Music Industry to Abandon Mass Suits - WSJ.com
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122966038836021137.html

Music Industry to Abandon Mass Suits

The decision represents an abrupt shift of strategy for the industry, which has opened legal proceedings against about 35,000 people since 2003. Critics say the legal offensive ultimately did little to stem the tide of illegally downloaded music. And it created a public-relations disaster for the industry, whose lawsuits targeted, among others, several single mothers, a dead person and a 13-year-old girl. [us album sales] Instead, the Recording Industry Association of America said it plans to try an approach that relies on the cooperation of Internet-service providers. The trade group said it has hashed out preliminary agreements with major ISPs under which it will send an email to the provider when it finds a provider's customers making music available online for others to take.

When you retard fair use with pointless DRM and then sue anonymous children for illegally downloading music while ignoring those of the execs at the top of the music industry, you're asking for a public relations nightmare. Now, with more than 35k lawsuits to its credit, RIAA says it will finally end the legal assault against consumers that began back in '03. RIAA will instead, focus its anti-piracy efforts with ISPs. Under the new plan, the RIAA will contact ISPs when illegal uploading is detected. The ISP will then contact the customer with a notice that would ultimately be followed by a reduction or cessation of service. As you'd expect, the RIAA is not commenting on which ISPs they are in cahoots with. The RIAA also says that it won't require ISPs to reveal the identities of individuals but could, of course, go after individuals who are heavy uploaders or repeat offenders. For the moment though, it appears that single-mothers are in the clear.

Fuck the RI double A

Not a big Facebook fan. Glad I haven't used it for content sharing. I've got to believe my photos have a much better home in Flickr.

FB changed it's TOS to include rights to your content even AFTER you've closed your account.

Facebook's New Terms Of Service: "We Can Do Anything We Want With Your Content. Forever."

Have your pets accept troublesome EULAs on your behalf.

I didn't agree to the EULA; my kitty did.

via 530s

Whether you're a newly minted blogger or a relative old-timer, you've been seeing more and more stories pop up every day about bloggers getting in trouble for what they post.

marijuana funny America humor cool articles interesting legal cracked weapons fun

eula

Mephistopheles encounters the EULA.

Excellent info about freelance contracts

Briechenstein's Popular Bookmark 12 Points to Include in my Design Contract-FreelanceSwitch-The Freelance Blogs

Effectively, Google's position was that it was above the law, and if not any law in particular, then at least the spirit of the law. Irked, I decided to find out if such a position was tenable.

"But it's not fair!" Google's paralegal protested. "What if everyone whose account was canceled sued Google?" It's a valid question. Yet until Google changes its policies to become more transparent, which might also reassure skeptics that AdWords and AdSense, which have oddly limited reporting capabilities, aren't just two sides of the same ponzi scheme (for why else would one want to terminate legitimate accounts with high monthly liabilities when they're supposed to be making money for Google on each click?)--I will give this answer: Maybe everyone whose account was canceled, should.

"But it's not fair!" Google's paralegal protested. "What if everyone whose account was canceled sued Google?"

Ms. Milani reiterated her previous arguments, but the judge didn't buy them. "I don't think I have the power here in Palo Alto small claims court to make you reinstate his account, but I think you owe this young man $721," he said finally. "I think there might be money in Google's treasury for that."

This is awesome.

How to do T&Cs

The bullet points on the side, which summarize the agreement are a great idea!

My classmate Noah passed along this terms of service agreement. It has two columns: legal English on the left, plain English summary on the right.

Terms of service formatted for maximum readability.

Awesome TOS? I like the summary.

Términos de servicio con una versión resumida legible.

We had hoped this would go differently.

April 7th, 2009 Friday evening, in a motion to dismiss Jewel v. NSA, EFF's litigation against the National Security Agency for the warrantless wiretapping of countless Americans, the Obama Administration's made two deeply troubling arguments.

Free term sheet generator from leading Silicon Valley law firm.

This tool will generate a venture financing term sheet based on your responses to an online questionnaire. It also has an informational component, with basic tutorials and annotations on financing terms. This term sheet generator is a modified version of a tool that we use internally, which comprises one part of a suite of document automation tools that we use to generate start-up and venture financing-related documents. Because it has been designed as a generic tool that takes into account a number of options, this version of the term sheet generator is fairly expansive and includes significantly more detail than would likely be found in a customized application.

