Intellectual Property Law Internet Law IT Law Computer Law

Dear Ian please, please sue me too! Here is the video about new Apple’s operating system features.

Ian Ramage from O’Melveny & Myers LLP is sending strange letters. Check www.crunchnotes.com website. I would like to mention something in passing. When I did this graphics you can see in the subject of this post I wondered about the problem and FUD created by so many lawyers. Maybe they need new markets for their services or fame or maybe they suffer a lack of subjects for scientific researches. Especially I got this feeling when I see such mistakes as widely promoted terms like “Internet law”, “free sotware law” or “cyberspace law”. One message I can send to my “professional colleagues” is that the Internet and free software (FLOSS) coped with the reality without such “legal ideas” and theories very very well. One message I can tell my computer’s friends is that they should not to be deluded by long legal articles and twisted teories. Just do your job as good as you did it since a long time. Greetings for Marcin. He straighten me up in my legal “inclinations”. :)

Have you ever wondered not only about what is legally allowed but about ethical issues of downloading from the Internet. Where is the border between unauthorized and fair use? Jason Calacanis on his blog considers simple situation: He just pre-ordered Bob Dylan’s Moderm Times on iTunes. He’s sure the album will be available on the Internet before the release date, does his purchasing the album ahead of time gives him the right to download it now? The question is very interesting especially considering interoperability of devices in “DRM” era. Please read not only the news but the whole discussion it has started. Article at www.calacanis.com website.

Tomasz Rychlicki:
I did a small research and here is what you can find in the net (FTPs, P2P) from couple of days:
Bob_Dylan-Modern_Times-2006-ESC
Bob_Dylan-Modern_Times-(Bonus_DVD)-2006-uF
There are problably other re-rips, renames and similiar files. It is probably worth buying but the question is to download or not to download? You probably saw what has happened to South Park guys. If not then check “South Park and downloading from the Internet” post.

Culture of an icon that is www.web2logo.com website.

Viral marketing rocks and it creates a lot of confusion. I wrote about www.swansea-res.org.uk website, especially about files available in its download section in May. There are some movies to watch in MOV file. The same advertising movie is available on YouTube.

You may suspect that someone took the Sony Bravia advertising movie idea.

We were also wondering with Marcin Sochacki about the reason of such action. Allegedly an organization is protesting about something but they make available a real high quality video to the public on its website. After short research we have noticed that whois is prompting on advertising agency website - www.chiadvertising.com. Viral marketing. Perfect job. Marcin was delighted with the webmaster’s job too. This www.swansea-res.org.uk website layout looks like from the 90′ies. Super fake isn’t it? Today I received an e-mail from Agnieszka Konopa. She pointed me at www.smog.pl website. A title of the post is “Advertising on a patent”. There are many comments claiming copyright infirngement etc. Pretty funny.

I am looking for lawyers and other people who are interested in commenting some issues connected with graffiti and copyright law. It may help me with my another article which I try to “produce” from couple of months. So if you are into new art/modern art/urban art, you work as anti-vandalism security guard and stuff like that, and you have got some legal and social opinions about this matter, please contact me. Meanwhile check “Graffiti” music video by Deluks.

Very interesting issue concerning service mark owned by the United States Department of Homeland Security. All details about this case on a website with very intrigue domain name - www.sexdrugsanddna.com.

I would problaby not publish this post because of many other things I have to do (or I’d be happy if Marcin did it) but comments at www.slashdot.org website are brilliant as usually so I decided to write it anyway.

What does the slashdot community think of this development in the ongoing cat-and-mouse game going on between big media and what is available online?

Many answers simply roks. My favourite:

You have the right to manipulate the magnetization on your harddisk in any way, right?

Check an open letter to Microsoft from www.engadget.com with some reason why Microsoft should not “kill” FairUse4WM. Also a propos “DRM” issues just check Michael Geist website which highlights some of the exceptions and limitations that the government should include if a Canadian DMCA like law is introduced. And it will be introduced because of international treaties obligations.

Just check www.aol.com website. Thanks goes to Agnieszka for her e-mail.

In June I wrote about letters that were sent by the Baker & McKenzie law firm to people running different websites, ISPs, etc. Mark Frauenfelder from www.boingboing.net website did not worry about it too much. Marty Schwimmer noticed an article at www.law.com website in which Amy Kolz analyses if it was a bad move for the Baker & McKenzie. In my humble opinion it was. Baker & McKenzie wasn’t too effective and additionaly became a target for massive criticism. I would like not to sound groundless but can someone explain me what was the effect of those letters if you are able to download (FTP, P2P etc.) almost all releases from World Cup 2006? For example:
World.Cup.2006.Quarterfinals.Brazil.vs.France.HDTV.XviD-DIMENSIO
World.Cup.2006.Quarterfinals.Italy.vs.Ukraine.HDTV.XviD-DIMENSIO
and many many many others.

I wrote about it earlier but there were almost no answers so I’ll repeat this post/question. There are contamination’s licences on the software market. I was wondering what is the name for the licence for a non software work which includes different licences. Mixed? I drew a simple illustration (PNG file, 121 KB), which one part (background color in the RGB scale: R:239, G:239, B:239) I release on a CC licence. Let’s say the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License. The another part of this illustration (background color in the RGB scale: R:167, G:134, B:86) I release on a custom copyright licence (something like that: you need my consent to use this part of the image in any kind of works except typical (non-commercial) use in the computer networs, etc.). Please contact me to suggest how would you name a licence for the whole illustration. :)

I will base this post on the right of citation. Kraków’s “City Social Help Center is looking for lawyers suffering mental illness. Two persons have a chance of getting this job. - Their employment is a part of the European Union’s Cogito programme - explain CSHC’s workers”. We were wondering with Wojtek what chances do we have to get this job. If they will not take us (we want to start LLM studies in USA) I can submit some candidates. More details in the article at www.miasta.gazeta.pl website (I am really sorry dear English readers but it is in Polish).

Weird Al’ Ynakovic and his website - www.dontdownloadthissong.com. Maybe you feel to download this song. Are you into breaking international copyright law? ;) Do you wanna mess with the RIAA? From the other hand www.stealthisfilm.com about Pirat Partiet’s movement.

Custom labels made for products with Heinz trademark. All at www.myheinz.com website.

Google’s logotype done in 3D using so called pixel art. Check www.hello.eboy.com website.

This image in the subject of this post may be an example of pedophiles tools and it is of course a joke about Sven Tudor-Miles’ situation. He scanned photographs of adult porn stars into his computer and altered them to make them look like girls aged under 18. He has been warned that he may face a prison sentence. More details in the article at www.timesonline.co.uk website. This remainds me also about last attempts to change criminal procedure law in the UK. I mean the Regulations of Investigatory Powers Act. Some people are afraid that it may lead to make a crime a refusal to disclose passwords of encrypted files/disks. I would say do not worry. Even if the British court sentence you there is always the European Court of Human Rights. Nobody can force you to testify agains yourself. The article on about this issue www.bbc.co.uk website.