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Ars Examines Outlandish "Lost To Piracy" Claims and Figures

Oct 9th, 2008 · For years the figures of $200 billion and 750,000 jobs lost to intellectual property piracy have been bandied about, usually as a cudgel to demand ever more overbearing copyright laws with the intent of diminishing of both Fair Use and the Public Domain. …
see also: laws · Ars · piracy · copyrighted · Ars Technica · intellectualism · property

Homeland Security's Space-Based Spying Goes Live

Oct 8th, 2008 · While America's attention has shifted to the economic meltdown and the presidential race between corporate favorites John McCain and Barack Obama, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) National Applications …
see also: intelligent · laws · corporate · presidential · Wall Street Journal · technologies · enforcement

Spammer Perjury is Worth Prosecuting

Oct 8th, 2008 · Slashdot regular Bennett Haselton summarizes his essay by saying "Spammers really do lie more often under oath than other parties in court (surprise). Judges and prosecutors could promote respect for the law by cracking down on it, and maybe make a dent …
see also: parties · laws · prosecute · Spam · spammer · prosecutors · Perjury

Anti-Terrorist Data Mining Doesn't Work Very Well

Oct 7th, 2008 · Presto Vivace and others sent us this CNet report on a just-released NRC report coming to the conclusion, which will surprise no one here, that data mining doesn't work very well. It's all those darn false positives. The submitter adds, "Any chance we …
see also: business · Total Information Awareness · laws · technology · CNet · mechanisms · congress

Commerce Department Pushing for New "Copyright Czar"

Oct 6th, 2008 · TechDirt is reporting that those all-too-familiar "stats" surrounding the cost of piracy are being trotted out in an attempt to push through a new "Copyright Czar" position. "In urging President Bush to sign into law the ProIP bill, which would give him …
see also: laws · piracy · copyrighted · Americans · Stats · Justice Department · bill

Senate Votes To Empower Parents As Censors

Oct 6th, 2008 · unlametheweak recommends an Ars Technica report that the US Senate has unanimously passed a bill requiring the FCC to explore what "advanced blocking technologies" are available to parents to help filter out "indecent or objectionable programming." "...the …
see also: laws · Internet · player · media · DVD · distribution · platform

Gov't Database Errors Leading to Unconstitutional Searches?

Oct 5th, 2008 · Wired is running a story about a case the Supreme Court will be hearing on Tuesday that relates to searches based on erroneous information in government databases. In the case of Herring vs. US 07-513, the defendant was followed and pulled over based …
see also: laws · errors · prosecute · enforcement · friends · PDF · local

$700 Billion Bailout Signed Into Law

Oct 5th, 2008 · Many readers reminded us of what no-one can have failed to hear: that the Congress passed and the President signed a $700B bailout bill in an attempt to avert the meltdown of the US economy. The bill allocates $700 billion to the Treasury Department for …
see also: business · laws · Tech · legislation · President · energy · meltdowns

$700 Billion Bailout Signed Into Law

Oct 4th, 2008 · Many readers reminded us of what no-one can have failed to hear: that the Congress passed and the President signed a $700B bailout bill in an attempt to avert the meltdown of the US economy. The bill allocates $700 billion to the Treasury Department for …
see also: business · laws · Tech · legislation · President · energy · meltdowns

Oregon Judge Says RIAA Made 'Honest Mistake,' Allows Subpoena

Oct 3rd, 2008 · In Arista v. Does 1-17, the RIAA's case targeting students at the University of Oregon, the Oregon Attorney General's motion to quash the RIAA's subpoena — pending for about a year — has reached a perplexing conclusion. The Court agreed with …
see also: IP · laws · students · infringements · University · Subpoenas · licensing

Seeing With Your Skin?

Oct 3rd, 2008 · Iddo Genuth writes to tell us that a researcher from Tel Aviv University is exploring the possibility that humans may be able to "see" via their skin. Professor Leonid Yaroslavsky hopes to utilize this possible technology to find solutions for the blind …
see also: solution · computer · laws · Theories · technology · research · imaging

iPhone Antitrust and Computer Fraud Claims Upheld

Oct 3rd, 2008 · On October 1, 2008, a federal judge in California upheld a class action claiming that Apple and AT&T Mobility's five-year exclusive voice and data service provider agreement for the iPhone violates the anti-monopoly provisions of the antitrust laws. …
see also: software · service · provider · antitrust · computer · laws · fraud

Researchers Re-Examine Second Law of Thermodynamics

Oct 2nd, 2008 · Many readers have written to tell us that researchers are examining the possibility of using Brownian ratchets to help combat the problem of heat dissipation in miniaturized electronics. "Currently, devices are engineered to operate near thermal equilibrium, …
see also: computer · laws · engineering · electronics · functionalities · energy · operation

Researchers Re-Examine Second Law of Thermodynamics

Oct 2nd, 2008 · Many readers have written to tell us that researchers are examining the possibility of using Brownian ratchets to help combat the problem of heat dissipation in miniaturized electronics. "Currently, devices are engineered to operate near thermal equilibrium, …
see also: computer · laws · engineering · electronics · functionalities · energy · operation

Virginia High Court Wrong About IP Addresses

Oct 1st, 2008 · The Virginia Supreme Court has ruled that the state's anti-spam law, which prohibits the sending of bulk e-mail using falsified or forged headers, violates the First Amendment because it also applies to non-commercial political or religious speech. I …
see also: IP · laws · Commercial · Internet · errors · speech · political

Virginia High Court Wrong About IP Addresses

Oct 1st, 2008 · The Virginia Supreme Court has ruled that the state's anti-spam law, which prohibits the sending of bulk e-mail using falsified or forged headers, violates the First Amendment because it also applies to non-commercial political or religious speech. I …
see also: IP · laws · Commercial · Internet · errors · speech · political

IOC Trademarks Part of Canadian National Anthem

Oct 1st, 2008 · gravis777 sends us to BoingBoing for news that the International Olympic Committee has trademarked a line from the Canadian National Anthem and is threatening to sue anyone who uses it. The line in question is "with glowing hearts." "The committee is …
see also: Olympics · protection · nation · laws · games · legislation · Canadian

IOC Trademarks Part of Canadian National Anthem

Sep 30th, 2008 · gravis777 sends us to BoingBoing for news that the International Olympic Committee has trademarked a line from the Canadian National Anthem and is threatening to sue anyone who uses it. The line in question is "with glowing hearts." "The committee is …
see also: Olympics · protection · nation · laws · games · legislation · Canadian

Positive Rights News From Europe

Sep 26th, 2008 · Various readers are sending in good news from Europe on the rights front. First, at the EU level, Mark.J brings word that the European Parliament has canned a number of controversial amendments to its updated Telecoms Package, which could have resulted …
see also: IP · P2P · intelligent · Europe · EU · Music · nation

Positive Rights News From Europe

Sep 26th, 2008 · Various readers are sending in good news from Europe on the rights front. First, at the EU level, Mark.J brings word that the European Parliament has canned a number of controversial amendments to its updated Telecoms Package, which could have resulted …
see also: IP · P2P · intelligent · Europe · EU · Music · nation







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