This tool will generate a venture financing term sheet based on your responses to an online questionnaire. It also has an informational component, with basic tutorials and annotations on financing terms. This term sheet generator is a modified version of a tool that we use internally, which comprises one part of a suite of document automation tools that we use to generate start-up and venture financing-related documents. Because it has been designed as a generic tool that takes into account a number of options, this version of the term sheet generator is fairly expansive and includes significantly more detail than would likely be found in a customized application.

I had to rub my eyes to make sure I wasn't imagining this -- a term sheet generator from Wilson Sonsini? I love it. Makes them more accessible. There are also so many "viral term sheets" out there this will be useful. Another form of thought leadership marketing.

Online Term sheet generator from Website: Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati -

La idea es ingresar pequeñas cantidades de dinero, ya que el coste de gestión de éstas es muy superior a la cantidad...

Pirate Bay founder Gottfrid Svartholm (aka anakata) recieved a bill for the 30 million SEK that he, along with Peter Sunde (aka brokep), Fredrik Neij (aka TiAMO), and Carl Lundstrom, was fined in the verdict of the Pirate Bay trial just over three weeks ago. The bill inspired anakata to devise a plan involving sending money to Danowsky’s law firm, but not to pay the fine of course which they say will never be payed. Anakata’s clever plan is called internet-avgift, internet-fee in English. Anakata encourages all Internet users to pay extremely small sums around 1 SEK (0.13 USD) to Danowsky’s law firm, which represented the music companies at the Pirate Bay trial. The music companies will not benefit from this, instead it will cost them money to handle and process all the money.

I can give my two cents six and a half times over! http://tinyurl.com/pbwcks [from http://twitter.com/eronarn/statuses/1767170396]

Pirate Bay founder Gottfrid Svartholm (aka anakata) recieved a bill for the 30 million SEK that he, along with Peter Sunde (aka brokep), Fredrik Neij (aka

teaching copyright fair use

"EFF's Teaching Copyright curriculum was created to help teachers present the laws surrounding digital rights in a balanced way. Teaching Copyright provides lessons and ideas for opening your classroom up to discussion, letting your students express their ideas and concerns, and then guiding your students toward an understanding of the boundaries of copyright law."

There's a lot of misinformation out there about legal rights and responsibilities in the digital era. This is especially disconcerting when it comes to information being shared with youth. Kids and teens are bombarded with messages from a myriad of sources that using new technology is high-risk behavior. Downloading music is compared to stealing a bicycle — even though many downloads are lawful. Making videos using short clips from other sources is treated as probably illegal — even though many such videos are also lawful. This misinformation is harmful, because it discourages kids and teens from following their natural inclination to be innovative and inquisitive. The innovators, artists and voters of tomorrow need to know that copyright law restricts many activities but also permits many others. And they need to know the positive steps they can take to protect themselves in the digital sphere. In short, youth don't need more intimidation—what they need is solid, accurate information

EFF's Teaching Copyright curriculum was created to help teachers present the laws surrounding digital rights in a balanced way.

from EFF. Youth Curriculum

privacy statement, terms of service

TOSBack keeps an eye on 44 website policies. Every time one of them changes, you'll see an update here.

Great new tool from the Electronic Frontier Foundation which allows you to see when a companies online Terms of Service/Privacy Policy is changed

OSBack keeps an eye on 44 website policies. Every time one of them changes, you'll see an update here.

The Terms-Of-Service Tracker

DRM has affected how people use their content beyond simply protecting IP; restricts what would otherwise be considered fair use.

[ars technica]

A UK researcher has spent years interviewing people about whether DRM has affected their ability to use content in ways ordinarily protected by the law. Surprise! It has, even leading one sight-impaired woman to piracy.

End users are allowed to time-shift programs, but Jill Johnstone of the National Consumer Council notes that "the way DRM is being used is causing serious problems for consumers, including unreasonable limitations on the use of digital products and infringement of consumer rights. "

Post a disclaimer if you are part of a publicly-traded company.

