In The News

["Olga Francois" <ofrancois@xxxxxxxx>]

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File-sharing suits come to Canada
By MATHEW INGRAM. Globe and Mail Update. Dec. 16, 2003
http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20031216.wbmath1216/BNStory/Business

"Taking a page from its U.S. counterpart's playbook, Canadian Recording
Industry Association president Brian Robertson says the CRIA plans to
start suing Canadian users of file-sharing networks."
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Film Fans Befuddled by Copyright
By Katie Dean. Wired.com, Dec. 17, 2003
http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,61598,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_2

"A major studio's recent action to curtail online sales of its films has
left some movie buffs confused about where and when purchasing foreign
DVDs is legitimate. In general, U.S. law permits consumers to buy
imported DVDs for personal use. But the law is a little murkier for
retailers."
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DVD copying software faces court over new UK copyright law
By Outlaw.com,  18/12/2003
http://www.out-law.com/php/page.php?page_id=dvdcopyingsoftware1071754384&area=news

"Warner Home Video UK has sued a software company over its DVD copying
software that circumvents security features in DVDs and lets consumers
make back-up copies. The suit against
321 Studios follows new digital copyright laws coming into force in the
UK."
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Kazaa wins Dutch OK
By Reuters, Zdnet.com.uk,  Friday 19th December 2003
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/business/0,39020645,39118691,00.htm

"The Dutch supreme court threw out a challenge by a music copyright
agency against popular Internet file-swapping software system Kazaa on
Friday."
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The RIAA Succeeds Where the Cypherpunks Failed
First published December 17, 2003 on the "Networks, Economics, and
Culture" mailing list.
Subscribe to the mailing list.
http://www.shirky.com/writings/riaa_encryption.html

"For years, the US Government has been terrified of losing surveillance
powers over digital communications generally, and one of their biggest
fears has been broad public adoption of encryption. If the average user
were to routinely encrypt their email, files, and instant messages,
whole swaths of public communication currently available to law
enforcement with a simple subpoena (at most) would become either
unreadable, or readable only at huge expense."
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Argentina Won't Copy RIAA Tactic
By Flavio Bustos, Wired.com, Dec. 18, 2003
http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,61531,00.html

"BUENOS AIRES -- As in the United States, online music piracy is on the
rise in Argentina. But in contrast to the efforts of the Recording
Industry Association of America, the trade group representing major
labels here has not employed a flurry of lawsuits to deter the spread of
illegal file trading"