Category Archives: Fair Use

Philips patent application will cause consumer revolt!

Fair Use

I have not owned any Philips products in years but after reading the news today that they are trying to patent a method which would prevent you from changing channels during commercials, and will limit fast forwards during commercials has me thinking that this must be a joke but sadly it is not. It is likely if implemented would cause grown men to go into fits and smash any box with Philips on the outside that tries to dictate this functionality.

Philips you would be smart to never ever introduce this technology in the United States. Imagine stopping us from channel surfing during commercials. I can see dvr’s and similar devices being thrown from 50 story buildings.

But on the other hand what if they are doing this to get a patent to prevent another company from doing this, I highly doubt it. Did Philips get purchased by a major studio or the MPAA recently? [Engadget]

TorrentSpy fighting the MPAA!

bittorrent, Crime, Fair Use, mpaa, , ,

TorrentSpy a torrent search engine who is in takedown war with the MPAA is not laying down, they are fighting back and I think they have a pretty good chance of getting the case dismissed. TorrentSpy is nothing more than a Torrent Search engine. They don’t create torrents they only track them. If you read the motion you will understand that they have some legal precedence on this one and are likening themselves to Google.

The recent Supreme Court decision handed down on Grokster may end up being their deciding factor depending on how the judge interperts the higher court ruling. The MPAA has been getting sites taken down with their broad interpertation of that same ruling. We shall see where this leads but it is a good battle. [Neowin]

Could your cable company become your DVR?

Fair Use, Media, mpaa, Technology, , ,

Cablevision Systems is set to unveil a test that will allow consumers to time shift TV programming with their regular set top boxes. Instead of having a DVR in the home, you will now be able to use the Cable Companies infrastructure as your DVR. According to the linked article all of the functions you normally have now with your DVR can be duplicated at the head end. This is a interesting development and could be the basis of the ultimate paradigm in that we could go to content on demand for everything we watch.

“The technology for what Cablevision calls its “remote storage digital video recorder” (RS-DVR) “is here today, and in Cablevision’s case, we can use it to put DVR functionality in more than 2 million digital cable homes instantaneously, without ever rolling a truck or swapping out a set-top box,” COO Tom Rutledge says in a statement.”

If they don’t get sued by the networks this could potentially be a win for those of us concerned about Fair Use. [USA Today]

Why are you now just waking up?

Fair Use

I have been on the Fair Use bandwagon for a long time, I have also been warning all of you for four years about the on going push by the MPAA & RIAA to take away your Fair Use rights, so I had to laugh when I read a article today from another technology writer that seems to have just woken up and realized their is a real threat out there. Welcome to the party my friend, and you better do more than threaten a boycott you better put your money where your mouth is and support the EFF and other organizations who are positioned to take on this battle.

I have not went through the authors archives, but he seems shocked by some of the language he is seeing being proposed that will remove your fair use rights through equipment attrition, well have you heard about the Analog Hole bill and the rest of the very damning legislation that is on the move. You may need to call a paramedic because what you have discovered is only the tip of the iceberg. [writersblocklive.com]

Your Senator needs a iPod!

Fair Use

With the Broadcast Flag and Analog Hole legislation rolling throw the halls of Congress. But a funny think when a Senator on the panel was given a iPod by his daughter he finally woke the hell up and started asking questions that rest of us have been screaming for a long time. Well a reader of this blog and a Hawaii resident thought we should by our Senator a iPod because it is obvious he does not have a clue or else the RIAA has lined his pocket.

Well some others have realized that this is a good idea, their are limitations on what companies can do but as a citizen you can donate to buy a iPod and have it delivered to your Senator, through a initiative started by IPAction.org but whats the best is they are going to fill them full with fair use content.

Education through Action! [www.ipaction.org/campaigns/ipod/]

Broadcast Flag praised in Senate Hearing!

Crime, Fair Use, mpaa

These Senators that are on the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee in large part do not get it.They had a lot of wool pulled over the eyes today. I am sure the Motion Picture Industry is happy that their lobbyist and campaign contribution dollars are getting a lot of bang for the buck.

I am so sick and tired of having to deal with legislation that is focused on restricting what you can do with media that you pay for. Fair Use to the movie industry is making you pay for the same media multiple times. The American public is on the verge of having multiple pieces of legislation moved on that will forever change the way you are able to view, record and save media. FOREVER!

Act now! [ArsTechnica]

RSS and Copyright

Fair Use

The Top 10 Sources website has caused a bit of a controversy in the way they are parsing multiple RSS feeds together, and John Palfrey one of the main people behind Top 10 Sources has written a lengthy piece on the matter. I have been protecting my RSS feed for a long time, but I also am smart enough to realize the power in aggregating content some don’t quite see it that way. Great read non the less. [John Palfrey]