In The News: May, 2007
May 31st, 2007
EFF: DRM-free iTunes files carry 'more than just names and e-mail addresses'
Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica
The morning during/after the launch of iTunes Plus yesterday was a rough one for the iTunes Store, but users were generally pleased with their newfound freedom. Or so they thought...
Well, the Electronic Frontier Foundation picked up on this newfound information about the embedded personal data and investigated a bit further. As it turns out, the DRM-free AAC files from iTunes contain more than just names and e-mail addresses. While they decoded some DRM-free AAC files to PCM/WAV and found that there isn't a watermark in the compressed audio signal, there are "surprisingly huge differences" in the encoded files. "Much bigger differences than just different tags, or even different signed/encrypted tags," the EFF wrote.
May 30th, 2007
Cameras everywhere, even in online maps
Elinor Mills, CNET
Kevin Bankston, staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, was surprised to see his face in a street-level image on a now defunct online map a few years ago...
"It is irresponsible for Google to debut a product like this without also debuting technological measures that would obscure the identities of people photographed by this product," he said. "If the Google van happened by your house at the right moment it could even capture you in an embarrassing state of undress, as you close your blinds, for example."
Personal indiscretions aside, the larger concern is for people entering and leaving places like domestic violence shelters, Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, fertility clinics and controversial religious or political events, Bankston said.
May 30th, 2007
Cameras everywhere, even in online maps
Elinor Mills, CNET
Kevin Bankston, staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, was surprised to see his face in a street-level image on a now defunct online map a few years ago...
"It is irresponsible for Google to debut a product like this without also debuting technological measures that would obscure the identities of people photographed by this product," he said. "If the Google van happened by your house at the right moment it could even capture you in an embarrassing state of undress, as you close your blinds, for example."
Personal indiscretions aside, the larger concern is for people entering and leaving places like domestic violence shelters, Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, fertility clinics and controversial religious or political events, Bankston said.
May 29th, 2007
Social Mapping Firms Track Cellphone Users
Sue Kwon, CBS 5 (San Francisco)
It's a common question asked among friends: "Where are you?"
Sam Altman decided to answer that question with social mapping technology...
While both services offer ways to turn off location tracking, what concerns Electronic Frontier Foundation privacy attorney Kevin Bankston is how information on your whereabouts could be used against you in the future.
"In a legal case government or civil litigants could serve a subpeona and demand you hand over the history of everywhere you've been," said Bankston.
May 29th, 2007
The Patent Puzzle
Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, eWeek
Patent fights are fights about money. The secondary issue, the one that makes the headlines, is control. To really understand what's going on in the current patent posturing involving Microsoft, Novell, and a host of open-source companies and groups, it helps to keep those factors firmly in mind...
At one time, Novell was seen by many, thanks to its patent partnership with Microsoft, as being at least partly on Microsoft's side in the patent debate. Novell has always denied this. The recent publication of the bulk of the companies' patent agreement seems to support Novell's position. In addition, Novell and the Electronic Frontier Foundation joined forces on May 23 seeking to reform software patent law and attack patents that impose particularly heavy burdens on software developers by identifying prior art that can be used to invalidate such patents.
May 29th, 2007
Social Mapping Firms Track Cellphone Users
Sue Kwon, CBS 5 (San Francisco)
It's a common question asked among friends: "Where are you?"
Sam Altman decided to answer that question with social mapping technology...
While both services offer ways to turn off location tracking, what concerns Electronic Frontier Foundation privacy attorney Kevin Bankston is how information on your whereabouts could be used against you in the future.
"In a legal case government or civil litigants could serve a subpeona and demand you hand over the history of everywhere you've been," said Bankston.
May 29th, 2007
The Patent Puzzle
Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, eWeek
Patent fights are fights about money. The secondary issue, the one that makes the headlines, is control. To really understand what's going on in the current patent posturing involving Microsoft, Novell, and a host of open-source companies and groups, it helps to keep those factors firmly in mind...
At one time, Novell was seen by many, thanks to its patent partnership with Microsoft, as being at least partly on Microsoft's side in the patent debate. Novell has always denied this. The recent publication of the bulk of the companies' patent agreement seems to support Novell's position. In addition, Novell and the Electronic Frontier Foundation joined forces on May 23 seeking to reform software patent law and attack patents that impose particularly heavy burdens on software developers by identifying prior art that can be used to invalidate such patents.
May 27th, 2007
Novell: la riforma dei brevetti software passa di qui.....
Data Manager Online
Novell annuncia la propria collaborazione con l'Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) per la "Riforma dei brevetti software", con l'obiettivo di cercare di influenzare governi locali e organizzazioni nazionali e internazionali perch? sviluppino legislazioni e politiche che promuovano l'innovazione.
May 27th, 2007
Novell: la riforma dei brevetti software passa di qui.....
Data Manager Online
Novell annuncia la propria collaborazione con l'Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) per la "Riforma dei brevetti software", con l'obiettivo di cercare di influenzare governi locali e organizzazioni nazionali e internazionali perch? sviluppino legislazioni e politiche che promuovano l'innovazione.
May 24th, 2007
Novell joins EFF for patent reform
Stephen Shankland, CNET
Facing criticism for its patent pact with Microsoft, Novell on Wednesday said it's supporting the Electronic Frontier Foundation's effort to challenge what it believes are bogus patents...
"Novell is supporting us to ensure patents aren't going to hurt innovation," said Shari Steele, EFF's executive director. In particular, "Novell is now sponsoring us to ... export our patent-busting program to Europe," where EFF will hire legal representation, she said.
May 24th, 2007
Novell joins EFF for patent reform
Stephen Shankland, CNET
Facing criticism for its patent pact with Microsoft, Novell on Wednesday said it's supporting the Electronic Frontier Foundation's effort to challenge what it believes are bogus patents...
