(via Techdirt) USA Today reports that online movie rental service Netflix is ready to begin offering a truly Internet rental service to its subscribers. Perhaps downloading is not the precise word, as the movies will be streamed into the computer, and therefore “in theory” will not be subject to being Read more
Cedric Manara has helpfully sent some more information about the French Sony case. Sony France and Sony UK have been reprimanded by a French court because they do not warn consumers that the music they sell can only be played with Sony players. Sony UK offers music through a service Read more
(via Cedric Manara) A French court has ruled against Sony UK and Sony France over the use of DRM. Manara writes in the Cyberlaw mailing list: A French court ruled against Sony France and Sony UK, in a case brought by a consumer group. Sony UK operates the website CONNECT Read more
I’ve been tagged with the latest memetag to take over the blogosphere. Pedro Canut from Blogospierre has tagged me, prompting me to list five things that you don’t know about me. I don’t like talking about personal things (other than travel), but here is a list with mildly amusing factoids Read more
The supposedly private yet very public execution of Saddam Hussein has given us the first big cyberlaw story of 2007. The story can be tackled from a wide range of angles: Who owns the video? Can (and should) it be banned? Is there any law that could be applied to Read more
Happy new Year to all regular (and non-regular) readers. I’ve been overwhelmed by the steady numbers that the blog has been getting. Sometime in the last two days we’ve managed to reach the 30,000 hit mark, and last December was the most viewed month since I started counting, with more Read more
I’ve just read an excellent article about cinematic depiction of computer use in The Guardian. This is a topic of endless derision from techies and geeks all over the world. The article mentions that the balance can be tricky. In one hand we have the most realistic depiction of computers Read more
I’m generally not into New Year’s resolutions, but I believe that this year I will promise to write less snowclones. A snowclone, according to Wikipedia, “is a neologism used to describe a type of formula-based cliché which uses an old idiom in a new context. The term emphasizes the use Read more
Several recording companies have sued Russian site AllofMP3.com for copyright infringement. The site is not precisely a P2P sharing network, it is more analogous to “legal” download sites where users purchase individual songs and albums at amazingly low prizes. The problem is that the site does not pay royalties to Read more
(via IPKat). Halliburton has lost its appeal on its case against Smith international with regards to software for designing drill bits. The software patent involved in Halliburton v Smith protected a software simulation program for designing the drill bits. Halliburton sued Smith, claimed it held patents in both the drill Read more