CopyNight

CopyNight Reminder: Most Chapters Meet this Week!

Dear CopyNighters,
This is a quick reminder that it's time for another CopyNight! Most
chapters meet this Tuesday, October 28th, in cities around the world.
Also, we'd like to welcome Madison, WI to the CopyNight family! If
you know potential CopyNighters in that fair city, send them to the
site for further instructions. 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/
Cheers,
Ren Bucholz
CopyNight Toronto

CopyNight Reminder: Most Chapters Meet this Week!

Dear CopyNighters,
School is back in session, the U.S. presidential debates are about
to start, and it's time for another CopyNight! Most chapters meet
this Tuesday, September 23d, 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/
Here's a copyright-related news item to get the conversation started:
* Musicians Don't [Heart] McCain
A slew of popular musicians are up in arms over the McCain
campaign's use of their songs. To date, liberal performers Van
Halen, Heart, and John Mellencamp have complained about their
music being associated with the Republican candidate. Does that
sound fair?
As a matter of copyright law, it turns out that those uses are
licensed. The musicians' performance rights are handled by
organizations like ASCAP and BMI, and the McCain campaign obtained
licenses from both groups. But it raises the interesting question
of moral rights, which the U.S. has declined to recognize. Should
artists have an inalienable (or waivable?) right to protect the
integrity of their work, as they do in Canada and many European
countries? Would you feel different if the Obama camp was the one
being asked to cease and desist? To what extent do our political
biases make it hard to analyze the broader copyright question?
For more info on this issue:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/13477.html
http://www.slate.com/id/2199492/

Lots of fun stuff to discuss at this month's CopyNight - hope you
can join us!
Cheers,
Ren Bucholz
CopyNight Toronto

CopyNight Reminder: Most Chapters Meet this Week!

Dear CopyNighters,
Labo(u)r Day is almost upon us. It's an election year in the
United States. You know what I'm getting at? That's right: someone
needs to go directly from the Democratic National Convention to
Burning Man, then shamble to the Republican National Convention in
Minneapolis. It would be the weirdest road trip in the history
of everything, guaranteed. And it would provide an opportunity to
ask Sen. Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic vice presidential
nominee, about his long history of voting the wrong way on
technology and copyright issues!
If you can't make the trip, you can wonder how it'd be over pints
at this month's CopyNight! Most chapters meet this Tuesday,
August 26th, 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/
For more information on Biden's record on technology and copyright
issues, see this article:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10024163-38.html
Will McCain's VP-pick have a better record? Will people vote on
information policy issues? Will you? Lots of funs stuff to
discuss at this month's CopyNight - hope you can join us!
Cheers,
Ren Bucholz
CopyNight Toronto

CopyNight Reminder: Most Chapters Meet this Week!

Hey CopyNighters!
Just a quick reminder that most chapters meet this Tuesday,
June 24th, 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/
Cheers,
Ren Bucholz
CopyNight Toronto

CopyNight Reminder: Most Chapters Meet This Week!

Hey CopyNighters!
Just a quick reminder that most chapters meet this Tuesday,
May 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/
Cheers,
Ren Bucholz
CopyNight Toronto

CopyNight Reminder: Most Chapters Meet this Week!

Hey CopyNighters!
Just a quick reminder that most chapters meet this Tuesday,
April 22nd, 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/
I know that CopyNight Washington, D.C. and Toronto are NOT
meeting tomorrow (look for re-schedulings in the next couple of weeks)
For those chapters that are meeting as normal, enjoy!
Cheers,
Ren Bucholz
CopyNight Toronto

CopyNight Reminder: Next Meeting is This Week!

Dear CopyNighters,
Spring is officially upon us, and it's time to celebrate the change
of seasons in the traditional manner: by talking copyright and
tech geekery over alcoholic beverages! (What... that's not how
your family does Easter?) Most chapters meet this Tuesday,
March 25th, 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/
Cheers,
Ren Bucholz
CopyNight Toronto

CopyNight Reminder: Meetings thie week!

