Can Copyright and the DMCA be used to silence critics? October 13, 2007
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about AT&T’s terms of service that included termination of your service if you said critical things about them. After a great deal of criticism AT&T has changed their terms of service. It now reads in part:
5.1 Suspension/Termination. AT&T respects freedom of expression and believes it is a foundation of our free society to express differing points of view. AT&T will not terminate, disconnect or suspend service because of the views you or we express on public policy matters, political issues or political campaigns.
This is not the last we’re going to see of corporations trying to censor their critics on the internet though. Not by a long shot. The law firm Dozier Internet Law is demanding that InfomercialScams.com take down negative consumer comments about DirectBuy. Dozier Internet Law claims they are specialists in a list of things including getting “websites pulled down without notice“. They don’t think the public should be able to express their opinion if they think “DirectBuy is a scam“. Worse yet, Public Citizen is being threatened with copyright violations for posting the threat letter claiming copyright on that too! I don’t know if DirectBuy is a scam or not but I read the comments on InfomercialScams.com and I can see why DirectBuy would want to erase them from the Internet.
These sorts of cases are becoming all too common but here’s something to keep in mind. “The Net interprets censorship as damage and routes around it.“
Cable Lobbying Group Crushes Consumer Choice, again September 22, 2007
I was elated when I heard the EPB (Electric Power Board) In Chattanooga announce their Fiber to the Home initiative. But there was a dark cloud looming overhead from the very moment I heard the news. I knew the powerful cable and telephone lobby groups would never let an alternative to their broadband services see the light of day if they could prevent it. They have attacked every attempt ever made to drag America out of the digital ghetto.
So this morning when I read on the Irresponsible Journalism blog about this article in the Times Free Press titled “Cable TV group files lawsuit against EPB plan” I was not surprised. I was furious, pissed off beyond belief, but not surprised.
The Tennessee Cable Telecommunications Association (TCTA) filed suit in Chancery Court of Davidson County Friday. They want us to know “EPB Chattannoga’s FTTH is NOT a Good Idea“. I looked briefly at some of their material and it absolutely reeks of the same spin they feed congress. According to the TCTA’s “facts” “There is plenty of competition..” and “Fiber to the home offers no additional services to Chattanooga“. I tend to think of a 100mb Internet connection as a new service I would like to have! Apparently the TCTA thinks keeping up with the rest of the world is a bad idea. You can read the grounds for the suit from the article but it makes no difference. A legal roadblock was as inevitable as the sunrise.
Many people in the UK have dozens of Internet Service Providers to chose from and hundreds of different service plans as reported in this post on Public Knowledge. If you want to make yourself sick look at the spreadsheet mentioned in that PK piece, and that was in 2004! The more up to date figures are truly soul crushing if you live in the US. In Japan many people have 100mb connections for less than half of what Comcast charges for “Up-to” 1.5mb.
Those cute little turtles on Comcast’s TV commercials don’t represent DSL. They represent the USA. Our giant cable and telephone corporations are a disgrace to the nation. They are incapable of providing the same level of service and low cost enjoyed by the people of 15 or 20 other nations around the world and refuse to allow anyone else to pick up their slack. So screw you, TCTA, for screwing the people of Chattannooga.
Boycott Regal Cinemas August 9, 2007
Fair Use Day is joining the call for a boycott of Regal Cinemas .
Jhannet Sejas was celebrating her 19th birthday with her boyfriend when she took a 20 second video clip of the movie “Transformers” to show to her 13-year-old brother. Minutes later the Marymount University sophomore was hauled off to jail for illegally recording a motion picture.
This is not the kind of world I want to leave to my children. This isn’t the kind of world I grew up in. This isn’t the kind of world they deserve to live in. Things should get better for our youngest generation of people. This is just sad and ridiculous. What will a boycott accomplishment? It will send a clear message. Treat us like criminals and we will stop coming to your theater.
We have the responsibility to make sure this doesn’t happen again. This young lady did not intend to distribute 20 seconds of a video for monetary gains. She just wanted to show her brother. Do ya think he will want to spend money to see it now?
You can find Regal Cinemas in your area here
More on the story…
Free Culture @ NYU Boycott Regal Cinemas
Slashfilm.com Teen Arrested for Recording 20 Second Movie Clip
Washingtonpost.com Out of the Theater, Into the Courtroom
BoingBoing.net Boycott Regal Cinemas for suing over 20-second clip
Consumerist.com Regal Cinemas Facing Boycott After Pressing Charges Again Teen “Pirate”
Free Speech Roundup February 12, 2007
Ars has a good roundup of this weeks free speech issues here. The article covers topics ranging from cockfighting to the Quran to bullies. Its an interesting read to see who’s fighting for our rights and who’s bowing down to the masses.
RIAA gives children of dead defendant 60 days to grieve August 12, 2006
One of the many thousands of people being sued by the RIAA, Larry Scantlebury, passed away before the case was resolved. So the RIAA is graciously giving the family 60 days to grieve before they depose Mr. Scantlebury’s children. From the Warner Bros. v. Scantlebury motion filed August 8 in Michigan
“3. Plaintiffs do not believe it appropriate to discuss a resolution of the case with the family so close to Mr. Scantlebury’s passing. Plaintiffs therefore request a stay of 60 days to allow the family additional time to grieve.”
Thanks to Recording Industry vs The People for reporting this story.
Update:
The RIAA has dropped the suit out of “an abundance of sensitivity“. Isn’t that special.
