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technology
WordPress and the GPL
Any WordPress theme is so entwined with the main WordPress code as to make it a “derivative work,” and thus subject to WordPress’ copyright and licensing (which is the GPL).
Should ringtones count as a "public performance"?
Should someone — either you or your carrier — have to pay additionally for a “public performance” of a song when your phone rings?
Attorney ethics require effective research skills: "the torture memos"
Whatever you feel about the “torture memos,” one underlying lesson is an important one for any lawyer: failure to do effective research when advising your client can be as much of a breach of ethical rules as failure to meet deadlines.
Disruption and change in publishing
Michael Nielsen wrote a stellar piece dealing with disruptive changes that doom old business models: newspapers and science publishers, to mention his examples. He does a particularly good job at explaining how this could happen even without anyone doing anything wrong or stupid.
Judge Posner: Expand copyright to protect newspapers?
Judge Posner recently suggested that copyright law might need to be expanded to protect the news industry, including barring linking to copyrighted content or paraphrasing it.
Technology and social media alter recruiting and job seeking
NPR brings us some useful new “rules of the road” for those seeking jobs in today’s economy – I think this goes for lawyers as much as anyone. Just remember, while technology has altered some parts of job seeking and recruitment, the broad essentials (a good resume, networking, research, preparation, interview skills) remain the same.
The current television business model will fail
The television industry is where newspapers were 10 years ago – in denial that they need to change their business model. They have tried, on occasion, to argue that skipping commercials is “stealing” and similar types of arguments. They are, as Henry points out, still making money – so they can afford to ignore the changes. I predict that, as inevitable as the death of their current business is, their attempt to legislate content protections is as inevitable.
A manifesto for the new Web from building43
Building43 is the latest Robert Scoble/Rackspace venture, a kind of online community space to develop the future of the Web. (Or something like that.) I am typically suspicious of grand ventures by luminaries – so often they fail to live up to expectations. Still, I’m willing to give it a chance – and, hopefully, to translate some of its message to the legal world.
Evolution vs. Revolution: Overcoming Resistance to Change
Image via CrunchBase Speaking in the context of technology, Michael Crandell at GigaOM writes: Take yourself back for a moment to 1990, to the era of dueling operating systems: OS/2 and Windows. At the time, many people still used MS-DOS, … Continued
Track Changes in Terms of Service
Image via Wikipedia The Electronic Frontier Foundation has introduced a useful new tool called TOSBack: Terms-Of-Service and other website policies form the foundation of your relationship with social networking sites, online businesses, and other Internet communities. But most people become … Continued
In re Bilski Revisited: Business-Method Patents to Go Before the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear In re Bilski, a case that may well invalidate business-method patents.
Journalism and Ethical Blogging
Bloggers who maintain high standards of ethics have the potential to contribute for the benefit of us all. How can one translate the traditional code of journalist ethics into blogging terms? Cyber Journalist has a proposal that makes sense, and I recommend you read and consider it.
Does Copyright Foster or Hinder Innovation?
Have "Real-Time" Services Altered the Balance of the DMCA?
Image via Wikipedia The DMCA has a bad reputation with those who prefer to see greater freedom of information flow. Its anti-circumvention provisions provisions have attracted particular antipathy, and many believe the DMCA takedown provisions are regularly abused. The point … Continued
Random House Disabling Kindle Speech
Image by Getty Images via Daylife Random House now disabling text-to-speech function of Kindle e-books: Random House has thrown the dreaded “kill switch” on about 40 of its titles, including authors such as Toni Morrison. Cory Doctorow adds some background: … Continued