[IBM] avoids blogs and Twitter for investor issues, because it fears violating SEC disclosure rules or inviting public criticism

The growing Twitter audience also attracted the attention of eBay's lawyers, who last month required Mr. Brewer-Hay to include regulatory disclaimers with certain posts. Some followers think the tougher oversight is squelching Mr. Brewer-Hay's spontaneous, informal style. His experience shows the tension that can arise as more companies tap social media to reach investors, customers and others. Eighty-one Fortune 500 companies sponsor public blogs, including Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Chevron Corp. and General Motors Corp., according to the Society for New Communications Research. Of those blogs, 23 link to corporate Twitter accounts.

Richard Brewer-Hay

For later reading; missed this when it came out.

blog twitter corporate b2b b2c SEC rules regulations

Get some free music!

7 Sites To Get Free Music (Legally!)

The International Free and Open Source Software Law Review (IFOSS L. Rev.) is a collaborative legal publication aiming to increase knowledge and understanding among lawyers about Free and Open Source Software issues. Topics covered include copyright, licence implementation, licence interpretation, software patents, open standards, case law and statutory changes.

Open source law journal

If you’re a freelance graphic designer (or any profession for that matter) and do not have contracts or standard terms and conditions that you provide your clients to sign prior to starting a project… well let’s just say you’re silly. You WILL at some point need it to protect your business, as for the reason I am writing this is due to a recent incident in which my contract protected me. Building your own design contracts isn’t always easy—there’s much to include, but once it’s written and out of the way it’s as easy as hitting ‘attach’ and ’send’ in your email. Often at times, client’s ask specific requests so I can easily tailor mine to fit their project if need be. Instead of covering each and every angle of a design contract, below I have listed the basics and essentials to include in your standard graphic design terms and conditions or contracts. Feel free to add more in the comments below.

Below I have listed the basics and essentials to include in your standard graphic design terms and conditions or contracts.

phic errors, etc. Also if the client provides you materials to work from and they’re lost or damaged it must be accounted and compensated fo

LEGAL

GPL FAQ

** Posted using Viigo: Mobile RSS, Sports, Current Events and more **

good article on basic terms of a first round investment

My last 2 posts were about things to avoid, so I thought it might be helpful to follow up with something more positive. Having been part of or observed about 50 early stage deals, I have come to believe there is a clearly dominant set of deal terms. Here they are:

here are some terms included below that are needed in larger deals and which aren’t absurd for VCs to ask for. So both documents are highly relevant. Start with the Y Combinator docs for your first early angel round, an

If you're an entrepreneur thinking about getting funding, this is a must-read. It outlines very fair guidelines for a first-round term sheet. Often, first-time entrepreneurs only concentrate on the big terms of a term sheet (e.g. round size, valuation) and neglect the "smaller" but often equally important things like stock preferences and triggers.

Now, a lot of people, including prominent angel investors and venture capitalists, are starting to listen to him. Tomorrow Ressi will announce a new, basic term sheet for use by investors and founders. The goal is to protect founders and reduce legal fees, which average $50,000 or more per venture round. (This is an excellent idea. "Free" at work.)

Search for viseos on line

free and LEGAL movies available online

Silicon Alley Insider has partnered with leading technology law firm Cooley Godward Kronish to explain common legal issues facing start-ups and provide sample legal documents that you can review and download.

A new campaign for photographers rights. Mapping, reporting and fighting back against restrictions on photography in the UK

Helpful summary of consumer protections in the UK. Plenty more to know, but this bare-bones summary is a great start.

Orrick's Start-Up Tool Kit is a comprehensive set of resources designed to aid start-ups and their founders on the journey from the "garage" to the global marketplace. Use our Start-Up Tool Kit to memorialize agreements with co-founders or potential investors, understand the terms and terminology of key legal documents, and network and learn business strategy and the latest industry news.

Some invaluable resources for anyone preparing to start their own business.

Is there such a thing as too founder friendly?

TheFunded.com: Complete Set of Founder Friendly Legal Docs

A few months ago I wrote a brief article about graphic design contracts. You offered some excellent advice in the comments, and here I feature a select few of your contract tips.