"Novell is supporting us to ensure patents aren't going to hurt innovation," said Shari Steele, EFF's executive director. In particular, "Novell is now sponsoring us to ... export our patent-busting program to Europe," where EFF will hire legal representation, she said.
May 23rd, 2007
Copy-Protection Game Changes From Whac-A-Mole to Keep Away
Mathew Honan, Wired News
You could hardly have asked for a clearer demonstration of the futility of copy protection than the events of the past three weeks. The DVD-encryption key that sparked a user rebellion on Digg in early May is now largely moot. Despite having been posted to hundreds of thousands of websites and garnering attention worldwide, the key is now useless, because the industry group that oversees HD DVD and Blu-ray copy protection has changed its encryption scheme to use a different one...
"It apparently was highly controversial (for the AACS Licensing Administrator) to send the legal threat letters," says Fred von Lohmann, a senior staff attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation. "I assume they would need to have consensus before they could step up to any lawsuits. And, in any event, it's too late for this key -- it's been immortalized as an internet celebrity thanks to the first legal threats, and will likely outlive all of us, no matter how many lawsuits are brought."
May 23rd, 2007
15 it-myter granskas - s? h?r ligger det till!
Mats L?vgren, PC for Alla
Om du laddar ned filer fr?n ett fildelningsn?tverk, ?r det s?kert att upphovsr?ttsorganisationerna kan identifiera dig? Eller br?nner bilder fast p? plasma-tv-apparater om de st?r p? f?r l?nge? H?r ?r sanningen bakom 15 av de vanligaste it-myterna.
Det g?r det sv?rare att identifiera person ifr?ga, konstaterar Peter Ecksley, tekniker p? Electronic Frontier Foundation. Att lita p? att en dynamisk ip-adress ska h?lla dig dold ?r dock l?nl?st eftersom internetoperat?rerna loggar vem som har haft en viss adress vid en viss tidpunkt.
May 23rd, 2007
Novell signs on to EFF patent busting project
Eric Bangeman, Ars Technica
In a surprise announcement earlier today at the Open Source Business Conference, Novell and the Electronic Frontier Foundation said that Novell would be contributing to the EFF's Patent Busting project. In addition, the two entities will work for legislation and policies that will "promote innovation," specifically targeting the World Intellectual Property Organization. May 23, 2007 Infoworld Novell and EFF team on patent reform Paul Roberts
May 23rd, 2007
Copy-Protection Game Changes From Whac-A-Mole to Keep Away
Mathew Honan, Wired News
You could hardly have asked for a clearer demonstration of the futility of copy protection than the events of the past three weeks. The DVD-encryption key that sparked a user rebellion on Digg in early May is now largely moot. Despite having been posted to hundreds of thousands of websites and garnering attention worldwide, the key is now useless, because the industry group that oversees HD DVD and Blu-ray copy protection has changed its encryption scheme to use a different one...
"It apparently was highly controversial (for the AACS Licensing Administrator) to send the legal threat letters," says Fred von Lohmann, a senior staff attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation. "I assume they would need to have consensus before they could step up to any lawsuits. And, in any event, it's too late for this key -- it's been immortalized as an internet celebrity thanks to the first legal threats, and will likely outlive all of us, no matter how many lawsuits are brought."
May 23rd, 2007
15 it-myter granskas - s? h?r ligger det till!
Mats L?vgren, PC for Alla
Om du laddar ned filer fr?n ett fildelningsn?tverk, ?r det s?kert att upphovsr?ttsorganisationerna kan identifiera dig? Eller br?nner bilder fast p? plasma-tv-apparater om de st?r p? f?r l?nge? H?r ?r sanningen bakom 15 av de vanligaste it-myterna.
Det g?r det sv?rare att identifiera person ifr?ga, konstaterar Peter Ecksley, tekniker p? Electronic Frontier Foundation. Att lita p? att en dynamisk ip-adress ska h?lla dig dold ?r dock l?nl?st eftersom internetoperat?rerna loggar vem som har haft en viss adress vid en viss tidpunkt.
May 23rd, 2007
Novell signs on to EFF patent busting project
Eric Bangeman In a surprise announcement earlier today at the Open Source Business Conference, Novell and the Electronic Frontier Foundation said that Novell would be contributing to the EFF's Patent Busting project. In addition, the two entities will work for legislation and policies that will "promote innovation," specifically targeting the World Intellectual Property Organization. May 23, 2007 Infoworld Novell and EFF team on patent reform Paul Roberts, Ars Technica
Fresh off a stinging round of criticism at the Open Source Business Conference for its licensing deal with Microsoft, Novell Inc. made an effort to change the discussion today, announcing a deal with the Electronic Frontier Foundation to reform patents worldwide.
"EFF has long been at the forefront in addressing the key challenges of the digital age, including worldwide intellectual property issues," said EFF Executive Director Shari Steele. "The support of Novell - a company founded on the proprietary software development model but now strongly embracing the open source approach - will be a great boon to our efforts to rid the industry of innovation-killing patents. We hope Novell's example encourages other software vendors to join the effort."
May 21st, 2007
Support In US For WIPO Broadcasting Treaty Appears To Wane
Drew Clark, Intellectual Property Watch
Practically no one participating in a recent government forum here liked the proposed broadcaster protection treaty under negotiation at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva...
"None of the concerns that we have raised at previous [forums] have been removed, or even addressed by the non-paper," said Gwen Hinze, international affairs director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Hinze said the exclusive rights framework is inappropriate and conflicts with US law. She asked for an analysis by the US government about how the treaty, if adopted, could be embodied in US law. Hinze also raised concerns about Article 9 of the draft, as well as its interaction with Article 3 (scope of protection) and Article 7 (the exclusive right to retransmission of broadcasts).
