Minnesota, and Illinois will be the key votes in deciding whether COICA passes. Residents of those states are encouraged to contact their senators and let them know they oppose the bill.
COICA would let the US Attorney General create a blacklist of domains that every American ISP would be required to block. Wikileaks, YouTube, and others are all at risk. Human rights advocates, constitutional law experts, and the people who invented the Internet have all spoken out against this bill — but some of the most powerful industries in the country are demanding that Congress rush it through. The music industry is even having all of their employees call Congress to pose as citizens in support of the bill.
This bill is as bad for Americans and bad for the Internet. The decision to take down US and foreign websites shouldn't rest with the US Attorney General, and it should never be as easy as adding a website to a central list.
Demand Progress has a petition online which residents of the above and other US states are encouraged to sign.
17197796
submission
Adrian Lopez writes:
The Senate is considering a bill that would create an online blacklist of Internet domain names. Hollywood has been stumping hard for this bill and unless we speak up, it could sail through Congress in the next couple weeks. Click here to sign Demand Progress' petition. GamePolitics also makes an important suggestion: "Senator Patrick Leahy is up for re-election, so if you don't like this law and want him to listen, now is probably the best time to talk to him about it — leahy.senate.gov or www.leahyforvermont.com. If he won't listen, talk to his opponent, Len Britton at www.lenbritton.com."
See the EFF's COICA page for more information, and let's give this issue a good Slashdotting!
6560267
submission
Adrian Lopez writes:
PC World reports that US Senator John McCain has recently introduced legislation that "would keep the FCC from enacting rules prohibiting broadband providers from selectively blocking or slowing Internet content and applications."
"McCain, an Arizona Republican, called the proposed net neutrality rules a 'government takeover' of the Internet that will stifle innovation and depress an 'already anemic' job market in the U.S. McCain was the Republican challenger to President Barack Obama in the 2008 election, and Obama has said net neutrality rules are among his top tech priorities."
6449943
submission
Adrian Lopez writes:
PC World reports that "one of the 13 security bulletins Microsoft released Tuesday affects not only Internet Explorer (IE), but also Firefox, thanks to a Microsoft-made plug-in pushed to Firefox users eight months ago in an update delivered via Windows Update."
The plugin in question — The .NET Framework Assistant — and its security implications for Firefox users were discussed on Slashdot several months ago. It would seem that people's worst fears have come true.
6266057
submission
Adrian Lopez writes:
PC World reports that 'technology research company Eolas Technolgies, which won a US$520.6 million patent infringement case against Microsoft in 2003, has filed a new patent lawsuit against 22 companies including Adobe Systems, Google, Yahoo, Apple, eBay and Amazon.com.
Eolas' lawsuit, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, claims the tech vendors and other companies have violated two Eolas patents, one for allowing embedded applications in Web browsers, and the second a continuation of the first patent, allowing Web sites to add embedded applications through the use of plug-ins and AJAX (asynchronous JavaScript and XML).'
Imagine a Web without AJAX or embedded applications and ask yourself whether the claim that patents do not stifle innovation is at all sustainable.
4209459
submission
Adrian Lopez writes:
According to PC World:
"Hollywood may have won a battle, but the war against piracy is far from over. Unauthorized file sharing will continue (and likely intensify), if not through The Pirate Bay, then through dozens of other near identical swashbuckling Web sites. ...
What Hollywood needs to remember is sites like The Pirate Bay are like weeds. When you try to kill one, they grow back even stronger. In this case, The Pirate Bay already moved most of its servers to the Netherlands, a move that could keep the site running even if The Pirate Bay loses its appeal."
17689
submission
Adrian writes:
Creative has recently announced a firmware update for its Zen Vision:M MP3 players. Among the list of changes, Creative states: 'This firmware removes your player's FM recording feature.'
Some speculate this is due to fears over the RIAA's recent lawsuit against XM Radio.