Freelance Contracts: Do’s And Don’ts « Smashing Magazine

모든 기업가들이 꼭 읽어야 하는 열가지 책

Ein guter Überblick von Nutzungsbedingungen der großen Videoplattformen.

刚刚过去的2008年，是我国发展历程中极不平凡的一年。面对南方部分地区严重低温雨雪冰冻灾害，面对四川汶川特大地震等一系列重大事件，我们群策群力，全力以赴，经受住了考验；为确保北京奥运会的成功举办，我们开展了卓有成效的工作，取得了显著的成绩，得到了党中央、国务院的肯定和国际社会的赞誉。

政务 服务 互动 资讯

中华人民共和国国家知识产权局

申请专利

song

08-03-31中华人民共和国政府信息公开条例 08-03-31中共中央办公厅 国务院办公厅关于进一步推行政务公开的意见 08-03-31国家知识产权局政府信息公开暂行办法

1 机构职能 国家知识产权局职能 国家知识产权局职能介绍 2 部门职能 内设机构及职责介绍 3 局领导情况 局领导简介、分工及公开发表的讲话等 4 全国专利代办处 全国专利代办处的职能、名录

中华人民共和国国家知识产权 专利

Copyright Watch, hosted by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, is designed for the purposes of sharing and comparing the copyright laws of countries around the world. As the world has become connected through the Internet the creation and global sharing of content has become very easy. At the same time the misuse of copyrighted content has become easier too. Sometimes copyright violations may be the result of conflicting copyright laws. Copyright Watch aims to provide a place where copyright laws can be compared and changes to copyright laws can be updated. Applications for Education Copyright Watch could be useful for teaching about the differences between copyright laws. Copyright Watch might also be useful as a part of a discussion about the purpose of copyright laws.

Copyright Watch collects and monitors copyright laws from all over the world.

Global Transparency in Copyright Law. "Copyright Watch was begun by an international group of copyright experts, drawn from the Access to Knowledge community. We’d like to thank Corporacion Innovarte, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Electronic Information for Libraries (eIFL.net), the International Federation of Library Associations, Professor Michael Geist, the Third World Network, and the Bangalore Centre for Internet and Society for their support."

Fabulous website to checkout if you are unsure of what copyright laws exist in which countries?

Looking for examples of Corporate Social Media Policy? This template was vetted by top corporate lawyers. Save yourself a few hours’ worth of research and work!

Contractual Terms For Your Contract

Tips for clauses in the contract to make getting paid easier

Article by Chris Gatewood - Richmond Attorney

L’ultimo numero di A List Apart ospita un articolo di Biorn Enki dedicato all’uso di contratti elettronici nell’ambito di una web agency. La seconda parte dell’articolo è tecnica e mostra come creare un modulo da far compilare al cliente usando Adobe Acrobat e un pizzico di PHP. L’aspetto interessante è però anche quello della prima sezione, quello che concerne il lato legale e pratico della questione. Primo punto: quanto conta davvero, in termini di competitività rispetto alla concorrenza, consentire al cliente una forma di relazione così veloce e semplice come quella rappresentata dalla stipula di un contratto via web? L’autore, per esempio, sostiene che è uno dei tanti modi per stare un passo avanti ai concorrenti in tempi di competizione sempre più serrata. Secondo punto, quello legale: emerge che nella legislazione americana anche il semplice cliccare su un pulsante o link di accettazione rende vincolante il contratto. Non c’è pertanto la necessità della tradizionale firma.

How far does copyright go over the Internet? From this site it goes as far as copyrighting phrases of the English language. Few everyday words drawn together to make a normal phrase with some unhappy campers trying to get them to credit them back for 'stealing' their book title name without permission. Yeah, good one.

article about trademarking of common phrases- what happens when commonly used phrases are copyrighted and you are charged for them? Especially when word of mouth and word of twitter speed up their momentum of use.

(edit this later)

Law professor Charles Nesson and John Palfrey, director of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society (which Nesson co-founded), made their position clear. "Recently, the president of the Recording Industry Association of America, Cary Sherman, wrote to Harvard to challenge the university administration to stop acting as a 'passive conduit' for students downloading music," they wrote in 2007. "We agree. Harvard and the 22 universities to which the RIAA has sent 'pre-litigation notices' ought to take strong, direct action... and tell the RIAA to take a hike."

