Topic: COPYRIGHT - on July 8, 2007 at 2:06:00 PM CEST
RIAA Forces YouTube to Remove Free Guitar Lessons
"Is it so wrong to learn how to play the guitar? According to NPR, a record company ordered YouTube to remove videos of a man who offered to show people how to play the guitar for free. One of the songs that he taught was copyrighted, and as a result over 100 of his videos were removed from the internet. 'Since he put his Web site up last year, he has developed a long waiting list for the lessons he teaches in person. And both he and Taub say that's still the best way to learn. If someone tells Sandercoe to take down his song lessons, he says he will. But his most valuable videos are the ones that teach guitar basics -- things like strumming, scales and finger-picking. And even in the digital age, no one holds a copyright on those things.' How could this constitute as infringement if most musicians usually experiment to find something that sounds familiar?
... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
Topic: COPYRIGHT - on July 7, 2007 at 1:59:00 PM CEST
MPAA, RIAA Still Up To Dirty Investigative Tricks
The entertainment industry's tried all sorts of things to fight file-sharing online, ranging from flooding P2P networks with fake files (though that didn't really work out) to apparently seedung them with spyware. One of its favorite tricks, though, is to set up honeypots of fake content or torrents, then capturing IP addresses from visitors and using them as the flimsy basis for their infamous lawsuits. The MPAA -- or rather MediaDefender, a company working for it -- has done this again recently, but going a little further by not just trying to trick people into downloading copyrighted movies, but also by offering visitors a custom downloading "client" that's essentially spyware that scans their machines for copyrighted files (via Broadband Reports) they've downloaded. Of course, "dirty tricks" is a phrase that seems to find itself near the letters "RIAA" and "MPAA" fairly often.
... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
Topic: COPYRIGHT - on June 30, 2007 at 12:19:00 AM CEST
Piracy police raid Honeywell site
The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is investigating allegations of an extensive illegal music filesharing ring at a Honeywell plant in Scotland.
Investigators from the BPI raided the plant in Motherwell with police officers at 0840 BST yesterday morning.
The investigators made copies of the contents of computers for detailed forensic analysis.
Honeywell said that it was cooperating fully with both the police and the BPI over the investigation.
... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
Topic: COPYRIGHT - on June 27, 2007 at 9:41:00 AM CEST
TorrentSpy filters pirated videos
As TorrentSpy continues to fight a lawsuit by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), founders of the popular video download site have announced a new filtering system that allows content owners to remove pirated material from the site’s search results.
The new filtering system, known as FileRights, automatically removes offending search links using a database of copyrighted works, CNET reports. Though the database is maintained by FileRights, the onus is on the content owners to keep it updated. Video search engine isoHunt, a TorrentSpy competitor, will also use the system.
... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
Topic: COPYRIGHT - on June 23, 2007 at 10:58:00 AM CEST
DrinkorDie warez leader jailed for 51 months
It took a while, but US Customs today got their man: Hew Raymond Griffiths, a ringleader of the infamous warez group DrinkorDie, was sentenced today to 51 months in a US prison.
To recap, Griffiths, a 44 year-old British national, specialised in cracking software and distributing working versions over the internet - for free. In 1999, he stupidly boasted to an online publication that he controlled the world's 20 biggest warez servers and that he would never be caught.
... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
Topic: COPYRIGHT - on June 17, 2007 at 1:03:00 PM CEST
Vista DVD Hologram Mystery Revealed!
A blogger in Spain discovered a microscopic, holographic picture of three guys burned into his copy of Windows Vista and wondered, WTF? (But in Spanish.) He also took some great pictures of the mystery image.
... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
Topic: COPYRIGHT - on May 22, 2007 at 1:49:00 PM CEST
Military Grade DRM?
A company that has built a type of DRM technology for software used by the Defense Department is now trying to take that same technology and hit the commercial market as well. It's relatively expensive, so don't expect to see it on your next music CD or copy of Microsoft Word just yet.
... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
Topic: COPYRIGHT - on May 21, 2007 at 12:39:00 PM CEST
A Fair(y) Use Tale
Disney Parody explanation of Copyright Law and Fair Use
Synopsis: Professor Eric Faden of Bucknell University provides this humorous, yet informative, review of copyright principles delivered through the words of the very folks we can thank for nearly endless copyright terms.
... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
Topic: COPYRIGHT - on May 15, 2007 at 11:51:00 AM CEST
No change in global piracy rates
More than one-third of business software used by companies around the world is pirated.
According to figures released by the Business Software Alliance 35% of the programs used by firms is illegal- a figure unchanged since 2003.
... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
Topic: COPYRIGHT - on May 9, 2007 at 11:08:00 AM CEST
Film piracy mushrooming in Canada
About 1 in 5 bootlegs worldwide originates from that nation. Studios begin to cancel preview screenings.
Hollywood is singing a new tune in its fight against movie theft: "Oh no, Canada."
Piracy north of the border has exploded in the two years since Congress made it a crime to use video recording devices to copy movies in U.S. theaters, according to industry officials. But with piracy laws more relaxed in Canada, bootleggers can operate there almost risk free.
... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
Topic: COPYRIGHT - on May 9, 2007 at 11:04:00 AM CEST
Shipped off to a foreign jail for warez ( DoD )
The USA playing global sheriff isn't new, but the reach of US laws is extending. Hew Griffiths isn't a terrorist or a violent criminal, he didn't even make any money from his crime. He pirated some software, from his home in Australia. So why is he in jail in Virginia? Some think we might as well join 'em.
... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
Topic: COPYRIGHT - on May 9, 2007 at 10:52:00 AM CEST
Russian teacher fined for MS piracy
A Russian headteacher has been fined half a month's wages after being controversially found guilty of buying school PCs that ran unauthorised copies of Microsoft software.
Alexander Ponosov, who was fined $195, plans to appeal following his conviction on Monday at the end of his second trial for software piracy offences.
... Link (0 comments) ... Comment