May 21st, 2007
Support In US For WIPO Broadcasting Treaty Appears To Wane
Drew Clark, Intellectual Property Watch
Practically no one participating in a recent government forum here liked the proposed broadcaster protection treaty under negotiation at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva...
"None of the concerns that we have raised at previous [forums] have been removed, or even addressed by the non-paper," said Gwen Hinze, international affairs director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Hinze said the exclusive rights framework is inappropriate and conflicts with US law. She asked for an analysis by the US government about how the treaty, if adopted, could be embodied in US law. Hinze also raised concerns about Article 9 of the draft, as well as its interaction with Article 3 (scope of protection) and Article 7 (the exclusive right to retransmission of broadcasts).
May 16th, 2007
Customs Breaks Privacy Laws in Data Collection, GAO Says
Ellen Nakashima, Washington Post
The Department of Homeland Security is breaking privacy laws by failing to tell the public all the ways it uses personal information to target passengers boarding flights entering or leaving the United States, according to a draft government report...
When government officials will not discuss what the uses and data sources are, it is hard to know whether travelers have been harmed by the screening program, said David Sobel, senior counsel for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which in December sued the government under the Freedom of Information Act for disclosure on the Automated Targeting System, which Customs uses to screen for high-risk travelers.
May 16th, 2007
Disgraced Attorney General Wants to Criminalize Attempted Copyright Infringement
Eliot Van Buskirk, Wired
Not content to advocate the torture of enemy combatants, the wiretapping of American citizens, and the firing of US attorneys for political reasons, 13-year Bush lapdog Alberto Gonzalez has a new cause: jailing citizens who attempt to infringe copyright and seizing their property...
According to Corynne McSherry, staff attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, "It's not totally clear what would count as attempting copyright infringement," so everything from searching for music on peer-to-peer networks to posting music on an MP3 blog could be targeted.
May 16th, 2007
Google Wins Infringement Appeal
Stuart J. Johnston, Internetnews.com
A federal appeals court panel ruled Wednesday that Google did not infringe the copyrights of an adult photo publisher by displaying thumbnails of proprietary pictures in its image search engine...
The appeals court found that the thumbnails did not infringe Perfect 10's copyrights because they were "highly transformative" -- that is significantly different than the full-sized images -- and thus fit into the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's (DMCA) "fair use" exception.
The term defines situations wherein a copyrighted work, or portions of it, can be legally used in a highly modified fashion without infringing the original copyright owner's rights - a classic example is a parody, Corynne McSherry, an attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), told internetnews.com. (The EFF filed a friend of the court brief in the case in support of Google).
May 16th, 2007
Customs Breaks Privacy Laws in Data Collection, GAO Says
Ellen Nakashima, Washington Post
The Department of Homeland Security is breaking privacy laws by failing to tell the public all the ways it uses personal information to target passengers boarding flights entering or leaving the United States, according to a draft government report...
When government officials will not discuss what the uses and data sources are, it is hard to know whether travelers have been harmed by the screening program, said David Sobel, senior counsel for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which in December sued the government under the Freedom of Information Act for disclosure on the Automated Targeting System, which Customs uses to screen for high-risk travelers.
May 16th, 2007
Disgraced Attorney General Wants to Criminalize Attempted Copyright Infringement
Eliot Van Buskirk, Wired
Not content to advocate the torture of enemy combatants, the wiretapping of American citizens, and the firing of US attorneys for political reasons, 13-year Bush lapdog Alberto Gonzalez has a new cause: jailing citizens who attempt to infringe copyright and seizing their property...
According to Corynne McSherry, staff attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, "It's not totally clear what would count as attempting copyright infringement," so everything from searching for music on peer-to-peer networks to posting music on an MP3 blog could be targeted.
May 16th, 2007
Google Wins Infringement Appeal
Stuart J. Johnston, Internetnews.com
A federal appeals court panel ruled Wednesday that Google did not infringe the copyrights of an adult photo publisher by displaying thumbnails of proprietary pictures in its image search engine...
The appeals court found that the thumbnails did not infringe Perfect 10's copyrights because they were "highly transformative" -- that is significantly different than the full-sized images -- and thus fit into the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's (DMCA) "fair use" exception.
The term defines situations wherein a copyrighted work, or portions of it, can be legally used in a highly modified fashion without infringing the original copyright owner's rights - a classic example is a parody, Corynne McSherry, an attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), told internetnews.com. (The EFF filed a friend of the court brief in the case in support of Google).
May 15th, 2007
Blogger Michelle Malkin Wins Copyright Fight
Technology Daily
Universal Music Group has abandoned its attempt to silence syndicated conservative columnist Michelle Malkin for her online criticism of one of the label's controversial artists, the Electronic Frontier Foundation said Monday...
EFF Senior Staff Attorney Kurt Opsahl called the label's copyright claim "bogus" and said the company misused a 2001 copyright law. "Shame on any copyright holder who would attempt to use the DMCA [Digital Millennium Copyright Act] to intimidate and silence critics," Malkin said in a statement.
May 15th, 2007
Search Firm Tosses The Cookies
Pete Barlas, Investor's Business Daily
Hakia says a "cookie"-free diet will give it some heft in the Web search field...
Hakia has won at least one important fan. He's Peter Eckersley, staff technologist for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a consumer watchdog group.
"(Hakia's) system is really much better than the major search engines," Eckersley said.
May 15th, 2007
Blogger Michelle Malkin Wins Copyright Fight
Technology Daily
Universal Music Group has abandoned its attempt to silence syndicated conservative columnist Michelle Malkin for her online criticism of one of the label's controversial artists, the Electronic Frontier Foundation said Monday...
