Project LINK

http://www.the315.com/dgproject/index.htm

It is the start of a pretty rough shell. It is missing most of the content and I don't like the color scheme already...

More news

Illegal copying is widespread in Scotland - Now its time to crackdown on the cd & dvd black market. Jail time for someone on every street?

How to get that DVD onto your iPod - As the Wired writer says, "proceed at your own risk."

And, Lessig on Microsoft's new InfoCard. Sounds like he is for it. The point he made that struck me is that if we do nothing, things will get worse and the answers will be more extreme.

My project - topic decided

After a few weeks of going back and forth - and getting helpful input from prof. Stu yesterday - I have finally decided on a topic. Perhaps it is not a huge realization, but I feel more confident this time.

I am going to make a "primer" website on the DMCA/DMCRA/DMR related issues. In other words, the basics of digital ownership and fair use. The theme will be academic instead of commentary. Seems more appropriate.

Next to do: Outline/Design Navigation/Build Skeleton... something like that.

This is history in the making.

I will look further into this matter but here we go:

Argument: Copying cds for personal backup is NOT fair use.

Project Outline?

I. Introduction to identify a digital citizen
- use some examples that personalize the issue
II. Outline the forms of digital citizen participation
- podcasting/and video
- blogging
- wikis and other forms of e-democracy
III. Describe current but changing landscape around the issue
- current copyright law (legislation, suits, settlements)
- interests involved:
- - digital management rights
- - consumer fair use
- - promotion of innovation and creativity
IV. Discussion of issue
- eventual outcomes/changing landscape
- balancing interests

Dawn of a Digital Rights War?

Last night, I rambled for a bit about digital rights management. It ended up turning into a pretty good conversation about the state of DRM. We discussed the possibilities and how long one could avoid being involved. We concluded that it seemed the issue was getting closer to surfacing with the mass public.

But perhaps war has already been declared?

"It's time for lawmakers, trade groups, and public-interest organizations to get down to the hard work of hammering out standards for what businesses can and can't do to customers' computers. Such an effort will need to be international, because the Net knows no bounds. It will need to come up with simple, understandable language for end-user licensing agreements. It will need to draw red lines around unacceptably invasive hacks and map gray areas between spying and market research." - Bruce Sterling, Wired.

However, I have to wonder if this type of diplomacy will prove effective. (War seems to be a more popular choice for solving the world's problems.) Ultimately we can learn from history. It seems as though during a time of war, increased media attention given to the casualties of war results in louder cries from the public for more peaceful and humanitarian solutions. But then again, this is a war like no other...

Beyond our borders

DRM discussions in the UK - The UK has created a Parlimentary Group to review the DRM issue and write a report. This blog entry focuses on their discussion on DRM possibly preventing the future release of material into the public domain. (His other IP related entries are interesting too.)

Canadian record label resists - The Canadian label of big artists such as Avril Lavigne, is funding the legal defense for a family being sued by the RIAA for copyright infringement. Seems the label believes the RIAA is not acting in artists' best interests.

DRM kills award hopes - The preview DVDs of Spielberg's new film, Munich, were made for US viewing but sent to the UK judges with UK players. The DRM locked them to only playing in their unmatched players - which resulted in no one watching the DVDs. No view, no vote.

Today's DMCA/DMCRA update

Some more anti-DMCRA press - claims the proposed DMCA reform, the DMCRA (HR1201), contains hidden provisions with "the potential to blow up copyright protection in the digital realm."

The Blake v. Google case - comments on Google's latest win and the possibility of a DMCA "safe harbor" precedent, which might work out to be a good thing in the future.

The DMCA and the video iPod - suggests that consumers' inability to copy DVDs to the video iPod might be cause for DMCA reform. Looks like this issue is getting more media attention. Possible suit to come?

A blog post on blogging

Thanks to Damien who spoke to us last night about blogs. And thanks to also Piotr, who spoke about Wikipedia, and Luke, who spoke about podcasts. I am still digesting and exploring what you three have shared with us in class.

As we discuss these things and their relation to digital governance, I wonder what our place is in the big picture. Are we just "consuming" the technology, or are we "participating" in a new cultural movement?

Is anyone translating the chatter into a bigger vision?

Project update

I would like to create one piece or a series of pieces that would expose common forms of creative expression that are deemed illegal under the DMCA and/or are guilty of copyright infringement. (by using my background knowledge of producing different sorts of digital media)

I would like my project to serve two purposes:
- a tutorial to illustrate the misunderstood illegal acts, perhaps examples of what not to do
- and a commentary on the DMCA and the general state of copyright protection trends

That is all I know at this point. I need to organize my thougts a bit more before committing them to a post... And of course, get some DG class input...

