<-- The Filter --> June 2004
[1] In the News: Censorship, Data Mining, and Online Music
[2] Berkman News: New Fellows, Music Lawsuits
[3] Conference Watch
[4] Bookmarks: Quick Click
[5] Quotables
[6] Talk Back
[7] Subscription Info
[8] About Us
[9] Not a Copyright
-----------------------------------------
[1] IN THE NEWS
================
*Internet "Clean-Up"?
Government officials in India recently ordered ISPs to block the
website, HinduUnity.org, for allegedly "inflammatory" anti-Islamic
material. In response, the OpenNet Initiative, a collaborative
research project by the Citizen Lab, the Advanced Network Research
Group at Cambridge University, and the Berkman Center, filed this
report investigating the censorship.
<http://www.opennetinitiative.net/bulletins/003/>
Internet filtering has made news beyond India: in China, the
government began screening imported video games to block games with
offensive or "politically sensitive" content. And South Korea's
Ministry of Information and Communication recently launched the "Clean
Internet Campaign," which involves recruiting pop idols as
spokespeople to fight pornography and spam.
<http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,63724,00.html>
<http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/biz/200406/kt2004060418232711890.htm>
* Government Data Mining and Anti-Terrorism
A report recently released from the General Accounting Office (GAO)
evaluates data mining practices in a number of U.S. government
agencies. While the report found 198 different data-gathering
projects, the scope and implications of these initiatives remain
unclear. The Center for Democracy and Technology released a paper
following the GAO's report urging that the data mining be accompanied
by certain "checks" or protective measures, including anonymization of
data and the creation of "immutable audit trails."
Data Mining GAO report:
<http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04548.pdf>
Center for Democracy and Technology Report:
<http://www.cdt.org/security/usapatriot/20040526technologies.pdf>
* Online Music Services Go Global
The international news in digital media is moving along two different
trajectories: on the one hand, the availability of online music
services is expanding. Napster has launched its online subscription
service in Canada and the UK, and a European version of iTunes
launched on June 15. At the same time, the international crackdown on
illegal file sharing continues. A German man was recently convicted
by a criminal court and ordered to pay fines, and in Denmark,
seventeen individuals recently accepted settlement agreements with the
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. The Berkman
Center's newly updated iTunes Case Study considers the legal,
political, and economic implications of some of these trends.
International Expansion:
<http://www.napster.co.uk/>
<http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2004/jun/15itunes.html>
Lawsuits:
<http://www.out-law.com/php/page.php?page_id=musicindustrytosu1086861424&area=news>
<http://www.vnunet.com/news/1155737>
Berkman Center's iTunes Case Study:
<http://cyber.harvard.edu/media/itunes>
[2] BERKMAN NEWS
================
* Berkman Center's Amicus Brief Influences Music Industry Trial
The Berkman Center's amicus brief in Capitol Records v. Alaujan played
a pivotal role in a recent court ruling. The case joins 55 lawsuits
that the recording industry filed against individuals accused of
illegal file sharing, and the Berkman Center's brief -- which was
filed for the court rather than either party in the case -- outlines
some of the factual and legal complexities in evaluating the case.
The court's recent order urged all parties to read the brief before
entering into settlement agreements. The brief was submitted by
William Fisher, Charles Nesson, Jonathan Zittrain, Diane Cabell, Renny
Hwang, Ory Okolloh, and John Palfrey. Thanks also to clinical
students Jeff Engerman, Aaron Kotok, Jason Lichter, Brad Carrick,
Agnes Li, Jinfei Zhang, and Yuanshi Bu who helped prepare the brief.
The amicus brief and other court documents:
<http://cyber.harvard.edu/home/capitol>
A Berkman Briefing about the court's response, RIAA v. The Uploaders:
<http://cyber.harvard.edu/briefings/capitol>
* New Additions: the Fellows Class of 2004-05
The Berkman Center officially welcomes three new Fellows this month:
Derek Bambauer, Rebecca MacKinnon, and David Weinberger. Bambauer
will focus on the Berkman Center's work on global filtering and on the
Digital Media Project. MacKinnon will continue her work on blogs and
their importance in international journalism and media. Weinberger
will continue research on a book about how information technology is
changing the way we categorize the world, from photo albums to more
complex data sources.