EFF Senior Staff Attorney Kurt Opsahl called the label's copyright claim "bogus" and said the company misused a 2001 copyright law. "Shame on any copyright holder who would attempt to use the DMCA [Digital Millennium Copyright Act] to intimidate and silence critics," Malkin said in a statement.
May 15th, 2007
Search Firm Tosses The Cookies
Pete Barlas, Investor's Business Daily
Hakia says a "cookie"-free diet will give it some heft in the Web search field...
Hakia has won at least one important fan. He's Peter Eckersley, staff technologist for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a consumer watchdog group.
"(Hakia's) system is really much better than the major search engines," Eckersley said.
May 14th, 2007
State police again seek free access to records
Bruce Landis, Providence Journal
The state police have again drawn fire from privacy advocates by seeking legislation that would let them obtain Rhode Islanders' telephone and Internet records without a warrant or other review by the courts...
"It speaks directly to 'local and long-distance connection records,' " said Kevin Bankston, a lawyer with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a San Francisco-based organization devoted to free speech, privacy and other individual rights. That "clearly would reach phone records."
May 14th, 2007
MySpace Automates Copyright Takedown Process
Scott Gilbertson, Wired News
MySpace announced Friday that it has rolled out a new technology to fight copyright infringement on the site. The new copyright protection system, aptly titled "Take Down Stay Down," uses technology from Audible Magic to ensure that content which has already been pulled from MySpace profiles is not re-posted...
Because the system lacks a human oversight, the Electronic Frontier Foundation worries that some perfectly legal content may end up blocked as well.
Corynne McSherry, an Electronic Frontier Foundation attorney, tells CNet, "with every form of digital rights management that we've ever seen, it always gets hacked eventually, so I think it's likely that eventually this too will be hacked."
May 14th, 2007
Victory: UMG & YouTube retreat
Michelle Malkin, Hot Air with Michelle Malkin
The Hot Air video report on Akon that Universal Music Group didn't want you to see is now back up on YouTube. That's right. The music giant and the video-sharing site (who happen to be "strategic partners") have backed down...
EFF's senior staff attorney, Kurt Opsahl, pressed YouTube for an explanation. On Friday, after Opsahl took the matter to one of Google/YouTube's in-house counsels, YouTube reinstated the video-over-ruling the prior terms of use decision.
May 14th, 2007
State police again seek free access to records
Bruce Landis, Providence Journal
The state police have again drawn fire from privacy advocates by seeking legislation that would let them obtain Rhode Islanders' telephone and Internet records without a warrant or other review by the courts...
"It speaks directly to 'local and long-distance connection records,' " said Kevin Bankston, a lawyer with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a San Francisco-based organization devoted to free speech, privacy and other individual rights. That "clearly would reach phone records."
May 14th, 2007
MySpace Automates Copyright Takedown Process
Scott Gilbertson, Wired News
MySpace announced Friday that it has rolled out a new technology to fight copyright infringement on the site. The new copyright protection system, aptly titled "Take Down Stay Down," uses technology from Audible Magic to ensure that content which has already been pulled from MySpace profiles is not re-posted...
Because the system lacks a human oversight, the Electronic Frontier Foundation worries that some perfectly legal content may end up blocked as well.
Corynne McSherry, an Electronic Frontier Foundation attorney, tells CNet, "with every form of digital rights management that we've ever seen, it always gets hacked eventually, so I think it's likely that eventually this too will be hacked."
May 14th, 2007
Victory: UMG & YouTube retreat
Michelle Malkin, Hot Air with Michelle Malkin
The Hot Air video report on Akon that Universal Music Group didn't want you to see is now back up on YouTube. That's right. The music giant and the video-sharing site (who happen to be "strategic partners") have backed down...
EFF's senior staff attorney, Kurt Opsahl, pressed YouTube for an explanation. On Friday, after Opsahl took the matter to one of Google/YouTube's in-house counsels, YouTube reinstated the video-over-ruling the prior terms of use decision.
May 12th, 2007
MySpace adds new anti-piracy feature
Elise Ackerman, San Jose Mercury News
MySpace and Dailymotion, a popular French video site, announced Friday separate initiatives to prevent copyrighted material from being misused, increasing pressure on Google to more aggressively police its YouTube subsidiary...
Corynne McSherry, an attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a San Francisco-based group that advocates for digital rights, said the problem with the feature is that it doesn't allow for "fair use," a legal concept that gives ordinary people the right to quote from books, cite newspaper articles and sing their favorite songs without seeking prior authorization.
"Fair use means you don't have to ask permission," McSherry said.
McSherry said she was also concerned about what would happen if a take-down request was disputed. "In that case it seems that further human review would be appropriate," McSherry said.
May 12th, 2007
MySpace adds new anti-piracy feature
Elise Ackerman, San Jose Mercury News
MySpace and Dailymotion, a popular French video site, announced Friday separate initiatives to prevent copyrighted material from being misused, increasing pressure on Google to more aggressively police its YouTube subsidiary...
Corynne McSherry, an attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a San Francisco-based group that advocates for digital rights, said the problem with the feature is that it doesn't allow for "fair use," a legal concept that gives ordinary people the right to quote from books, cite newspaper articles and sing their favorite songs without seeking prior authorization.
"Fair use means you don't have to ask permission," McSherry said.
McSherry said she was also concerned about what would happen if a take-down request was disputed. "In that case it seems that further human review would be appropriate," McSherry said.
May 11th, 2007
The Streisand Effect
Andy Greenberg, Forbes
A Web user and his information are like a grizzly and her cub. Come between them, and you're likely to get mauled...
