CopyNight Des Moines

CopyNight Des Moines July 22, 2008 topics

Topics for this Month:
The recent news of immunity for US telecoms
wiretapping charges.
Blu-Ray bloated content and "Digital Copy" feature and associated DRM.
If you have a topic please suggest it, each month I will post them.

CopyNight Des Moines July 22, 2008

Come join us Tuesday July 22, 2008 in West Des Moines at the Rock Bottom Brewery at 8PM.
We usually hang out back in the Game Room Area.

CopyNight This Tuesday November 27, 2007, 7PM

Winter hours from 7PM till 9PM, at Rock Bottom Brewery in West Des Moines in the pool room.
Dear CopyNighters,
Black Friday is behind us and eggnog is back in the dairy aisle.
Come cheat on your advent calendars while talking tech
and copyright with like minded geeks. Most chapters meet this
Tuesday, October 27th, 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/
=-=-=-=-=-
Newsiness
=-=-=-=-=-
* France To Monitor the Net for Copyright Infringement
Looking for ways to spend that surplus of French tax dollars,
President Nicolas Sarkozy is pleased to announce a new government
agency that will track down Internet users who disrespect
copyright. How does it work? By getting ISPs to turn over their
customers, of course! According to the CBC:

"Internet providers will monitor what their
customers are doing and pass on information to the
new body about web surfers who are consistently
pirating material."
Before you bring up recent studies that show users of peer-to-peer
networks buying more music than the average consumer, remember
that this is a moral(e) issue:

"Sarkozy said he feared the internet was becoming
a "lawless zone where outlaws can pillage works
with abandon or, worse, trade in them in total
impunity. And on whose backs? On artists' backs.""
Take that, lawless outlaws.
Links
CBC Story:
<http://www.cbc.ca/arts/media/story/2007/11/24/france-illegal-downloaders.html>;
Discussion of recent report on P2P and music purchasing habits:
<http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/2395/125/>;
---------------
* US to Tie University Funding to Copyright Enforcement?
A new piece of US legislation would require universities to 1)
provide students with legal music downloading options and 2)
consider technology-based measures to stop downloading on campus
or 3) lose government funding for student aid. What a deal for
record companies! Step 1 suggests that schools may have to get
campus-wide licenses up for RIAA-approved subscription services
like Napster or Rhapsody, the cost of which will likely be passed
on to students. Step 2 will help the recording industry outsource
its litigation efforts to campus IT departments. And Step 3?
According to a letter from several university presidents to the
bill's sponsor:

"Even more alarming, it is our understanding that
the consequences of the Secretary deciding that a
targeted institution has failed to prevent illegal
file sharing would be loss of Title IV student aid
eligibility. Such an extraordinarily inappropriate
and punitive outcome would result in all students
on that campus losing their Federal financial aid
� including Pell grants and student loans that are
essential to their ability to attend college,
advance their education and acquire the skills
necessary to compete in the 21st century economy.
Lower income students, those most in need of
Federal financial aid, would be harmed most under
the entertainment industry's proposal."
That's right - if the school fails its copyright physical, all
students could lose their federal student aid. If that sounds
like a bad idea to you, check out the Electronic Frontier
Foundation's action alert on the bill.
Links
EFF Backgrounder on H.R. 4137:
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2007/11/campus-copyright-mandates-threaten-financial-aid-funds-and-campus-networks
EFF Action Alert on H.R. 4137:
https://secure.eff.org/site/Advocacy?alertId=331&pg=makeACall
---------------
As always, lots to discuss at this month's CopyNight!
Cheers,
Ren Bucholz
CopyNight Toronto

CopyNight Des Moines Message

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/
=-=-=-=-=-
Newsiness
=-=-=-=-=-
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?
=-=-=-=-=-
~ 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)?
=-=-=-=-=-
Lots to discuss at this month's CopyNight!
Cheers,
Ren Bucholz
CopyNight Toronto

CopyNight Des Moines Message

(Mailing List Information, including unsubscription instructions,
is located at the end of this message.)
__

Next CopyNight: Tuesday, August 28th
The next CopyNight will be Tuesday, August 28th from 8-10PM at Rock Bottom Brewery Pool Room in West Des Moines.
Brings friends, buy drinks, and enjoy the spirited discussion at this month's CopyNight!

CopyNight Des Moines Message

The next CopyNight will be Tuesday, June 26th.
The Des Moines Copy Night is from 8PM to 10PM at the Rock Bottom Brewery in West Des Moines.
Brings friends, buy drinks, and enjoy the spirited discussion at this month's CopyNight!
George Davey will not be present this month as he is busy fighting the Project Destiny sales tax increase for NoLocalOption.com.

CopyNight Des Moines Message

(Mailing List Information, including unsubscription instructions,
is located at the end of this message.)
__

Next CopyNight: Tuesday, April 24th at Rock Bottom Brewery in West Des Moines 8PM - 10PM.
The next CopyNight will be Tuesday, April 24th in cities around the world.
Brings friends, buy drinks, and enjoy the spirited discussion at next month's CopyNight!

CopyNight Des Moines Message

Next CopyNight: Tuesday, February 27th from 8-10PM at Rock Bottom Brewery in West Des Moines.
Please note the new "Summer Time" schedule.

The next CopyNight will be Tuesday, February 27th in cities around the world. Sign up for your city's mailing list on the left (and check the locations page to confirm the time and date). Is your city not listed? Start a local CopyNight in your city!
Brings friends, buy drinks, and enjoy the spirited discussion at next month's CopyNight!

CopyNight Des Moines Message

Copynight is this Tuesday 2/27/2007 at Rock Bottom Brewery in West Des Moines from 7PM til 9PM.

CopyNight Des Moines Message

The next CopyNight will be Tuesday, January 23rd in cities around the world. Sign up for your city's mailing list on the left (and check the locations page to confirm the time and date). Is your city not listed? Start a local CopyNight in your city!
Brings friends, buy drinks, and enjoy the spirited discussion at next month's CopyNight!
Copy night Des Moines is at the Rock Bottom Brewery in West Des Moines from 7PM til 9PM this Tuesday.

CopyNight Des Moines Message

Next CopyNight: Tuesday, November 28th
Des Moines Copy Night is held at Rock Bottom Brewery in West Des Moines from 7 til 9 PM.
The next CopyNight will be Tuesday, November 28th in cities around the world. Sign up for your city's mailing list on the left (and check the locations page to confirm the time and date). Is your city not listed? Start a local CopyNight in your city!
Brings friends, buy drinks, and enjoy the spirited discussion at next month's CopyNight!