Also, thanks to all Fellows from 2003-2004 for their contributions,
support, and productive involvement. A particular thanks to Diane
Cabell, who has directed the Berkman Center's Clinical Program since
2000. Diane will leave the Berkman Center in July to increase her
involvement with Creative Commons, though she'll remain a non-resident
fellow for the coming academic year.
* Digital Media Project releases updated iTunes Case Study
The new iTunes Case Study is now available for download. In addition
to analyzing iTunes's legal foundation, the updated Case Study also
considers the new issues related to international expansion of online
music services and new lawsuits against individuals accused of illegal
file sharing in Europe.
<http://cyber.harvard.edu/media/itunes>
[3] CONFERENCE WATCH
====================
June:
* June 24-25, 2004, Lucerne, Switzerland--Digital Rights Management:
The End of Collecting Societies? <http://www.unilu.ch/rf/4945.htm>
July:
* July 7-9, 2004, Geneva, Switzerland--ITU WSIS Thematic Meeting on
Countering Spam
<http://www.itu.int/osg/spu/spam/meeting7-9-04/index.html>
* July 8-9, 2004, Syracuse, New York--2004 Summer Institute on Digital
Empowerment: "The Internet & Democracy"
<http://digital-literacy.syr.edu/conferences/summer_conf.htm>
* July 14-31, 2004, Oxford, UK--Oxford Internet Institute Summer
Programme <http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/teaching/?rq=sdp2004>
* July 19-23, 2004, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia--ICANN Meeting
<http://www.icann.org/meetings/kualalumpur/>
* July 26-28, 2004, Los Angeles, California--Preventing the Internet
Meltdown <http://www.pfir.org/meltdown>
August:
* August 1-6, 2004, San Diego, CA--60th IETF Meeting
<http://www.ietf.org/meetings/IETF-60.html>
[4] BOOKMARKS
==============
* A new blog devoted to advocacy for a wireless future --
<http://wirelessunleashed.com/>
* Commerical Culture, ripped, mixed, and burned --
<http://www.capedmaskedandarmed.com/video/index.html>
* The Price of Spam -- According to a Massachusetts-based research
firm, spam costs companies $2,000 per employee per year in lost
productivity. <http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/34308.html>
[5] QUOTABLES
==============
"Dear person who sent me a yet-unanswered e-mail, I apologize, but I
am declaring e-mail bankruptcy."
-Larry Lessig, on the impossibility of replying to all his unanswered
email.
<http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,63733,00.html?tw=newsletter_topstories_html>
"The GPL has this sucking effect of grabbing your IP, sucking it in
and destroying your property rights."
-Darl McBride, CEO of SCO, whose company is suing IBM and others for
alleged IP violations
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A29675-2004Jun9.html>
"Having a hole in your head has this sucking effect."
-Linus Torvalds, founder of Linux, in response to McBride
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A29675-2004Jun9.html>
[6] TALK BACK
================
We continue to adjust the Filter's format and content in response to
your feedback. Further comments and suggestions would be greatly
appreciated. Please send them to filter-editor@cyber.harvard.edu.
[7] SUBSCRIPTION INFO
======================
Follow this link to subscribe to or unsubscribe from the list:
<http://cyber.harvard.edu/filter/subscribe>
[8] ABOUT US
=============
Read The Filter online at <http://cyber.harvard.edu/filter/>. Who
we are: <http://cyber.harvard.edu/filter/about.html>
[9] NOT A COPYRIGHT
=====================
A publication of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard
Law School <http://cyber.harvard.edu> You may--and please
do--forward or copy this newsletter to friends and colleagues.
This work is hereby released into the Public Domain. To view a copy of
the public domain dedication, visit
<http://creativecommons.org/licenses/publicdomain/>, or send a letter
to Creative Commons, 559 Nathan Abbott Way, Stanford, California
94305, USA.
