Oresteia Website
November 3rd, 2008 by adminSo I know it has been forever since I have updated this but I’ve been so busy working on other projects. My latest one is a production that Bradley’s Multimedia and Theatre Departments are collaborating on so I’ve been managing that website. There are two urls for it so try this one first or try this one if the first one doesn’t work. There are more updates to come!
China defends results in push to protect intellectual property
April 24th, 2008 by adminThis article talks about China’s attempts to stop piracy within its borders The concern in this article is whether or not China will be able to control unlicensed Olympic related material from being distributed to the extent at which western world content is. China has only had a intellectual property rights protection system in place for 20 years which is much shorter than countries of the western world. The Chinese state that they know it’s a problem and they are making efforts to correct it. But the article last statement is very interesting, “ ‘We hope Western countries can grant us more time,” he said. “The international community has to be patient.’”
Now I know the United States isn’t mentioned in this article but there is a clear connection between China and the U.S and that is a lot of U.S media is pirated over in China. It’s like what we discussed in class about how new release can be found in China before they are even out on DVD in America. China’s ability or inability to control the piracy of materials from other countries directly affects the profit for the other country and the trade abilities as well.
Click Here
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/04/17/business/piracy.php
IOC updates Internet rights rules for Olympics
April 24th, 2008 by adminWebsites will be allowed to carry unlimited amounts of photos for the Beijing Olympics. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) realizes that media organizations integrate the web into their business plan to better serve their fans. The new rules that the IOC has set up allow new organizations to broadcast news conferences about the Olympics but no other video or audio clips because of the intellectual property rights. But there is one exception to this, Australia. Australia will be the first country the Olympics will allow to show clips from the events on the web. There is one restriction and that is it has a “geoblock” on the sites so that other people from other countries can’t see the clips.
This relates to our class because the Olympics is a world wide event showcasing images of people and athletes who might not want their picture up on the web. Or there is the issue of brands and trademarks being used by others in other places in the world. The key rule for the IOC creating these new guidelines is that all these images being displayed on the sites have to be for new purposes and nothing else. Otherwise a company might have an issue on their hands similar to the Brown v. Corbis case with the fight being over the possibility for commercial use.
Click Here
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23917886/
Like-Named Group Can Keep Web Address
April 24th, 2008 by admin Two groups are fighting over the use of the words “operation homefront” in the names of their websites. One site comes from Pat Quinn, the lieutenant governor of Illinois and the other site comes from an nonprofit agency called Operation Homefront founded by Meredith Leyva. The World Intellectual Property Organization was asked to mediate the issue and dismissed the complaint against Quinn. The issue here is that the Operation Homefront provides help to military families but because the websites are so closely named, one being .net and one being .org, people sometimes visit the wrong site looking for help. Quinn has been using the name operation homefront for some times now while the Operation Homefront organization started in 2001, they have however trademarked their name so they plan to reexamine the issue with Quinn again.
This relates to class because this is cybersquatting issue on an international level because it is dealing with the military and their families all over the world. The confusion over the two names is easily seen and one wonder because of how close the sites went up in the same time period who will win the name. Both groups are trying to help and neither is looking for money for the domain name. The thing that makes this article interesting is that the World Intellectual Property Organization is arbitrating it.
