News Roundup - August 2009

1. Last-Ditch Effort to Scuttle RIAA File Sharing Verdict
(LINK)
2. An open letter to the RIAA: Illegal file sharing problem solved?
(LINK)
3. YouTube Embraces Pre-Roll Video Ads (Updated)
(LINK)
4. Young people will pay for downloads, says trade body's secret data
(LINK)
5. YouTube to share ad money with viral videos
(LINK)
6. Mininova flattened by Dutch court
(LINK)
7. Mandelson web cutoff plan 'potentially illegal'
(LINK)
8. UK caves to Hollywood, orders net cut-off for 'hardcore' downloaders
(LINK)
9. Government details proposed filesharing crackdown
(LINK)
10. UK plan to disconnect file-sharers might be made redundant by ECJ, says expert
(LINK)
11. Sony loses bid to force royalties out of webcaster
(LINK)
12. YouTube injects cash into US F1 team
(LINK)
13. Apple's future TV: Can Web-based apps replace "channels," kill cable?
(LINK)
14. Goldman goes ga-ga for Google, cites YouTube, Europe and display ads
(LINK)
15. Writers who call MPAA or RIAA awful need to look in the mirror
(LINK)
16. Government details how Digital Britain Report will become reality
(LINK)
17. Justice says $1.9 million verdict is constitutional
(LINK)
18. Let me say it again: Stop sharing music!
(LINK)
19. Mandy not swayed by ents mogul on illegal file sharing
(LINK)
20. Courts put DVD ripping on shaky ground
(LINK)
21. Oz gov suggests world's worst copyright protection scheme
(LINK)
22. 'Norfolk Broads Idiot' nailed on YouTube
(LINK)
23. 'iTunes of Documents' focuses on forms, legal docs for online marketplace
(LINK)
24. Court upholds RealDVD injunction; supports outdated laws and Hollywood business model
(LINK)
25. DVD Jon subpoenaed in Apple anti-trust lawsuit
(LINK)
26. SEG Clip USB TV tuner: Watch digital TV on your iPhone, if you live in Japan
(LINK)
27. Downloading content illegally vs. getting away with it
(LINK)
28. Hey, kids! The days of free music are over.
(LINK)

Mobile TV's Loss Could Be Internet TV's Gain

A leading blogger for ZDNet believes that watching live television on your cell phone is unlikely to catch on, for technological reasons and because there really is not much need for it.

Good news for Internet TV however, as he says: "the logical step is to watch television on a computer instead."

Source

Mobile TV: Why it stalled and why it won't take off
(LINK)

The "piratebay" sale, An Update

The Pirate Bay was due to be sold to GGF in the near future, however the sale has been halted by Swedish stock market authorities due to a lack of immediately verifiable funds. Also, a number of Pirate Bay clones are surfacing due to the posting of a torrent file of the website's entire database. As a result, commentators consider the deal dead in the water.

Source

Trading in The Pirate Bay bidder stopped over deal funding
(LINK)

UPDATE - 25 August 2009

A Swedish court threatened the Pirate Bay's main ISP with heavy fines if it does not block access. The ISP complied although the website is expected to be working normally very soon.

Source

Swedish court orders The Pirate Bay shutdown
(LINK)

UPDATE - 26 August 2009

"Don't mess with our torrents" seems to be the message that the Pirate Bay's users deliver when they engage in what has been described as "sabotage" of the ISP that complied with the Swedish court's order.

Source

ISP that cut off Pirate Bay hit hard, site is back online in hours
(LINK)

Google Books

In 2007, while I was a student in University College Cork, I authored a paper entitled "Don't Be Evil - The Google 'Book Search' Project". The paper dealt with an examination of Google's "Book Search" Project and whether it would pass a "fair use" copyright test. I was pretty proud of my work, and it was even shortlisted for the prestigious Matheson Ormsby Prentice Undergraduate Prize in Information Technology Law. As a result, I have tried to keep an eye on the Project and so, even though it may not fit in with the overall theme of this blog, I will from time to time include any updates here.

The first of these updates is the news that Google has struck a deal to scan and digitize in copyright, but out of print works, including "orpan" works, i.e. works where it is almost impossible to identify the copyright holder(1).

The second update is that the US Government is close to scuppering the deal with their concern about the possibility of a Google monopoly over "orphan" works.

The third update is that the French National Library is allowing Google access to its archive, after the library's calls for a European Union online book repository were ignored.

The fourth update is that Google's rivals (Microsoft, Yahoo and Amazon) are also trying to defeat the deal with a view to preventing Google becoming a "book gatekeeper". [Can anyone smell irony?!]

Commentators are divided on the issue, saying on the one hand that if Google has the resources and the capability to save "orphan" works then it should even if the motivation is profit. On the other hand, a monopoly of orphaned works might lead to more difficulties.

As I stated in the conclusion to my paper, "After all, as George Orwell wrote: “Who controls the past controls the future”, and Google could be said to be going a long way towards this end... Similarly it could be seen as creating the need for more responsibility from corporations such as Google, who are now effectively acting as the stewards of information for the public. But these worries might well be unfounded seeing as Google believes, at least informally, in the phrase: “Don’t be evil”.

A copy of my paper can be found HERE.

