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Comment Re:Lockin won't fly in Europe (Score 1) 418

by ahertz (#20879175) Attached to: Apple Sued Over iPhone Bricking
Do you mean that wireless providers in Europe are explicitly required to unlock your phone (if you ask, for some fee)? Or that they're explicitly required to provide software updates for unlocked phones? Otherwise, I don't see how the situation is any different in the US than it is in Europe.

In the US, you're perfectly free to unlock your phone. In fact, there's a specific exemption to the DMCA [PDF] allowing cell phone handset unlocking. You certainly can unlock GSM phones here, or buy unlocked phones (I've done both).

So, are wireless providers required to explicitly offer an unlocking service, or just to not arrest you if you do unlock your phone? The latter is essentially the case in the US.
The Internet

How to Stop Commerial Use of Copyleft Materials? 232

Posted by Zonk from the i-suggest-a-sheild-bash dept.
An anonymous reader writes "The Guild Wiki, an extremely popular fan-made wiki for documenting the Masssively Multiplayer game Guild Wars, was originally supported by donations, then later advertisements — supposedly just enough to break even. Just the past week, the owner of the domain name surprised this wiki community by revealing that he had sold the domain name, the database, and his services to Wikia, a commercial entity that intends to profit from Guild Wiki's content. The catch? Much of Guild Wiki's content falls under Creative Commons by-nc-sa license, which denies the commercial use of licensed material. Arena.net created their own community run wiki to serve as the in-game help system, because they didn't think they could use the material on Guild Wiki commercially. If Wikia continues to serve ads over Guild Wiki's content, how can the thousands of contributors to the site stop them without going to the expense/trouble of hiring attorneys (or the crude path of mass vandalism)? If it turns out the site owner has been making a profit all along from ads, what's the remedy?"
The Courts

Liquid Terror Charges Dropped 364

Posted by ScuttleMonkey from the in-other-news-forgers-now-charged-as-terrorists dept.
A Pakistani judge has decided to drop terrorism charges against the man described as a "key figure" in the alleged plan to blow up flights out of London using liquid explosives. Instead of facing charges of terrorism for the plot, which forced many travelers to follow strict guidelines with respect to liquids, Rashid Raud now faces charges such as forgery. From the article: "Several commentators said the threat was deliberately exaggerated to bolster the anti-terror credentials of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and that it helped to demonise British Muslims of Pakistani origin. The Crown Prosecution Service in the UK said the dropping of charges against Mr Rauf in Pakistan would "make no difference" to the case against the men charged in Britain."
It's funny. Laugh.

Texas Lawmaker Wants To Let the Blind Hunt 647

Posted by kdawson from the don't-shoot dept.
IHC Navistar writes with a story from Reuters Oddly Enough. A Texas lawmaker has introduced a measure that would allow blind people to hunt any game that sighted people can currently pursue. The article notes that the bill may have clear sailing in the hunting-besotted state of Texas. An education outreach person from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department explained it this way: "A blind person can shoot a rifle by mounting an offset pistol scope on the side of the rifle instead of on top. This allows their companion behind them to peer over their shoulder and help them sight it, but the blind person can pull the trigger."
United States

Second Amendment Questioned 1471

Posted by CowboyNeal from the lock-and-load dept.
dheera writes "Attorneys in Washington, DC question the scope of the Second Amendment in the first case in nearly 70 years, citing that the right to bear arms only applies to 'a well regulated militia.' 'We interpret the Second Amendment in military terms,' said Todd Kim, the District's solicitor general."

Rumsfeld Stepping Down 899

Posted by ScuttleMonkey from the at-least-no-one-dropped-a-house-on-him dept.
macinrack writes to tell us that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, architect of the unpopular war in Iraq, intends to resign after six stormy years at the Pentagon. Officials said Robert Gates, former head of the CIA, would replace Rumsfeld.

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