"The Web," Bankston says, "is like the mythical Hydra. Cut off one of its many heads, and two will grow back in its place."
May 11th, 2007
YouTube Caught In Malkin, EFF, UMG Crossfire
Jason Lee Miller, WebProNews
Conservative blogger and columnist Michelle Malkin is crying foul after a music industry DMCA notice quieted her criticism of Hip Hop artist Akon...
Between Malkin and UMG is a hard enough spot to be in, but add the EFF into the melee and you've got yourself a first class nightmare. The EFF called UMG's actions an "improper attempt to silence her online criticism of one of its artists."
May 11th, 2007
Electronic Frontier Foundation sues Uri Geller
Associated Press
An online civil liberties group has sued self-proclaimed psychic Uri Geller for using "baseless copyright claims" to silence critics who question his paranormal powers.
The suit filed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation came after Geller, the Israeli television star who claims to bend spoons by mental forces, sued critic Brian Sapient in federal court on Monday after Sapient published an excerpt of copyrighted material on the video-sharing site, YouTube.
May 11th, 2007
The Streisand Effect
Andy Greenberg, Forbes
A Web user and his information are like a grizzly and her cub. Come between them, and you're likely to get mauled...
"The Web," Bankston says, "is like the mythical Hydra. Cut off one of its many heads, and two will grow back in its place."
May 11th, 2007
YouTube Caught In Malkin, EFF, UMG Crossfire
Jason Lee Miller, WebProNews
Conservative blogger and columnist Michelle Malkin is crying foul after a music industry DMCA notice quieted her criticism of Hip Hop artist Akon...
Between Malkin and UMG is a hard enough spot to be in, but add the EFF into the melee and you've got yourself a first class nightmare. The EFF called UMG's actions an "improper attempt to silence her online criticism of one of its artists."
May 11th, 2007
Electronic Frontier Foundation sues Uri Geller
Associated Press
An online civil liberties group has sued self-proclaimed psychic Uri Geller for using "baseless copyright claims" to silence critics who question his paranormal powers.
The suit filed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation came after Geller, the Israeli television star who claims to bend spoons by mental forces, sued critic Brian Sapient in federal court on Monday after Sapient published an excerpt of copyrighted material on the video-sharing site, YouTube.
May 10th, 2007
Psychic fighting YouTube clips sued by SF group
Jim Herron Zamora, San Francisco Chronicle
The San Francisco-based Electronic Frontier Foundation this week jumped into a legal battle involving efforts by self-described psychic Uri Geller - who is famous for claiming to bend spoons by mental forces -- to censor video clips of him posted on YouTube...
"Uri Geller may not like it when people question his paranormal abilities. However, he is not allowed to stifle public criticism by misusing the law," said foundation attorney Marcia Hoffman. "If the publication of a video does not infringe his copyright, then he cannot block its use -- it's as simple as that."
May 10th, 2007
Psychic fighting YouTube clips sued by SF group
Jim Herron Zamora, San Francisco Chronicle
The San Francisco-based Electronic Frontier Foundation this week jumped into a legal battle involving efforts by self-described psychic Uri Geller - who is famous for claiming to bend spoons by mental forces -- to censor video clips of him posted on YouTube...
"Uri Geller may not like it when people question his paranormal abilities. However, he is not allowed to stifle public criticism by misusing the law," said foundation attorney Marcia Hoffman. "If the publication of a video does not infringe his copyright, then he cannot block its use -- it's as simple as that."
May 9th, 2007
Hot Air & EFF challenge UMG
Michelle Malkin, Hot Air with Michelle Malkin
Heads-up, readers and viewers! We are teaming up with the Electronic Frontier Foundation to contest Universal Music Group's takedown of our Akon report on YouTube.
May 9th, 2007
'Psychic' Uri Geller sues over video clip on YouTube
Declan McCullagh, CNET
Early Wednesday we told you about a lawsuit that the Electronic Frontier Foundation filed against so-called psychic Uri Geller over allegedly misusing copyright law to silence critics on YouTube...
If EFF is right, Geller could face legal liability and be forced to cough up some cash. In an earlier case, EFF managed to extract $125,000 from Diebold for misusing the DMCA takedown process.
May 9th, 2007
Ruckus will likely replace CDigix
Ben Slivnick, The Diamondback (University of Maryland)
A largely overlooked music streaming service available free to college students nationwide since January may rise to new prominence on the campus, as OIT officials consider signing an agreement with Ruckus Network, Inc...
CDigix has repeatedly declined to release statistics on the number of students who used the service, it received a lukewarm reception on the campus because students had to pay an extra fee to download songs and it wasn't available on Apple computers.
And with many of these same pitfalls present in the Ruckus service, Rebecca Jeschke, media relations coordinator for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an Internet activist organization, said she was hardly surprised more students weren't using the software already.
May 9th, 2007
Spoon-bending psychic sued over Youtube boob
The Inquirer
Israeli psychic Uri Geller is being sued after kicking up a fuss over a video clip posted on Youtube which claims to expose the alleged 'secrets' of his spoon bending antics...
"Uri Geller may not like it when people question his paranormal abilities. However, he is not allowed to stifle public criticism by misusing the law," said Marcia Hoffman, a lawyer with the Electronic Frontier Foundation which is representing Sapient.
"If the publication of a video does not infringe his copyright, then he cannot block its use -- it's as simple as that."
May 9th, 2007
Uri Geller sued after quashing questioning clip
PC Pro
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has sued Uri Geller after he persuaded YouTube to remove a video, which he said violated his copyright...
'Uri Geller may not like it when people question his paranormal abilities. However, he is not allowed to stifle public criticism by misusing the law,' said EFF staff attorney Marcia Hoffman. 'If the publication of a video does not infringe his copyright, then he cannot block its use - it's as simple as that.'
