] The music industry's antipiracy efforts took an
] embarrassing turn Tuesday when the Recording Industry
] Association of America acknowledged that it has
] erroneously sent dozens of copyright infringement
] notices.
]
] The RIAA said Tuesday that a temporary worker was
] responsible for firing off legal notifications last week
] that invoked the Digital Millennium Copyright Act without
] confirming that any copyrighted files were actually being
] offered for download. "We have sent two dozen withdrawal
] notices--all appear related to this particular temp," the
] RIAA said in a statement. "We apologize for any
] inconvenience this may have caused."

The RIAA better watch those stray bullets..

RIAA apologizes for erroneous letters | CNET News.com

Abstract: Peer-to-peer file-sharing networks are currently receiving much attention as a means of sharing and distributing information. However, as recent experience shows, the anonymous, open nature of these networks offers an almost ideal environment for the spread of self-replicating inauthentic files.

We describe an algorithm to decrease the number of downloads of inauthentic files in a peer-to-peer file-sharing network that assigns each peer a unique global trust value, based on the peer’s history of uploads. We present a distributed and secure method to compute global trust values, based on Power iteration. By having peers use these global trust values to choose the peers from whom they download, the network effectively identifies malicious peers and isolates them from the network.

In simulations, this reputation system, called EigenTrust, has been shown to significantly decrease the number of inauthentic files on the network, even under a variety of conditions where malicious peers cooperate in an attempt to deliberately subvert the system.

The EigenTrust Algorithm for Reputation Management in P2P Networks [PDF]

Abstract: The entertainment industry, facing a formidable threat from peer-to-peer piracy networks, is exploring every possible means to attack these networks.

The industry is also employing defensive strategies to protect media and media players from those who would extract and copy their content. These content protection systems depend on the computer industry’s newly announced ‘trusted computing’ technologies.

While "trusted computing" technologies may better protect media and media players from content extraction by pirates, we assert that the very same technologies can be employed to better protect pirates and their peer-to-peer distribution networks from the entertainment industry.

Trusted Computing, Peer-To-Peer Distribution, and the Economics of Pirated Entertainment [PDF]

] When courts intervene to maintain copyright's balance,
] the inevitable consequence is that innovation is harmed.
] If every innovator with technologies affecting content
] must bear the burden of a lawsuit before his innovation
] can be allowed, there will be many fewer innovations in
] the distribution and creation of content. That in turn
] will harm artists and technologists alike. Better to let
] the innovation happen, and then consider whether the
] change caused by the innovation is so significant as to
] require new legislation by the legislature.

FT | Lessig on Morpheus/Grokster case

] This hands-on guide to hacking was cancelled by the
] original publisher, Wiley, out of fear of DMCA-related
] lawsuits. Now, "Hacking the Xbox" is brought to you
] directly by the author, a hacker named "bunnie". The book
] begins with a few step-by-step tutorials on hardware
] modifications that teaches basic hacking techniques as
] well as essential reverse engineering skills. The book
] progresses into a discussion of the Xbox security
] mechanisms and other advanced hacking topics, with an
] emphasis on educating the readers on the important
] subjects of computer security and reverse engineering.
] Hacking the Xbox includes numerous practical guides,
] such as where to get hacking gear, soldering techniques,
] debugging tips and an Xbox hardware reference guide.
]
] "Hacking the Xbox" confronts the social and political
] issues facing today's hacker. The book introduces
] readers to the humans behind the hacks through
] several interviews with master hackers.
]
] "Hacking the Xbox" looks forward and discusses the
] impact of today's legal challenges on legitimate
] reverse engineering activities. The book includes a
] chapter written by the Electronic Frontier Foundation
] (EFF) about the rights and responsibilities of hackers,
] and concludes by discussing the latest trends and
] vulnerabilities in secure PC platforms.

"Line in the sand"

Hacking the Xbox

] Attorneys Howard Ende and Melissa Klipp said the
] settlement was reached between the Recording Industry
] Association of America and 18-year-old Princeton
] University student Daniel Peng. Under terms of the
] settlement, Peng will make a monetary payment to the
] recording industry over a period of several years.

I wonder how many people will wind up paying tax to the RIAA in the next few years..

