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PizzaFace writes
"It's Jhannet's 19th birthday, so her boyfriend borrows a camcorder to memorialize the occasion, and they head to the mall. They goof around, recording each other in the food court, then decide to catch the Transformers matinee, which started a few minutes earlier. During a big action scene, Jhannet takes the camcorder and records a 20-second clip to show her little brother. A few minutes later, cops who were called by the manager come in with flashlights, arrest Jhannet, confiscate the camcorder, and, at the behest of Regal Cinemas, charge her with film piracy. 'I was terrified,' said Jhannet. 'I was crying. I've never been in trouble before.' If convicted, she could be sentenced to a year in prison and a $2,500 fine. The police say they lack discretion because Regal Cinemas chose to prosecute: 'They were the victim in this case, and they felt strongly enough about it.' The National Association of Theater Owners supports Regal's 'zero-tolerance' prosecution standard: 'We cannot educate theater managers to be judges and juries in what is acceptable. Theater managers cannot distinguish between good and bad stealing.'"
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goodbye_kitty writes
"The producers of a new documentary film analyzing global music piracy have decided to 'put their money where their mouth is' by releasing the film as a free Xvid download (hosted by the Pirate Bay, as one would expect). The film explores the blurred line between 'fair use' and piracy, and includes interviews with DJ Danger Mouse (creator of the now infamous 'grey album'), Lawrence Lessig (founder of Creative Commons), the lads from the Pirate Bay, and even some guy from the MPAA. Here is a link to the torrent."
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jotter507 writes
"So, you get arrested for running an illegal online pharmacy and the judge orders you to stop selling medication over the Internet. Don't sit around and do nothing before the trial! Run off to the Dominican Republic on a false passport, withdraw money from an account ordered frozen, and start up another online 'pharmacy.' It didn't end well for 27-year old Christopher William Smith, also known as 'Rizler.' The world-reviled spammer and Internet drug dispenser received a 30-year sentence from a federal judge on Wednesday."
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MikeyTheK writes:
Over at CNN, they announced that Apple was awarded a patent to reduce dropped cell phone calls. One of the reasons why cell calls drop is that the interference from other radios in the phone (e.g. GPS) and the impact of devices attached to the phone. Apple's software purportedly will reduce or eliminate that problem.
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DigitalDame2 writes:
The iPhone may well be the most hyped tech launch ever. There, we said it; we said it because it's probably true. And, as always, Apple brass is being cryptic and guarded about details of its new baby — especially about its software and applications. Pulling together clues from countless news reports, executive statements, and comments from the man Jobs himself, we can get a faint picture of what might be ahead. From the phantom twelfth app that may have slipped into a teaser ad, to the big questions of whether or not the phone will be open for third-party software, we're just a bit closer to getting answers.
