In The News

["Olga Francois" <ofrancois@xxxxxxxx>]

---------------------------------------------------------------

Sharman Presses for Evidence
By Patrick Gray , Wired.com, May. 18, 2004 PT
http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,63509,00.html

"MELBOURNE, Australia -- Lawyers representing the makers of the Kazaa
file-sharing software, Sharman Networks, told the Australian Federal
Court on Friday that their client has in no way infringed copyright."
----------

Film-streaming website exploits copyright loophole
by Joe Figueiredo, Dmeurope.com, 19/05/2004 
http://www.dmeurope.com/default.asp?ArticleID=1831

"Rotterdam-based website Dvdstream.nl is using the Dutch copyright law
that permits the copying of films or music for private consumption, to
lawfully provide unlimited film-downloads."
-----------------

Search and download: file sharing on campus
by Madeleine Hottman, The Spectator Online- Seattle University, May 14,
2004
http://www.spectator-online.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/05/14/40a535e900dbc

"Most college students are familiar with the beauties of file sharing:
free downloads of music and movies, software and video games. Some
people would argue, however, that file sharing is immoral. Others would
argue that it ruins the recording industry’s sales. Still others
find no moral or economic problems with it."
---------------

Report: Kids Pirate Music Freely
By David McGuire, washingtonpost.com, May 18, 2004
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37231-2004May18.html

"More than half of young Americans with Internet access continue to
download free music even though they know that they are breaking the
law, according to a poll released today."
*
Downloaders backing off, study says 
By CHRIS LACKNER, Globe and Mail Update, May. 11, 2004
http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040511.gtimusic0511/BNStory/Technology/

"Legal pressure from the recording industry has taken its toll on the
number of people downloading music in Canada, according to a new study
by Ipsos-Reid."
----------------

Napster gags university over RIAA's student tax
By Ashlee Vance in Chicago, The Register.com.uk, 12th May 2004
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/05/12/ou_napster_tax/

"Napster moved into damage control mode today after a university gave
some idea as to how much a RIAA music tax will add to student costs.
Ohio University has put up a survey site to see if students are willing
to pay $3 per month for the Napster music service. The $3 figure is the
first concrete number given by any school indicating how much Napster
and its RIAA bully force are looking to muscle out of students. Ohio
University believes it will need 5,000 students to pay the $3 fee to
make Napster a break-even proposition for the school. Napster has
demanded that Ohio University stay silent about the price before anyone
catches wind of the cost."
*
Study:
http://www.cns.ohiou.edu/napster/
---------------

New Spin on the Music Business
By Katie Dean, Wired.com, May. 15, 2004 PT
http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,63474,00.html

"CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts -- Rather than modify the current, failing
copyright system to save the entertainment industry, one legal scholar
is proposing radical plans for a system that he claims will pay artists
fairly and bring more digital media to the people who crave it.  But
convincing the music and movie industries to embrace the idea seems
unlikely, at least in the near future. "
--------------

Congress hears DMCA testimony
By Faultline, theregister.co.uk, 18th May 2004
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/05/18/congress_dmca_hearing/

"The Digital Millenium Copyright Act is under threat from key changes
sought by opponents, and a Congressional committee was hearing testimony
this week. Faultline has campaigned not only for the re-drafting of key
elements of the DCMA, but also for changes to all of the other
"photocopy" legislation (using precisely copied wording) that has
appeared around the world. There are 179 signatories to the World
Copyright Treaty, that either have, or intend to bring in, similar laws
to their countries."
*
Congress Revisits the Copyright Act
By Cade Metz, PC Magazine
Eweek.com , May 17, 2004
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1594061,00.asp

"This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Supreme Court's now famous
Betamax decision. On January 17, 1984, the Court ruled that Sony's
Betamax VCR was perfectly legal."
*
US considers "legalising hacking" with copyright ruling
  by Declan McCullagh, SiliconValley.com, May 13 2004
 http://software.silicon.com/security/0,39024655,39120638,00.htm
 
"The people v the entertainment industry - who carries the most sway?
The US Congress has taken a step toward revising the controversial
Digital Millennium Copyright Act, in a move which the entertainment
industry has branded an attempt to "legalise hacking".
----------------

Arrest of Japanese file-sharing developer is a threat, lawyer says 
By Associated Press, May. 17, 2004
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/8687322.htm

"TOKYO (AP) - A lawyer for a Japanese professor detained on copyright
violations for his file-sharing technology called the arrest ``extremely
dangerous'' Monday, saying the move threatened the freedom of software
creators."
------------------

Klein says no reason to criticize essay
May 14 2004
http://calgary.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=ca_klein20040514

"Edmonton - Premier Ralph Klein says he followed his professor's
instructions when writing a recent essay on Chile, and he's upset that
academics have been criticizing the way he did - or didn't - attribute
sources."
(Contributed by Stephen Davies)
--------------

Copyright proposal too harsh: Library Association
By JACK KAPICA, Globe and Mail Update, May. 14, 2004
http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040514.gtcopyrightmay14/BNStory/Technology/

"The music recording industry's efforts to toughen copyright laws might
also enrich foreign corporations and impoverish academic researchers if
the government accepts recommendations put before it by the House of
Commons Canadian Heritage Report on Copyright Reform, librarians say."
---------------

Wisconsin prom CDs raise copyright questions
By Associated Press, USAToday.com, 5/14/2004
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2004-05-14-prom-cd_x.htm

"CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis- Music CDs handed out as souvenirs to students at
Chippewa Falls
High School's prom have raised some copyright questions. The school's
prom committee distributed about 500 CDs that contained three songs
copied on home computer equipment."
--------------

Paper Available from Free / Open Source Research Community:
http://opensource.mit.edu/

The Economics of Open Source Hijacking and Declining
Quality of Digital Information Resources: A Case for Copyleft
By Andrea Ciffolilli, Department of Economics, Universit` Politecnica
delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
This version: 29 April 2004
http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/ciffolili.pdf