May 9th, 2007
EFF to psychic: There will be a DMCA abuse suit in the near future
Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has begun fighting back this week against one DMCA takedown abuser. The organization has filed a lawsuit against "paranormalist" Uri Geller for sending a takedown notice to YouTube over a video that heavily criticizes his psychic and magical abilities...
Sapient, with the help of the EFF, seized this opportunity to turn Geller's obvious abuse of the DMCA into an example for other abusers."We filed the lawsuit to protect our client's free speech rights and to fight back again illegal use of the DMCA takedown process," EFF staff attorney Jason Schultz told Ars Technica. "We believe the sole reason Geller sent the takedown was to silence our client's free speech critiquing him."
May 9th, 2007
Just An Online Minute... Can Magician Make Lawsuit Disappear?
Wendy Davis, Mediapost
Entertainer Uri Geller has landed in court - the latest defendant in a string of cases related to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act...
In the Geller lawsuit, the EFF claims that Geller and/or his representatives demanded YouTube purge a 13-minute video of NOVA's "Secrets of the Psychics," which purports to debunk Geller's "psychic" shenanigans. But the clip contains only three seconds of material owned by Geller - "a classic fair use of the material for criticism purposes," according to the EFF.
May 9th, 2007
EFF Enters New Legal Skirmish Over YouTube Clip
Adario Strange, Wired News
In what will surely go down in the history books as their oddest adversary, the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) has locked horns with none other than paranormal pop start Uri Geller. Geller, known in the past for his "ability" to bend spoons with his mind, issued a takedown notice to a YouTuber named Brian Sapient who posted video of the magic man.
May 9th, 2007
Spoon-bending psychic sued over Youtube boob
The Inquirer
Israeli psychic Uri Geller is being sued after kicking up a fuss over a video clip posted on Youtube which claims to expose the alleged 'secrets' of his spoon bending antics...
"Uri Geller may not like it when people question his paranormal abilities. However, he is not allowed to stifle public criticism by misusing the law," said Marcia Hoffman, a lawyer with the Electronic Frontier Foundation which is representing Sapient.
"If the publication of a video does not infringe his copyright, then he cannot block its use -- it's as simple as that."
May 9th, 2007
Hot Air & EFF challenge UMG
Michelle Malkin, Hot Air with Michelle Malkin
Heads-up, readers and viewers! We are teaming up with the Electronic Frontier Foundation to contest Universal Music Group's takedown of our Akon report on YouTube.
May 9th, 2007
Uri Geller sued after quashing questioning clip
PC Pro
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has sued Uri Geller after he persuaded YouTube to remove a video, which he said violated his copyright...
'Uri Geller may not like it when people question his paranormal abilities. However, he is not allowed to stifle public criticism by misusing the law,' said EFF staff attorney Marcia Hoffman. 'If the publication of a video does not infringe his copyright, then he cannot block its use - it's as simple as that.'
May 9th, 2007
'Psychic' Uri Geller sues over video clip on YouTube
Declan McCullagh, CNET
Early Wednesday we told you about a lawsuit that the Electronic Frontier Foundation filed against so-called psychic Uri Geller over allegedly misusing copyright law to silence critics on YouTube...
If EFF is right, Geller could face legal liability and be forced to cough up some cash. In an earlier case, EFF managed to extract $125,000 from Diebold for misusing the DMCA takedown process.
May 9th, 2007
Just An Online Minute... Can Magician Make Lawsuit Disappear?
Wendy Davis, Mediapost
Entertainer Uri Geller has landed in court - the latest defendant in a string of cases related to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act...
In the Geller lawsuit, the EFF claims that Geller and/or his representatives demanded YouTube purge a 13-minute video of NOVA's "Secrets of the Psychics," which purports to debunk Geller's "psychic" shenanigans. But the clip contains only three seconds of material owned by Geller - "a classic fair use of the material for criticism purposes," according to the EFF.
May 9th, 2007
EFF Enters New Legal Skirmish Over YouTube Clip
Adario Strange, Wired News
In what will surely go down in the history books as their oddest adversary, the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) has locked horns with none other than paranormal pop start Uri Geller. Geller, known in the past for his "ability" to bend spoons with his mind, issued a takedown notice to a YouTuber named Brian Sapient who posted video of the magic man.
May 8th, 2007
Internet Calls Subject To Phone Tapping
Eric Thomas, ABC 7 News (San Francisco)
Companies that provide Internet phone service have just six days to meet a deadline from the Justice Department. By next Monday, they'll have to make their systems easier to tap. That's right -- make it easier to secretly listen in on your phone calls, or face daily fines of $10,000 dollars...
But the law seemed to exempt phone calls made over the Internet.
Lee Tien, Electronic Frontier Foundation: "At least that's what most people thought."
Not the FBI or Justice Department. In 2004, they convinced the FCC to expand the law to cover Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP calls.
Lee Tien: "Every privacy group was against it because we thought there were major problems there, but we lost."
May 8th, 2007
Internet Calls Subject To Phone Tapping
Eric Thomas, ABC 7 News (San Francisco)
Companies that provide Internet phone service have just six days to meet a deadline from the Justice Department. By next Monday, they'll have to make their systems easier to tap. That's right -- make it easier to secretly listen in on your phone calls, or face daily fines of $10,000 dollars...
But the law seemed to exempt phone calls made over the Internet.
Lee Tien, Electronic Frontier Foundation: "At least that's what most people thought."
Not the FBI or Justice Department. In 2004, they convinced the FCC to expand the law to cover Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP calls.
Lee Tien: "Every privacy group was against it because we thought there were major problems there, but we lost."
