94008
submission
joejor writes:
With so much controversy over intellectual property rights in software development, it may be instructive (or at least entertaining) to look at another human endeavor that suffers from stolen ideas: stand-up comedy. Radar magazine has an article that describes the long history of cribbing and theft in comedy, by big names and small.
Given the nature of stand-up, where source material has to be broadcast from performer to audience, it often happens that one performer will hear another's bits and incorporate the funniest ones into his own act, without attribution. The perspectives of the comedians interviewed range from enlightened to downright hateful (hmm, sounds familiar).
Choice quote from TFA: "People take plagiarism so seriously in all other forms of media, whether it's music, newspapers, books ... But with comedy, it's like, 'You're on your own.'"
93996
submission
nadamsieee writes:
Wired's Luke O'Brian recently reported about Congress' latest attempt to reform the patent system. In the article O'Brian tells of how "[w]itnesses at Thursday's hearing painted a bleak picture of that system. Adam Jaffe, a Brandeis University professor and author of a book on the subject, described the system as "out of whack." Instead of "the engine of innovation," the patent has become "the sand in the gears," he said, citing widespread fears of litigation." The House Oversight Committee website has more details. How would you fix the patent system?
90592
story
soulxtc writes
"Unable to define memory as a 'recording medium,' Canada's Private Copyright Collective goes directly after portable music player devices, memory cards, and anything else that can be used to make private copies. The PCC submitted a proposal to the country's Copyright Board that suggests levies of $5 (Canadian) on devices with up to 1GB of memory, $25 for 1-10 GB, $50 for 10-30 GB, and $75 for over 30 GB. If approved, this propoal would increase the price of a 30-GB iPod by 26%. These collections are intended to compensate artists and labels for the losses they suffer when people 'illegally' copy or transfer music. The PCC is also seeking a new $2 to $10 tax on memory cards. The backbone of digital photography has become tangled up in the fight for making sure music companies get every nickel and dime they feel that they deserve."
90662
submission
Jon Meyer writes:
The Google YouTube handling of Nick Gisburne is very similar to their News page's handling of
Uruknet.
According to Alexa, the web-ranking organization, Uruknet is highly rated as an Iraqi news source. Yet, with no convincing reason, in late January Google delisted Uruknet from Google News. A campaign to restore Uruknet to Google News is underway. See this link for the full story.
Does the YouTube incident, Uruknet and Google's recent defusing of
Google
Bombs indicate the search giant is entering a new phase of more strident and direct
information censorship?
