INTERNET
Dot-Org Decision Looms Large For Noncommercial Speakers=20
U.K. Libraries Jump Into the Net
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Pirate This, Go To Jail
Movie Studios Press Congress in Digital Copyright Dispute
New Bill Would Save Small Webcasters
INTERNET
DOT-ORG DECISION LOOMS LARGE FOR NONCOMMERCIAL SPEAKERS
This October, "dot-org" is slated to get a new landlord when VeriSign
relinquishes its hold on the domain. Dot-org is indispensable to =
consumer
advocates, public interest groups and political dissidents, who see the
dot-org domain as the "only place on the Internet devoted to =
noncommercial
speech." Initially, officials at the Internet Corporation for Assigned =
Names
and Numbers (ICANN) planned to open bidding only to nonprofit groups, =
but
they later decided to open the contract to all comers in an effort to =
gather
as many qualified bids as possible. ICANN president Stuart Lynn said =
the
first priority is to find a stable operator to replace VeriSign. ICANN =
plans
to award the contract in September 2002.
[SOURCE: The Washington Post, AUTHOR: David McGuire]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12982-2002Jul28.html)
U.K. LIBRARIES JUMP INTO THE NET
By the end of this year, the U.K. hopes to have all the country's more =
than
4,000 libraries linked to the Internet. The project, dubbed People's
Network, is expected to cost over 100 million pounds and will result in
30,000 installed terminals "stuffed with digital delights." Libraries =
have
proven to be the natural place to get people online. More than 60 =
percent of
the population holds a library card and book borrowing is five times =
more
popular than going to a professional soccer match. To help patrons get
familiarized with the technology, many libraries are offering starter
courses, like Internet for the Terrified, and online clubs. Thus far, =
the
project has been controversy-free, unlike similar library projects in =
the
U.S. which have been "dogged by the three F's: filtering, free speech =
and
filth." The United Kingdom does not have a guarantee of free speech and =
is
thus letting local discretion decide the issue.
[SOURCE: Wired News, AUTHOR: Daith=ED =D3 hAnluain]
(http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,54151,00.html)
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
PIRATE THIS, GO TO JAIL
This past February, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-DE) released a =
report
written by his aides and titled "Theft of American Intellectual =
Property:
Fighting Crime Abroad and At Home." A few weeks later, the Senator
introduced a bill targeting large-scale pirates who manufacture fake =
Windows
holograms. This month, in a little-noticed move, the legislation was
rewritten to encompass technology used in digital rights management. =
The
original bill covered only "physical features" such as holograms or =
special
boxes used to certify software. Biden's new bill covers "any feature" =
used
to guarantee authenticity and would make it a federal felony to trick
devices into playing music or running computer programs. Breaking the =
law
could result in up to five years in prison and cost civil penalties of =
up to
$25,000. Biden's additions to copyright law come as Congress is under
increasing pressure from Hollywood and the music industry to curtail =
digital
piracy.=20
[SOURCE: CNET, AUTHOR: Declan McCullagh]
(http://news.com.com/2010-1071-946732.html?tag=3Dfd_lede)
SEE ALSO:
THE DARK SIDE OF HACKING BILL
[SOURCE: Wired News, AUTHOR: Michelle Delio]
(http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,54153,00.html)
MOVIE STUDIOS PRESS CONGRESS IN DIGITAL COPYRIGHT DISPUTE
The entertainment industry's campaign to raise Congressional support =
for
copyright enforcement is finally yielding results. In a flurry of =
activity,
several digital copyright protection bills are making the rounds. "The
debate about copy protection has clearly been joined in Washington," =
said
Alan Davidson, associate director of the Center for Digital Democracy =
(CDD).
CDD and other consumer advocacy groups worry that Congress and the FCC =
have
not fully examined the long-term and unintended consequences of the =
various
bills. The sudden attention to digital copyright protection has been =
fueled
largely by a conviction among lawmakers that broadband Internet and =
digital
television would be more widely adopted if consumers knew they could =
get
movies digitally. Others contend that the slow growth in broadband =
adoption
rates has little to do with unavailability of mainstream entertainment =
and
more to do with overstated expectations. Gigi Sohn, president of Public
Knowledge, suggested that the lack of copy protection was just a minor
reason why Hollywood has not as yet offered digital material. "It's
expensive," she said, "and they haven't figured out a business model." =
Sohn
suggests that legislators should insist on agreements from studios that =
they
would actually deliver product in return for additional laws. She noted =
that
the studios had already promised to do so in 1998 after the Digital
Millennium Copyright Act was passed, but so far there has been little =
to
show for that agreement.
[SOURCE: The New York Times, AUTHOR: Amy Harmon]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/29/technology/29DIGI.html)
(Registration required)
NEW BILL WOULD SAVE SMALL WEBCASTERS
A trio of federal lawmakers introduced a bill Friday that would =
eliminate
steep royalty payments for small Internet radio stations. Dubbed "The
Internet Radio Fairness Act," the bill would exempt from royalties any
business that makes less than $6 million in annual revenue. "Small Web =
radio
stations are bearing an unfair burden under the (copyright panel's)
decision, and the public stands to lose access to these useful services
unless the law is changed," said Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA), one of the =
bill's
co-sponsors. The legislation "provides reprieve from bankruptcy for
thousands of small Internet radio companies...and corrects significant
problems with the royalty arbitration process that imposed a =
devastatingly
high cost on the nascent Internet radio industry," said Jonathan =
Potter,
executive director of the Digital Media Association, a group =
representing
Webcasters.
[SOURCE: CNET, AUTHOR: John Borland]
(http://news.com.com/2100-1023-946642.html?tag=3Dcd_mh)
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