   International IP ArchiveJuly 11, 2006Digital Rights in Ireland
The youthful Digital Rights Ireland lays out its manifesto -- the Broadcast Treaty, Flag, and DRM are highlighted as Irish concerns.
Hao Wu Released
Chinese cyber-dissident is now with his family after nearly five months in prison.
July 05, 2006Recording Industry Goes International
Sues Yahoo China, seeks out AllofMP3.com in, of all places, the British courts.
June 26, 2006Podcasters' Rights and the WIPO Broadcast Treaty Petition
Podcasters from around the world are joining up to stop the treaty.
June 19, 2006Fighting the Australian DMCAIs the Broadcast Treaty Unconstitutional?
James Boyle, writing in the Financial Times, notes that the constitution only grants IP rights to "authors and inventors."
June 07, 2006Inside the Battle for EU Software Patents
Florian Mueller self-publishes his take on lobbying in Europe.
May 29, 2006Intellectual Property in the Southern Hemisphere
A dossier of case-studies and analysis looks at maximalist IP and its effects outside the West.
May 03, 2006South African Government to Tap Emails, Other Internet Traffic
Country fails to learn from, condemned to repeat, history at more rapid rate than others.
April 14, 2006Mark Mulligan: Who's Got The BPI's Missing 0.81 Billion?
Jupiter Research skewers the British Phonographic Industry's piracy figures.
March 27, 2006Russian Software Developer Beats Pirate in Boxing RingMarch 17, 2006Yale Holding Access to Knowledge ConferenceMarch 03, 2006DRM Down Under
Australian report examines how to avoid America's mistakes in implementing the DMCA.
February 24, 20063G Phone Makers Called 'Bunch of Big Girls' for Caving to Hollywood
Audience member points out to mobile phone manufacturers that their markets dwarf the industry telling them how to cripple their devices.
February 08, 2006CAFTA (and Anti-Circumvention for Central America) in Trouble
Close Costa Rica elections are putting a wobble into the Central American Free Trade Agreement - one of many FTAs that export the anti-circumvention provisions of the DMCA abroad.
Australia's IP Calendar
Kim Weatherall lists the reforms to copyright and trademark law lined up for Australia in the next few weeks. No Aussie DMCA -- although that's to come, unfortunately.
February 07, 2006The Right Kind of Policy Laundering
Michael Geist notes that governments all over the world are rebelling against copyright expansionists.
February 01, 2006Judge, Jury, and Self-Publicist
WIPO boasts about how many cybersquatting cases it decides in favor of big business.
January 03, 2006Canadian Copygraft Scandal Grows
Michael Geist continues the investigation into money paid to MP Sam Bulte, Canada's strong copyright advocate in parliament.
December 08, 2005French March Toward Worse EUCD Laws Ever
Still difficult to make out the details of the French equivalent of the DMCA, but there do appear to be some really terrible ideas fighting to be included.
November 03, 2005Emulating Brazil
Escapist Magazine looks at the importance of videogame emulators in Brazilian culture.
October 26, 2005Doctorow on Europe's Coming Broadcast FlagOctober 24, 2005Patent Office Three-Way, November 17, Munich
State what you think of software and business practice patents to the heads of Japanese, US and EU patent offices.
October 12, 2005Europe's Creative Economy: a Meeting of Closed Minds
Copyfighters comment on a disappointing EU conference on intellectual property.
Euro Consumers Against Overexpansive Copyright
"Consumers are treated like organized criminal gangs," says the UK's National Consumer Council.
September 20, 2005Levy Breaches in Sweden
MP3 player manufacturer Jens refuses to pay the copyright levy on players, says it's "outdated."
September 06, 2005CRIAminology
Michael Geist deconstructs the Canadian recording industry's spin on the Australian KaZaA ruling.
August 25, 2005Web Fame, Chinese Style
How the Chinese authorities are failing to censor an online celebrity.
Should We Have a DMCA? Australia Decides.
The consultation on anti-circumvention Down Under begins. Get your comments in now!
August 17, 2005Global IP Control and Its Discontents
Nobel prize-winning economist Joe Stiglitz on how the US is exporting bad IP law to the developing world.
August 15, 2005Patent "Harmonization" Off the Table at WIPO
Brazil, Argentina, and India want to widen the debate.
