CopyNight Des Moines Message

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The next Des Moines Copynight is at 7-9PM at Rock Bottom Brewery
in West Des Moines on October 23, 2007.
Dear CopyNighters,
Iran is developing nuclear technology, Jean-Claude Van Damme is
starring in his own biopic, and the Rockies made it to the World
Series... come celebrate the End of Days with CopyNight! What
better way to soothe the post-millennial angst than by chatting
about copyright and technology over a frosty beverage? Most
chapters meet this Tuesday, October 23rd, in cities around the
world. Be sure to check the website for details on your local
chapter, and shoot us an email if you'd like to start something in
your city!
http://copynight.org/
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Newsiness
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This month's news bytes describe several models for the future of
digital music: continued lawsuits from the recording industry;
Congressional intervention in the realm of blanket licensing;
abandonment of DRM in favour of more retrictive contractual
arrangements with customers; and a hardware-based blanket license.
Are any of these going to be winners? What else should be on the
table?
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~ RIAA Gets $222k from Woman in First P2P Jury Trial
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has initiated
legal proceedings against over 30,000 Americans over the last five
years, but it secured its first jury conviction only this month.
Jammie Thomas of Minnesota was ordered to pay $9,250 for each of
the 24 songs that she was alleged to have shared, bringing the
total damage award to $222,000. Read more about it here:
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20071004-verdict-is-in.html

~ Congressman Calls RIAA Verdict "Excessive," Advocates Blanket Licenses
Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA), well-known advocate for tech-friendly
intellectual property laws, referred to the judgment as
'excessive' and again suggested that Congressional intervention is
necessary. He was particularly supportive of blanket licensing
solutions:
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9792154-7.html

~ New Music Initiatives Drop DRM, Dabble in Collective Licenses
October also saw two new entrants in the world of digital music
distribution. Amazon.com's music store offers over 2 million
tracks that are priced lower than the iTunes Music Store, of a
slightly higher quality, and are encoded in the DRM-free MP3
format. However, the Seattle Times points out that restrictions
don't have to be digital:

"Amazon's contract says you "may copy, store,
transfer and burn the Digital Content" for
personal use. But then it goes further and
specifies restrictions, saying you "agree that you
will not redistribute, transmit, assign, sell,
broadcast, rent, share, lend, modify, adapt, edit,
sub-license or otherwise transfer or use the
Digital Content."

Concerned that I was being paranoid, I floated
this past Fred von Lohmann, senior staff attorney
with the Electronic Frontier Foundation in San
Francisco, a public-interest advocacy group.

He was surprised by the language and said it
appears to enable record companies to pursue a
breach of contract if, for instance, you loaned
your mother an iPod containing MP3s bought from
Amazon."
Read more about the store and its contract here:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003932604_brier08.html
In related news, the Universal Music Group announced plans to work
on a blanket license that would be tied to hardware devices like
cell phones and media players:

"While the details are in flux, insiders say
Morris & Co. have an intriguing business model:
get hardware makers or cell carriers to absorb the
cost of a roughly $5-per-month subscription fee so
consumers get a device with all-you-can-eat music
that's essentially free. Music companies would
collect the subscription fee, while hardware
makers theoretically would move many more
players."
Is that reasonable? Or would we end up paying for the same
music each time we buy a new gadget? Would this be any
better than the subscription services that the labels currently
offer (and which totally suck)?
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Lots to discuss at this month's CopyNight!
Cheers,
Ren Bucholz
CopyNight Toronto