Click Here
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/12/us/12homefront.html?_r=1&sq=international%20intellectual
%20property%20&st=nyt&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&scp=2&adxnnlx=1209049632-cwfoalgWZ5z9Lkwx37+mEQ
Sony BMG Will Sell Music Without Copyright Protection
April 17th, 2008 by adminThis article states that the last of the big record companies finally took off DRM software from their music downloads as a means of “staying up with the Jones”. Without the software users can covert the files to suit whatever media they wish. The articles mention that Universal Music Group was testing out this marketing idea. This relates to class because it shows that though the big companies are changing their models they are not sure if it will work. But at this point they can’t really fight because it’s a losing battle so they are going with it by removing the DRM software. It is a new business model for them and they aren’t to please with the lack of control.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/08/technology/08digital.html
?scp=9&sq=digital+rights+management&st=nyt
Publishers Phase Out Piracy Protection on Audio Books
April 17th, 2008 by adminThis article talks about audio book companies taking the DRM software off their products as a means of spurring on sales. The book companies saw what the music industry was doing and thought it would help their businesses if they did the same. They saw that the DRM wasn’t really preventing piracy so by providing unprotected downloads to markets like iTunes and other MP3 formats they hope to reach a boarder base. This pertains to class because it shows the shift in the market place from using DRM software to realizing it’s a losing battle and instead of fighting it companies are trying to create new business strategies that will help their business and get their products to the consumers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/03/business/
media/03audiobook.html?scp=5&sq=digital+rights+management+&st=nyt
Free Music? Only With a Fight
April 17th, 2008 by adminThe music industry is trying to create a new business model because their old one is slowly dying. The panel that this article talks about is trying to decide how to generate revenue and control the pipeline that is slowing drifting away from the big businesses. One suggestion is that labels don’t sell music online anymore but rather use it for marketing material for other products. If that was done the digital rights management software would be removed from the music so that it could be converted into any form the listener wishes. On one hand it could help new artists get out to a wider audience and could generate more revenue but on the other hand the music labels lose much of their control on their product. The article also goes on to talk about how artists themselves are choosing more of where they want their work versus the labels.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/15/business/
15online.html?scp=3&sq=digital+rights+management+&st=nyt
Unreliable Voting in New Jersey
April 11th, 2008 by admin New Jersey has a problem with its voting systems. It was been established that the Sequoia Voting System has some discrepancies in it and affects how the accuracy of the count. Union County clerk, Joanne Rajoppi went and hired a independent computer scientist from Princeton University to fix the problem but Sequoia did not like this. They do not want anyone else looking at the system because it was “endanger its ‘trade secrets’”. So the company is more concerned with saving face in the media by having someone they can control looking over the system versus a third party that might expose the system as being very faulty. This shows how companies do not want secrets leaking out but more importantly they do not want those secrets to harm the face of the company in the event the public learns of them. The more control a company has the more it can control what “face” it show to the public. An important election is coming up and Sequoia’s reputation will be on the line.
Click Here
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/22/opinion/22sat2.html?scp=1&sq=trade+secrets&st=nyt
Who Is Really Hurt by Apple Rumor Site’s Closure?
April 11th, 2008 by adminThis article deals with Apple filing a lawsuit against an online blogger who posted what Apple deemed “trade secrets” on his site. Apple paid Nick Ciarelli to stop his blog after the suit was stopped cold in its tracks because of Ciarelli’s First Amendment defense. Apple knew they were going to lose so instead of fight they just ended up paying Ciarelli. This ties into class because it shows how companies have a harder time keeping secrets from getting out especially when people have access to the web and can get material out into the public at a very fast pace. Apple is a large corporation so its not stranger to finding little guys to pick on in and some cases make money off of in a suit but it was Apple that paid the price in this one. Furthermore, the article makes the comment that there are many other sites out there like the one Ciarelli created so this trend of suing the little guy will not end.
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/who-is-really-hurt-by-
apple-rumor-sites-closure/?scp=2-b&sq=trade+secret&st=nyt
Boeing trade secret case ends in hung jury
April 11th, 2008 by adminThe case with Boeing involves a worker named Gerald Eastman who downloaded documents from the Boeing computer to share them with the Seattle Times about air safety. Eastman thought parts were not being adequately inspected and he had alerted the Federal Aviation Administration but the FAA did not address the issue. Boeing’s trial resulted in a hung jury. This pertains to class by showing how possessing documents of the companies is a sure fire way to get in trouble but in Eastman’s case his motives behind taking the documents might be the reason why the jury was split. This case shows how fiercely companies will defend their secrets even if the person crossing the line is doing it for the best intentions.
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=168374