even posting "Pepsi Blue" would make us liable. | MetaFilter

"Drove my Chevy to the levee..."? That's a lawsuit. "Pass the Courvoisier"? Yup. Lawsuit too. Artwork using Barbie Dolls? Lawsuit again... It's all part of the Trademark Dilution Revision Act, which would eliminate the non-commercial "fair use" protections of trademarks in art, literature, and speech

Number nine, number nine, number nine... | MetaFilter

Mix your own version

Librarians air concerns about DRM

In 10 or 15 years, the DRM choices our governments make today could be coming back to haunt us in ways that have very little to do with whether or not we can time-shift TV or backup the iPod, and everything to do with that cornerstone of intellectual egalitarianism: the public library.

Cable companies fear the approach of IPTV

n the flip side of the stories coming out about giant IP service providers worrying over squeezing more profits, the world of cable television has started to wonder if their future revenue might suffer from the rise of Internet Protocol Television, or IPTV.

Meet the New Media, same as the Old Media: blogging and the problem of access

In a recent post, Clemons calls attention to the growing phenomenon of blogger conference calls. Clemons' post is worth reading in full, because it outlines some of the thorny ethical problems surrounding the now routine practice of Democratic Senators and Representatives holding conference calls with prominent liberal bloggers.

Slashdot | France Moving Forward on Legalized P2P

News.com is reporting the French Minister of Culture will advocate P2P as a flat-fee service.

Technology, Technology news, Times Online

Google is working on a project to create its own global internet protocol (IP) network, a private alternative to the internet controlled by the search giant, according to sources who are in commercial negotiation with the company.

Slashdot | Torvalds Explains Dislike For GPLv3

I _literally_ feel that we do not - as software developers - have the moral right to enforce our rules on hardware manufacturers. We are not crusaders, trying to force people to bow to our superior God. We are trying to show others that co-operation and openness works better.'

CBS Programming Coming To iTunes Music Store? :: iPod Hacks :: The Latest and Greatest News and Info for Your iPod

CBS Digital Media President Larry Kramer has confirmed that that talks are currently underway with Apple to bring CBS programming to the iTunes Music Store.
No good for Google.

A Long-Time iPod-Hater Has A Change Of Heart :: iPod Hacks :: The Latest and Greatest News and Info for Your iPod

Why did I jump to the Apple music ship? Simply put, I'm tired of waiting for Microsoft and its partners to get their act together.

Open Access News

It doesn't discuss OA to literature but strongly endorses OA to data.

Furdlog » A Look at YouTube

There are also, obviously, legal and ethical problems with many of the clips on YouTube.

Furdlog » A Tidbit From Slate’s Fashion Week FAQ

And though designers rarely trademark their work, it would be hard to determine if the one you’ve decided to copy has done so.

--Ari