Nesson & Co.

"Recently, the president of the Recording Industry Association of America, Cary Sherman, wrote to Harvard to challenge the university administration to stop acting as a 'passive conduit' for students downloading music," they wrote in 2007. "We agree. Harvard and the 22 universities to which the RIAA has sent 'pre-litigation notices' ought to take strong, direct action... and tell the RIAA to take a hike."

In retrospect, Harvard's eventual involvement was obvious. As far back as 2007, we noted that RIAA prelitigation letters had yet to be sent to Harvard, and one reason for that may have been the quite public opposition of Harvard Law School to the entire RIAA legal campaign.

NDA vs. FrienDA - Just stumbled upon this fun idea by @rands / http://www.randsinrepose.com/archives/2008/10/19/friendda.html [from http://twitter.com/tadej/statuses/988978156]

But I want Phil to know that what I want to chat about is more than our average conversation. I want slightly more than a smidge of ceremony before I spill the beans about my bright idea and I call this ceremony the FriendDA. The FriendDA is a non-binding, warm blanket agreement that offers absolutely no legal protection. I’d suggest if the idea of legal protection is even crossing your mind that the FriendDA is totally inappropriate for your current needs.

Many people assume that marijuana was made illegal through some kind of process involving scientific, medical, and government hearings; that it was to protect the citizens from what was determined to be a dangerous drug. The actual story shows a much different picture. Those who voted on the legal fate of this plant never had the facts, but were dependent on information supplied by those who had a specific agenda to deceive lawmakers. You'll see below that the very first federal vote to prohibit marijuana was based entirely on a documented lie on the floor of the Senate. You'll also see that the history of marijuana's criminalization is filled with: * Racism * Fear * Protection of Corporate Profits * Yellow Journalism * Ignorant, Incompetent, and/or Corrupt Legislators * Personal Career Advancement and Greed These are the actual reasons marijuana is illegal.

important and relevant history everyone should know

Writing the perfect web contract can be a daunting task - but here are 15 tips on what to include and some additional resources for help.

“We have a Facebook page,” said one official of the Department of Homeland Security. “But we don’t allow people to look at Facebook in the office. So we have to go home to use it. I find this bizarre.”

best stuff is in the comments

Hoe ga je om met web 2.0 en bestaande richtlijnen? Die kunnen elkaar gelukkig heerlijk in de weg zitten ... Annotated link http://www.diigo.com/bookmark/http%3A%2F%2Fbits.blogs.nytimes.com%2F2009%2F03%2F17%2Fgovernment-20-meets-catch-22

These are an even better idea than the Common Application for college.

open source term sheet templates and share contracts created by Marc Andreessen's company.

Open Source legal documents for startups from Andreesen Horowitz

Free templated – but flexible – legal documents for entrepreneurs to use for seed-stage deals.

Draeger, the manufacturer maintained that the system was perfect, and that revealing the source code would be damaging to its business. They were right about the second part, of course, because it turned out that the code was terrible.

A small note on how important it is to have access to the software we use in the the judicial system

"Draeger, the manufacturer maintained that the system was perfect, and that revealing the source code would be damaging to its business. They were right about the second part, of course, because it turned out that the code was terrible."

People surely are going to sue for this

The former CEO of Sun Microsystems writes about S/W patent trolling. This blog, entitled "What I couldn't say..." has appeared since the Sun/Oracle merger and is shaping up to be quite interesting

Apple's draconian developer licence.

Kill You App Any Time, Ban on Public Statements, I can see way.

Remember when Apple was a friendly company and shared a lot of information with the development community? Not any more.

The EFF gets its hands on, and reviews the Apple Developer Program License Agreement.

The Startup Lawyer gives some advice

Issue list for launching a startup company

website may be reproduced, distributed, performed, publicly displayed, or made into a derivative work without the permission of Your Legal

What to do when someone steals your work. Nice post at Freelance Switch. http://ow.ly/6FRC [from http://twitter.com/JasonThibault/statuses/1788143179]

Yes.

