Category Archives: copyright

The Stricter Law than DMCA: Three Strikes Law makes ISPs Surveillant

During this quarter, we have covered a variety of social issues related to our class topics. The most impressive event to me was a 24 hour blackout by major websites against U.S.’s anti-piracy legislation; SOPA and PIPA. Fortunately, SOPA and PIPA are hibernating … Continue reading

Posted in copyright, international | Leave a comment

May Your First (and Only) Sequel Be an Authorized Sequel

Paramount Pictures didn’t write the novel The Godfather, but it might as well have, as far as the Puzo estate is concerned. In 1969, Paramount purchased the copyright rights to The Godfather from its author, Mario Puzo, with the agreement … Continue reading

Posted in copyright | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Shepard Fairey: Jail time for Copyright Infringement, A History

Sometime last Friday (February 24th, 2012), the LA Times’ Culture Monster  released word that Shepard Fairey, creator of the unofficial, but completely iconic “HOPE” image during the 2008 Obama campaign, has officially been sentenced to six months in prison, a year … Continue reading

Posted in copyright | 4 Comments

Online Music Scores Cause Copyright Controversy

The Borromeo String Quartet has gone digital. No more paper sheet music. No more furious page-turning timed with exact precision to keep from missing a note. No more fear of compositions falling off the music stand or pages sticking together. … Continue reading

Posted in copyright, international, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Freedom to Tinker, or Why Don’t We Own The Stuff That We Buy?

Recent class discussion has touched upon the fact that when we spend money on digital goods, be it hardware or software, we aren’t really “buying” it.  The money that we give is at best a lease payment.  We don’t have … Continue reading

Posted in copyright | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fallout: And the Winner is . . .

Copyright is a funny animal when it comes to video games in the US. The years Bethesda and Interplay have spent battling each other over the terms of the intellectual property copyrights sale of the Fallout series illustrate how our … Continue reading

Posted in copyright | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Will the Underdogs Unite? RIAA, Copyright Infringement, and the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement.

  It’s well known that the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) are not the ideal supporters of file sharing and do a lot to prevent copyright infringement in this area. But … Continue reading

Posted in copyright, international, privacy, social justice | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Return of Gmail Man: Microsoft’s Ad Against Google’s Privacy Policy

Just in time for Super Bowl 2012, Microsoft is on the offensive line and airs one of three ads targeted against Google this weekend. A comical spoof  video on Google’s privacy policy introduces us (again) to “Gmail Man.” The video, originally broadcast back … Continue reading

Posted in copyright, privacy | Tagged | 1 Comment

Political Smear Campaigns Use Fair Use

Two political ads have recently tried to take gross advantage of Fair Use in order to slander opponents. This month, Mitt Romney has been running an ad that blatantly steals footage from NBC’s Nightly News with Tom Brokaw, a show … Continue reading

Posted in copyright, social justice, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Kindle Direct Publishing (and Piracy)

A children’s author and guest speaker at UW’s iYouth Conference this past weekend, shared her stories of success in both traditional publishing and self-publishing. Before her hour-long session ended, she pulled up the Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) website and demonstrated … Continue reading

Posted in copyright | Leave a comment