Category: Uncategorized

  • PFIR "Internet Meltdown" Conference

    From today through Wednesday, I’ll be at the PFIR Internet Meltdown conference. I’ll post reports on the conference here.

  • Induce Act Hearing Video

    If you missed yesterday’s Senate hearing on the proposed Induce Act, you can check out the video, thanks to Thomas Barger. (As a bonus, he also offers a video of the May 12 hearings on Rep. Boucher’s DMCRA.) The written testimony of all witnesses, and the statements of Sens. Hatch and Leahy, are available too.

  • Induce Act Hearing Webcast, Live Discussion

    Today’s Senate hearing on the Induce Act will be webcast (link) at 2:00 PM Eastern time. Anybody who is listening to the webcast is invited to discuss the hearing while it happens, in the comments section of this post. I’ll be listening, and watching the comments.

  • Vadasz Attacks INDUCE Act

    An op-ed in today’s Wall Street Journal, by recently retired Intel VP Les Vadasz, urges the Senate to reject the INDUCE Act. News junkies may remember Vadasz’s testimony against the now-infamous Hollings CBDTPA at a Senate hearing, during which Vadasz was treated quite harshly. They may also remember that Vadasz’s view ultimately prevailed, because it…

  • MS to Sue Linux over Patents?

    A two-year-old internal memo from Hewlett-Packard predicted that Microsoft would soon launch patent-infringement suits against companies that distribute open-source products such as Linux and Apache, according to a Joe Barr story at NewsForge. (The article reprints the memo in full.) The memo is clearly based on statements made by Microsoft negotiators during a patent licensing…

  • Software That Lasts 200 Years

    Dan Bricklin has a provocative new essay arguing that at least some software should be built to last for a long time, perhaps as long as 200 years. We need to start thinking about software in a way more like how we think about building bridges, dams, and sewers. What we build must last for…

  • In Search of Cool Stuff

    In mid-August I’m going to a small technical workshop that has a “cool stuff” session, where everybody is invited to demonstrate or explain to the group something cool. It doesn’t have to be useful or technological; the only requirement is that a group of uber-geeks will think it is cool. Perhaps you can help me…

  • Inducing You to Read Ernest Miller

    Ernest Miller is on a roll lately, especially on the topic of the INCUDE/IICA Act. I would be saying more about this dangerous bill, but Ernie is saying most of what needs to be said. James Grimmelmann at LawMeme made a nice index of Ernie’s INDUCE/IICA writings. Ernie has instituted Hatch’s Hit List, a list…

  • Audible Magic, Revealed

    Chris Palmer at the EFF published a piece this week debunking the Audible Magic technology. He focuses on the CopySense technology. Audible Magic’s CopySense

  • Industries to Form Yet Another DRM Consortium

    A group of large movie and technology companies is about to form yet another consortium to solve the digital copyright problem, according to a John Borland story at news.com. This looks like one more entry in the alphabet soup (SDMI, CPTWG, ARDG) of fruitless efforts to standardize on an effective anti-copying technology. The new entity…