Could the next revolution in payment systems be already here? Bitcoin is a non-fiat cryptographic electronic payment system that purports to be the world’s first cryptocurrency. In other words, it is a peer-to-peer, client-based, completely distributed currency that does not depend on centralised issuing bodies to operate, the value is Read more
Twitter has been in the news quite a lot recently: Anthony Weiner’s inappropriate tweet to one of his followers; Wayne Rooney posts a picture of his hair-transplant; the whole Ryan Giggs keruffle trying to stop information about an alleged affair from leaking (I feel all journalistic by using the word Read more
The long-awaited Hargreaves report entitled Digital Opportunity: A Review of Intellectual Property and Growth, has been published. Several of the report´s elements had been leaked in advance, so the provisions do not come as a surprise. The motivation for setting up the review reportedly came from a meeting between UK’s Read more
There has been a lot said about the PlayStation Network hack, enough to warrant its own Wikipedia page. With a calculated total of 77 million accounts affected, and a breach that has compromised both personal and sensitive financial details, this has been a PR disaster of epic proportions for Sony. Read more
Another year, another Special 301 report on the making. The Special 301 is an annual report from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) prepared under section 301 of the Trade Act, in which countries are given disadvantageous marks based on how they enforce intellectual property rights, or whether Read more
I’ve read with great interest the text of a presentation by Dr Francis Gurry to the Blue Sky Conference: Future Directions in Copyright Law, held in Queensland at the end of February. Dr Gurry is the Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organisation, and I believe that his presentation Read more
As an observer of that interesting case study in Internet regulation that is Anonymous, recent developments have been quite an eye-opener in the potential long-term survival of the group. When Anonymous coordinated a series of denial-of-service attacks against payment systems and electronic commerce giants in response to the perceived attack Read more
Much virtual and real ink has been spent in the last few days to talk about the role of social media in the Tunisian and Egyptian popular revolts, some more informed, and some making rather grandiose exaggerated claims. One thing is true, while it is impossible to quantify the impact Read more
What better way to start the year than with a good old rant? I have been looking at Diaspora, the Facebook replacement for those with a conscience and those who have to be just a little bit different from everyone else. Early reports seem to be that it requires a Read more
I am in Jordan for a WIPO workshop. One of the interesting aspects of being in the Middle East is the presence of a more controlled Internet, and although Jordan’s Internet filtering is light when compared to some of its neighbours, I have encountered some interesting architectural features that seem Read more