May 7th, 2007
The Grill: Electronic Frontier Foundation's Fred von Lohmann on the Hot Seat
Thomas Hoffman, ComputerWorld
In March, Viacom International Inc. filed a $1 billion-plus lawsuit against YouTube Inc. parent Google Inc., claiming that YouTube infringed Viacom copyrights by streaming more than 1.5 billion clips of TV shows such as The Colbert Report and SpongeBob SquarePants. The outcome will help determine whether Web-hosting sites are protected under the so-called Safe Harbor provisions of the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). The case will also likely have a major bearing on how copyrights, patents and intellectual property are treated in the evolving digital landscape.
May 7th, 2007
5 questions for Fred von Lohmann
USA TODAY
Entertainment industry lawyers recently sent cease-and-desist letters to several websites, including popular news site Digg. Their alleged offense: posting information that could be used to break copy protection on high definition DVDs. When Internet users learned of the lawyers' demands, they protested by spreading the information over thousands of sites. Fred von Lohmann, a lawyer with the non-profit Electronic Frontier Foundation, explains what all the fuss is about.
May 7th, 2007
The Grill: Electronic Frontier Foundation's Fred von Lohmann on the Hot Seat
Thomas Hoffman, ComputerWorld
In March, Viacom International Inc. filed a $1 billion-plus lawsuit against YouTube Inc. parent Google Inc., claiming that YouTube infringed Viacom copyrights by streaming more than 1.5 billion clips of TV shows such as The Colbert Report and SpongeBob SquarePants. The outcome will help determine whether Web-hosting sites are protected under the so-called Safe Harbor provisions of the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). The case will also likely have a major bearing on how copyrights, patents and intellectual property are treated in the evolving digital landscape.
May 7th, 2007
5 questions for Fred von Lohmann
USA TODAY
Entertainment industry lawyers recently sent cease-and-desist letters to several websites, including popular news site Digg. Their alleged offense: posting information that could be used to break copy protection on high definition DVDs. When Internet users learned of the lawyers' demands, they protested by spreading the information over thousands of sites. Fred von Lohmann, a lawyer with the non-profit Electronic Frontier Foundation, explains what all the fuss is about.
May 4th, 2007
Phones studied as attack detector
Mimi Hall, USA TODAY
The government is researching whether the best defense against a chemical, biological or radiological attack might one day be right in everyone's hands - or on their ears...
Kevin Bankston of the Electronic Frontier Foundation says he's wary of any program in which "consumer products become surveillance devices for the government."
May 4th, 2007
Wrestling With the Copyright Takedown
Corynne McSherry, The Recorder
Last month, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Stanford Fair Use Project filed a lawsuit against Viacom International to protect the free-speech rights of MoveOn.org and Brave New Films. Viacom had improperly issued a Digital Millennium Copyright Act takedown notice to YouTube over "Stop the Falsiness" - a humorous video built around clips from Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report." The video was clearly a parody and, therefore, a non-infringing fair use.
May 4th, 2007
Bush administration proposes retroactive immunity for phone companies
Nate Anderson, Ars Technica
Retroactive immunity from prosecution is a beautiful thing if you're a major telecommunications provider in the US, and phone companies are about to receive it if the Bush administration gets its way...
With Congress unwilling to figure out what was going on, individuals and advocacy groups began filing lawsuits against the phone companies. The EFF and others argued that communications privacy laws had been violated, but the government countered by claiming that a "state secrets" privilege meant that the cases should simply be thrown out. Though some cases were dismissed, the EFF's case against AT&T continues, though it would also be dismissed if the proposed new legislation passes.
May 4th, 2007
Bush Wants Phone Firms Immune to Privacy Suits
Ellen Nakashima, Washington Post
The Bush administration is urging Congress to pass a law that would halt dozens of lawsuits charging phone companies with invading ordinary citizens' privacy through a post-Sept. 11 warrantless surveillance program...
"To let them off the hook now sets a dangerous precedent by encouraging them to continue to engage in illegal collaborations with the government in the future," said Kevin Bankston, staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which last year filed a class-action lawsuit against AT&T, charging that the company allowed the government to unlawfully monitor U.S. residents."
May 4th, 2007
Phones studied as attack detector
Mimi Hall, USA TODAY
The government is researching whether the best defense against a chemical, biological or radiological attack might one day be right in everyone's hands - or on their ears...
Kevin Bankston of the Electronic Frontier Foundation says he's wary of any program in which "consumer products become surveillance devices for the government."
May 4th, 2007
Wrestling With the Copyright Takedown
Corynne McSherry, The Recorder
Last month, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Stanford Fair Use Project filed a lawsuit against Viacom International to protect the free-speech rights of MoveOn.org and Brave New Films. Viacom had improperly issued a Digital Millennium Copyright Act takedown notice to YouTube over "Stop the Falsiness" - a humorous video built around clips from Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report." The video was clearly a parody and, therefore, a non-infringing fair use.
May 4th, 2007
Bush administration proposes retroactive immunity for phone companies
Nate Anderson, Ars Technica
Retroactive immunity from prosecution is a beautiful thing if you're a major telecommunications provider in the US, and phone companies are about to receive it if the Bush administration gets its way...
With Congress unwilling to figure out what was going on, individuals and advocacy groups began filing lawsuits against the phone companies. The EFF and others argued that communications privacy laws had been violated, but the government countered by claiming that a "state secrets" privilege meant that the cases should simply be thrown out. Though some cases were dismissed, the EFF's case against AT&T continues, though it would also be dismissed if the proposed new legislation passes.
May 4th, 2007
Bush Wants Phone Firms Immune to Privacy Suits
Ellen Nakashima, Washington Post
The Bush administration is urging Congress to pass a law that would halt dozens of lawsuits charging phone companies with invading ordinary citizens' privacy through a post-Sept. 11 warrantless surveillance program...
