(via Carolina Botero). Colombian pop superstar Shakira was involved in a brief IP-related scandal with regards to a song from her album Oral Fixation vol.2. The hit song is “Hips Don’t Lie” with Wyclef Jean, in which it is possible to hear a distinctive trumpet tune troughout the song, but Read more
(Thanks to Paul Keller for picture) Is this the shape of things to come in Spain? In case you do not read Spanish, the image says: “The music that you are listening to is free for public difusion.” By the way, you can also smoke in this bar.
A couple of noteworthy developments in the European software patent debate. Firstly, the European Commission has criticised the European Patent Office harshly as lacking political accountability. The lack of accountability has allowed the EPO to change policy so that it permits the issuing of software and business methods patents. Secondly, Read more
This is a very interesting read from Tom Chance of Remix Reading. I can see that there are going to be a growing number of concerns about how events like the summit are run, organised and handled. He makes some very valid points about the venue and governance. In my Read more
William Gibson writes in his excellent novel Pattern Recognition that jet-lag happens because your soul is catching-up with you. Mine must be somewhere over Ukraine. The first day of the Unlocking IP conference has finished, and it has been an excellent first day, perhaps with the exception of one paper Read more
I’m off to the land of boomerangs, koalas, kangaroos and IP lawyers. I will try to blog from the Unlocking IP conference, wireless permitting as usual.
Is it possible to fill an iPod legitimately? I will ignore the fact that the act of ripping your own CD is still an infringing activity under UK law due to the absence of a private copying exception in copyright law. As reported earlier, the British Phonogram Industry has kindly Read more
(picture by Attila Kelényi)Comments are now open on the three declarations to come out from the Rio iCommons Summit, you can submit your ideas on the iCommons wiki. The less controversial and (in my opinion) most worthy of the three proposed texts is the Open Access Declaration, which states that Read more
I have been a fan of The Truth Laid Bear for quite a while, as it measures linkability to generate an accurate picture of the blog ecosystem. Having been an Insignificant Microbe for a while, I am now delighted that for the first time I have achieved Lowly Insect status. Read more
Microsoft has been having a very busy time at the courts and with regulators. The first item comes from Europe, where they have been trying to comply with the European Commission’s competition enforcement. They are supposed to provide the Commission with documentation and protocols from their server division, and if Read more