28270612
submission
Sir Mal Fet writes:
iTunes Match, Apple's service that allows re-downloading all your music, ripped CDs, and other music files across all your libraries using the iCloud service, has been made available in most of Latin America, the Netherlands, and the Baltic states. A nice review of one user can be found here. So fellow slashdotters, is it worth the $25/year? Do you use the service?
27785962
submission
Sir Mal Fet writes:
In a very polemic move by the Spanish parliament, the infamous 'Sinde' law, already discussed here, was passed on December 31st. Albeit modified from their original version, the law will allow the Spanish government to request ISPs to summary close a website due to copyright infringment (Original in Spanish, Google translation). If the ISP refuses, then it's passed to court where a judge can order the website closed. It seems it's one good, one bad over there. The law is in public consult until March, and No Les Votes, a Spanish organization that opposes the law, has already started a campaign to boicot it (Original in Spanish; Google translation).
27299338
submission
Sir Mal Fet writes:
In line with previous rulings discussed here, a judge in spain has ruled that P2P technologies are "completely neutral" (original in spanish ; Google translation ), thus dismissing a lawsuit originated in 2008 from the Spanish Association of Musical Producers (Promusicae), Warner, EMI, and Sony suing Pablo Soto, a spanish man who created the Blubster, MP2P y Piolet programs to share files. The labels demanded 13 million euros in damages arguing that the mere existence and distribution of P2P technologies violated copyright, but the ruling stated the technology itself was neutral, so the creator could not be held responsible for how the software was used, and demanded that they pay for legal expenses. Promusicae said it was going to appeal the ruling.
14249464
submission
Sir Mal Fet writes:
Chile has become the first country in the world to approve, by 99 votes in favor and one abstention, the law guarantying net neutrality [camara.cl, in Spanish]. The law states that: "No [ISP] can block, interfere with, discriminate, hinder, nor restrict the right of any Internet user of using, send, receive or offer any content, application, or legitimate service through the Internet, as well as any activity or legitimate use conducted through the Internet" (own translation). The law also has articles that forces ISP to provide parental control tools, clarify contracts, guarantee user's privacy and safety when surfing, and forbids them to restrict any liberty whatsoever. This is a major advance in the legislation of the country regarding the web, when just until last year almost anything that was performed in it was considered illegal.