Dear CopyNighters,
The long winter between the Oscars and the Indy 500 has begun, and
you are wondering how to dull the pain? The answer, my friends,
is CopyNight! Most chapters meet this Tuesday, February 26th, 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
=-=-=-=-=-
Leaked RIAA Training Video for Law Enforcement is Hilarious, Scary
An RIAA training video, produced with the National District
Attorneys Association and intended for law enforcement agencies,
was leaked this month. The late-night-cable-talk-show-quality of
the vid is surreal, and it gets even weirder when one RIAA rep
claims that counterfeit CDs often come with helpings of crack in
the liner notes... wtf? And was anyone else disturbed by the idea
that copyright infringement is a great way to get a warrant for
locations that the police would otherwise be unable to enter for
lack of evidence? Isn't that evidentiary burden for warrants,
like, a good thing? Two choice scenes are available here:
<http://gizmodo.com/358648/leaked-riaa-training-video-find-pirates--find-crack+dealing-terrorist-murderers-too>;
Canadian DMCA Stalled Again, Balanced Copyright Winning
Rumoured Canadian copyright legislation -- a bill from MP Jim
Prentice that would bring the American DMCA north of the border --
has been delayed again. This is after over 30,000 people joined a
Facebook group opposed to the measure and everyone from musicians,
privacy ministers, and a huge business coalition expressed
concerns about the need for balanced copyright. For more info on
these developments, check:
<http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/2689/125/>;
---------------
As always, lots to discuss at this month's CopyNight!
Cheers,
Ren Bucholz
CopyNight Toronto

CopyNight Reminder: Next Meeting is This Week!

Dear CopyNighters,
Black Friday is behind us and eggnog is back in the dairy aisle,
which can mean only one thing... it's time for the last CopyNight
of 2007! Come cheat on your advent calendars while talking tech
and copyright with likeminded 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: Next Meeting is Tuesday, October 23rd!

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 Toronto is Tomorrow!

Hey CopyNight Toronto,
This is a reminder that our next meeting is tomorrow, September 25th:

Victory Cafe
581 Markham Street
8:00 pm
(One block south of Bloor, one block west of Bathurst and just south of the Markham Street exit at the Bathurst subway station)
Map: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=581+Markham+Street+Toronto+Ontario&num=1&spn=0.02%2C0.04
Ren's Cell: 416/300.5316
Again, for the new folks, I'm the tall guy with glasses and dark, slightly disheveled hair. Hope to see you there!
Ren
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Dear CopyNighters,
The war between the House of Content and the House of Technology
may soon be over. After much negotiation, it appears that an
alliance may have been forged to combine the bloodlines and bring
the two factions together forever. I am, of course, referring to
comedian Kathy Griffin dating Apple co-founder Steve "The Woz"
Wozniak. She even took him to the Emmys! And as a gesture of
goodwill, I suggest that we all raise a glass to their happiness
at the next CopyNight! Most chapters meet this Tuesday, September
25, 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
=-=-=-=-=-
* CCIA: Fair Use Adds $2.2 Trillion to US Economy
That is a big number! From Ars Technica:
"It's common to see reports that stress the economic importance of
copyright and the content owners who benefit from it; the
Copyright Alliance says that "core copyright industries" generated
$819 billion in the US in 2005, for instance. What's less common
is to find studies that look at the economic impact of fair use.
That was the goal behind a new report from the Computer &
Communications Industry Association (CCIA). Their provocative
finding? "In 2006, fair use-related industry value added was $2.2
trillion, 16.6 percent of total US current dollar GDP.""
They came to that number by looking at industries that rely on
certain elements of fair use in order to function, including
"Internet broadcasting, data hosting and processing, audio and
video equipment manufacturing, electronic auctions, radio and
television broadcasting, and many more." Fascinating stuff - read
the rest of it here:
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070913-the-value-of-fair-use-to-the-us-economy-4-5-trillion-a-year.html

So eat, drink and be merry at this month's CopyNight!
Cheers,
Ren Bucholz
CopyNight Toronto