Inaction on disconnect pleas at root of Aussie ISP lawsuit

Major movie studios aren't happy that Australian ISP iiNet won't disconnect users after receiving evidence that they have been sharing movies over BitTorrent. iiNet doesn't want to play traffic cop, but Australian law does demand it have (and act on) a disconnection policy for copyright infringers.

November 21, 2008 - 12:21PM CT - by Nate Anderson

Coupons, Inc. drops DMCA lawsuit against coupon hacker

A copyright lawsuit against a man who posted instructions on how to print unlimited coupons online has finally been dropped after he argued that he didn't circumvent anyone's copyright protection in order to produce his "hack."

November 21, 2008 - 11:45AM CT - by Jacqui Cheng

Well here's a Jammie judgement about your music that you might not like

PFF takes on Jammie Thomas and copyright infringement by "making available" on peer-to-peer networks.

November 19, 2008 - 09:07PM CT - by Julian Sanchez

Antipiracy group pushes 10 years jail time for UK infringers

The Federation Against Software Theft is miffed at the UK Intellectual Property Office for not considering "recommended" changes to the copyright law that would punish online copyright infringers with 10 years of imprisonment in order to "bring parity with commercial dealing in pirated works."

November 19, 2008 - 11:00AM CT - by Jacqui Cheng

Tennessee anti-P2P law to cost colleges over $13 million

Big Content got an early Christmas present from the state of Tennessee. A new law will force Tennessee colleges and universities to pay in excess of $13 million over the next two years in what is likely to be a futile attempt to stamp out campus copyright infringement.

November 18, 2008 - 08:42PM CT - by Eric Bangeman

Conceptual Art and IP

Some ruminations on copyright in the age of conceptual art.

November 18, 2008 - 04:20PM CT - by Julian Sanchez

Chinese pirates crack Blu-ray DRM, sell pirated HD discs

A recent bust in China netted several hundred pirated HD discs ripped from Blu-ray masters. The discs were only 720p, not 1080p, but their mere existence shows that Blu-ray's amped-up DRM schemes, AACS and BD+, won't be enough to stop pirates.

November 17, 2008 - 05:15PM CT - by Jacqui Cheng

Apple brings HDCP to a new aluminum MacBook near you

HDCP has finally arrived in Apple's hardware, thanks to the latest aluminum MacBook update. The technology is being used to protect (what else?) iTunes Store files from playing on any HDCP non-compliant devices.

November 17, 2008 - 03:52PM CT - by David Chartier

Analysis: Duke's new P2P policy won't stop RIAA lawsuits

Duke University says it's not going to cough up any student info to the RIAA without proof of illegal behavior. It sounds good in theory, but it's not going to slow down the RIAA's legal juggernaut.

November 16, 2008 - 03:02PM CT - by Eric Bangeman

Accio Appeals Court! Harry Potter Lexicon author appeals fair use loss

The publisher of a Harry Potter Lexicon was sued by J.K. Rowling for appropriating her work, and Rowling won the case. Now it's being appealed in terrifically dull Muggle fashion.

November 12, 2008 - 10:21AM CT - by Nate Anderson

Fair use group comes up with classroom copyright primer

In an era of hypersensitivity to copyright infringement, it can be tough to decide what, precisely, constitutes fair use. A group of academics in the media studies field has crafted fair use guidelines that may apply well beyond their field.

November 11, 2008 - 07:40PM CT - by John Timmer

EU denies ACTA document request; democracy undermined?

An EU group trying to get access to secret Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement documents has received a "no" from Brussels. In response, it accuses the EU of "a gross violation of the basic democratic principles the EU is supposed to stand for." But is secrecy always bad?

November 11, 2008 - 12:26PM CT - by Nate Anderson

WIPO Broadcast Treaty still alive (but less terrifying)

The WIPO Broadcast Treaty could give broadcasters around the world a new intellectual property right over their own signal, not just the content it carries. After being left for dead in 2007, treaty talks have restarted, but IP rights for broadcaster look to be dead.

November 10, 2008 - 01:11PM CT - by Nate Anderson

A few thoughts on copyright and culture

Can we estimate the economic costs and benefits of copyright rules? Things get complicated when culture is thrown in the mix.

November 10, 2008 - 09:59AM CT - by Julian Sanchez

Copyright Alliance to Supremes: hit rewind on networked DVR

The Copyright Alliance asks the Supreme Court to reconsider the legality of Cablevision's network DVR. If distributors want to move the DVR out of the home and into the central office, they should pay for the privilege.

November 06, 2008 - 12:24PM CT - by Nate Anderson

European group tries to get secret ACTA documents

Bashing the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement has become something of a worldwide sport, but just getting details about what will be in the agreement has been tough. A European group takes another crack at it this week, targeting 12 EU documents dealing with the treaty.

November 06, 2008 - 05:10AM CT - by Nate Anderson

Pirate pride in Sweden as Pirate Bay hits 22 million peers

The Pirate Bay has seen explosive growth this year, it says, jumping from 12 million to 22 million active peers in only seven months.

November 05, 2008 - 08:55PM CT - by Nate Anderson

Canadian wish list for secret ACTA treaty long, varied

A Canadian law professor has forced the government to cough up the various "wish list" items that stakeholders want to see incorporated into the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. Tougher penalties, a focus on the Internet, DRM anticircumvention rules, and graduated response mechanisms all made the list.

November 03, 2008 - 11:37AM CT - by Nate Anderson

"Three strikes" P2P rule inches closer to law in France

France's "three strikes" legislation, which would cut off Internet access for repeat copyright infringers, has received the overwhelming support of the French Senate. The National Assembly still has to vote on the measure, but passage looks increasingly likely.

November 02, 2008 - 10:00PM CT - by Jacqui Cheng

P2P driftnet fishing returns to Europe, Scottish couple snagged

Atari ramps up lawsuits against UK file-swappers, and the music industry may follow suit next year. After a brief hiatus, will large-scale copyright lawsuits return to Europe once more? If so, how many innocent people will get caught in the driftnet?

October 30, 2008 - 12:07PM CT - by Nate Anderson