China Clamps Down On Internet Country Watch: China10/3/2000; 12:48:33 PM 'It was National Day in China on Monday, the start of a weeklong holiday, and the government chose the occasion to lay down the Internet law...'The code holds websites responsible for blocking vast categories of content, from pornography and gambling to any kind of political commentary the Communist Party views as threatening....'"The government wants to increase foreign trade, not foreign ideas,"

Barnes & Noble Challenge 1-Click Preliminary Injunction Patents 10/3/2000; 12:17:52 PM 'Amazon.com Inc.'s fight to bar rival Barnes&Noble.com Inc. from using a patented single-click online purchasing method goes before a federal appeals court, which will hear arguments today in a case that could shape the future of Internet business.' Slashdot's coverage includes some insightful comments, including one person pointing out that this is not a challenge to the patent directly, but a challenge to the preliminary finding in favor's of Amazon's suit to stop B&N from using "

Boom Box Technology & Sociology10/3/2000; 10:09:26 AM 'On any time line that describes this phase of capitalism, you would have to include (in addition to Nov. 9, 1989) April 4, 1994 (birthday of Netscape), Nov. 10, 1994 (birthday of Amazon.com), May 5, 1996 (birthday of eBay) -- and Aug. 4, 1997. Aug. 4, 1997, was the beginning of the end of another socialistic force in American life: the mass market.

Napster Vs. RIAA resumes today Music & MP3 10/2/2000; 9:10:45 AM FYI, expect a load of Napster/RIAA posts to resume as one of the more interesting cases resumes in court.

Public Debate Between Valenti and Lessig Misc. 10/1/2000; 10:33:06 PM A public debate between Lawrence Lessig, law professor and internet activist, and Jack Valenti, head of the MPAA has occurred, which this Slashdot story chronicles. The debate has been archived. I haven't listened yet, and I don't know if I will find the time, but it is likely to be extremely interesting.

Contact: How Much Is Enough? Technology & Sociology10/1/2000; 10:37:09 AM This is not a news article, this is a brief essay by me.Dave recently shut down discuss.userland.com, and I think it no coincidence that today (don't be surprised if it gets pulled into a DaveNet without me noticing) we get a highly personal statement of interests, and what amounts to a ringing condemnation to the entire tech industry (because it takes corruption on both the part of the company and the press to offer bribes for good press).

Digital Signiture Law To Go Into Effect This Weekend Misc.9/30/2000; 7:39:46 PM 'The law is designed to make consumers and businesses feel more secure about sealing big-ticket deals, such as buying a house, online by making an electronic signature just as binding as one in ink. While that legal guarantee is expected to accelerate the growth of e-commerce, the law may be more of a boon for companies developing e-signature technology than for consumers or businesses, analysts said.

Libraries Threaten Publishing Industry Humor/Amusing9/28/2000; 10:07:08 PM Thanks to View from an Iowa Homestead for the pointer. 'A book locating/lending phenomenon known as the "Dewey decimal system" - enabling users to get access to copyrighted text material for free - has sent shockwaves through a panicked publishing industry.'Why would anyone pay for a book once it's accessible for free?!'

Second Sight Free Speech9/28/2000; 7:48:18 PM 'Those of us worried about censorship focused on government as the main threat to progress. We thwarted their early efforts at limiting the spread of "objectionable" content, and declared the internet beyond the province of any government agency. The problem with suppressing the role of government is that it gives business free reign. It's like using antibiotics to combat bacteria; when the bacteria are killed, fungus grows unabated.

Copyright Music Groups Agree on Web Licenses Music & MP39/28/2000; 7:40:43 PM 'The legal issues surrounding online music distribution may have taken a small step toward clarity Tuesday when a number of copyright organizations convened to hammer out a deal for Web-related content.'Five copyright societies met in Santiago, Chile, and signed a number of separate bilateral agreements in an attempt to simplify the licensing issues surrounding the public performance of music used online.