In The News

["Olga Francois" <ofrancois@xxxxxxxx>]

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Maker of copy software considering bankruptcy
By Associated Press, The Desert Sun.com, June 20th, 2004
http://www.thedesertsun.com/news/stories2004/business/20040620025609.shtml

"ST. LOUIS -- A Missouri maker of software that has enabled users to
copy DVDs and computer games soon could fold under the mounting weight
of lawsuits by deep-pocketed movie studios and others, the company's
chief said."
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US law seeks to stamp out all copyright abuses
By Declan McCullagh, June 18 2004
http://management.silicon.com/government/0,39024677,39121479,00.htm

"A forthcoming bill in the US Senate would, if passed, dramatically
reshape copyright law by prohibiting file-trading networks and some
consumer electronics devices on the grounds that they could be used for
unlawful purposes.  The proposal, called the Induce Act, says "whoever
intentionally induces any violation" of copyright law would be legally
liable for those violations, a prohibition that would effectively ban
file-swapping networks such as Kazaa and Morpheus. In the draft bill
seen by silicon.com's sister site News.com, inducement is defined as
"aids, abets, induces, counsels, or procures" and can be punished with
civil fines and, in some circumstances, lengthy prison terms.
*
Draft:
http://scrawford.net/courses/INDUCE%20Act%20of%202004.pdf

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Jack Valenti opposes ClearPlay filter
By Big News Network.com, 19th June, 2004
http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=b75db35f76e81274

"Hollywood's top lobbyist is urging Congress not to pass a bill to
exempt the use of filtering software from copyright law, The Hollywood
Reporter said Friday."
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Copy-blocked CD tops U.S. charts
By John Borland, CNET News.com, June 17, 2004
http://news.com.com/2100-1027_3-5238208.html

"For the first time, the No. 1 album in the United States is loaded with
anticopying protections, marking a clear step into the mainstream for
the controversial technology. "
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On Drawing Lines in Copyright Law
By Adam Thierer, CATO.org, June 17, 2004
http://www.cato.org/dailys/06-17-04.html

"As Wayne Crews and I pointed out in the introduction to our book Copy
Fights: The Future of Intellectual Property in the Information Age,
striking a sensible balance when it comes to copyright law has always
been a challenging, messy task. The inherent tension in copyright law
comes from trying to accomplish two noble goals that are sometimes
difficult to reconcile. On one hand, copyright is supposed to reward
innovators by granting them limited terms of protection so they can
commercially exploit their creation before anyone else."
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DMCA Foes Find Allies in House
By Michael Grebb, Wired.com, Jun. 17, 2004
http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,63876,00.html/wn_ascii

"WASHINGTON -- If some in Congress get their way, you may soon be able
to hack DVDs and CDs to get around copy protections and make as many
copies of albums and movies as you want -- with no fear of the feds
breaking down the door."
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321 Studios close to shutting down
By John Borland, CNET News.com June 16, 2004
http://news.com.com/2100-1040_3-5236366.html

"Faced with a new set of lawsuits, prominent DVD and game copying
software company 321 Studios may be nearing the end of its short and
tumultuous life, Chief Executive Robert Moore said Wednesday"
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>From BNA: Bna.com

"CT. UPHOLDS RESTORATION OF COPYRIGHT TO PUBLIC DOMAIN WORKS
The District Court for D.C. has dismissed a suit challenging the
constitutionality of Section 514 of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act,
which restores copyright protection to foreign copyright holders whose
works remain protected in their origin country, but entered the public
domain in the United States. The section, which implements Article 18 of
the Berne Convention, was challenged by a music sheet company that
publishes public domain works and by a family-owned business that
preserves films dating back to the 1900s. The case was first brought in
2001 but stayed pending the outcome of the Eldred case. Case name is
Luck's Music Library v. Ashcroft. Decision at
http://www.dcd.uscourts.gov/01-2220.pdf";
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