[2] Berkman News: New Fellows, Music Lawsuits
[3] Conference Watch
[4] Bookmarks: Quick Click
[5] Quotables
[6] Talk Back
[7] Subscription Info
[8] About Us
[9] Not a Copyright
-----------------------------------------
[1] IN THE NEWS
================
*Internet "Clean-Up"?
Government officials in India recently ordered ISPs to block the
website, HinduUnity.org, for allegedly "inflammatory" anti-Islamic
material. In response, the OpenNet Initiative, a collaborative
research project by the Citizen Lab, the Advanced Network Research
Group at Cambridge University, and the Berkman Center, filed this
report investigating the censorship.
<http://www.opennetinitiative.net/bulletins/003/>
Internet filtering has made news beyond India: in China, the
government began screening imported video games to block games with
offensive or "politically sensitive" content. And South Korea's
Ministry of Information and Communication recently launched the "Clean
Internet Campaign," which involves recruiting pop idols as
spokespeople to fight pornography and spam.
<http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,63724,00.html>
<http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/biz/200406/kt2004060418232711890.htm>
* Government Data Mining and Anti-Terrorism
A report recently released from the General Accounting Office (GAO)
evaluates data mining practices in a number of U.S. government
agencies. While the report found 198 different data-gathering
projects, the scope and implications of these initiatives remain
unclear. The Center for Democracy and Technology released a paper
following the GAO's report urging that the data mining be accompanied
by certain "checks" or protective measures, including anonymization of
data and the creation of "immutable audit trails."
Data Mining GAO report:
<http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04548.pdf>
Center for Democracy and Technology Report:
<http://www.cdt.org/security/usapatriot/20040526technologies.pdf>
* Online Music Services Go Global
The international news in digital media is moving along two different
trajectories: on the one hand, the availability of online music
services is expanding. Napster has launched its online subscription
service in Canada and the UK, and a European version of iTunes
launched on June 15. At the same time, the international crackdown on
illegal file sharing continues. A German man was recently convicted
by a criminal court and ordered to pay fines, and in Denmark,
seventeen individuals recently accepted settlement agreements with the
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. The Berkman
Center's newly updated iTunes Case Study considers the legal,
political, and economic implications of some of these trends.
International Expansion:
<http://www.napster.co.uk/>
<http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2004/jun/15itunes.html>
Lawsuits:
<http://www.out-law.com/php/page.php?page_id=musicindustrytosu1086861424&area=news>
<http://www.vnunet.com/news/1155737>
Berkman Center's iTunes Case Study:
<http://cyber.harvard.edu/media/itunes>
[2] BERKMAN NEWS
================
* Berkman Center's Amicus Brief Influences Music Industry Trial
The Berkman Center's amicus brief in Capitol Records v. Alaujan played
a pivotal role in a recent court ruling. The case joins 55 lawsuits
that the recording industry filed against individuals accused of
illegal file sharing, and the Berkman Center's brief -- which was
filed for the court rather than either party in the case -- outlines
some of the factual and legal complexities in evaluating the case.
The court's recent order urged all parties to read the brief before
entering into settlement agreements. The brief was submitted by
William Fisher, Charles Nesson, Jonathan Zittrain, Diane Cabell, Renny
Hwang, Ory Okolloh, and John Palfrey. Thanks also to clinical
students Jeff Engerman, Aaron Kotok, Jason Lichter, Brad Carrick,
Agnes Li, Jinfei Zhang, and Yuanshi Bu who helped prepare the brief.
The amicus brief and other court documents:
<http://cyber.harvard.edu/home/capitol>
A Berkman Briefing about the court's response, RIAA v. The Uploaders:
<http://cyber.harvard.edu/briefings/capitol>
* New Additions: the Fellows Class of 2004-05
The Berkman Center officially welcomes three new Fellows this month:
Derek Bambauer, Rebecca MacKinnon, and David Weinberger. Bambauer
will focus on the Berkman Center's work on global filtering and on the
Digital Media Project. MacKinnon will continue her work on blogs and
their importance in international journalism and media. Weinberger
will continue research on a book about how information technology is
changing the way we categorize the world, from photo albums to more
complex data sources.
