Archive for 2010/12/02

MPAA Statement On Google’s Taking Steps To Address Online Copyright Infringement

Posted: 2010/12/02 in Copyright, Education / Awareness, Enforcement, Google, Illegal File Sharing, New Business Models

Google today announced new steps it is taking to help combat online copyright infringement. The following is a comment from Bob Pisano, President and Interim CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA):

“We are encouraged by Google’s recognition of the responsibility of all participants in the online world to help combat online content theft. These are important first steps toward helping protect the rights of content owners and the more than 2.4 million American jobs that depend on a healthy motion picture and television industry. We look forward to Google’s implementation of its announced reforms. We also look forward to working with Google to address other important issues, including Google’s listings and rankings of notorious pirate sites as places to go to get movies that are still only in the cinema and other illegal content. Just yesterday, Google announced that it was changing its algorithm so that unscrupulous merchants will not appear high up on search lists. Similar methods can and should be used to address online content theft as well.”

http://mpaa.org/resources/23a1ecde-4dc9-4b75-8a9c-ba2773516633.pdf

See also:

Google gets tough on copyright infringement

Today, Google announced four new ways it plans on cutting into illegal piracy and copyright infringement.

The Internet ain’t the pirate-friendly place it used to be. Today, on its blog, Google announced four new anti-piracy measures it will be taking in the coming months, likely in an attempt to appease network TV channels that are currently blocking its Google TV service. The new changes affect autocomplete, Ad Sense, copyright infringement requests, and how authorized content is promoted on the search engine.

Changes to copyright policy:

  • Google will act on reliable copyright requests within 24 hours. If they know you’re a copyright holder and you’ve made legitimate requests before, your takedown requests will happen faster on services like YouTube. “Counter-notice” tools will also become easier to use, allowing legitimate or “fair use” content that has been removed the chance to defend itself.
  • Autocomplete, the feature that fills in words for you while typing searches, will no longer complete words that are closely associated with pirating and copyright infringement.
  • Ad Sense, Google’s ad serving program, will more thoroughly review web pages for piracy before allowing ads to be served on them. Copyright holders will also be able to request that Ad Sense be removed from pages that are illegally serving copyrighted materials.
  • Just as it’s done with music, Google plans to make legitimate movies, TV shows, and other content easier to find in search results, even if that content is only preview-able.

Though copyright holders can still make takedown requests, Google’s Content ID system on YouTube has become quite advanced. Content ID automatically identifies videos and audio that contains copyrighted material. Upon the copyright holder’s request, infringing content can be removed or ads can be placed into it, allowing the copyright holder to make money from the infringing videos.

While these changes are proactive, it may not be enough to satisfy certain copyright holders. TV networks would like Google to completely block all illegitimate content from its search results, effectively censoring the web. So far, Google has not done this. Would you like to see it go further to protect copyright, or is it already doing too much?

http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/google-gets-tough-on-copyright-infringement/?news=123

ICE Operation In Our Sites 2 on YouTube – The how, the why

Posted: 2010/12/02 in Copyright, Education / Awareness, Enforcement, Illegal File Sharing, Public Policy

Race Is On to ‘Fingerprint’ Phones, PCs

Posted: 2010/12/02 in Education / Awareness, New Business Models, Online advertising, Privacy / Data Protection

Mr. Norris’s start-up company, BlueCava Inc., has identified 200 million devices. By the end of next year, BlueCava says it expects to have cataloged one billion of the world’s estimated 10 billion devices.

Advertisers no longer want to just buy ads. They want to buy access to specific people. So, Mr. Norris is building a “credit bureau for devices” in which every computer or cellphone will have a “reputation” based on its user’s online behavior, shopping habits and demographics. He plans to sell this information to advertisers willing to pay top dollar for granular data about people’s interests and activities.

Device fingerprinting is a powerful emerging tool in this trade. It’s “the next generation of online advertising,” Mr. Norris says.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704679204575646704100959546.html

Personal data of ING Bank customers can be retrieved. Bank not taking action

Posted: 2010/12/02 in Cybercrime, Education / Awareness, Privacy / Data Protection

According to a Dutch language news article, clever criminals would be able to retrieve personal details relating to 8.9 million Dutch ING customers by misusing the functionality whereby the bank is checking whether the initials, last name and place of residence, bank account and the bank of the entity one wants to transfer money to is correct and if not, is suggesting alternative options for the details that were initially submitted.

Cybercriminals could write a script which would generate those alternative options automatically. Dutch web magazine Tweakers.net was provided with a list of customers 0000001 to 0000250 of which the personal details were retrieved using this method. Criminals could use the data to massively distribute automatic withdrawal schemes to those customers.

The ING Bank is not taking action and believes that this privacy issue will not be abused to a meaningful extent.