August 02, 2005Smuggling the DMCA into CAFTA
Declan McCullagh with a pithy piece showing how free trade agreements can be used to spread bad law around the world.
July 06, 2005Summary of the EU Software Patents Victory
Amazing hack of the legislative process, against all the odds.
July 05, 2005Dear German ISPs, Please Break the Internet, Thx, Copyright Holders
German ISPs are being asked to poison their DNS caches to redirect Germans from allegedly infringing websites.
June 21, 2005Everyone Gets a New Right But You
Michael Geist picks through the new restrictions in Canada's proposed "DMCA."
Software Patents, J'Accuse!
Richard Stallman uses Victor Hugo to explain software patents to Guardian readers. Good call.
June 06, 2005UK to "Harmonize" with US Copyright Extensions?
The UK is considering upping its copyright length to 95 years, according to The Scotsman.
May 31, 2005Patent Hit Squad in Europe
EFF's Jason Schultz talks Thursday to those involved in the Euro software patents battle about EFF's Patent Busting Project.
May 21, 2005Tougher Copyright Law Should Mean Lighter DRM, Says Sweden
Sweden is introducing a law that would make downloading copyrighted material without permission illegal. But the justice minister, Thomas Bodstrom, has asked for quid pro quo: downloading for private use should be legal, and DRM on CDs that breaks fair use should be unacceptable. Swedish music reps say: "We totally agree." Who says we can't work it out?
May 18, 2005Required Reading for Copyright Reformers in Australia
Kim Weatherall continues her terrific coverage of the deliberations over fair use in Australia with this collection of links to government and law reform reports relevant to the proposed copyright exceptions.
May 10, 2005Observe WIPO Close-Up
The deadline for public interest organizations to apply for "permanent observer" status with WIPO is this Sunday, May 15th. Earlier this year, WIPO tried to bar groups that hadn't obtained permanent observer status from discussions about the organization's future. Don't let administrative shenanigans tip the scales toward the IP maximalists - apply with plenty of time to spare. (Via CPTech.)
Thoughts on Australian Fair Use
Kim Weatherall has a great summary of the issues to consider if you're submitting comments to the Australian government on whether and how to codify fair use.
May 09, 2005Influence Australia's Fair Use Rules
The Australian federal government recently published an an issues paper (300KB PDF) on fair use and is taking public comments -- one of the few chances Australians have to moderate the DMCA-like anti-circumvention rules the US is exporting worldwide. Dan Bell has the scoop.
May 04, 2005Disturbing Images of a Swedish Copyright Infringement Arrest
Photos of a public bust show an unfortunate escalation of hostilities between Swedish police and people protesting the crackdown on filesharing. According to the original report, one man was detained despite claiming to "share" only his own band demos.
May 02, 2005Film Industry Lobbies to Make EU ISPs Copy Cops
On the so-called Europe Day at the coming Cannes Film Festival, the European Commission plans a talk on how to establish an online film market in Europe -- and according to some onlookers, may use the opportunity to push the film industry agenda of making ISPs bear the burden of copyright enforcement.
April 28, 2005Breaking the Stupidity Pact
Prof. James Boyle with a splendidly clear column on the evidence-free zone in which we create intellectual property policy.
Bridging the Other Digital Divide
Michael Geist on the recent WIPO meetings and the differing ways IP policy affects developed and developing nations.
March 24, 2005Canada Gears Up for Copyright Reform
Although the proposed legislation has been framed as "Canada's DMCA," Michael Geist suggests that it may be more balanced than expected: "The devil will be in the details but this represents a major shift away from the embarrassingly one-sided Canadian Heritage Standing Committee recommendations issued last May."
March 17, 2005The Crown Jewels of Copyright
Professor Michael Geist on why governments shouldn't hold copyrights.
French Court Rules in Favor of Downloader
The decision seems to say that downloading movies, copying them to discs, and sharing them with your friends is legally defensible. Imagine that!
March 09, 2005Security Companies Blast Canadian "DMCA"
Canada is currently considering DMCA-like changes to its copyright law, including punishments for people who circumvent technical protection measures. Security professionals are the latest group to say that's a bad idea: "Anti-circumvention rights have anti-competitive applications. These have been well documented and should be familiar to you. We won't dwell on them here."
