Biotechnology news now. A dispute panel at the WTO has ruled that European restrictions on GM imports contravene global trade rules. This dispute was initiated in 2003 by the United States (DS291), Canada (DS292) and Argentina (DS293), but I find it amusing that the press only is commenting how this Read more…
EFF is asking computer users not to trust Google Desktop. In case you have never used it, Google Desktop is an application that allows you to use Google’s indexing algorithms in your computer, letting you search your files and emails. It is a very useful application, particularly when you want Read more…
In an interesting twist to the GPLv3 story, Richard Stallman has mentioned that Linus has no say in what happens to the Linux kernel, and that the kernel developers are the ones who will decide over the licence. According to Linux-watch, the developers are split over the point. Another interesting Read more…
Several interesting news coming from the digital front. According to p2pnet, another study from media company Big Champagne indicates that P2P networks now boast over 9.6 million users, experiencing a steady increase despite RIAA and IFPI suits. The level of animosity against the music industry because of these actions is Read more…
The Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) is today in problems as the Costa Rican elections are on a virtual tie. With 88% of the votes counted, the difference between pro-CAFTA candidate Oscar Arias and anti-CAFTA candidate Otton Solís is only 3250 votes, with Arias narrowly on the lead. It Read more…
Bringing infringing suits against consumers is a bad idea. This seems to be the message of Canadian music publisher Nettwerk. 15-year-old Elisa Greubel’s dad got sued by the RIAA for having 600 songs in their computer, alleging specifically infringement for 8 songs. Elisa contacted some artists, where she mentioned that Read more…
“By day a film maker… by night she fights for Fair Use!” This is ‘Bound By Law’, a new comic book by the Center for the Study of the Public Domain at Duke University. It is drawn by Keith Aoki and written by James Boyle and Jennifer Jenkins. In the Read more…
One of Britain’s most iconic copyright exports is back. The new Lara Croft game will be released soon by British gaming giant EIDOS. How much of Britain’s economy relies on Lara? Perhaps not much on Lara specifically, but the UK is increasingly relying on copyright exports. 5% of all of Read more…
It seems like the final break between open source and free software is about to take place. Linus Torvalds has declared that the Linux kernel will not be released using GPLv3, but that it will continue to use version 2. The dispute is the controversial prohibition on the use of Read more…
The USPTO continues to amaze me. I mean, one would hope that any silly patent that can be awarded has already been granted. How could it get any worse? Regard US Patent 6,751,348 for protecting an “Automated detection of pornographic images “. The abstract states that the patent covers: A Read more…