Berkman Buzz: Week of September 8, 2008

BERKMAN BUZZ:  A look at the past week's online Berkman conversations.  If you'd like to receive this by email, just sign up here. The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University

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*David Ardia writes a companion guide to the Harry Potter Lexicon trial decision
*The Internet & Democracy Project explores the lessons Born Digital teaches about digital natives and activism
*David Weinberger looks at the role of Web 2.0 in Canadian politics
*Creative Commons announces a new open-source textbook
*danah boyd sends out an invitation to the public meeting of the Internet Safety Technical Task Force
*Jon Greenberg of New Hampshire Public Radio guest blogs for Media Re:public
*Digital Natives Reporters in the Field: "Mideast Youth: Providing platforms for public voice"
*Weekly Global Voices: "Morocco: Understanding Mohammed Raji's Sentence"

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"In a long-awaited decision in the case of Rowling v. RDR Books, a federal judge in New York has ruled in favor of J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. in the copyright infringement lawsuit they filed against RDR Books, the publisher of the Harry Potter Lexicon, an unofficial encyclopedic companion to the popular Harry Potter series of books.  In his 68-page decision, Judge Robert Patterson held that RDR Books 'had failed to establish an affirmative defense of fair use,' granted a permanent injunction barring publication of the Lexicon, and awarded the plaintiffs $6,750 in statutory damages. Although the decision is a disappointing setback for RDR Books and many Harry Potter fans, there is some good news in Judge Patterson's opinion for fair use advocates, which I discuss below..."
From David Ardia's blogpost, "Judge Rejects Fair Use Defense in Harry Potter Lexicon Case, J.K. Rowling Recovers Her Plums"

"Over here at Internet and Democracy headquarters, just finishing up a first read through Berkman’s latest release: Urs Gasser and John Palfrey’s 'Born Digital.' Beyond being an incredibly impressive study of technology use patterns in children, the book closes on an awesome chapter about digital natives and activism. If you’re at all interested in the issues surrounding youth participation in civic life, it’s definitely worth a read..."
From the Internet & Democracy Project blogpost, "Born Digital!"

"The tag line at the Canadian Conservative Party’s Web site, attacking the liberal candidate Stéphane Dion — as you know, the PM just called for an election — seems oddly 19th century: 'Canada cannot afford risky experiments at a time of uncertainty.' It’s as if Obama were to say, 'My opponent’s steadiness of purpose is challenged by recent announcements seemingly at odds with this character,' or if McCain were to say, 'To what end shall our nation proceed if driven by hands untested by trial...'"
From David Weinberger's blogpost, "Canadian election gets down and redolent of loam"

"We’ve all heard of the textbook. Some of us have read one or two in school. Others of us have stared blankly at pages filled with outdated information. Still, others of us are more resourceful and have used the bulky things to prop up rickety ends of tables. But all of us have had to carry one around at some point, which may or may not be the reason why our shoulders are slightly lower on the right. Well, according to the CK-12 foundation..."
From the Creative Commons blogpost, "The 'Flexbook'"

"Many of you know that I've been co-directing the Internet Safety Technical Task Force as part of my fellowship at Berkman and I wanted to give you a few updates and invite you to the public meeting. My role on the TF has primarily been to lead the Research Advisory Board and help the ISTTF ground their analysis and recommendations in a solid understanding of research..."
From danah boyd's blogpost, "public meeting of the Internet Safety Technical Task Force, Sept 23-24 at Harvard"

"On Sunday, August 31, Anne Kilkenny wrote an email about Sarah Palin’s track record in Wasilla, Alaska, where Kilkenny lives. By Friday, there were over 3,000 results on Google for Kilkenny and her email. That night, Kilkenny was being interviewed by National Public Radio and everybody else. This is another moment that proves the power of the internet to carry a message from a very small point to the entire world. For those of us who like the idea of democracy with a small 'd', it is a light in the darkness of mass media consolidation and it affirms the role of the citizen observer in the complex process that generates popular news..."
From Jon Greenberg's blogpost for Media Re:public, "Anne Kilkenny - citizen journalism heroine"

"This week’s 'Digital Natives Reporters in the Field' series turns the microphone over to Esra’a Al Shafei of Bahrain, the 21-year-old director of student-owned MideastYouth.com. The mission of MideastYouth is 'to inspire and provide young people with the freedom and opportunity of expression, and facilitate a fierce but respectful dialogue among the highly diverse youth of all sects, socio-economic backgrounds, and political and religious beliefs in the Middle East.' MideastYouth.com fights for social change with podcasts, blogs, social networks, and online video..."
From the Digital Natives Project blogpost, "Mideast Youth: Providing platforms for public voice"

"Less than a year ago, Global Voices noted Morocco as the 'liveliest free speech zone in Muslim North Africa.' It would not be a stretch to say that Morocco ranks among the best for free speech in the entire Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region. And yet, journalists are all too frequently fined or arrested, and yesterday a blogger, Mohammed Raji, joined their ranks. The blogger was arrested yesterday afternoon for insulting the king, and was immediately tried and sentenced to two years in prison and a fine of MAD 5,000 (about $625). The Moroccan blogosphere, lively as ever, has rallied around Raji..."
From Jillian York's blogpost for Global Voices, "Morocco: Understanding Mohammed Raji's Sentence"