PRIVACY POLICIES

Sep 5, 2002 | law

Nobody reads privacy policies. If you’re like me, you assume that a web site’s reference to a “privacy policy” must mean something good. Here’s an ominous reminder that we must never assume that big companies have our best interests at heart. TicketMaster changed its...

ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY DEMANDS CENSORSHIP RIGHTS ON WEB SURFING

Aug 18, 2002 | broadband, DRM, file_sharing, law

The recording industry heavyweights – the usual gang, including Vivendi, Sony, Bertelsmann and Warner Bros – have now filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against a number of the major Internet service and network providers, including Sprint, AT&T,...

LEGISLATORS ASK ASHCROFT TO JAIL FILE SWAPPERS

Aug 14, 2002 | DRM, file_sharing, law

Another strong indication that executives and legislators are actually becoming insane whenever copyright issues are discussed. Nineteen of the most senior members of Congress sent a letter urging Attorney General John Ashcroft “to prosecute individuals who...

CITIZENS’ OPEN DECLARATION AGAINST CORPORATE INJUSTICE

Jul 29, 2002 | DRM, law

Harley Aulance, a reader of the Register, drafted a bill declaring war on the media giants threatening our freedoms. If they’re going to declare war on us, it only seems fair to return the favor, right? It appears in The Register, and I put a local copy of it on...

COPYRIGHT MARTIAL LAW

Jul 29, 2002 | audio, DRM, file_sharing, law

The entertainment industry has so far proven to be completely paralyzed by new consumer technology, unable or unwilling to come up with ways to do business that take changing consumer desires and expectations into account. Instead, it’s been enriching legions of...

THE ALLEGED JPEG PATENT

Jul 25, 2002 | law, photos

Here’s more information about Forgent’s claim that it has a patent on the .JPEG file format (see below). It’s not the first time that a company has waited until some technology has become ubiquitous and then popped up with a demand for royalties. The .GIF format went...