Musings on law, tech, chess & other topics by a geek

iEdge 2010 an annual conference about current topics in information design and technology, organized by the ASIST+T UW Student Chapter. This year, conference sessions will focus on the theme of Society + Controversy. Conference sessions will encompass a wide variety of topics relating to information and technology, including legal issues, information design, access to information, and information misuse.

The opening address for this conference will be delivered by Sarah Schacht on Open Government and Social Entrepreneurship.

Sarah Schacht is the founder of Knowledge As Power, a 501c3 nonpartisan organization which provides Washingtonians online tools to track legislation on any issue and communicate effectively with their legislators. Sarah is a 2008 Echoing Green Semi-Finalist, a Ford Foundation Partnership Grantee, Sunlight Foundation grantee, and a contributor to O’Reilly Book’s Open Government book, publishing in February, 2010.

Closing Keynote Debate is on the Google Books Settlement: Perspectives and Ramifications

The recent Google Book Settlement has the potential to cause sweeping change in the way that rights and access to online works are handled. This debate will address the settlement’s ramifications and its potential impact on society, including ownership of orphaned works, antitrust and competition issues, and the rights of people with disabilities

About the Moderator:
Nicholas Mitchell: As senior associate for the Hughes Media Law Group, Nick focuses on a variety of intellectual property disciplines including strategic business development, video and casual gaming, and drafting and negotiating various online services, media development and marketing agreements.

About the Panelists:

• Heidi Bond: Heidi Bond grew up in Southern California. She graduated from the University of Michigan School of Law, where she was the Executive Articles Editor for the Michigan Law Review, and was awarded the Henry M. Bates Memorial Scholarship Award, the law school’s highest honor. She clerked for Judge Alex Kozinski of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and for Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor (Retired) and Associate Justice Anthony M. Kennedy of the United States Supreme Court. Her research focuses on the interaction between contract and intellectual property law, particularly as it relates to the use of free and open source licensing. Her teaching interests include contracts, patent law, copyright, and trademark law.
• Lisa Fraser: Lisa Fraser has a varied professional and educational background that serves her well in the field of public librarianship. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and French from Linfield College, a master’s degree in international administration from the School for International Training, and a master’s degree in library and information science from University of Washington. Lisa is employed as a reference librarian in the King County Library System (KCLS), where she coordinates programming for adults, manages several collaborations with other organizations to provide specialized services to patrons, and serves on committees for the implementation of the Readers’ Advisory and Adult Services plans. In 2008 she served as interim manager for two KCLS branches. Lisa is the Chair of Readers’ Advisors of Puget Sound (RAPS).
• Brian Rowe: Brian Rowe is the founder of Freedom for IP & New in IP. Brian serves on the Washington State Access to Justice Board’s Technology Committee, and is an alumnus of Students for Free Culture. Brian also helped plan the Seattle Law of the Commons Seminar. Brian has a background in information technology. He holds a B.S. in Informatics and B.A. in Political Science, both from University of Washington, and a J.D. from Seattle University. Brian is teaching Policy, Law, and Ethics in Information Management at the University of Washington’s Information School. Connect with Brian online at http://brianrowe.org or through Twitter or Identi.ca (user name Sarterus).

I will be there speaking on Wikileaks.org and anonymous speech for social change also.  It should be a great event.