It's the Entire Body of Law, Stupid
Elizabeth Rader of Stanford's Center for Internet & Society offers a rebuttal to the news reports that over-simplify the decision in U.S. v. Councilman:
The news spin seems to be that the court found it completely legal for an ISP owner to read his customers' emails...
Meet the Opposition
Four quick pointers on the Inducing Infringements of Copyright Act (a.k.a. Induce Act), which by extending copyright liability to those who "induce" infringement would give copyright holders an incredibly powerful tool to hamper the development of technologies like the iPod:
USA Today: "Internet search giants Google and...
We Need an Avi for RFIDs
When we envision a worst-case scenario for hacking electronic voting machines, many of us imagine a group of political zealots with a cracker-for-hire, or a lonely teenager looking for his 15 minutes of fame. But what about the people who have relatively easy access to the machines?
Avi...
I Write Badly, Therefore I Am a Would-Be Terrorist
The Houston Chronicle has a disturbing-yet-amusing tale of airline security gone awry with a disturbing and not-so-amusing ending: security officials adding an innocent man to the Homeland Security watch list.
NYT on U.S. v. Councilman
The New York Times has an nice editorial on the decision (PDF) in U.S. v. Councilman, arguing that "Congress ought to update the law to make it clear that email is entitled to the same protection as a phone call."
Precisely.
Snippet:
When you...
FCC Commissioner-for-a-Day
Much has been written post-wardrobe incident on the way that the FCC interprets and applies its rules about indecency.
Is swearing in a foreign language okay? How about using slang "code words" for certain body parts or sex acts? Will the FCC give you a break...
If You Build It, the DTV Revolution Will Come
Exactly one year from today, the FCC's long-dreaded broadcast flag mandate will take effect. That may be just enough time to create a device that retains the freedoms that the flag will take away.
The broadcast flag mandate is part of Hollywood's plan for what it...
The Digital Television Liberation Project Starts Its Engines
The Circumvention Will Continue Until Morale Improves
It looks like music publishers may be just as fed up with the restrictions iTunes imposes on the use of legally purchased music as everyone else is.Jon Johansen -- yes, that Jon Johansen -- points to an interesting post over in the Hymn forums by a...
The Lawsuits Will Continue Until Morale Improves
Responding to a new FindLaw survey suggesting that most people think the recording industry has gone too far in its litigation campaign against music fans, RIAA spokesman Jonathan Lamy told the press that it will continue "as long as necessary." Meanwhile, attorney and law professor Sharon Sandeen,...
