chuckgrosvenor - Slashdot User

Submission + - What's the deal with 855 area code? 1

Submitted by

solune

on Tuesday June 12, 2012 @08:55PM

solune writes: "A lot of friends have been asking me what the deal is with the 855 area code.

It seems they’ve been getting calls from there, with no dicernable reason. A google search turns up a lot of questions about it, from scammers that seem to know a lot about the callee, to a possible reverse-charge scheme.

I had a thought it might be scam wherein the target searches for the skinny on 855 and lands on a malicious website.

Either way, it’s driving a lot of people nuts, and we want to know.

Thanks!"

Submission + - Can you resell your smartphone or computer, federal court says no (theatlantic.com) 1

Submitted by schwit1 on Tuesday June 12, 2012 @08:29PM

schwit1 writes: The Supreme Court will soon hear a case that will affect whether you can sell your iPad — or almost anything else — without needing to get permission from a dozen "copyright holders." Here are some things you might have recently done that will be rendered illegal if the Supreme Court upholds the lower court decision:

1. Sold your first-generation iPad on Craigslist to a willing buyer, even if you bought the iPad lawfully at the Apple Store.
2. Sold your dad's used Omega watch on eBay to buy him a fancier (used or new) Rolex at a local jewelry store.
3. Sold an "import CD" of your favorite band that was only released abroad but legally purchased there. Ditto for a copy of a French or Spanish novel not released in the U.S.
4. Sold your house to a willing buyer, so long as you sell your house along with the fixtures manufactured in China, a chandelier made in Thailand or Paris, support beams produced in Canada that carry the imprint of a copyrighted logo, or a bricks or a marble countertop made in Italy with any copyrighted features or insignia.

Here is what's going on.

The Supreme Court case concerns something called the "first-sale doctrine" in copyright law. Simply put, the doctrine means that you can buy and sell the stuff you purchase. Even if someone has copyright over some piece of your stuff, you can sell it without permission from the copyright holder because the copyright holder can only control the "first-sale." The Supreme Court has recognized this doctrine since 1908.

The first-sale doctrine is one thing that makes it lawful to sell almost any good. The companies that have gone to court and sued over selling their "copyrights" include a watchmaker and shampoo producer. They have gone to court arguing that one part of the Copyright Act — which gives them a right against unauthorized imports — invalidates the first-sale doctrine.

In 1998, the Supreme Court ruled that the first-sale doctrine applies to any product manufactured in the United States, sold in the U.S., even if the first sale by the copyright holder was abroad and the item was imported back into the U.S. This decision was unanimous and rejected the interpretation preferred by the U.S. government's lawyer — and the biggest copyright holders.

The legal confusion today concerns only products made abroad.

Continuing a long string of similar cases, the Supreme Court will review a New York federal court decision that decided, in short, that the first-sale doctrine does not apply to any copyrighted product manufactured abroad. That case concerns textbooks.

Comment I'd love an "emergency backup" subscription plan (Score 1) 245

by chuckgrosvenor on Monday January 09, 2012 @12:46AM (#38634792) Attached to: ViaSat Delivers 12 Mbps+ Via Satellite

I have outages at least once or twice a year, where I lose my power, cell phone, land line, cable and of course Internet. Power I can get around with a generator, but the others not so much. I don't miss the cable TV, but no phone service of any kind is definitely a problem when it last more than a few hours.

I'd love a cheap plan that only let me subscribe when I needed it, no charges for a month I don't use the satellite, or at the very least a sub-$20 package that isn't fast or has a lot of data that I can at least use to get information off the Net with (send email, maybe Skype). If they really want to shake up the industry, they'd offer a super cheap package for folks like me.

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