INTERNET
Record Industry Takes Action Against 'Open Napster'Clones (WSJ)
Art's Cold Welcome on the Web (NYT)
Filtering firm stops selling lists of sites kids visit(WSJ)
FCC
FCC Warned of Talent Shortage (WP)
INTERNET
RECORD INDUSTRY TAKES ACTION AGAINST 'OPEN NAPSTER'CLONES
Issue: Intellectually Property
With legal victory against Napster all but assured, the record industry has
begun to move against hundreds of Napster clones that also offer free music
downloading via the Internet. The Recording Industry Association of America
has sent about 60 legal notices to the Internet-service companies that
provide Web connections that run Napster-like software, but aren't
associated with Napster. Legal observers say the issues against the Open
Napster servers are clear-cut, especially now that the appeals court has
ruled that the Napster service abets copyright infringement on a massive
scale. Besides the Open Napster computers, the record industry also must
deal with Gnutella, a file-sharing system that doesn't rely on central
computers and thus is much harder to shut down in court.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (B9), AUTHOR: Lee Gomes]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB98289811070492178.htm)
(requires subscription)
ART'S COLD WELCOME ON THE WEB
Issue: Intellectual Property
(Op-Ed)In the controversy around Napster, writes Paulina Borsook, the issue
of how artists should be compensated in the digital age seemed to get lost.
She believes the larger problem is "the idea that somehow on the Net nothing
created should be paid for." Borsook suggests that perhaps one good outcome
from the Napster decision will be that the record companies finally do
figure out a way to implement a royalty structure like hose Ascap and BMI
use to compensate musicians and songwriters for performances and recordings
of their works. "But don't expect those same Netizens to consider authorship
of a work of art on the Net to be important - or to pay for online content.
[SOURCE: New York Times (A21), AUTHOR: Paulina Borsook, author of
"Cyberselfish: A Critical Romp Through the Terribly Libertarian Culture of
High Tech."]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/23/opinion/23BORS.html)
FILTERING FIRM STOPS SELLING LISTS OF SITES KIDS VISIT
Issue: Internet
N2H2, an Internet filtering company which makes the "Bess" Internet
filtering software, said Thursday it has stopped selling its "Class Clicks"
lists that report the Web sites students visit on the Internet and how much
time they spend at each one. After N2H2 announced its deal with marketing
research firm Roper Starch last September, Privacy groups called the
filtering company a "corporate predator," and were concerned over reports
the information would be sold to the Defense Department for recruiting. The
Bess filter is used by 14 million students in the United States in 40% of
the schools that use Internet filters to screen out objectionable Web sites.
A law passed during the closing moments of last year's Congress requires
libraries and schools to install Internet filters, or lose federal funds
earmarked for technology. N2H2 spokesman Allen Goldblatt has denied that
his company collected any identifiable data about kids for sale. Goldblatt
said his company and Roper Starch has "mutually decided" to drop their
relationship.
[SOURCE: USA Today (Online), AUTHOR: Associated Press]
(http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/2001-02-23-kids-privacy.htm)
FCC
FCC WARNED OF TALENT SHORTAGE
Issue: FCC
The Federal Communications Commission is facing a shortage of engineers top
agency aides told commissioners at the first meeting run by new chairman
Michael Powell. The commission estimates 30 percent to 45 percent of its
engineers are nearing retirement age and it loses other staff members each
year to companies offering higher salaries.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (E02), AUTHOR: Staff Writer]
(http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44100-2001Feb22.html)
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