Alex Jones: Web Technologist, Barbecue Acolyte, Information Junkie, Austinite

Labelling Tyler Durden

Sean Bonner has posted a snap shot of the sample address adorning a package of Avery mailing labels. The address belongs to Tyler Durden from the movie Fight Club (trailers). I love to see the small human aspects come through in the design of mundane products and packaging. Via Boing Boing

Posted in Design

Mattel’s Frivolous Suit Against Art

Score one for freedom of speech!

From Copyfight comes word that Mattel has lost its trademark case against Thomas Forsythe, an artist who used Barbie dolls in a series of photos. The Ninth circuit court called one claim “completely without merit” and noted it “would lead to absurd results”. The court found it “objectively unreasonable that [Mattel] argued otherwise”. Best of all, the court recognized that Mattel’s suit was frivolous, awarding the artist $241,797.09 plus $1,584,089 to cover legal fees. The decision is available on-line thanks to Copyfight.

Posted in Law & Government

Overstatement and IICA

Susan Crawford presents a compelling case to bring the INDUCE Act to a hearing on the Senate floor in her article Overstatement and IICA. She addresses both sides of the issue on three fundamental questions:

1. Will the bill cripple the development of new technology?
2. Will the bill broaden secondary liability for copyright infringement in ways we cannot predict?
3. Will the bill render Sony irrelevant?

Posted in Law & Government & Tagged: congress, induce act, law, politics, Technology

More on the INDUCE Act

This is just a quick post with some informative perspectives on the INDUCE Act. Sadly, I do not have the time to comment on all of them at present, though I do hope to post about select articles when my schedule allows. Anyway, here are the links:

• Supporting the INDUCE Act - The Importance of…
• INDUCE Act + Broadcast Flag Treaty = ??? - The Importance of…
• A Balanced View of the INSANE Act Proposal - Lenz Blog
• Save the iPod

Posted in Law & Government & Tagged: broadcast flag, congress, induce act, iPod, law, politics, Technology

The INDUCE Act and the Right to Prepare Derivative Works

Ernest, provides additional insight into the ramifications of the INDUCE Act on his site( The Importance of…) in a new article titled The INDUCE Act and the Right to Prepare Derivative Works. His perspectives on this issue and many others in the realm of copyrights are extremely informative for those of us who are just now learning of the issues. Yet again, Ernest points out the details and effects that may not be obvious on first blush. Well, at the very least, they were not obvious to me:

Most of the commentary on the Act and what technologies, creativity and innovation it threatens have focused on two types of infringement, those of the right of reproduction (the right to make copies) and the right of public distribution. We should remember, however, that there are other exclusive rights that can be infringed. The intersection of the INDUCE Act with these other exclusive rights will create an even broader swath of technology and acts that Hollywood will have an effective veto over. Let’s consider one of these other rights and the technologies that might be affected.

According to 17 USC 106, the second exclusive right is the right “to prepare derivative works based upon the copyrighted work.”

That is a very scary proposition on a number of fronts as it could lead to so many more lawsuits, and legal bullying by large companies, driving innovators and fans into hiding, if not apathy. Ultimately, the INDUCE Act could prove harmful to the U.S. economy as we will lose ground to other nations who do not place such strict controls on innovation and product evolution.

Posted in Law & Government & Tagged: congress, copyright, induce act, law, politics, Technology

CoffeeGeek

While I like coffee, and I consider myself a geek, I have nothing on these guys: CoffeeGeek. Man o man.

Posted in Food & Drink

PIRATE Act Passed

As reported by Boing Boing and News.com, the Senate has approved the PIRATE Act which will give federal prosecutors the power to file civil lawsuits against people who may be infringing copyright law. News.com provides a typical quote from the ever-clueless Senator, Orrin Hatch:

One influential backer of the Pirate Act has been urging an avalanche of civil suits. “Tens of thousands of continuing civil enforcement actions might be needed to generate the necessary deterrence,” Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican, said when announcing his support for the bill. “I doubt that any nongovernmental organization has the resources or moral authority to pursue such a campaign.”

Perhaps it’s me, but I could have sworn that Republicans were supposed to be supporters of free trade and against government interference in the markets and individual rights… They also used to be for smaller government - another pro in my book. I wonder how much government of our money will be spent on civil lawsuits meant to protect an industry that hasn’t figured out that they need to shift their business model. While, Senator Hatch has to give his Media handlers something for their money, one would hope that he would at the very least recognize that he is supposed to be representing people before corporations. Check out his introduction to the “Protecting Intellectual Rights Against Theft and Expropriation Act” if you have a bit of time.

More info:

• Congress Moves to Criminalize P2P - Wired News
• PIRATE Act Reveals Sen. Hatch as Strange Ally of Pornography Industry - Corante
• PIRATE Act Introduced in Congress - Slashdot

Posted in Law & Government & Tagged: congress, copyright, law

Never let your sense of morals get in the way…

“Never let your sense of morals get in the way of doing what’s right.”
Isaac Asimov

Posted in Quotes & Toasts

Heed the Soundtrack

It is probably best to not install and run a new script on a live site when the music pumping through your speakers is the haunting theme from the Godfather. I should know better than the people in the movies, and heed the soundtrack.

All the worse when the next song is titled ‘Nervous Breakdown’…

Posted in General

Litigation to Stop Innovation

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has created a Fake Complaint against Apple, Toshiba, and C-Net for Inducing Infringement of Copyrights to demonstrate the potential damage of the INDUCE Act should it pass. Scroll down to page three of the PDF version to read the actual complaint.

I think the complaint provides the best perspective of any coverage of the issue for those of us who aren’t directly involved in copyright law as it breaks it down into specific, real world acts that could set off litigation and crush our rights and future innovations.

The EFF also provides an easy to use method to write your senator about the issue. All you have to do is fill in your name and address. You aren’t locked into the letter that they provide you either, if you want to modify the letter to suit your needs, you can.

Posted in Law & Government, Technology & Tagged: congress, copyright, eff, induce act, politics