Infinite Unknown

- Ireland copyright battle: Newspapers demand $400 for sharing links (RT, Jan 7, 2013):

The body representing Ireland’s main newspapers is demanding a minimum of $400 for third parties to directly link their articles, sparking an unprecedented copyright row which strikes at the very heart of sharing content on the World Wide Web.

Continue reading »

Tags: Copyright, Economy, Global News, Internet, Ireland

- Copyright terror: Man sentenced to 15 years in jail for selling 6 counterfeit discs (RT, Nov 16, 2012)

The Justice Department isn’t exactly winnings its war on intellectual property theft — the attorney general says so himself. Until then, though, that doesn’t mean they are going to start going soft.

A Mississippi man was sentenced to 15 years behind bars and another three under supervised release this week after pleading guilty to selling five counterfeit DVDs and one bootleg music CD to an undercover agent.

Continue reading »

Tags: Barack Obama, Copyright, Global News, Government, Law, Obama administration, Politics, Society, U.S.

- Guilty until proven innocent: Families will have to pay £20 to show they DIDN’T illegally download music under new law (Daily Mail, June 26, 2012):

Regime designed to stamp out internet piracy will treat individuals as ‘guilty until proven innocent’

People wrongly accused of making illegal downloads will have to pay £20 fee to appeal and prove their innocence

Move has angered consumer groups

Internet users who illegally download music, movies and e-books will be sent warning letters in a crackdown that could lead to court action for copyright theft.

A new regime to tackle online piracy will in effect treat individuals as ‘guilty until proven innocent’.

Those wrongly accused of illegal downloading will have to pay a £20 fee to appeal in a move that has angered consumer groups.

The controls on internet piracy, due to come into effect in early 2014, were outlined yesterday by the broadcasting regulator Ofcom under the Digital Economy Act 2010.

The same Act includes punishments that could, in future, see accused families having their internet service slowed down, capped or even cut off. Continue reading »

Tags: Copyright, Dictatorship, Global News, Government, Internet, Law, New World Order, Politics, Society, U.K.

Megaupload: Web Site Hit by Feds

- Popular File-Sharing Website Megaupload Shut Down (ABC News, January 19, 2012):

One of the world’s most popular file-sharing sites was shut down Thursday, and its founder and several company officials were accused of facilitating millions of illegal downloads of films, music and other content.

A federal indictment accused Megaupload.com of costing copyright holders at least $500 million in lost revenue. The indictment was unsealed one day after websites including Wikipedia and Craigslist shut down in protest of two congressional proposals intended to make it easier for authorities to go after sites with pirated material, especially those with overseas headquarters and servers.

The news of the shutdown seemed to bring retaliation from hackers who claimed credit for attacking the Justice Department’s website. Federal officials confirmed it was down Thursday evening and that the disruption was being “treated as a malicious act.”

A loose affiliation of hackers known as “Anonymous” claimed credit for the attack. Also hacked was the site for the Motion Picture Association of America and perhaps others.

Megaupload is based in Hong Kong, but some of the alleged pirated content was hosted on leased servers in Ashburn, Va., which gave federal authorities jurisdiction, the indictment said.

The Justice Department said in a statement said that Kim Dotcom, 37, and three other employees were arrested Thursday in New Zealand at the request of U.S. officials. Three other defendants are at large.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation, which defends free speech and digital rights online, said in a statement that, “This kind of application of international criminal procedures to Internet policy issues sets a terrifying precedent. If the United States can seize a Dutch citizen in New Zealand over a copyright claim, what is next?”

Before Megaupload was taken down, it posted a statement saying allegations that it facilitated massive breaches of copyright laws were “grotesquely overblown.”

“The fact is that the vast majority of Mega’s Internet traffic is legitimate, and we are here to stay. If the content industry would like to take advantage of our popularity, we are happy to enter into a dialogue. We have some good ideas. Please get in touch,” the statement said.

Continue reading »

Tags: Copyright, File sharing, Global News, Government, Internet, Law, Megaupload, New Zealand, Politics, Society, U.S.

Hilarious!

Pope Benedict XVI

Vatican City, Dec 19, 2009 / 12:23 pm (CNA).- The Vatican made a declaration on the protection of the figure of the Pope on Saturday morning. The statement seeks to establish and safeguard the name, image and any symbols of the Pope as being expressly for official use of the Holy See unless otherwise authorized.

The statement cited a “great increase of affection and esteem for the person of the Holy Father” in recent years as contributing to a desire to use the Pontiff’s name for all manner of educational and cultural institutions, civic groups and foundations.

Due to this demand, the Vatican has felt it necessary to declare that “it alone has the right to ensure the respect due to the Successors of Peter, and therefore, to protect the figure and personal identity of the Pope from the unauthorized use of his name and/or the papal coat of arms for ends and activities which have little or nothing to do with the Catholic Church.”

The declaration alludes to attempts to use ecclesiastical or pontifical symbols and logos to “attribute credibility and authority to initiatives” as another reason to establish their “copyright” on the Holy Father’s name, picture and coat of arms.

“Consequently, the use of anything referring directly to the person or office of the Supreme Pontiff… and/or the use of the title ‘Pontifical,’ must receive previous and express authorization from the Holy See,” concluded the message released to the press.

Source: Catholic News Agency

Tags: Catholic Church, Church, Copyright, Global News, Law, Pope, Pope Benedict XVI, Religion, Society, Vatican