Wired News: Song Swapper Settles With RIAA

] There’s a standard dance that the IP extremists do
] well: When they lose in Congress, they go overseas
] and negotiate a treaty that imposes on the US the
] same obligation they just lost in Congress; then
] they come back and say, “we must do this to live up
] to our international obligations.”

] So here we go again: The US Trade Representative is
] negotiating trade agreements with Chile and Singapore.
] The agreements essentially require these two countries
] to adopt the DMCA, and make it a violation of “our
] international obligations” if we were to change the
] DMCA. Representatives Lofgren and Boucher — who both
] have bills introduced to amend the DMCA — have written
] a strongly worded letter to the USTR asking for
] clarification. For consistent with this policy making
] process, just what is being promised is never made
] clear — until it is too late. Here’s the letter.

Lawrence Lessig | We’ve seen it all before

] Chief executive for the Recording Industry Association of
] America, Hilary Rosen, is helping draft copyright
] legislation for the New Iraq, according to investigative
] journalist Gregory Palast.
]
] "Who's really going to win this war? It looks like
] Madonna," Palast told Democracy Now radio. "Where before,
] they feared Saddam Hussein, now they have to fear Sony
] Records will chop off their hands if they bootleg a
] Madonna album."

] Under Iraqi copyright legislation, passed by The
] Revolution Leadership Council in 1971, a copyright lapses
] 25 years after the death of the author, but no more then
] fifty years after the publication of the work. It's
] shorter for private works, and there are several public
] interest exemptions.

Iraq, Mickey Mouse would like to have a few words with you..

The Register | RIAA's Rosen 'writing Iraq copyright laws'

Tycho's comments (from site news):
] Have you heard that old saw where somebody says that
] "children today recognize less than ten plants, but
] over a thousand corporate logos"? Putting aside the
] fact the logos have the name of the company on them
] and plants typically don't, you're supposed to be just
] shocked by that plants/logos thing, and I've just never
] been able to muster the indignation over it. Here's
] where it starts to get tricky: when I want to tell
] people where something is, I don't tell them to look
] for the largest poplar, so it doesn't matter if they
] can recognize its tulip-shaped leaves. I tell them to
] turn right at the Texaco. Or the Pizza Pipeline. Or
] Jack In The Box. They actually determine geography.
] I actually can't describe my surroundings without
] using these brands.
]
] I can hardly have thoughts without utilizing brands.
] So, American McGee's creative propensities amuse us.
] What would happen if he turned his dark gaze on one
] of those sweet girls' toys from the eighties, like
] Rainbow Brite or Sweet Secrets or My Little Pony? No,
] I've got it: Strawberry Shortcake. Counting American
] McGee, a single train of thought requires no less
] than five products. Look at Penny Arcade, for Christ's
] sake. I can't even express concepts without leveraging
] some organization's coveted intellectual property. In
] the case of the now infamous strip, it wouldn't have made
] sense to use anything but a commonly known product. So
] now that these Goddamn characters and concepts and
] products are completely intrinsic to our language and
] thought processes, they are, in fact, inextricable, they
] can effectively police speech. I'm not even trying to
] make a value judgement about that. I'm simply amazed
] by it.

This comic is PA's response to American Greetings flawed understanding of Fair Use, Parody, and Satire. Needless to say, its funny as hell.

Writing software, speaking at conventions, using the internet, making webcomics, finding a job, etc.. Wow, we are really getting screwed on all fronts these days, arn't we? Starting to see posts to articles about these incidents with comments like "where do we draw the line?", and its not in reference to where fair use begins and ends, rather its more like "when do we start showing up at the offices of these companies with chainsaws and gasoline cans?"..

[ Update: The Comic Book Defense Fund has lept into action.. http://www.cbldf.org/ ]

Penny Arcade - 10 o'clock ass fucking

] A federal judge in Los Angeles has handed a stunning
] court victory to file-swapping services Streamcast
] Networks and Grokster, dismissing much of the record
] industry and movie studios' lawsuit against the two
] companies.

] "Defendants distribute and support software, the
] users of which can and do choose to employ it for
] both lawful and unlawful ends," Wilson wrote in his
] opinion, released Friday. "Grokster and StreamCast
] are not significantly different from companies that
] sell home video recorders or copy machines, both of
] which can be and are used to infringe copyrights."

Wow! Good news!

Judge: File-swapping tools are legal | CNET News.com