News of the Week Top 5; February 4, 2015

News of the Week Top 5; February 4, 2015

1. Why Does Facebook Censor Gay Images?: Photographer Michael Stokes, among others, says his work is regularly censored by Facebook even when the images clearly don’t break the rules. Who makes these decisions? 2. When Musicians Unintentionally Steal: Sam Smith’s hit single sounds an awful lot like a Tom Petty song, but that doesn’t make him some kind […]

Class 3 & 4 Slides; January 20 & 27, 2015

Class 3 & 4 Slides; January 20 & 27, 2015

Have done a remix of our last two sets of class slides to make them flow into the single set they were always intended to be  😉 jon

News of the Week Top 5; January 28, 2015

News of the Week Top 5; January 28, 2015

1. 4 Ways Copyright Law Actually Controls Your Whole Digital Life 2. Canadian spy ops targeted global file-sharing services, drowned in Glee episodes: Canada’s version of the NSA targeted RapidShare, MegaUpload, and SendSpace. 3. College Claims Copyright On 16th Century Michelangelo Sculpture, Blocks 3D Printing Files 4. Zoë Keating vs YouTube: The End of an Artist’s Right to Choose Where Their Music […]

Constraints Made Google and Mick Jagger Great–and They’ll Make You a Better Entrepreneur

Constraints Made Google and Mick Jagger Great–and They’ll Make You a Better Entrepreneur

Here is another piece that glorifies constraints – this time in an entrepreneurial rather than creative context. In doing so it arguably provides a clue as to what lies behind this S&M like lust for handcuffs. Read closely and you may see that it comes down to ego and the illusion of being special. In […]

Top 10 Internet Law Developments Of 2014

Top 10 Internet Law Developments Of 2014

Here is a terrifically useful article by Professor Eric Goldman of Santa Clara Law called the “Top 10 Internet Law Developments Of 2014”. It is potentially a wonderful source of inspiration for seminar or paper topics. Here is the link: Top 10 Internet Law Developments Of 2014. jon

The Entire Concept Of Intellectual Property Is Proof That Free Markets Aren’t Perfect

The Entire Concept Of Intellectual Property Is Proof That Free Markets Aren’t Perfect

Though essentially tautological in it’s structure and delivery, this piece from Forbes is nevertheless of some use to provoke thought, though ironically not necessarily in the direction the author intended. Read it here: The Entire Concept Of Intellectual Property Is Proof That Free Markets Aren’t Perfect. Now ask yourself if the better answer is to: A. […]

News of the Week Top 5; January 21, 2015

News of the Week Top 5; January 21, 2015

1. Art Spiegelman Criticizes US Press for Not Publishing ‘Charlie Hebdo’ Cartoons 2. EFF Offers A Strong Rebuke Of President Obama’s Cybersecurity Proposals 3. TV on your phone: Dish prevails in copyright fight with broadcasters: Judge says Dish Anywhere service is not Aereo. Fox “disappointed” with ruling 4. Artist Luc Tuymans Loses Plagiarism Case, Raises Questions 5. Steven Soderbergh Fought […]

Less than Zero — Backchannel — Medium

Less than Zero — Backchannel — Medium

A concept well worth reflecting on: when is “free” not neutral? This article goes through the ins and outs of what it really means when carriers exempt certain apps from data charges, and not others. What do “net neutrality” rules have to look like to be meaningful and not a  commercially manipulative sham? Read more […]

Writers Say They Feel Censored by Surveillance – NYTimes.com

Writers Say They Feel Censored by Surveillance – NYTimes.com

How is this for disturbing – hardly the percentage difference between “free” and “not free” countries you might wish for: “Some 75 percent of respondents in countries classified as “free,” 84 percent in “partly free” countries, and 80 percent in countries that were “not free” said that they were “very” or “somewhat” worried about government […]

News of the Week Top 5; January 14, 2015

News of the Week Top 5; January 14, 2015

1. ‘Anonymous’ Member Calls For Revenge On Terrorists For Charlie Hebdo Massacre 2. Code Is Law: But law is increasingly determining the ethics of code. (Jonathon Penney) 3. Stop sketching, little girl — those paintings are copyrighted! 4. Rightscorp and BMG Exploiting Copyright Notice-and-Notice System: Citing False Legal Information in Payment Demands (Michael Geist) 5. Copyright and Inequality (Lea Shaver) jon