(my summary and translation)

Dutch language article: http://tweakers.net/nieuws/71115/privegegevens-alle-ing-klanten-zijn-door-ontwerpfout-te-achterhalen.html

BlackBerry overtakes Apple in Mobile Wars

Posted: 2010/12/02 in Education / Awareness, Mobile tech, Stats / reports

BlackBerry OS at 34.3% overtook Apple’s iOS which recorded 33% in November

http://gs.statcounter.com/press/blackberry-overtakes-apple-in-mobile-wars

Apple Patents A Better Glasses-Free 3D Projection System

Posted: 2010/12/02 in Tech Evolution

http://gizmodo.com/5703892/apple-patents-a-better-glasses+free-3d-projection-system

BBC’s iPlayer Will Be Available Internationally Soon, First As An iPad App

Posted: 2010/12/02 in Education / Awareness, New Business Models

http://gizmodo.com/5704023/bbcs-iplayer-will-be-available-internationally-soon-first-as-an-ipad-app

Dish Network Remote Access App Lets iPad Users Schedule Recordings and Watch Live TV

Posted: 2010/12/02 in Education / Awareness, New Business Models, Tech Evolution

http://gizmodo.com/5704138/dish-network-remote-access-app-lets-ipad-users-schedule-recordings-and-watch-live-tv

Have $150,000? Buy This Bankrupt Satellite to Share Internet With the Poor

Posted: 2010/12/02 in Education / Awareness, New Business Models

http://gizmodo.com/5704185/have-150000-buy-this-bankrupt-satellite-to-share-internet-with-the-poor

Why Does Apple Make Donation Apps So Hard?

Posted: 2010/12/02 in Cybercrime, Education / Awareness, New Business Models

While Apple hasn’t fully explained its rationale to either Givabit or MissionFish, it’s likely that they don’t want to be liable for donation apps that turn out to be fraudulent.

http://gizmodo.com/5703765/why-does-apple-make-being-a-charitable-app-so-hard

Vice-President (VP) for the Digital Agenda (Neelie Kroes), has called on the EU’s Council of Telecoms Ministers “not to shy away from difficult decisions” and to boost Mobile Broadband access around Europe

Posted: 2010/12/02 in Education / Awareness, Mobile tech, Public Policy

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/story/2010/12/02/europes-digital-agenda-vp-demands-action-on-mobile-broadband-spectrum.html

Content Providers Urge UK Government to Protect Open Internet from ISP Abuse

Posted: 2010/12/02 in Education / Awareness, Net Neutrality

A significant group of 19 internet content providers, including eBay, Skype, We7 and Yahoo!, have today issued an open letter to Ed Vaizey (MP) that calls on the UK government to put in place “actions” that stop broadband ISPs from being able to use “discriminatory business practices” against their businesses.

Coadec, Jeff Lynn, Chairman, The Coalition for a Digital Economy
ARIADNE Capital, Julie Meyer, CEO
Consumer Focus, Robert Hammond, Head of Post and Digital Communications
eBay, Stefan Krawczyk, Senior Director and Counsel Government Relations Europe
Eden, Charles Grimsdale, Partner
imrg, Andrew McClelland, Director of Operations
National Union of Journalists, Jeremy Dear, General Secretary
Open Rights Group, Jim Killock, Executive Director
Professor William Dutton, Director, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford
Reevoo, Richard Anson, CEO
Skype, Jean-Jacques Sahel, Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs, Europe, Middle-East & Africa
techhub, Elizabeth Varley, Co-Founder / CEO and Mike Butcher, Co-Founder
Truphone, James Tagg, Chief Technical Officer
The Filter, David Maher Roberts, CEO
We7, Steve Purdham, CEO & Founder Investor
Which?, Louise Hanson, Head of Advocacy
XIX Article 19, Agnés Callamard, Executive Director
Yahoo! Europe, Emma Ascroft, Director of Public & Social Policy — Yahoo! UK & Ireland

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/story/2010/12/02/content-providers-urge-uk-government-to-protect-open-internet-from-isp-abuse.html

Ofcom UK Study Reveals Stagnant Fixed Line Broadband ISP Market Growth

Posted: 2010/12/02 in Education / Awareness, Stats / reports

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/story/2010/12/02/ofcom-uk-study-reveals-stagnant-fixed-line-broadband-isp-market-growth.html

Sensing Danger, Demonoid BitTorrent Tracker Ditches .COM Domain

Posted: 2010/12/02 in Blocking, Education / Awareness, Future Developments?, Illegal File Sharing, Tech Evolution

It will move to a .ME domain with immediate effect. The move comes as no surprise since both the MPAA and RIAA listed Demonoid in their recent submissions of “notorious markets” for pirate material

http://torrentfreak.com/sensing-danger-demonoid-bittorrent-tracker-ditches-com-domain-101202/