Free Culture and poisonous DRM

In Free Culture, Lessig discusses code, or digital rights management, as being the modern regulater of copyright freedom. I agree completely. However, I think the one point he didn't address (and maybe for good reason in forming his argument) was a possible negative public reaction to parasitic DRM techniques/code. In the corporate rush to prevent piracy I think some carelessly designed DRM is being used.

For example, recent Sony music cds installed software onto consumers computers that created security holes. The backlash has been huge.

Which causes me to ask, how much poisonous DRM will consumers put up with?

Just for fun

Awesome, I Sat Through That - (Wired) Beastie Boys take their DIY concert-goers movie to the Sundance Film Festival. Rock on. Coming to a theater near you.

He Fought the Law. They Both Won. - (NYT) A promising young attorney leads a double life as a blogger and inevitably finds a new career path. Maybe us DG students should form alter egos?

Confession and Conversion

Ok, I admit it. I've known about podcasting for a while and I quietly resisted. But now I am a true believer in the power of podcasting.

Due to multiple commitments I needed to come up with a creative way to finish listening to Episode 3 of the Digital Citizen podcasts. So, I downloaded it to my iPod and listened to it in my car today, driving home from a Steelers game party. And it occured to me that this is how it really works. In an effort to "get things done," I unknowingly became part of a movement of culture.

So, I think I might start paying more attention to the basics of technology in my everyday life. My mind is racing about all of the podcasts available on the internet and what this could possibly do for me... and how do I make more time to listen?

On the frontline

I discovered www.free-culture.org a student organization founded upon Lessig's Free Culture book that we are reading. It is interesting to see that other students were so inspired by his book. Also, I would like to mention the Electronic Frontier Foundation in here as it is great for getting filled in on the latest "battles"...

Speaking of battles, I stumbled upon this article while doing a Google News search:
"Just Released: Will Congress Circumvent the DMCA? Explosive Dangers in New Digital Media Consumers' Rights Act, Says IPI"

I can tell it is the other side of the DMCA/DMCRA debate (see the EFF's DMCA Archive for pro-reform info). But, after reading that article I realized how little I know about the players on the DMCA/DMCRA frontline.

Against my better judgment...

I have moved my blog. I had been hosting it on my own site (www.the315.com) but due to ftp problems, it isn't possible at this time.

After much troubleshooting, it seems repeatedly encountering a "Broken Pipe" error while attempting to publish is a blogger.com problem, not mine or my host. (Let me know if anyone has experienced and SOLVED this FTP issue. Thanks!)

Lessig: Free Culture: "Piracy"

Well, I must admit that I wasn't expecting the history lesson - but it is very good for me to understand the background and I do appreciate the argument that he is building. I am looking forward to discussing Lessig in general and this section in class tomorrow.

I looked up the word piracy at dictionary.com and I instantly realized that this technology is even quickly changing our language.

Speaking of discussion, I tend to prefer conversation over just hearing myself speak. So, if anyone out there actually reads this, please comment! Please?

(On a side note, I was proud to recognize Drexel in the extra .pdf articles!)

Introductory Milestone

[I like this.]

I am sure that it won't take me very long to get used to this. So, I guess this could be a sort of milestone- at least the milestone at the beginning of this course. (This course being Digital Governance at the University of Pittsburgh.)

Since the rest of this blog will be about what I get from the course, I would like to reflect on what I am bringing to the course. This is what I can think of now:
- Currently I am studying for my Master of Science in Management & Technology at Carlow University. This course fits much better than I thought it would.
- Last term I enjoyed writing a paper and giving a presentation on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 and the Digital Media Consumer Rights' Act of 2005 (H.R. 1201). I think I would like to maybe go the IP Law route...?
- I have a Bachelor of Science Digital Media and a minor in Information Science & Technology from Drexel University. I first fell in love with this stuff in a Computer Ethics course where we discussed intellectual property law, among other things.
- I work full-time at a Federal Court. Can I say more than that?
- I possess a deep respect for cultural and legal comparative studies. I think that is the best name for it that I could come up with. I love talking to other people about that stuff.
- I have had some interesting experiences such as being an Art Director in Belize (Central America) for an internet marketing company and worked for the British Government while living in London. I love telling crazy travel stories and inspiring people to explore the world. But I am getting off course here...

Back to Digital Governance. My goal is to take these parts of me and further develop them into something related to Digital Governance... I think this should be pretty interesting.

So, now I am going to move on to the Lessig reading and I should have more course specific comments after a dose of that.