Boston/Cambridge CopyNight: Aug. 28th

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The next Boston/Cambridge CopyNight is Tuesday, August 28th at 7:30pm. We'll meet at the Hong Kong restaurant in Harvard Square.
Hong Kong Restaurant
1238 Mass Ave.
Cambridge, MA, 02138
Phone: 617-864-5311
Web: http://www.hongkongharvard.com
Recent News Items of Interest:
Peter Olson, the co-host of our CopyNight, has revitalized our blog at http://cambridgecopynight.blogspot.com where he has posted useful information about our meetings and a variety of relevant new items. Be sure to check it out. He's also interested in your opinions on how to best use the blog or some other medium like a wiki. Email us here about what you think.
A view from the New Republic on how copyright in fashion (discussed below and on the blog) could ruin an industry that depends on copying to create trends.
http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=w070813&s=raustialasprigman081407
From the blog:
RIAA named in first class action
Two people who have been accused by the RIAA of illegally sharing files have begun fighting back:
[Tanya] Andersen, a disabled mother living in Oregon, has launched the first class action against the RIAA and the members of the Big 4 organised music cartel.
And in the second lawsuit, [Michelle] Santangelo, from New York, has filed a cross-suit against Sharman Networks’ Kazaa, AOL and Matthew Seckler, whom she says installed Kazaa software on her computer without her knowledge or permission.
http://www.p2pnet.net/story/13077
Peer-to-Patent pilot steers toward change
On June 15, the New York Law School's Institute for Information Law and Policy, in cooperation with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), launched the Peer-to-Patent community patent review pilot program. While some sections of the free and open source community show little interest in the program, program leader Beth Noveck of the NYLS is upbeat, thanks to the interest shown by federal agencies including the Department of Commerce and software companies like Red Hat and Microsoft, and the prospect of replicating the program in other countries.
http://www.linux.com/feature/118349
The FTC is about to begin an investigation of the National Football League, Major League Baseball, and several other organizations at the instigation of the Computer & Communications Industry Association (representing Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, et al). At issue is the practice of overstating copyright claims and in particular disregarding Fair Use.
http://www.ccianet.org/artmanager/publish/news/
FTC_copyright_complaint.shtml
Universal Music is entering the DRM-free zone in a test of music downloading to run through January 2008:
"The offer of Universal’s music under the new terms is being framed as a test, to run into January, allowing executives to study consumer demand and any effect on online piracy. A Universal decision to adopt the practice permanently would put pressure on other record companies to follow suit. That could stoke a wider debate about how to treat intellectual property in the digital era. Universal’s artists include the Black Eyed Peas and 50 Cent.
The effort is likely to be seen as part of the industry’s wider push to increase competition to iTunes and shift leverage away from Apple, which wields enormous influence over prices and other terms in digital music. A month ago, Universal notified Apple that it would not agree to a new long-term contract to sell music through iTunes."
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/10/business/10music.html
In other news:
Copyright for Fashion Designs Proposed in Design Piracy Prohibition Act
"During an hour that was one part C-SPAN and one part Style Network, [New York congressmen and fashion designers] pushed for the passage of the bill, which was introduced in the U.S. Senate last week and would give copyright protection to designers' work. (A similar bill has also been proposed in the House.)
Unlike other creative products such as movies, music or books, clothing has never been given copyright protection. Designers can trademark a logo, such as a polo pony, graphic lettering or a brand name. They can copyright a specific kind of ornamentation on a garment -- a unique kind of embroidery, perhaps. But they can't copyright the entire design of a dress. A manufacturer could make an exact reproduction of an intricately stitched Zac Posen gown, and as long as there is no counterfeit "Zac Posen" label inside, it's completely legal under current law."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/09/AR2007080902019.html
Novell Wins Rights to Unix
"A judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah Central District found that Novell is the owner of the Unix and UnixWare copyrights, dismissing SCO's charges of slander and breach of contract.
The judge also ruled that SCO owes Novell for SCO's licensing revenue from Sun Microsystems Inc. and Microsoft Corp. SCO is obligated to pass through to Novell a portion of those licenses, the judge said.
In the ruling, the judge said SCO must pay Novell, but the amount will be determined in a trial, said Pamela Jones, founder and editor of Groklaw, a Web site that follows open-source software legal issues.
In another major blow to SCO, the judge said that because Novell is the owner of the Unix copyrights, it can direct SCO to waive its suits against IBM Corp. and Sequant. "SCO can't sue IBM for copyright infringement on copyrights it doesn't own," Jones said.
The ruling is good news for organizations that use open-source software products, said Jim Zemlin, executive director of the Linux Foundation. "From the perspective of someone who is adopting open-source solutions to run in the enterprise, it proves to them that the industry is going to defend the platform, and that when organizations attack it from a legal perspective, that the industry collectively will defend it," he said"
http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/08/10/Novell-wins-right-to-Unix-copyrights_1.html
Best,
Andrew Jankowich