.me is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Montenegro.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.me

2.9.7 (see also 2.7.2)
Registrant shall acknowledge and agree that Registry reserves the right to deny, cancel or transfer any registration or transaction, or place any domain name(s) on registry lock, hold or similar status, that it deems necessary, in its sole discretion; (1) to protect the integrity and stability of the registry; (2) to comply with any applicable laws, government rules or requirements, requests of law enforcement, or any dispute resolution process; (3) to avoid any liability, civil or criminal, on the part of Registry, as well as its owners, affiliates, subsidiaries, officers, directors, and employees; (4) for violations of the any policies, terms or conditions established by Registry, including, without limitation, the Registry Policies or (5) to correct mistakes made by Registry or any registrar in connection with a domain name registration. Registry also reserves the right to place upon registry lock, hold or similar status a domain name during resolution of a dispute proceeding.  
2.9.8
 Registrant shall submit to proceedings commenced under other dispute policies as set forth by Registry from time to time, including but not limited to expedited processes for suspension of a domain name by claims sought by intellectual property right holders, Internet engineering and security experts or other competent claimants in the purpose of upholding the stability, security and integrity of the Registry System for the TLD.

http://www.domain.me/cms/site_files/dotME_RRA.pdf

Google: “given our success and the disruptive nature of our business, it’s entirely understandable that we’ve caused unease among other companies and caught the attention of regulators”

Posted: 2010/12/02 in Google, Public Policy

http://www.p2pnet.net/story/46447

MediaSentry: still operating illegally in Oz

Posted: 2010/12/02 in Education / Awareness

http://www.p2pnet.net/story/46438

FTC wants “do not track” button on your browser, pronto

Posted: 2010/12/02 in Education / Awareness, New Business Models, Privacy / Data Protection, Public Policy

The FTC wants commercial websites to offer consumers a “persistent” mechanism on their Web browser that would allow them to opt out of being tracked for targeted ads.

http://arstechnica.com/web/news/2010/12/ftc-its-do-not-track-time-for-the-net.ars

Google tweaks algorithm to punish bad businesses

Posted: 2010/12/02 in Education / Awareness, Filtering, Google, New Business Models, Tech Evolution

Google says that it has made changes to its increasingly complex ranking algorithms to ensure that businesses with reputations for bad customer service don’t rank highly in search results.

http://arstechnica.com/web/news/2010/12/google-tweaks-algorithm-to-punish-bad-businesses.ars

Highlights – Latest WikiLeaks developments

Posted: 2010/12/02 in Education / Awareness, Privacy / Data Protection, Public Policy, Stats / reports

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE6B12KP20101202

See also:

WikiLeaks documents: five world leaders disparaged by US diplomats
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Foreign-Policy/2010/1129/WikiLeaks-documents-five-world-leaders-disparaged-by-US-diplomats/Italy-s-Silvio-Berlusconi

and

“If global stability is based on deception and lies, maybe it needs a bit of a shaking up”
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6B05HZ20101202

The end of the internet as we know it? Clippings service users must pay to access web links, says High Court

Posted: 2010/12/02 in Copyright, Education / Awareness, Future Developments?, Jurisprudence

By receiving and reading Meltwater News, whether by email or by accessing it via Meltwater’s website, the End User will be making a copy of it, and the copyright material contained in it,” said the High Court ruling, outlining NLA’s argument. “The End User will also be in possession of an infringing copy in the course of business within the meaning of section 23 of CDPA.”

“By clicking on a Link to an article, the End User will make a copy of the article within the meaning of [section 17 of the CDPA] and will be in possession of an infringing copy in the course of business within the meaning of [section 23]. By forwarding Meltwater News or its contents to clients an End User will issue to the public copies of the work within the meaning of section 18 CDPA,” the ruling said.

A European Court of Justice ruling last year in a similar case found that extracts as short as 11 words could attract the protection of copyright in a case involving Danish clippings service Infopaq.

“When an End User receives an email containing Meltwater News, a copy is made on the End User’s computer and remains there until deleted. Further, when the End User views Meltwater News via Meltwater’s website on screen, a copy is made on that computer,” said the judge.

“Therefore the End User makes copies of the headline and the text extract in those two situations and there is prima facie infringement. When an End User clicks on a Link a copy of the article on the Publisher’s website which appears on the website accessible via that Link is made on the End User’s computer,” said the ruling.

“However it seems to me that in principle copying by an End User without a licence through a direct Link is more likely than not to infringe copyright,” she said. “An End User who uses the share function to forward a headline Link (and … an End User who simply forwards an email) to a client will make further copies and thus further infringe. Such forwarding will also be issuing a copy to the public under section 18 of the CDPA.”

Much more: http://www.out-law.com/page-11601