"To let them off the hook now sets a dangerous precedent by encouraging them to continue to engage in illegal collaborations with the government in the future," said Kevin Bankston, staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which last year filed a class-action lawsuit against AT&T, charging that the company allowed the government to unlawfully monitor U.S. residents."
May 3rd, 2007
Web Users Unite Against DRM: Antipiracy Code Now Public
http://www.hardwarezone.com/news/view.php?id=7185&cid=10 Francis Yeo, New York Times
There is open revolt on the Web...
"It's a perfect example of how a lawyer's involvement can turn a little story into a huge story," said Fred von Lohmann, a staff lawyer at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights group. "Now that they started sending threatening letters, the Internet has turned the number into the latest celebrity. It is now guaranteed eternal fame."
May 3rd, 2007
Digg Reverses Course After Online Uproar
Larry Magid, CBS News
The Web site Digg - where people get to submit links to articles and blog items that they think others should pay attention to - has been involved in a hailstorm of controversy this week over its initial adherence and eventual rejection of a legal notice from a movie industry anti-piracy group...
But Fred Von Lohmann, intellectual property attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, doesn't think there's much chance that Digg will "die" as a result of the decision.
"It's very unlikely that the AACS is going to sue Digg over this," he said in an interview.
May 3rd, 2007
Anti-piracy secret code posted on net
UPI
Savvy U.S. Internet users are distributing a code used by the technology and movie industries to thwart piracy of high-definition films...
"It's a perfect example of how a lawyer's involvement can turn a little story into a huge story, said Fred von Lohmann, a staff lawyer at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights group. Now that they started sending threatening letters, the Internet has turned the number into the latest celebrity."
May 3rd, 2007
Web Users Unite Against DRM: Antipiracy Code Now Public
http://www.hardwarezone.com/news/view.php?id=7185&cid=10 Francis Yeo, New York Times
There is open revolt on the Web...
"It's a perfect example of how a lawyer's involvement can turn a little story into a huge story," said Fred von Lohmann, a staff lawyer at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights group. "Now that they started sending threatening letters, the Internet has turned the number into the latest celebrity. It is now guaranteed eternal fame."
May 3rd, 2007
Digg Reverses Course After Online Uproar
Larry Magid, CBS News
The Web site Digg - where people get to submit links to articles and blog items that they think others should pay attention to - has been involved in a hailstorm of controversy this week over its initial adherence and eventual rejection of a legal notice from a movie industry anti-piracy group...
But Fred Von Lohmann, intellectual property attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, doesn't think there's much chance that Digg will "die" as a result of the decision.
"It's very unlikely that the AACS is going to sue Digg over this," he said in an interview.
May 3rd, 2007
Anti-piracy secret code posted on net
UPI
Savvy U.S. Internet users are distributing a code used by the technology and movie industries to thwart piracy of high-definition films...
"It's a perfect example of how a lawyer's involvement can turn a little story into a huge story, said Fred von Lohmann, a staff lawyer at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights group. Now that they started sending threatening letters, the Internet has turned the number into the latest celebrity."
May 2nd, 2007
Digg's Dilemma
Andy Greenberg, Forbes
The Web 2.0 movement is based, in theory, on the idea that everyone on the Internet gets to have his or her say. But what happens when visitors to Web 2.0 sites start pushing the legal limits of free speech?...
All of that, says Fred von Lohmann of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, means Digg is in uncharted legal territory. "This sort of issue is one of the least explored areas of the law and the Internet," he says.
May 2nd, 2007
Egypt's bloggers do it better
CafeBabel
In some UN member countries, censorship-free media is still a wishful fantasy...
Danny O'Brien, 39, a specialist from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, says that such technology is readily available and used in European countries. 'In the UK, British Telecom cooperates with non-governmental organisations, such as the Internet Watch Foundation. They look for websites that contain child pornography and block their users from accessing these sites or individual URLs.'
May 2nd, 2007
Western states urge delaying standard driver's license law
Aurelio Rojas, Sacramento Bee
Department of motor vehicles officials from Western states on Tuesday urged the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to delay implementation of a law requiring states to standardize driver's licenses...
Derek Slater of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a privacy group, noted that the regulations leave it to states to secure personal information.
"It will be the weakest states' guidelines that will lay the basis of protection," Slater said. "DHS regulations cannot fix the fundamental problems with the Real ID.
May 2nd, 2007
Digg's Dilemma
Andy Greenberg, Forbes
The Web 2.0 movement is based, in theory, on the idea that everyone on the Internet gets to have his or her say. But what happens when visitors to Web 2.0 sites start pushing the legal limits of free speech?...
All of that, says Fred von Lohmann of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, means Digg is in uncharted legal territory. "This sort of issue is one of the least explored areas of the law and the Internet," he says.
May 2nd, 2007
Egypt's bloggers do it better
CafeBabel
In some UN member countries, censorship-free media is still a wishful fantasy...
Danny O'Brien, 39, a specialist from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, says that such technology is readily available and used in European countries. 'In the UK, British Telecom cooperates with non-governmental organisations, such as the Internet Watch Foundation. They look for websites that contain child pornography and block their users from accessing these sites or individual URLs.'
May 2nd, 2007
Western states urge delaying standard driver's license law
Aurelio Rojas, Sacramento Bee
Department of motor vehicles officials from Western states on Tuesday urged the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to delay implementation of a law requiring states to standardize driver's licenses...
Derek Slater of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a privacy group, noted that the regulations leave it to states to secure personal information.
"It will be the weakest states' guidelines that will lay the basis of protection," Slater said. "DHS regulations cannot fix the fundamental problems with the Real ID.