1-cnn marijuana

Over the past two years, drug violence in Mexico has become a fixture of the daily news. Some of this violence pits drug cartels against one another; some involves confrontations between law enforcement and traffickers. Recent estimates suggest thousands have lost their lives in this "war on drugs." The U.S. and Mexican responses to this violence have been predictable: more troops and police, greater border controls and expanded enforcement of every kind. Escalation is the wrong response, however; drug prohibition is the cause of the violence. Prohibition creates violence because it drives the drug market underground. This means buyers and sellers cannot resolve their disputes with lawsuits, arbitration or advertising, so they resort to violence instead.

Prohibition of drugs corrupts politicians and law enforcement by putting police, prosecutors, judges and politicians in the position to threaten the profits of an illicit trade. This is why bribery, threats and kidnapping are common for prohibited industries but rare otherwise. Mexico's recent history illustrates this dramatically. Prohibition erodes protections against unreasonable search and seizure because neither party to a drug transaction has an incentive to report the activity to the police. Thus, enforcement requires intrusive tactics such as warrantless searches or undercover buys. The victimless nature of this so-called crime also encourages police to engage in racial profiling.

Eric

ClearBits – Download de torrents con contenido Creative Commons

Yet another privacy issue with facebook.

"While the sniffing of e-mails is not unknown — it’s how Google serves up targeted ads in Gmail and how Yahoo filters out viruses, for example — the notion that a legitimate e-mail would be not be delivered based on its content is extraordinary."

Facebook private messages are governed by the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, which forbids communications providers from intercepting user messages, barring limited exceptions for security and valid legal orders. While the sniffing of e-mails is not unknown — it’s how Google serves up targeted ads in Gmail and how Yahoo filters out viruses, for example — the notion that a legitimate e-mail would be not be delivered based on its content is extraordinary.

article re FB censoring messages containing piratebay

AHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHA

On Facebook, links to The Pirate Bay is not allowed even in private messages

20090327 Online streaming music startups are in one very sorry place. On demand streaming rates range from .4 cents to 1 cent per stream - this is what the startups pay to the labels every time they play a song for a user. Add bandwidth and storage costs on top of that, which aren’t trivial for services that want to stream music quickly on demand. The result is hundreds of millions of dollars flowing from venture funds to startups to labels. Little of it makes its way to artists, and advertising revenues only cover a tiny portion of the fees.

"Online streaming music startups are in one very sorry place. On demand streaming rates range from .4 cents to 1 cent per stream - this is what the startups pay to the labels every time they play a song for a user. Add bandwidth and storage costs on top of that, which aren’t trivial for services that want to stream music quickly on demand. The result is hundreds of millions of dollars flowing from venture funds to startups to labels."

Online streaming music startups are in one very sorry place

The question arose on a blog about how to screen a client. Perhaps talking about it in terms of how to spot a sketchy client would be a bit much, but like any freelancer, I need to dump my anxieties on those who sign my paychecks. From corporate clients to the single-owner businesses, clients are our lifeblood… and they can be a cruel, cruel mistress. No wonder we drink.

read it

It's not just a matter of just "picking Theora" to export a video to Youtube and be clear of any litigation. MPEG-LA's trick runs way deeper! The [street-smart] people at MPEG-LA have made sure that from the moment we use a camera or camcorder to shoot an mpeg2 (e.g. HDV cams) or h.264 video (e.g. digicams, HD dSLRs, AVCHD cams), we owe them royalties, even if the final video distributed was not encoded using their codecs! Let me show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.

We've all heard how the h.264 is rolled over on patents and royalties. Even with these facts, I kept supporting the best-performing "delivery" codec in the market, which is h.264. "Let the best win", I kept thinking. But it wasn't until very recently when I was made aware that the problem is way deeper. No, my friends. It's not just a matter of just "picking Theora" to export a video to Youtube and be clear of any litigation. MPEG-LA's trick runs way deeper! The [street-smart] people at MPEG-LA have made sure that from the moment we use a camera or camcorder to shoot an mpeg2 (e.g. HDV cams) or h.264 video (e.g. digicams, HD dSLRs, AVCHD cams), we owe them royalties, even if the final video distributed was not encoded using their codecs! Let me show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.