Also, thanks to all Fellows from 2003-2004 for their contributions,
support, and productive involvement. A particular thanks to Diane
Cabell, who has directed the Berkman Center's Clinical Program since
2000. Diane will leave the Berkman Center in July to increase her
involvement with Creative Commons, though she'll remain a non-resident
fellow for the coming academic year.
* Digital Media Project releases updated iTunes Case Study
The new iTunes Case Study is now available for download. In addition
to analyzing iTunes's legal foundation, the updated Case Study also
considers the new issues related to international expansion of online
music services and new lawsuits against individuals accused of illegal
file sharing in Europe.
<http://cyber.harvard.edu/media/itunes>
[3] CONFERENCE WATCH
====================
June:
* June 24-25, 2004, Lucerne, Switzerland--Digital Rights Management:
The End of Collecting Societies? <http://www.unilu.ch/rf/4945.htm>
July:
* July 7-9, 2004, Geneva, Switzerland--ITU WSIS Thematic Meeting on
Countering Spam
<http://www.itu.int/osg/spu/spam/meeting7-9-04/index.html>
* July 8-9, 2004, Syracuse, New York--2004 Summer Institute on Digital
Empowerment: "The Internet & Democracy"
<http://digital-literacy.syr.edu/conferences/summer_conf.htm>
* July 14-31, 2004, Oxford, UK--Oxford Internet Institute Summer
Programme <http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/teaching/?rq=sdp2004>
* July 19-23, 2004, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia--ICANN Meeting
<http://www.icann.org/meetings/kualalumpur/>
* July 26-28, 2004, Los Angeles, California--Preventing the Internet
Meltdown <http://www.pfir.org/meltdown>
August:
* August 1-6, 2004, San Diego, CA--60th IETF Meeting
<http://www.ietf.org/meetings/IETF-60.html>
[4] BOOKMARKS
==============
* A new blog devoted to advocacy for a wireless future --
<http://wirelessunleashed.com/>
* Commerical Culture, ripped, mixed, and burned --
<http://www.capedmaskedandarmed.com/video/index.html>
* The Price of Spam -- According to a Massachusetts-based research
firm, spam costs companies $2,000 per employee per year in lost
productivity. <http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/34308.html>
[5] QUOTABLES
==============
"Dear person who sent me a yet-unanswered e-mail, I apologize, but I
am declaring e-mail bankruptcy."
-Larry Lessig, on the impossibility of replying to all his unanswered
email.
<http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,63733,00.html?tw=newsletter_topstories_html>
"The GPL has this sucking effect of grabbing your IP, sucking it in
and destroying your property rights."
-Darl McBride, CEO of SCO, whose company is suing IBM and others for
alleged IP violations
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A29675-2004Jun9.html>
"Having a hole in your head has this sucking effect."
-Linus Torvalds, founder of Linux, in response to McBride
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A29675-2004Jun9.html>
[6] TALK BACK
================
We continue to adjust the Filter's format and content in response to
your feedback. Further comments and suggestions would be greatly
appreciated. Please send them to filter-editor@cyber.harvard.edu.
[7] SUBSCRIPTION INFO
======================
Follow this link to subscribe to or unsubscribe from the list:
<http://cyber.harvard.edu/filter/subscribe>
[8] ABOUT US
=============
Read The Filter online at <http://cyber.harvard.edu/filter/>. Who
we are: <http://cyber.harvard.edu/filter/about.html>
[9] NOT A COPYRIGHT
=====================
A publication of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard
Law School <http://cyber.harvard.edu> You may--and please
do--forward or copy this newsletter to friends and colleagues.
This work is hereby released into the Public Domain. To view a copy of
the public domain dedication, visit
<http://creativecommons.org/licenses/publicdomain/>, or send a letter
to Creative Commons, 559 Nathan Abbott Way, Stanford, California
94305, USA.