Ruling against MP3.com could cost $118 million Music & MP39/6/2000; 4:13:04 PM 'A federal judge today found that MP3.com willfully infringed the copyrights of Seagram's Universal Music Group, opening the company to enormous potential damages in one of the first trials to address the legal boundaries of Internet music distribution.'I'll just say this: That MP3.com can be found in copyright violation is OK. But I don't buy for one second that it was a willful violation when there was nobody on the planet who knew either way.

To link or not to link? Free Speech9/6/2000; 4:02:53 PM A good summary article from Upside on the recent trends and ruling relating to linking. I think I've covered them all, but this is an excellent review (and if you encountered this story by browsing through my archives, this is an excellent article to start with).One thing jumped out at me though, relating the Ticketmaster vs. Tickets.com to Bidder's Edge vs.

Maryland's UCITA May Have National Reach UCITA9/6/2000; 4:01:36 PM 'In less than a month, the controversial software licensing measure UCITA will become law for the first time, in Maryland. And it's an event with potential national implications for all end-user companies.'...vendors can still cite Maryland law as their "choice of law" in a licensing contract, no matter where the vendor and licensee are located, said Jean Braucher, a University of Arizona law professor in Tucson and critic of the measure.

'Carnivore' unlikely to be validated Surveillance and Privacy from Government9/6/2000; 9:22:12 AM A surprising good article from USA Today, which tends towards fluff pieces on these issues.'Five groups of researchers have bowed out of the competition to evaluate the so-called Carnivore Internet surveillance system. And that likely will dash Justice Department hopes that a major university would validate its controversial eavesdropping device, participants said Tuesday....'"This is not a request for an independent report,"

FCC To Rule On Copy Protection Technology Dispute DMCA9/6/2000; 9:01:26 AM 'Led by the Motion Picture Association of America, copyright holders want the FCC to require that circuitry be built into nearly every digital TV device - receivers, VCRs and set-top boxes - that will prevent recording programs carrying copy protection information set by the program's owner. Negotiations between the MPAA and electronics manufacturers broke down early this year, and on April 14 the FCC, which had hoped the two parties could reach an agreement, said it "

Digital Delusion Digital Divide9/5/2000; 1:37:45 PM 'The digital divide is a delusion because its proponents confuse access with opportunity. The notion that digital access both perpetrates and perpetuates economic and racial disparities would be laughable were it not for the fact that so many solemn-faced pundits and pols insist that it is so. Still, even the best of intentions should not be allowed to substitute for the rigors of genuine thought and integrity.

Behind The Curtain Privacy from Companies 9/5/2000; 1:31:30 PM 'We live in an age when Kmart can tell how many Huggies were sold in its stores across the country 10 minutes ago, but public officials, and hence the public, can't really say why airplanes don't fly. That's not because the data doesn't exist somewhere within the government - it does, spread across a gaggle of different computer systems, no doubt accessible through superhuman diligence - it's just not easily accessible to us.

British Telecom considers legal action over hyperlink patent Patents9/5/2000; 1:08:24 PM 'British Telecommunications (BT) is prepared to take legal action against ISPs in the US unless they cough up cash for using hyperlinks. 'The patent was granted in 1989 and is only still valid in the US. Patent 4,873,662 expires in 2006.'What amazing chutzpah!For previous coverage of this topic, which I will bravely hyperlink despite the apparent patent issues of that act, I refer you to the iRights coverage: Original coverage, including a[n illegal?

Amazon's new privacy regs may backfire Privacy from Companies9/5/2000; 12:42:13 PM 'The noble mission to 'empower' on-line consumers reached new heights recently as retail powerhouse Amazon.com released an updated corporate manifesto affecting its American customers and guests, and so blessed us all with firm knowledge that we have no reason to expect any such thing as privacy while doing business on their Web site. 'The on-line advertising and retail industries have long resented slack talk involving such dangerous ideas as the need for federal privacy legislation, vehemently insisting that they can regulate themselves according to market pressures, so it was about time someone cleared up a few lingering popular misconceptions.

Condoms an Unauthorized Circumvention Device, Says God Humor/Amusing 9/4/2000; 12:23:56 PM 'If I can't protect what I rule, then I don't rule anything.' From SegFault.org.