[07. 30. 2002]
Don't you just love the irony? A day after the RIAA
endorsed a bill
that would grant them and others permission to legally attack peer-to-peer networks believed to be used to trade their works, they were hit by a DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service)
attack themselves. What may go around will certainly come around. I like it!
(Read More)
[07. 25. 2002]
The ACLU today filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Digital
Millennium Copyright Act, as a key portion of the law restricts "constitutionally protected computer research and innovation."
(ACLU Press Release | Copy of Complaint |
2600.com article | CNET news article)
Rep. Howard L. Berman and Rep. Howard Coble have introduced their hacking bill in the House of
Representatives today. Under the bill, copyright owners (i.e. MPAA, RIAA) would be able to "legally hack" into the machines of people believed to be illegally distributing their
works. If passed, the bill will essentially permit copyright owners to perform acts which would otherwise be "federal and state criminal acts."
Not surprisingly, Hilary Rosen, Chairman and CEO of the RIAA, applauded its introduction.
(Read More | 2600.com article | Copy of Bill)
[07. 24. 2002]
Rep. Howard L. Berman and Rep. Howard Coble plan to introduce a bill in Congress this week which
would give the MPAA and the RIAA unchecked and unlimited powers to "disable, block, or otherwise impair a 'publicly
accessible peer-to-peer network'" through the use of viruses, worms, a denial-of-service attack, or domain name hijacking. Those responsible for the attacks will not only be immune
to the laws, but "anyone whose computer was damaged in the process must receive the permission of the U.S. attorney general before filing a lawsuit." Furthermore, the bill would limit
"the right of anyone subject to an intrusion to sue if files are accidentally erased," so if they screw up you'll be out of luck.
(Read More)
According to a BBC report, an asteroid (NT7) measuring 2 km wide has been discovered and is reportedly on a collision course with Earth. Estimated to impact Earth on February 1, 2019,
the asteroid is large enough that it could cause continent-wide devastation and global climate changes. However, future observations may change the situation.
(Read More)
[07. 16. 2002]
Advertisers, concerned that viewers are paying less and less attention to their commercials, are fighting back with a new kind of television ad: the intrusive pop-up ad. In addition to
product placements and the traditional 30-second commercial, networks have begun to introduce pop-up ads which are superimposed over part of the TV screen during normal programming. As
if we're not bombarded enough by all the billboards, ads, commericals, etc. each and every day... Guess it's time to get rid of the TV.
(Read More)
[07. 12. 2002]
During the seventh annual Plug.IN digital music conference, Virginia Congressman Rick Boucher urged the recording industry to reconsider introducing copy-protected CDs. Additionally, he
said that he'll be introducing a bill that would "essentially restrict the record industry from selling copy-protected CDs."
(Read More)
According to a news.com article, legislators are preparing a bill that could "sharply limit Americans' rights relating to copying music, taping TV shows,
and transferring files through the Internet." The first part of the proposed bill would give copyright owners even more control of their works, while further eroding "fair use." According
to Jessica Litman, professor at Wayne State University, "If you were to take today's episode of 'E.R.' and tape it and give it to your mother,
it would be copyright infringement under this bill."
(Read More | Copy of Bill [.PDF])
[07. 05. 2002]
After successfully going after peer-to-peer services like Napster and Kazaa, the RIAA feel it's now time to go after individual song-swappers themselves.
Will the labels raise their prices again to finance all the lawsuits? Hint: Higher prices = less sales. They're just digging their own graves.
(Read More)
[07. 04. 2002]
In a strategic move, 2600 Magazine have decided not to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court a court order which prohibits them from publishing or linking to the DeCSS program. The MPAA may have
won this battle, but the war will be ours.
(2600 Press Release | EFF Press Release |
July 3rd "Off The Hook" Discussion)
[07. 02. 2002]
It can finally be said that the "FuckGeneralMotors.com" case has come to an end. And once again, the little guy has prevailed. According to 2600, "Ford Motor Company has officially and
unconditionally conceded its complete, utter, and perpetual loss on the merits of the Ford v. 2600" case. This is great news as this case can now set future precedents for similar cases.
It's sad that this had to go to trial. Just goes to show how much Ford really sucks.
(Read More)
If you use Microsoft's Windows Media Player (version 6.4 or 7.1), Microsoft has disclosed that it has discovered a new security flaw that can "allow an attacker access to the user's system
with the ability to add, change or delete data and perform other functions." Good news is that Microsoft already has a patch
available for download. Bad news is that to use the patch, you must accept the new End User License Agreement (EULA) which states that you "agree that in order to protect the integrity of
content and software protected by digital rights management ("Secure Content"), Microsoft may provide security related updates to the OS Components that will be automatically downloaded
onto your computer. These security related updates may disable your ability to copy and/or play Secure Content and use other software on your computer. If we provide such a security update,
we will use reasonable efforts to post notices on a web site explaining the update." So if you want your computer to be secure, you must allow Microsoft to control it.
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