Kiwi “3-Strikes” Critics Compare Internet to Phone, Electricity
Members of Internet NZ and the Creative Freedom Foundation tell New Zealand Commerce Select Committee that it Internet disconnection is “comparable to cutting off someone’s electricity, phone or postal system," and that any financial damages the Bill imposes ought to be limited to amount of the retail purchase of the illegal downloads.
New Zealand's Commerce Select Committee is still taking public ... Continue Reading
Fri July 30 2010
uTorrent Web Now Supports iPad and Android
Makes controlling BitTorrent downloads on the go even easier and more convenient.
After having introduced uTorrent Web for the iPhone last month users have been asking for support on similar devices as well. Yesterday BitTorrent Inc. answered their demands by adding support for the iPad and Android OS.
"Since launching µTorrent Web for iPhone, users have been clamoring for ... 3 comments | Read More
Thu July 29 2010
RIAA Defends Spending $17M to Collect $391,000
Say that tax returns draw a conclusion of its sue-em-all strategy that is "inaccurate and highly misleading," and that its primary intent - fostering a respect for the rights of artists and convincing people to acquire music legally - has been largely successful.
A few weeks ago it was revealed that the RIAA has been spending tens of millions of ... 6 comments | Read More
HADOPI Says It’s Ready to Enforce Three Strikes Law
It was September 24, 2009. France had adopted their three strikes law. While rights holders were happy that a European country has adopted a three strikes law, only today has HADOPI said it's ready to enforce the three strikes law.
Just two days ago, we reported that HADOPI was launching a public consultation to figure ... 3 comments | Read More
Canadian Government Doesn’t See Validity in USTR Special 301 Report
The USTR's Special 301 report has been well known for being essentially a wish-list put together by the US copyright industry. Over the last few years, doubts have been raised over the validity of the report by many observers. It now appears that the Canadian government also shares those doubts.
The Special 301 report is most famous for its ... 0 comments | Read More
Swedish Pirate Party Offers to Host WikiLeaks
After already offering safe haven for BitTorrent tracker site The Pirate Bay on Swedish Parliament servers, now extends the same offer to whistleblower site WikiLeaks, pledging server space and bandwidth if it too is attacked.
Swedish Pirate Party deputy leader Anna Troberg is putting her party at the forefront of the debate over free speech online with news that it's offering ... 2 comments | Read More
Wed July 28 2010
ASCAP Continues Its War on Free Culture
Last month, ASCAP issued a letter hoping to collect donations to fight the copyleft movement. After severe backlash both externally and internally for saying that organizations like Creative Commons, EFF, and Public Knowledge is anti-copyright, you'd think that ASCAP would simply drop the matter. Amazingly, you'd be wrong for thinking that.
Let's recap. Last month, ASCAP ... 3 comments | Read More
Songwriters Guild and Its Myths of “Stolen” Music
Rick Carnes, president of the Songwriters Guild of America, claims P2P has "stolen file-sharers minds," and that they'll do anything to justify their illegal behavior.
Every once in a while I get an angry letter from this songwriter or that songwriter angry about my apparent endorsement of, or even alleged involvement in, illegal file-sharing, and thus my complicity in their ... 13 comments | Read More
Swedish Court Bans Remaining Pirate Bay Co-Founder from Running Site
Adds Peter Sunde to the list of fellow co-founders Fredrik Neij and Gottfrid Svartholm Warg banned from running the Swedish BitTorrent tracker site with the threat of a 500,000 Swedish kronor ($68,160 USD) fine.
The entertainment industry's long battle against Swedish BitTorrent tracker site The Pirate Bay continues with word that a Stockholm district has added co-founder Peter Sunde to ... 2 comments | Read More
Tue July 27 2010
Records Fall As UK Movie Industry Profits Soar
It's not a well kept secret, but it is facts like this that copyright holders would rather keep quiet when discussing online piracy. This isn't the first time movies rake in record breaking profits while the industry argues that the industry is facing total collapse due to unauthorized downloading, but one more reminder wouldn't hurt.
