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See the following updates on The Eric Eldred Act website: The Eric Eldred Act FAQ What precisely are we talking about? (a one-page discussion draft – “To allow unused copyrighted works to enter the public domain after 50 years, while allowing copyright owners the full protection of the established copyright term.”)
Kudos to Tara Calishain and co-author Rael Dornfest, whose book, Google Hacks, is on the New York Times Paperback Bestseller List!
The Chronicle of Higher Education published the text of a dialogue, New Approaches to File Sharing, between Penn State President Graham Spanier and students from throughout the country and abroad. Issues addressed included the possible institution of fees for using P2P applications via campus networks, acceptable use policies, the implementation of legitimate file sharing applications …
Search Privacy: An Issue?, Part 1 Danny Sullivan details Google’s privacy and data collection policies.
Business Is Toying With a Web Tool puts the spotlight on an innovative, user friendly open-source tool called a wiki, used to create inter-related web pages. Not new to the scene (the technology was first used in 1995), but perhaps ready to be embraced along the lines of blogging applications, wiki technology offers many interesting …
According to Dan Gillmor, “Google co-founder Sergey Brin said there were no plans to segregate weblog content from the main search engine results.”
From AP: Pentagon readies massive spy system, “To thwart terrorists, the Pentagon is developing a computer surveillance system that would give U.S. agents fingertip access to government and commercial records from around the world that could fill the Library of Congress more than 50 times.”
Today’s Wall Street Journal article, Data Collection Is Up Sharply Following 9/11 (subscription req’d), documents examples of the rapid acceleration and increasing sophistication of text mining programs created by private contractors to populate huge, searchable database systems. Used on both a state and federal level, these systems, which are increasingly linked via network applications, are …
The EFF reports that on May 21, Colorado Governor Bill Owens vetoed House Bill 1303, the so called Super DMCA legislation for which the Motion Picture Association provided the draft model language used in state legislatures throughout the country.
Mark Stamp provides a thorough, enlightening commentary on DRM, examining applications, value and the associated controversy on the topic as it impacts commercial and consumer users in the areas of privacy and copyright.
The USA Today reported on the status of Oregon House Bill 3101 which would eliminate state funding for libraries that refuse to install net filters for public access use of the Internet. Apparently “legislative counsel said it (the bill) is unconstitutional,” placing at least a temporary hold on this legislative initiative.
Today the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation held a hearing on Spam (Unsolicited Commercial E-Mail). “Description: Members will hear testimony relating to potential legislative, technical, and other approaches to curtailing unwanted spam. Senator McCain will preside.” The committee provides the full-text of available testimony via this main link. See also, Microsoft Proposes Law …