March 02, 2005European Commission Ignores Opposition to Software Patents
In a jaw-droppingly arrogant move, the European Commission has decided to push a controversial software patent plan forward over the protests of the public and the EU Parliament.
February 23, 2005AllofMP3 Belongs to Us
The Russian music site AllofMP3.com has claimed for months that it's following the law, but local police aren't so sure.
February 17, 2005France Knocks Apple, Sony Over DRM
The legal action claims that the companies' sale & marketing of use-restricted media is deceitful and anticompetitive.
Fair Use for Australia?
The country is contemplating codifying fair use so it would be legal to do things like rip your CDs to an MP3 player for personal use. How refreshingly rational.
Michael Geist on Canadian Copyright
This is a fantastic lecture on the history of Canadian copyright law and current attempts to expand it. An absolute must-see for anyone interested in the global copyright debate.
February 08, 2005Quidditch Cup 2005: Hogwarts v. US Army?
"Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling is gunning for the US Army after discovering familiar-sounding characters in a monthly equipment maintenance publication.
January 26, 2005Keep Thanking Poland
The EU Patent Directive was stalled again this week when Poland raised more concerns about the controversial, ill-conceived proposal.
China Bans 50 Video Games for "Corrupting the Youth"
FIFA Soccer was on the list, as was a Microsoft game that allows players to act out Greek mythology. No word yet on whether "Grand Theft: Xizang" made the cut.
January 11, 2005More On Why to Thank Poland
The controversial EU software patent directive was supposed to be rubber stamped, but Poland's opposition and a letter from 61 MEPs has thrown its future into (welcome) doubt.
January 05, 2005Don't Forget Poland!
Poland recently took a courageous stand on intellectual property, and as a result the EU will *not* be saddled with software patents. It's hard to overstate the importance of this action, and we'd like to thank Poland very much.
December 15, 2004BitTorrent Infringers Cross Finnish Line
Finnish police arrested 34 locals associated with a popular BitTorrent download site.
December 13, 2004Bad Santa
If the patent lobby succeeds in circumventing the EU parliament, the EU could get software patents by Christmas. Slashdot coverage here.
December 10, 2004Aussie Universities Get Blanket License for Copyright
A large Australian rights-holder representative has agreed to grant local universities a blanket license for the noncommercial redistribution of its work. The deal promises to free universities from some liability while allowing students and faculty to continue using whatever technology suits their needs. Plus, the copyright holders will get paid for the use. Sounds great to us!
EFF Meme Gets Northern Exposure
The Globe and Mail, one of Canada's biggest papers, recently
ran an article about the Induce Act that focused on how
the bill threatens devices like the iPod.
October 26, 2004Singapore to Start Jailing, Fining Copyright Infringers
And when it does, that bastion of liberalism could finally pull even with the US in terms of copyright extremism.
Companies Join Forces to Stop EU Software Patents
This group, composed primarily of open-source businesses, may be the first coalition of companies in Europe to oppose software patents as a rule.
MPAA Head Throws Lavish Party in France
The French public, which pays a blank audio, video, and CD tax, picked up the €300,000 tab.
October 21, 2004Israel Creates Licensing System for Private Copies
The country will amend its copyright law to allow citizens to make personal use copies of CDs, so long as the reproductions use licensed media.
October 19, 2004Chinese Company Trademarks "Happy Birthday"
"With increasingly fierce competition in the world toy market, the company realized the importance of branding." Whatever.
Indian Gov't Minister Advocates Balanced IP
He noted that "the main issue remains how to balance the interest of creator in the society and that of the need of the society at large in an optimum way in this digital environment."
September 23, 2004Inducing America to Give Up Innovation
Guy Kewney, a UK journalist, hopes that if the misguided Induce Act becomes law, the bone-deep chill will remain within US borders - leaving companies in the rest of the world free to out-innovate us.
September 08, 2004Canada Considers Broadcast FlagAugust 12, 2004Developing Nations Choose Linux Over Windows
The price is right, and many are concerned about relying on Microsoft products.
Improving Canadian Copyright Law
Michael Geist examines the recording industry's proposed changes to Canadian copyright law, and offers a few of his own.