Footnote

(1) "Orphan" Works, Wikipedia Entry, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orphan_works

Source

Can Microsoft, Yahoo and Amazon help scuttle Google's book settlement?
(LINK)
Lawyer files a full-throated attack on Google Books deal
(LINK)
Google annexes Bibliothèque Nationale de France
(LINK)
Just let Google give us the books already!
(LINK)
Justice inquiries into Google Book Deal show it's all but dead
(LINK)

What place does 3D have in Television?

3D movies are gaining in popularity and the upcoming "The Final Destination" is sure to be a seat filler in your local multi-plex. So popular is 3D, that now the television industry is getting in on the action - with television stations intending to have devoted 3D channels in both the UK and the USA. If you can't wait until 2010, when the new channels are to be rolled out, then British viewers can look forward to Channel 4's limited 3D scheduling which is to air this Autumn.

The hardware is in development, the content is on its way, the only thing that remains is to wait and see if this is going to be anything more than a phase. If it is successful then expect online television to move in the same direction.

Source

Channel 4 to go 3D
(LINK)
Sky switches on 3D TV channel in 2010
(LINK)
First 3D TV channel coming to U.S. next year?
(LINK)

The New Copyright Model

The Pirate Bay is apparently up for sale, and if it ends up being purchased by Global Gaming Factory X the new owners intend to implement a new system that will appease copyright holders while still appealing to the Pirate Bay's die hard clientele. In effect it will legalise the Pirate Bay.

The new system will effectively require users to pay a monthly subscription to gain access to licensed content from copyright holders. Alternatively, when infringing content is found copyright holders will have the choice of having the content taken down or receiving an undisclosed sum of money.

A benefit of the new system would be that the quality of files would be assured. Similarly it would allow copyright holders to receive some payment for a practice that will continue with or without the Pirate Bay.

Watch this space.

Source

GGF plans to steer The Pirate Bay freeloaders straight
(LINK)

Britain Renews the Fight against Sites that Link

In previous years, tv-links and Oink have been shut down and their respective owners arrested, although the former was never made stand trial. Now another site that links to allegedly infringing content, including television shows, has been shut down.

Filesoup began in 2003 and up until its closure acted as a forum where users could post links to various files.

This is another victory for copyright holders, as represented by the group, known in Britain as FACT. However, the law in Britain regarding sites that link is underdeveloped and so it will be worth waiting to see whether official charges will eventually be made or not.

Source

British man arrested for role in running FileSoup file sharing website
(LINK)

Youtube/Hulu's New Direction?

According to businessinsider.com well known content providers may be moving towards an agreement that would see full-length movies being put on sites like Youtube/Hulu, supported by online ads. Although the article (below) suggests this move will lead to a stand-off between online video sites and more established cable companies, it may be more likely that the market will take care of itself, as has been the case for television shows (see Hulu's success).

Source

Here Comes The YouTube-Hulu-Cable Collision Course
(LINK)

UPDATE - 20 August 2009

Time Warner and Youtube have signed a formal online video distribution deal. More details below.

Source

Time Warner, YouTube ink distribution pact
(LINK)

Digital Music is on the Rise - Will the same hold true for Digital TV?

Recent reports show a healthy growth in market share for online sales of music. The television industry and other copyright holders should pay attention to this fact when deciding on new business models for the distribution of their video content. The times they are a-changin', best keep that in mind.

Source

iTunes swallowed a quarter of US music sales
(LINK)
Good riddance: Digital music sales to surpass CDs in 2010?
(LINK)

Is Online TV Better for the Environment?

A joint Microsoft/Intel effort to investigate the effects of information technology on energy and the environment has found that it is more environmentally friendly to download music via the internet through a service like iTunes.

Comparisons may be drawn with the way people view television i.e. it is more eco-friendly to watch the first season of Lost on iTunes than to purchase the physical DVD box set.

The report is examined more closely in the article below, and the other articles in the series can be found HERE.

Source

Eco-ears: Why downloading your music from the Internet is inherently more green
(LINK)

The Pirate Party has Begun and Everyone's Invited!

In a previous post (LINK) I mentioned that the Swedish Pirate Party had recently won a seat in the European Parliament. Well apparently that was the tip of a very large pro-piracy iceberg as there is a large and well supported international community of Pirates out there. According to Wikipedia, the Pirate Party is organised in around 33 countries, and the most recent news is that the UK chapter of the organisation is gaining members at a very fast pace.

So a political movement has begun that is sure to alter the way that copyright laws develop in the future. I'm sure that revolutionaries throughout the world are very proud. I know I am.

Source

100 freetards an hour join Pirate Party UK
(LINK)
Wikipedia Entry - Pirate Party
(LINK)

UPDATE - 25 August 2009

Be warned. The Pirate Party UK is going after the youth vote. The question is will that be good enough. Perhaps piracy will prove to be an exciting enough concept to lure usually apathetic youngsters out from behind their computers and into a polling booth. Or maybe they will just be allowed to vote from their PC.

Source

Pro-filesharing political group targets youth vote at next election
(LINK)

Green Dam Update

The Chinese government has decided to amend its approach to Green Dam. Now the software is only compulsory for school computers and those that are in public places, i.e. internet cafes. The reason for the climb down seems to be a combination of security issues with the software, and protests linked to certain censored websites.

China scales back censorship plans
(LINK)
China Scales Back Software Filter Plan
(LINK)
China explodes Green Dam
(LINK)