This is an alarming notice about the licensing fine print of "open" video codec for h.264. It's open, but only under certain circumstances. Use it commercially? Pay money.

This is F*CKING UN-BE-LIEV-ABLE!! How the MPEG-LA has a foot in the door to ALL our self-filmed documents...

"We've all heard how the h.264 is rolled over on patents and royalties. Even with these facts, I kept supporting the best-performing "delivery" codec in the market, which is h.264. "Let the best win", I kept thinking. But it wasn't until very recently when I was made aware that the problem is way deeper. No, my friends. It's not just a matter of just "picking Theora" to export a video to Youtube and be clear of any litigation. MPEG-LA's trick runs way deeper!..."

Selling geek t-shirts, mugs, ties, high caffeine products, and many other gifts for programmers, linux hackers, and open source geeks.

Pork board sends C&D to ThinkGeek for April Fools joke product. Now THAT is an April Fool's joke!

This post was originally part of my “Ask the Attorney” series which I am writing for VentureBeat (one of the most popular websites for entrepreneurs). Below is a longer, more comprehensive version — with ten mistakes, instead of six. Question My buddy and I are coding up a new site and we will be ready to launch the beta in about a month. We have a couple of angel investors who are interested, and we don’t want to screw anything up. What are the biggest mistakes that you’ve seen guys like us make? Answer

This post was originally part of my “Ask the Attorney” series which I am writing for VentureBeat (one of the most popular websites for entrepreneurs).  Below is a longer, more comprehensive version — with ten mistakes, instead of six.

A few weeks ago, an Illinois judge rejected a motion to dismiss an eavesdropping charge against Christopher Drew, who recorded his own arrest for selling one-dollar artwork on the streets of Chicago. Although the misdemeanor charges of not having a peddler's license and peddling in a prohibited area were dropped, Drew is being prosecuted for illegal recording, a Class I felony punishable by 4 to 15 years in prison.

In response to a flood of Facebook and YouTube videos that depict police abuse, a new trend in law enforcement is gaining popularity. In at least three states, it is now illegal to record any on-duty police officer.

In response to a flood of Facebook and YouTube videos that depict police abuse, a new trend in law enforcement is gaining popularity. In at least three states, it is now illegal to record any on-duty police officer. Even if the encounter involves you and may be necessary to your defense, and even if the recording is on a public street where no expectation of privacy exists. The legal justification for arresting the "shooter" rests on existing wiretapping or eavesdropping laws, with statutes against obstructing law enforcement sometimes cited. Illinois, Massachusetts, and Maryland are among the 12 states in which all parties must consent for a recording to be legal unless, as with TV news crews, it is obvious to all that recording is underway. Since the police do not consent, the camera-wielder can be arrested.

The Music Licensing Store makes licensing music for any project as easy as listen, license, and download. Real music that's easy to license and 100% pre-cleared for any use.

I've written up the following directions to help you get there efficiently. Don't do it all in one sitting because you want your mind to digest the concepts over time. I suggest doing it over the course one week, setting aside a half an hour each day to go through this stuff.

Great walk-through of term sheets for startups

Great resource page for all founders interested in dealterms

I've written up the following directions to help you get there efficiently. Don't do it all in one sitting because you want your mind to digest the concepts over time. I suggest doing it over the course one week, setting aside a half an hour each day to go through this stuff.

Great walk-through of term sheets for startups

Great resource page for all founders interested in dealterms

Interesting governmental site dealing with freedom (of the use of music potentially)

Web para eliminar leyes innecesarias

^CK HMG using an off the shelf crowd-sourcing package.

This site gives you the chance to tell us which laws and regulations you think we should get rid of.

@nick_clegg et al really cracking down on new/duplicate websites http://yourfreedom.hmg.gov.uk/ http://spendingchallenge.hm-treasury.gov.uk/

Interesting governmental site dealing with freedom (of the use of music potentially)

Web para eliminar leyes innecesarias

^CK HMG using an off the shelf crowd-sourcing package.

This site gives you the chance to tell us which laws and regulations you think we should get rid of.

@nick_clegg et al really cracking down on new/duplicate websites http://yourfreedom.hmg.gov.uk/ http://spendingchallenge.hm-treasury.gov.uk/