In The News

["Olga Francois" <ofrancois@xxxxxxxx>]

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Group plans holiday spoiler for RIAA, studios
By Jim Hu, CNET News.com, December 20, 2004
http://news.com.com/2100-1025_3-5498168.html

"As the holiday season approaches, some opponents of the movie and music
industries' legal efforts are planning to celebrate in a Grinch-like
fashion."
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Will the new copyright law hit you?
By Business Times, 21 Dec 2004
http://it.asia1.com.sg/newsdaily/news002_20041221.html

"THE new year will start with a new beginning for copyright enforcement
in Singapore."
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Canada's digital music fee quashed
By Online Staff, Smh.com, December 20, 2004
http://www.smh.com.au/news/Breaking/Canadas-digital-music-fee-quashed/2004/12/20/1103391683144.html?oneclick=true

"Special copyright levies applied to digital music players in Canada
have been ruled illegal by the country's Federal Court of Appeal."
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U.S. law 'threatens Canada's secrets'
http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=ae99b08b-0991-429b-b67f-564f526e02c6&page=1
(Registration Required)

"OTTAWA -- Highly sensitive personal, military and national security
information held by the Canadian government is accessible to U.S.
authorities under the Patriot Act, according to a document obtained
Friday."
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PRESS RELEASE:
Copyright Clearance Center Releases New Report on Copyright in the
Digital Workspace
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20041216005532&newsLang=en

"DANVERS, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 16, 2004--Copyright Clearance
Center, the world's premier provider of copyright licensing and
compliance solutions, today released a new report titled Copyright in
the Digital Workspace. Available for download at
www.copyright.com/digital, the report helps businesses understand the
ways employees are using copyrighted information and their practices
with respect to copyright law. It also offers specific recommendations
for reducing the risk of copyright infringement."
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Recording companies file more copyright suits
By Associated Press, the New York Times, Bloomberg News and the Chicago
Tribune, Dec. 17, 2004
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/10438396.htm?1c

"Recording companies filed copyright-infringement lawsuits in Los
Angeles against 754 computer users Thursday, the latest round of legal
action in the industry's effort to squelch unauthorized swapping of
music online."
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P2P Battle Shifts to High Court
By Susan Butler, Reuters.com,  Dec 18, 2004
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=musicNews&storyID=7131328

"NEW YORK (Billboard) - The U.S. Supreme Court is about to play a vital
role in determining the fortunes of the music industry."
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P2P Needs a Fix, but What?
By Michael Grebb, Wired.com, Dec. 17, 2004
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,66063,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_4

"WASHINGTON -- As the Federal Trade Commission's two-day workshop
exploring peer-to-peer technology ended Thursday, both sides in the
debate expressed a willingness to work together but found little common
ground."
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New CD copy-lock technology nears market
By John Borland,  CNET News.com December 16, 2004
http://news.com.com/2100-1027_3-5492395.html

"A new kind of copy-protected music CD will likely hit U.S. shelves
early next year, as record label Sony BMG Music Entertainment
experiments with a technology created by British developer First 4
Internet, according to sources familiar with the companies."
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'Wait and See' Persists on Copyright Issues
By Chris Nolan, eweek.com, December 15, 2004
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1742176,00.asp

"Opinion: If the Supreme Court says Congress has full responsibility in
crafting copyright law, tech should prepare for full-on political
warfare as Hollywood fights for the protections it thinks it needs."
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P2P Battle Reaches FTC
By Michael Grebb, Dec. 16, 2004
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,66051,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_1

"WASHINGTON -- The Federal Trade Commission officially entered the brawl
over peer-to-peer software Wednesday as it hosted the first day of a
two-day P2P workshop in which both sides accused each other of trying to
deceive government regulators."
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Omnibus Bill Funds Copyright Enforcement, 'Czar' Position
By Library Journal.com, 12/14/2004
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA487345?display=NewsNews&industry=News&industryid=1986&verticalid=151

"Congress's massive $388 billion omnibus spending bill contains a small
item that may have a disproportionately large impact--$2 million to fund
what some press reports are calling a "copyright czar." The position
would be appointed by the president and would "coordinate law
enforcement efforts aimed at stopping international copyright
infringement and to oversee a federal umbrella agency responsible for
administering intellectual property law." The Omnibus bill also funds
for the first time a Justice Department operation known as NIPLAC
(National Intellectual Property Law Enforcement Coordination Council),
which was chartered to protect American intellectual property and
oversee implementation of intellectual property law enforcement
throughout the government."