….No, but I did get sued by a Holiday Inn last night July 25, 2007
If you use images of a Holiday Inn from this web site for any reason you can get sued. This is another example of idiotic copyright notices that ignore copyright law and seek to restrict any and all use of even the worst quality material. The images have text that read “No use without permission of InterContinental Hotels Group.”
This post is an example of fair use. It’s criticism of stupidity.
(previously on fair use day Copyright is broken)
Welcome Back, Potter July 21, 2007
Parody is an example of Fair Use. This video is a perfect example of parody. If you are a fan of the Harry Potter series and old enough to remember Welcome Back, Kotter you will get a chuckle from this video. There are lots of other well known examples of parody in our popular culture. Television shows like The Simpsons, SNL, or South Park are other examples of works that make extensive use of Fair Use to create new works based on other peoples creative talent. The web is overflowing with such things. Can you imagine how barren our culture would be without Fair Use? Thanks BB!
Free our Cell Phones! July 14, 2007
These devices are manufactured with great features, most of which are disabled or deleted by Cellphone companies. Please help take action to stop this violation of our Fair Use of the hardware we purchase.
Apple touts the iPhone as the “Internet in your pocket” — but it’s not. You can’t use it without AT&T, which cripples applications and limits what you can do and where you can go on the wireless Web.
We need the freedom to use all wireless devices on any network in a market that offers true high-speed Internet and real consumer choice. Sign this petition and help create a better mobile Internet for everyone.
nomasteryoda – tied up with my cellphone but my hands are still free!
Big Media=Greed
Today, July 13, 2007 in Great Britain, Prince slammed Sony BMG UK by making a deal to distribute his new CD “Planet Earth” with Sunday’s newspaper for free…. or just the cost of the paper.
This is a stunt to gain more listeners, but it really goes against what Big Media believes, that they own the music and movies the artists produce. Put into plain, simple terms: “Somebody’s Crazy!!” You decide who. Sure contracts are signed, deals are made, but who produced the music in the first place? Right. You know the answer.
As for Prince, I think he should just tell them to go sit with the demon The Doctor put down that black hole (yes, that Doctor). Prince can sell all the albums he wants online. Maybe he could start distribution via Magnatune or even the likes of PodSafeAudio or just under a Creative Commons license. Whichever comes to pass, I’m sure fans will still want and be willing to pay for his music and concerts. He’ll be the free and clear winner.
nomasteryoda
Maine passes net neutrality legislation July 12, 2007
First let me start off this post with a huge thank you to everyone for spreading the word about fairuseday, we have been amazed at all the posts worldwide we have seen. So keep spreading the word, remmember your rights should not be limited to just one day, now on to the news.
While a little late in reporting this, Maine passed a resolution last month becoming the first state to advocate net neutrality. The resolution states that Maine will monitor both local and federal governments as well as the FCC for broadcast practices. While the resolution does not force anyone to abide by net neutrality, it states that they will be monitoring many agencies and will produce a report within a year summarizing the findings.
While not a net neutrality mandate, it is a good step in the right direction to know that at least some form of government is out there monitoring what is going on and may attempt to hold people accountable. You can read the full text of the resolution and an explanation here.
It’s Fairuseday! July 10, 2007
Well it’s that time of the year again so get out and celebrate your rights. We have had a big fairuse year to date. With EMI dropping DRM from their music catalog and Apple agreeing to sell it, the take down of AACS protection and its continuing battle against ‘the bad guys’, to the still ongoing debate over net neutrality. It has been a turbulent year with many small victories along the way. There is still a long way to go to ensure that our rights remain with us as the recent stories about ATT with their claims that a non-neutral net needs less bandwidth have shown. So keep copying, keep making parodies, and keep expressing your rights.
Some links on todays event:
http://www.boingboing.net/2007/07/10/happy_fair_use_day_j.html
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070710-did-ya-know-its-fair-use-day-july-11-2007.html
http://torrentfreak.com/3rd-annual-fair-use-day-arrives/
http://www.pirate-party.us/node/366
