It's not the whole case, but CNet reports that Microsoft has lost an important ruling in the case brought against it by small software and technology company InterTrust Technologies. The case involves the use of Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology and patents currently held by InterTrust. The company has a …

An article from CNet discusses a recent drop in Netratings traffic ratings for file sharing services (down about 15% since the end of June). It's an interesting (and provocative) theory, but I'm not sure I agree with it. With the beginning of summer, you see fewer college students, and there …

With all of the disruption over copying music online, maybe the record industry should read this article from BBC News, based on information provided by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. The organization claims that over one billion counterfeit CDs will be sold worldwide this year. Now, our friends …

The Electonic Frontier Foundation has kicked off a new campaign to back the use of peer-to-peer file sharing systems and to call for reforms in the ways that copyrights are handled and music is licensed. The site itself, and the campaign, are nothing new for the EFF, and on the …

I was quite happy to see a mainstream media outlet (the Washington Post) with a concise, thought-out piece on DVD copy protection and how overboard the motion picture industry is going. Rob Pegoraro does a good job of arguing for restraint among lawmakers at preventing users from fair use of …

The four people whose names were given up by Verizon (under court order) and one person who subscribes to Earthlink (which did not fight the request by the RIAA) have been sent letters by the RIAA. According to an article from CNet, the RIAA didn't say anything other than they …

An article from afterdawn details the goings-on in Sweden where they are preparing an implementation of the EUCD (European Union Copyright Directive). The proposed legislative implementation of the EUCD is considered one of the most prohibitive that has been proposed to date. Among the provisions are: An additional tax on …

An article in the Washington Post details some of the requests from the FTC for new authorities requested in the fight against spam. The requests may go to far, though, when they ask for criminal penalties for forging email addresses. In the typical governmental hyperbole, Orson Swindle of the FTC …

All of this discussion about nearly-flawless DRM, GPS-based tax programs, and travel restrictions makes me wonder what happens as technology makes it more possible to locate and cite every transgression and whether that means we need to be changing the underlying laws. Imagine this: you are driving down a country …

An article in the Sydney Morning Herald describes the surprise of a British citizen who received a nasty letter from the MPAA over his domain RatedNC-17.com. The MPAA says they are trying to prevent him from diluting their trademark. The current owner is confused, because RatedR.com has a …

An article from CNet reports that Representative Lamar Smith (R,TX), made a speech June 10th explicitly warning the FCC that future regulations for HDTV should "have an adverse affect on how consumers may legitimately use lawfully acquired entertainment products." This is in marked contrast to Senator Hollings (D,SC …

There may be some hope for the music industry yet. According to an article in the New York Times, Warner Music considered the sharing of music in the negotiations with iTunes and explicitly decided to allow it for rendezvous during the contract negotiations. But, I found more interesting some of …

CNET is carrying an interview with Lawrence Lessig (noted copyright and internet privacy expert from Stanford University). The interview was brought on by the petition started earlier this week (and featured here on Tuesday) which Lessig has backed. The interview contains some nice quotes, including "Before the Internet, long copyright …

According to an article on CNET, file sharing company Altnet may begin suing competitors for "violating" it's recently-licensed patent for finding identical files based on a hash of their contents. This may eventually win the prize for stupidest patent when such a prize is given, considering the whole purpose of …

Local non-profit radio stations at colleges and the like are breathing a sigh of relief if they either have or want to provide web simulcast. According to an article from Wired, the RIAA reached an agreement with the stations this weekend that will allow them to broadcast an average of …

Marking a sad day, Verizon will hand over the names requested by RIAA members according to an article from CNET. Although Verizon will continue the fight in court over the legality of the subpoena, which through the DMCA was not required to go through a court, the DC appeals court …

According to this article on CNET, Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) is planning to introduce a bill to the US Senate that will put the control of Digital Rights Management (DRM) systems under the control of the FTC. The draft of the bill reviewed by CNET also contains provisions that limit …

The RIAA is at it again. This time, they're suing Streamcast (yes, I know, they just lost a separate case against Streamcast) over a service that Streamcast never brought to market. According to an article in Wired, the RIAA is suing because Streamcast (in preparation for launching a radio service …

I personally don't agree with the number published annually by the Business Software Alliance, but it is interesting to note that the Washington Post is reporting that this year's numbers are actually down (in terms of percentage of pirated software in use). They mention that the "cost" of software piracy …

One day after its announcement, AOL has pulled from release a peer to peer file sharing solution crested by subsidiary NullSoft. A report from CNET details some of the previous issues AOL has had with this subsidiary, including a similar problem over MP3 sharing software two years ago. This years …