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The Courts

Submission + - Take Action: Norwich, CT Julie Amero Porn Case

Submitted by aurispector
aurispector writes: Here's a link to an article about the Julie Amero porn case in Norwich, CT providing information, links and suggestions on how to help. http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20070228/tc_pcworl d/129226 If you had any doubts about how wrong this is, the article includes copies of emails from a juror and a detective involved in the case. Included are the email addresses of people in government with actual power to do something about the conviction.
Censorship

Google Ads Are a Free Speech Issue 148

Posted by kdawson from the free-as-in-not-speaking dept.
WebHostingGuy writes "A US Federal Court recently ruled that ads displayed by search engines are protected as free speech. In the case at issue, Yahoo!, Google, and Microsoft were sued by an individual demanding under the 14th Amendment that the search engines display his advertisements concerning fraud in North Carolina. The Court flatly stated that the search engines were exercising their First Amendment right of free speech in deciding what ads they want to display."
Media

Submission + - Ars.Technica Examines BitTorrent Video Store

Submitted by Rocketship Underpant
Rocketship Underpant writes: Ars Technica has given the new DRM-based BitTorrent video store a test drive. For those who may not know, the BitTorrent name is following in the footsteps of Napster, using its name to pursue non-free media distribution. But while Napster had nothing in common with its filesharing precursor, BitTorrent does use the bit-torrent protocol for distributing videos.

So does the new BitTorrent store work? "Store" may be an exaggeration; while it was (mostly) capable of taking the reviewer's money, none of the first few videos that were downloaded would play. Unsurprisingly, DRM is the source of the problem. Windows Media Player experienced numerous problems trying to read and authenticate the videos, even though it is the only supported player. In the reviewer's opinion, the service of the BitTorrent store is unacceptable. What's more, even files that work are rendered practically useless by the restrictive BitTorrent DRM, as the video cannot be burned to DVD or played on other devices.
United States

Submission + - Digital Fair Use bill introduced to US House

Submitted by
An anonymous reader writes: Ars Technica reports that "US Representative Rick Boucher (D-VA) and John Doolittle (R-CA) today announced the Freedom And Innovation Revitalizing U.S. Entrepreneurship Act of 2007 (FAIR USE Act). The bill's aim is to help put an end to the madness circulating around the general imbalance that has befallen copyright in recent years."
Education

Submission + - Sub. Teacher Vs. Porn Follow-up

Submitted by Maximum Prophet
Maximum Prophet writes: This is right out of a Kafka novel. The teacher went running for help. "There's no problem". "Don't turn off the machine". "We're going to put you in jail because of the problem..."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17134607/
One jurer wanted her to throw a coat or something over the machine. Let's see, he would rather she endanger the entire school buy starting a fire (yes, old fashion CRTs are fire hazards) rather than let some kids see some naked people. Won't someone think of the kids?
Privacy

Pendulum Swinging Toward Privacy 72

Posted by kdawson from the watch-that-swing dept.
netbuzz writes "The New York Times reports this morning on a gathering movement to remove Social Security numbers from online public records. While justifiable, given the reality of and concerns about identity theft, it also doesn't take much to imagine how such concerns will be abused by public officials who are strapped for cash and/or ethically challenged."
Patents

Amazon Using Patent Reform to Strengthen 1-Click 71

Posted by Zonk from the song-and-dance-routine dept.
theodp writes "As some predicted, lawyers for Amazon.com have recently submitted 1-Click prior art solicited by Tim O'Reilly under the auspices of Jeff Bezos' patent reform effort to the USPTO, soliciting a 'favorable action' that would help bulletproof the patent. Last June, an Amazon lobbyist referred to deficiencies with the same prior art as he tried to convince Congress that 1-Click was novel, prompting Rep. Howard Berman to call BS."
Education

Submission + - Wikipedia banned as source by history department

Submitted by hrvatska
hrvatska writes: An article in the New York Times reports on a ban by the history department at Middlebury College on citing Wikipedia in papers or exams. The ban came after a number of students used inaccurate information from the same article on an exam. The ban is being actively debated at the school, and does not apply to all departments. Jim Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia, is quoted as saying "Basically, they are recommending exactly what we suggested — students shouldn't be citing encyclopedias. I would hope they wouldn't be citing Encyclopaedia Britannica, either." The article does not say whether or not the history department permits Encyclopaedia Britannica to be cited as a source.
Music

Submission + - MP3 Patent Troubles

Submitted by
Vengance Daemon
Vengance Daemon writes: "The New York Times and many other sources are reporting that Microsoft lost the patent case regarding "...the way the Windows Media Player software from Microsoft plays audio files using MP3..." They go on to say "If the ruling stands, Apple and hundreds of other companies that make products that play MP3 files, including portable players, computers and software, could also face demands to pay royalties to Alcatel."

At first glance, it appears that Fedora, and the other distributions that did not include MP3 capabilities in their products because of patent concerns were quite right. Ogg Vorbis works great for music, and many commercial players support it."
The Courts

Submission + - ESA Uses U.S. Law To Target Mod Chips in Canada

Submitted by
CanuckGamer
CanuckGamer writes: "Michael Geist is reporting that the Entertainment Software Association is targeting mod chips in Canada by claiming that U.S. copyright law applies north of the border. An ESA lawyer has tried to import the U.S. Grokster case into Canada, which Geist argues should be subject to a claim of copyright misuse and reveals the ESA's double talk on mod chips and copyright reform."
Role Playing (Games)

Submission + - Blizzard Sues Bot Creator; Seeks Customer Info

Submitted by
An anonymous reader writes: After filing a prayer for relief to continue the selling of his WoWGlider, an automation bot for Blizzard's fanatical World of Warcraft, Michael Donnelly has again found himself in some deep water: Blizzard has retorted demanding WoWGlider be shut down, his URL, and financial compensation, but more interestingly they want all of WoWGlider's sales records. Presumably, Blizzard will cross-reference this with their current user database and ban anyone who bought the program. Furthermore, Blizzard claims that WoWGlider violates copyrights by accessing the game client's RAM space, a process which is also done by every anti-virus program. So why is there no Blizzard vs. Symantec?
The Courts

Politicians Wising up on Game Legislation? 66

Posted by Zonk from the we-can-only-hope dept.
Blackjack writes "Ars Technica looks at recent failures to pass laws regulating the sales of violent video games. They ask whether politicians are finally wising up to First Amendment issues and the costs associated with lawsuits resulting from the laws. Recent attempts to pass video game legislation in Mississippi, Utah, and Indiana have either failed or been put on indefinite hold. 'Now, state lawmakers are more cognizant of the constitutionality issues at stake. The judicial landscape is littered with the charred husks of laws passed by Illinois, Washington, Michigan, California, Louisiana, and others. All of them tried in some way or another to regulate the sale of violent video games to children, and all of them were struck down on First Amendment grounds.'"

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