Thursday, January 26, 2006

Irish ISPs ordered to disclose file sharers' names. Irish ISPs ordered to disclose file sharers' names. Download all the Days A new ruling by the Irish courts could undermine people who have a genuine need for online anonymity and deter whistleblowers, lobby group Digital Rights Ireland (DRI) claims. [The Register - Internet and Law: Digital Rights/Digital Wrongs] 11:56:45 AM

Senate Committee Considers Broadcast Flags to Combat Piracy. Senate Committee Considers Broadcast Flags to Combat Piracy. Bill seeks restrictions on individuals' recording of digital television and radio programs. [PCWorld.com - Latest News Stories] 11:48:21 AM

History and Senator Stevens' iPod. History and Senator Stevens' iPod. Yesterday's Senate Commerce Committee hearing on the Broadcast Flag--and its younger, brattier, brother, the RIAA's proposed "Audio Flag"--swung a little wildly from its pre-ordained course. It began with committee chairman Senator Stevens and Senator Inouye, his Democrat counterpart, declaring, as with all good anti-piracy measures, that Something Had To Be Done, and that Congress should pass the flag as soon as possible. The agenda seemed set. In the face of it, those who objected to the Broadcast Flag--technologists, librarians, and civil libertarians--were forced to spend much of their Congressional time requesting narrow exceptions that might lessen its damage. Then two things happened... [EFF: Deep Links] 11:18:56 AM

Nevada Court Rules Google Cache is Fair Use. Nevada Court Rules Google Cache is Fair Use. Important Milestone for Digital Copyright Law San Francisco - A federal district court in Nevada has ruled that Google does not violate copyright law when it copies websites, stores the copies, and transmits them to Internet users as part of its Google Cache feature. The ruling clarifies the legal status of several common search engine practices and could influence future court cases, including the lawsuits brought by book publishers against the Google Library Project. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) was not involved in the case but applauds last week's ruling for clarifying that fair use covers new digital uses of copyrighted materials. [...] Field v. Google ruling: http://www.eff.org/IP/blake_v_google/google_nevada_order.pdf Contact: Fred von Lohmann Senior Intellectual Property Attorney Electronic Frontier Foundation fred@eff.org [EFF: Breaking News] 11:07:05 AM

© Copyright 2006 Paul Hardwick. Last update: 2/1/06; 2:56:00 PM.