The next meeting of Boston/Cambridge CopyNight will be held Tuesday, June 26th at 7:30.
Today is also the "Day of Silence" where internet radio stations will protest new royalty rates by playing no music (more below).
We'll meet at the Hong Kong restaurant in Harvard Square.
Hong Kong Restaurant
1238 Mass Ave.
Cambridge, MA, 02138
Phone: 617-864-5311
Web: http://www.hongkongharvard.com
News Items of Interest:
Lawrence Lessig Shifts Focus of Activism (Copyright to Corruption):
"The bottom line: I have decided to shift my academic work, and soon, my activism, away from the issues that have consumed me for the last 10 years, towards a new set of issues. Why and what are explained in the extended entry below."
http://www.lessig.org/blog/archives/003800.shtml
Member Peter Olson notes: "I think this is terrific news. It has been good to raise people's consciousness about the problems with copyright and other so-called intellectual property, but when the problems persist due to contemporaneous legislation it is vital to uncover why the lesson doesn't seem to sink in."
June 26th: Day of Silence for Internet Radio:
"Internet radio stations will broadcast no music tomorrow (June 26) in observance of the rescheduled "Day of Silence" organized by RAIN's Kurt Hanson in protest of the new royalty rates that would cripple those Internet radio stations that it does not destroy by charging royalty fees that would be greater or equal to revenue for most webcasters."
http://blog.wired.com/music/2007/06/tomorrow-day-of.html
Pilot Program on Public Participation in Patent Process:
"The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has announced the launch of a year-long online pilot program that will test the value of allowing the public to participate in the patent examination process. The Patent Office said it will provide feedback on the usefulness of public submissions, which might consist of references to prior art, evaluations of submitted prior art, and discussion of posted patent applications."
http://www.dmwmedia.com/news/2007/06/18/u-s-patent-office-
to-test-public-participation-in-patent-exam-process
'Sicko' Director Michael Moore on Copyright:
"I don't agree with the copyright laws, and I don't have a problem with people downloading the movie and sharing it with people, as long as they're not doing it to make a profit off it, as long as they are not, you know, trying to make a profit off my labor. I would oppose that, but, you know, I do quite well, and I made these movies and TV shows because I want things to change. So, the more people get to see them, the better, so I'm happy that happens."
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/moore190607.html
Copyright Problems for Gossip Blog:
"In what may be the first hit against bloggerazzi star Perez Hilton's empire, his main webhost has dropped Perezhilton.com. After numerous warnings against Hilton's (aka Mario Lavandeira) use of copyrighted celebrity images, the Oz-based Crucial Paradigm took the site off line; it was dark for a number of hours before it returned to the Internet with a different host."
http://www.variety.com/VR1117967331.html
Malaysia's New Copyright Courts:
"Malaysia is setting up special courts to hear copyright violation cases, officials said Wednesday, boosting efforts to stamp out rampant piracy in the software and entertainment industries."
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/4905906.html
We hope to discuss these and other topics with you on Tuesday.
Best,
Andrew Jankowich
