The following article contains language inappropriate for pop stars and this web site, so read at your own risk. In an attempt to inspire what can only be believed to have been guilt in her "listeners", Madonna released a series of new tracks to the P2P service KaZaA last week …

Here are some recent updates on the "progress" of MPAA-sponsored Super-DMCA legislation. Once again, the librarians are at the fore on opposing this legislation.

An article on SlashDot details the conundrum for one provider of free material who sees the DMCA as his only choice in stopping the misuse of his material.

CNet reports that federal court Judge Stephen Wilson has handed down a decision that correctly points out that the responsibility for using a file sharing service illegally lies with the user, not with the file sharing service. "Defendants distribute and support software, the users of which can and do choose …

According to an article in the Washington Post, Verizon has failed to receive a stay against a previous ruling that will require them to hand over the names of a couple of P2P file sharing users in the next 14 days. The only hope for the preservation of the right …

One must wonder if Napster's VC, Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, had any idea that backing the company would end up producing a lawsuit from EMI and Universal Records for "provided a safe haven for the rampant piracy of copyrighted works on an epic and unprecedented scale...Hummer Winblad knowingly facilitated …

Another dark day in what is becoming a dark year for privacy advocates. An article on CNet reports that the US Government has once again sided with the Recording Industry Association of America in yet another example of dissolving rights to privacy in this country. At issue is the appeal …

The Register is reporting in an article that Microsoft has a problem with it's Office 2000 products that is causing people who have site-licensed version of the product to register or be cut off from using the product. To add insult to injury, it appears that after the grace period …

An article on SlashDot sites the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) as the primary cause of the chilling effect going on for the technological investigations of flaws in security technology. One unfortunate side-effect of the DMCA is that it provides cover for companies that release flawed security technology. The article …

There is a new site (on the UIUC campus) that details the $97.8B cases against 4 college students filed in the last few weeks.

Some of you may have seen sporadic reports (mostly coming from the L.A. Times) that Apple is in the process of coming out with an online music service this month, along with the long-awaited update to iTunes and the new versions of the iPod. Today, an article on MacCentral …

An article on Yahoo recounts the story of U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns throwing out a request by an MIT student to allow him to decompile internet filtering software in order to determine what sites are being blocked. The judge disagreed, stating ""there is no plausibly protected constitutional interest …

An article on BBC News describes the sentence (5 months in Jail, 5 months house arrest, and $28,500 fine) for a man convicted of violating the DMCA by importing and selling mod chips for the X Box. For those regular readers, it will be no surprise to hear that …

Representatives from the American Library Association, the Association of Research Libraries, and the American Association of Research Libraries collaborated on a letter to legislators in Arkansas and Colorado to inform them of the organizations' opinion that pending legislation is "deeply flawed". According to an article1 on CNet, the letter …

According to an article on UPI, the German government has new plans to enforce a 3-year old law requiring a ~$13 + 16% tax on computers sold in the country. It's hard to tell where the pre-paid penalty would go once it hits government coffers, but the intention is to compensate …

An article out today (no longer available) raises the question of where certain high-profile technology companies really stand on the issues involving the DMCA. In particular, it sites statement releases by the BSA (Business Software Alliance) against new attempts to remove some of the more heinous provisions of the DMCA …

Congresswoman Lofgren (D-CA) has proposed a new bill to congress aimed at bringing fair use back to the United States Copyright system. Although I'm not a lawyer, I did read the whole thing, and it certainly moves things in the right direction. In particular, it addresses a purchasers ability to …

As with any compromise position, the FCC's decision to go forward with some form of "broadcast flag" to limit the reproduction of TV signals that have copyright protection is taking heat from all sides. According to an article on CNet, congress is upset that the FCC might make rules that …

Wired writes in an article about the pending Lexmark DMCA case (reported here a couple of times, and basically dealing with the copying of a copy protection chip in a piece of hardware) and the potential effects if this case were to be won by Lexmark. As many have postulated …

From an article1 from Australian IT, comes a report that the Australian Federal Police have executed search warrants on Telstra and other ISPs to get the names of users who may be involved in music piracy. In another blow for the anonymity of the internet and a win for …