August 04, 2004Beleaguered iPod Threatened Down Under?
The Register thinks that the U.S.-Australia free trade agreement could threaten the world's most beloved MP3 player. We're not so sure about that, but there are already more than enough reasons to dislike this treaty.
July 27, 2004Open Source to Germany: Danke!
A German court recently reaffirmed the validity of the Gnu Public License.
July 19, 2004France Eases Ability to Take Down Infringers
The new rules require a judge to review the takedown request, which is a higher standard than record labels must meet in the U.S.
July 13, 2004Canadian P2P Redux
The RIAA's Canadian analog - CRIA - appealed a recent ruling that essentially legalized P2P in America's Hat [Ed. Note: We kid because we love].
July 07, 2004Aussie Faces Extradition for Copyright Infringement
This is the first that we've heard about extradition for copyright offenses, but it probably won't be the last.
EU Software Patents Under Seige
Several countries are now stepping forward with concerns about the proposed law, and we couldn't be happier.
July 05, 2004Holland Rejects Software Patents
The Dutch Parliament recently voted to pull its support for the EU Directive on Software Patents.
June 28, 2004The Social Effects of Strong IP Enforcement
Our friends at the Consumer Project on Technology (CPTech) recently filed comments with WIPO on how IP rights enforcement can be harmful to society.
June 21, 2004Technology Policy As Election Issue
Michael Geist's most recent column rates the political parties in Canada on copyright, spam, and other tech issues, as preparation for next week's election.
June 15, 2004Roasting the WIPO Broadcast Treaty
The Guardian looks at WIPO's proposed broadcasting treaty, arguing that it reads like a "wish-list of everything a failing industry could want to protect it from the future." Spot-on.
June 14, 2004Considering Canadian Copyright Reform
Michael Geist with a thoughtful piece on the direction of Canadian copyright reform.
June 07, 2004Amateur Videos Targeted by Chinese Government
The Chinese government is cracking down on amateur videos exploring the country's social problems by banning their broadcast or distribution on the Internet.
Brazil Opens Up to Open Source
Governments around the world are warming up to open source software, and now Brazil's private industries are adopting tools like Linux at astonishing rates.
June 03, 2004China Bans Video Game for "Distorting" History
The Swedish-made "Hearts of Iron" depicts several parts of China as independent nations and treats Taiwan as part of Japan.
May 22, 2004Italy Jacks Up Criminal Penalties for P2P
The new law could slap a 3-year jail term on individuals who either upload or download copyrighted material.
Copyright Travel Advisory: Japan
We were shocked when the author of a Japanese file-sharing application was jailed two weeks ago, but this takes the cake. The operator of a popular gaming site has been jailed for posting unauthorized screenshots.
May 18, 2004Anti-Patent Vibe in the EU
Groklaw with several news snippets demonstrating the anti-software patent vibe in Europe.
May 12, 2004Verizon Warns Australia of DMCA Down Under
Sarah Deutsch told policymakers about the thousands of notice-and-takedown letters that Australian ISPs can expect if DMCA-like laws are adopted there.
Apple Squelches PlayFair (Again)
PlayFair allows iTunes-customers to strip the DRM from lawfully purchased songs, but leaves the unique IDs intact. The results are unfit for P2P trading, unless you like the taste of subpoenas. Sounds good to us.
The BBC on EFF
The Beeb is running a story on EFF's IP work and our man-about-London, Cory Doctorow.
May 10, 2004Japanese Professor Arrested for Writing P2P Application
Isamu Kaneko, an assistant professor at the University of Tokyo, has been arrested under suspicion of "conspiracy to commit copyright violation" for authoring a file-sharing program called "Winny."
May 04, 2004The Public Domain Needs You
A new WIPO treaty would give broadcasters broad new rights - including the ability to restrict the broadcast of material in the public domain. Help protect the public domain by asking your country's WIPO representatives to take this survey and then report their answers to the Union for the Public Domain.
Dutch Authority Claims Piracy Data Sharing Illegal
BREIN - the Dutch entertainment industry's anti-piracy association - was recently reprimanded for sharing names, addresses, bank account numbers and IP addresses with the RIAA.
April 30, 2004Free Trade Agreement Divides Aussies
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