Author Archive
Revised ‘Net Censorship Bill Requires Search Engines To Block Sites, Too
Surprise! After months in the oven, the soon-to-be-released new version of a major U.S. Internet censorship bill didn’t shrink in scope — it got much broader.
Google: Don’t Give Private ‘Trolls’ Web Censorship Power
The House and Senate are both drafting ‘rogue sites’ legislation that will likely support website blocking at the domain name level and will require online ad networks and credit card companies to stop working with sites on the blacklist. In testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, Google’s Kent Walker was clear: a private right of action to bring a COICA claim would give rightsholders tremendous leverage over Google. Walker went so far as to warn of ‘shakedowns’ from private companies wanting to force changes in Google’s behavior.
Piracy Still Fails to Impede Record Box-Office Earnings
The movie business has — yet again — run up record numbers at the box office. In 2010, theaters around the world reported a combined total revenue of $31.8 billion, up 8 percent from 2009. While the industry certainly has its share of piracy problems, they aren’t affecting box office receipts.
Regulating Google’s Results? Law Prof Calls ‘Search Neutrality’ Incoherent
If ‘neutrality’ is good enough for the core of the Internet, isn’t it good enough for the edge? The biggest Internet providers say it is — and would love to have the government slap a few neutrality rules on Google, just to see how the advertising giant likes the taste of the regulatory bridle. But is it the same thing? NYU Law professor James Grimmelmann ran through eight main principles that underlie various ‘search neutrality’ arguments. He found every one of them ‘incoherent.’
The ‘Legal Blackmail’ Business: Inside a P2P Settlement Factory
UK pornographer Jasper Feversham was fed up. The Internets were sharing his films. He wanted revenge—or at least a cut. So Feversham signed on to a relatively new scheme: track down BitTorrent infringers, convert their IP addresses into real names, and blast out warning letters threatening litigation if they didn’t cough up a few hundred quid. The law firm he ended up with was run by Andrew Crossley, who parleyed the porn into national celebrity—or perhaps “infamy” would be a better word.