Join New Zealand Internet blackout protest against insane copyright law

Image by jamesotron via Flickr

While accepting that copyright infringement is a big issue it seems clear to me that government imposed draconian laws that owe more to big business lobbying than sensible leglislative concern is not the way to go.

Read all about how New Zealand have approached the problem and plan your own resistance to its inevitable spread now.

Join New Zealand Internet blackout protest against insane copyright law

Related articles by Zemanta

• NZ Guilt Upon Accusation Act Prompts Blackout Protest (searchenginewatch.com)
• In New Zealand File-Sharers Guilty if Accused (beatcrave.com)
• Campaign to Stop File-Sharers Being "Guilty Upon Accusation" (torrentfreak.com)
• Kiwis get strict copyright, three-strikes law at month's end (arstechnica.com)
• Apple Says Jailbreaking iPhones Is Illegal, Dammit [Apple] (i.gizmodo.com)
• Kiwis rally opposition to NZ copyright bill (arstechnica.com)

Here's an Ethical Dilemma For You

Image via Wikipedia

Web Worker Daily have a great post about intellectual property (IP) rights. Specifically it gives you information on what to do if your work is stolen on-line.

I'd really like to tell you about this post as it contains great information about how to deal with this problem but, if I quote it, am I simply copying?

I'll take my chances and put it down to Fair Use.

You can read the article here:

WebWorkerDaily » Archive What To Do When Your Work is Stolen Online «

Related articles by Zemanta

• Associated Press: A Brief Look at Fair Use and a Lost Story of The Grateful Dead
• Legal Guide for Bloggers
• Law Firm Uses Copyright Claim To Say You Can't View Its Website's HTML Source
• Intellectual Property Law Tips for Bloggers

Victory for Open Source

Image via Wikipedia

US Court rules in favor of "open source" copyright - Download Squad

Being a bit of an old hippy I'm keen on open source. The problem is that, in America, nothing is accepted until they've had a load of over-paid lawyers argue about it in court.

Fortunately that has now happened and open source copyright has now passed the Perry Mason test making it as legal as things get in the US.

This might smack of angels on pins but it is really important: it means that those who spend a lot of time and effort on production can expect their rights to be protected - even if the only right they want is to be recognised.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Landmark Case Upholds Open Source Licenses
• Big legal win for free licenses
• Good News for the Creative Commonwealth - Open Source Licences upheld.