It's that tired old argument ... 4 comments | Read More
HADOPI Launches Public Consultation to Classify Secure Internet Access
It's been a roller-coaster of a ride for the Three Strikes law in France. Nearly a year after the adoption of the three strikes law, things still have stalled with no letters being sent and no one being disconnected as a result of the law to this day.
It would be very surprising if rights holders weren't frustrated ... 1 comment | Read More
Will New US DMCA Exemptions Spur Review of Canadian Copyright Reform Bill?
Recent announcement by Librarian of Congress of new exemptions to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act makes Canada's proposed Copyright Reform Bill (C-32) look more draconian than ever, and rather than bring it "in line with international standards" as intended now puts it above and beyond countries like the US.
Yesterday the Librarian of Congress announced a number of exemptions ... 2 comments | Read More
Aussie Study: 98.1% of BitTorrent Files Illegal
Researchers from the University of Ballarat survey content on BitTorrent networks also find that "of the torrents in the top three categories (Movies, Music and TV shows), there were no legal torrents in the sample."
The Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT) has released the results of an "academic research" paper it funded via the University of Ballarat and unsurprisingly the ... 3 comments | Read More
Mon July 26 2010
American Anti-Circumvention Laws Becoming More Liberal?
The US might be one party pushing for tougher copyright rules internationally through ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement), but the laws surrounding anti-circumvention appear to be getting looser these days. It may very well be a sign that the toughest anti-circumvention rules around might not be in everyone's best interest.
ACTA, about two weeks ago, made headlines over its ... 2 comments | Read More
Canadian ISP Lowers Monthly Data Caps
Rogers drops limit on broadband subscription packages like its Lite service from 25GB to 15GB with $4 per GB in overage fees.
Rogers, Canada's second largest ISP after Bell Internet, has decreased the monthly data limits of its broadband subscribers, in some case by as much as 60%
Those who sign up for Internet service after July 21st will face, in ... 9 comments | Read More
Aussie Govt Filters Plans for Web Traffic Monitoring
Govt fears releasing information on its controversial plan to store traffic history for all Internet users could "lead to premature unnecessary debate and could potentially prejudice and impede government decision making."
The Australian govt seems to be going out of its way to prove the public's worst fears about its plans to expand law enforcement powers on the Internet. Aside form ... 4 comments | Read More
Fri July 23 2010
Your Question: Bill C-32 – Has it Passed?
We've provided some extensive coverage of Bill C-32 including a detailed analysis that allows readers to decipher our interpretations for themselves. Since our detailed review, a number of you have asked us in our comments and via e-mail if the bill is passed or not. We are more than happy to answer this question.
The basic question ... 2 comments | Read More
UK ISP “Levy” Paper Co-Author Clarifies His Position (cont)
Continuation of discussion with David Touve, co-author of the recent “Moving Digital Britain Forward, Without Leaving Creative Britain Behind” paper produced for PRS for Music, where he offers his thoughts about the paper and the overall need to “jumpstart (or in some cases resuscitate) the market for licensed music ... 0 comments | Read More
RIAA Appeals Reduction of Tenenbaum P2P Judgment
Disagrees with Judge Nancy Gertner's ruling that the $675,000 fine is “unconstitutionally excessive" and formally appeals the case to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
As expected the RIAA has formally appealed Judge Nancy Gertner's recent decision to lower a jury’s award from $675,000 to $67,500 in statutory damages against accused file-sharer Joel Tenenbaum for ... 4 comments | Read More
German Court: Rapidshare Does Not Have to Filter Content
Scores another victory against copyright holders trying to hold the site liable for illegal file-sharing.
Cyberlocker RapidShare AG has won its appeal of a copyright infringement case brought against it last year by movie distributor Capelight Pictures.
The Düsseldorf Regional Court had granted Capelight Pictures a preliminary injunction against the site, but the Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf has ... 2 comments | Read More
Thu July 22 2010
UK ISP “Levy” Paper Co-Author Clarifies His Position
David Touve, co-author of the recent “Moving Digital Britain Forward, Without Leaving Creative Britain Behind" paper produced for PRS for Music, offers his thoughts about the paper and the overall need to "jumpstart (or in some cases resuscitate) the market for licensed music venues online." The Q&A is the first of a two-part series.
Last week ... 0 comments | Read More
