I’m starting to lose count of how many regulatory proceedings there have been in the last 6 months or so to discuss “standard technical measures” in the copyright context. Doing policy work in this space is like living in a zombie movie version of “Groundhog Day” as we keep having to marshal resources to deal […]
Techdirt is one of the few remaining independent blogs. And, in many ways, I really miss the era of independent blogging that became a thing mainly in the early 2000s. Over time, most people have moved on to either new media organizations (often funded or owned by the old media organizations) or simply embraced social […]
Clearview may as well exit Europe entirely. Things are not going to get better for it. Online privacy laws are far more restrictive on the other side of the pond and Clearview’s business model will always be in violation of those laws. European laws require companies to obtain some sort of consent from the people […]
On both the state and federal level, a flood of new bills are targeting companies’ efforts to monopolize repair by implementing obnoxious DRM, making repair tools and manuals hard to find, bullying independent repair shops (like Apple does), or forcing tractor owners to drive hundreds of miles just to get their tractor repaired (one of John […]
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Senator Ron Wyden has never been shy about demanding both the government and the private sector stop doing so much damn spying on their constituents/users. Eleven years ago — long before it became apparent federal agencies were accessing/buying location data from any private party willing to give them access — Wyden was looking to enact […]
Earlier this year, we noted how FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr had launched a bad faith effort suggesting that “big tech” gets a “free ride” on the internet, and should be forced to fund broadband expansion. Carr’s argument, that companies like Google and Netflix somehow get a free ride (they don’t) and should “pay their fair share” (they […]
There are several things prosecutors can’t do when handling criminal trials. They still do them, of course. They suborn perjury. They deny defendants access to exculpatory evidence. They present junk science as actual science. And, every so often, they ignore the presumption of evidence that’s supposed to be the foundation of the American justice system. […]
A little more than a week ago, the Department of Justice updated its policy regarding CFAA (Computer Fraud and Abuse Act) prosecutions. For years, the DOJ had been complicit in the punishment of security researchers for doing their jobs, reasoning that unauthorized access was the only criminal element it needed to satisfy. The guidance — […]
Earlier this year, we discussed Nintendo — dubbed by me as “the Disney of video gaming” — having gone on a DMCA blitz on YouTube videos that are essentially just new and classic video game music. This has been something Nintendo has ramped up over the years, taking down 100 videos in 2019, more than […]
An interesting case involving the First Amendment right to record is working its way through the federal court system. It involves a man who recorded his interactions with public school officials, posted that video to Facebook (along with his commentary), and was subsequently threatened with prosecution under Massachusetts’ oft-abused wiretap law. The plaintiff, Inge Berge, […]
As you certainly remember, last month Politico published a draft opinion, written by Justice Alito, overturning Roe v. Wade. The final ruling has not yet come out, but is expected soon (as the Supreme Court session is nearing its conclusion). There has been tremendous speculation over who leaked the draft (and why). There has been […]
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The response to the COVID-19 pandemic in America was, at best, inadequate. Many voters who felt subservient to a failed businessman chose to view the pandemic as a conspiracy meant to unseat Donald Trump. Millions died. Many more millions continue to suffer. Schools reacted by offering a variety of learning options to students, including the […]
Fifth-generation wireless (5G) was supposed to change the world. According to carriers, not only was it supposed to bring about the “fourth industrial revolution,” it was supposed to revolutionize everything from smart cities to cancer treatment. Simultaneously, conspiracy theorists and internet imbeciles declared that 5G was responsible for everything from COVID-19 to your migraines. Unfortunately for both […]
There’s an interesting post on the TorrentFreak blog about “fast movies“: These heavily edited copies of mainstream movies aim to summarize key plot lines via voice-over narration in about 10 minutes. While no replacement for the real thing, these edits accumulated millions of views and incurred the wrath of rightsholders, leading to the arrest of […]
Not only have corporate efforts to monopolize repair resulted in a flood of proposed state and federal laws, the Biden Administration’s recent executive order on monopoly power and competition urged the FTC to tighten up its rules on repair monopolization efforts, whether it’s ham-fisted DRM, or making repair manuals, parts, and diagnostics hard to come by. At the […]
Well, this doesn’t sound like a good idea. The company that recently swore in court filings it would cease and desist sales to all private companies in the United States is offering its product to a number of private companies elsewhere in the world. And it’s courting private contractors doing business with government entities in […]
It’s no secret that copyright and libraries are often in conflict with one another. We’ve pointed out repeatedly how modern publishers would never allow libraries to come into existence if they weren’t here already. The publishers have made that clear by trying to sue out of existence all sorts of things that appear to be […]
It feels somewhat strange to write this post today, short though it may be. We now live in the wake of yet another mass shooting, this time at an elementary school in Texas. It was only weeks ago that we were dealing with the aftermath of the racist attack on a Buffalo grocery store. In […]
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