(Guardian) The BBC board of governors has come under fierce attack in a government report that has accused them of failing to act independently and inferring they have been unprofessional in the way they handled the launch of the corporation's 24-hour rolling news channel. Former Financial Times editor Richard Lambert's report accuses the governors of acting as management poodles and says they have paid "perfunctory" attention to the channel in the five years since launch.
(Reuters) A Norwegian teenager pleaded not guilty to charges of illegally making software that copies movies, in a landmark case seen as a battle between cyber-Davids and corporate Goliaths. Jon Johansen, known in Norway as "DVD Jon," is charged with helping to crack a code and develop and distribute a program--known as DeCSS--on the Internet that enables users to make unauthorized copies of DVD movies.
(Australian IT) The New South Wales Government has backed off repealing controversial internet censorship laws, putting the legislation in the deep freeze while it waits for a federal review. The NSW Government will sit on the issue until it can consider the findings of the Federal Government's review of the national online regulatory regime, due in early 2003. But similar South Australia legislation received assent last week.
(Reuters) L'obstruction menée par le groupe socialiste a empêché les députés d'adopter en première lecture une proposition de loi d'Yves Bur (UMP) visant à "protéger" les mineurs contre la diffusion de "programmes comprenant des scènes de très grande violence ou de pornographie". La proposition de loi vise notamment à instaurer un double cryptage afin d'éviter aux mineurs l'accès aux images de violence et de pornographie.
(BBC) There is growing unease over how effective super-regulator Ofcom will be as it gears up to begin its mammoth task of regulating the UK broadcasting, telecoms and internet industries. Critics have pointed out its wide-ranging broadcasting remit, which includes representing the viewers and listeners, protecting them from harmful and offensive material and making sure there is a wide variety of services, will overshadow the telecoms and internet aspect of its work.
(RAPID) The European Commission has launched a public consultation on a report on remaining barriers to the achievement of widespread access to new services and applications of the Information Society through open platforms in digital television and 3G mobile communications, which was requested by the Barcelona Summit and the Seville Council. The consultation will run until 15 February 2003. A public hearing is currently scheduled for 4 February 2003.
(Guardian) A high court judge defied the European court of justice by refusing to enforce a legal ruling won by Arsenal Football Club in a trademark action against a sportswear trader. Mr Justice Laddie had referred the case to the Luxembourg court for guidance on issues of trademark law. He said today that the court in its final judgment not only gave rulings on the law, but also made fresh findings of fact - something it had no power to do.
(Reuters) A New York operation accused of pirating music to the tune of millions of dollars was raided by Secret Service agents and record industry investigators in what they called the largest-ever seizure of music piracy equipment in the United States.
(FEPP) Free Expression Policy Project, by Marjorie Heins. This 71-page policy report demystifies such complex laws as the 1998 Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act and Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and deconstructs the underlying conflicts over "fair use," parody, copying, and the public domain.
(THOMAS) An Act to facilitate the creation of a new, second-level Internet domain within the United States country code domain that will be a haven for material that promotes positive experiences for children and families using the Internet, provides a safe online environment for children, and helps to prevent children from being exposed to harmful material on the Internet. Text as passed by both House and Senate. Became Public Law No: 107-317 on 4 Dec 2002. see also .kids page and Proposal for Guidelines and Requirements for the kids.us (NeuStar).
(Washington Post) Authors of the Dot-Kids Implementation and Efficiency Act envisioned the new "kids.us" domain as a sanctuary where children could explore the Internet without being exposed to its dangers. The law is designed to protect children - 13 years or younger - from pornography, profanity and other content that it defines as inappropriate by not allowing Web sites that end in kids.us (www.washingtonpost.kids.us, for example) to link to locations outside of the domain. The question remains, however, whether or not there is an economic case for the new domain.
(Forum des droits sur l'internet) Ce guide pratique a été réalisé en partenariat avec les éditions Berger Levrault. Il est destiné plus particulièrement aux décideurs publics chargés de mettre en place des téléprocédures, a pour but d'éclairer sur les enjeux juridiques et opérationnels liés à la mise en place d’une téléprocédure en leur fournissant un véritable "kit juridique". Version PDF.
(CNET News.com) The FBI plans to launch an online manhunt for an alleged Boston mob boss, in a novel crime-fighting experiment in partnership with Web portal Terra Lycos. As part of the effort, Terra Lycos has agreed to donate advertising space on its network carrying a likeness of James "Whitey" Bulger and messages alerting people to the $1 million reward for his capture. Bulger is on the FBI's list of the 10 most wanted fugitives FBI to cast Net over fugitive.
(Heise) Die Bundesregierung hat erneut ihre Absicht bekräftigt, das in Deutschland bestehende Versandhandelsverbot für apothekenpflichtige Arzneimittel abschaffen zu wollen. Im Rahmen der mündlichen Verhandlung vor dem Europäischen Gerichtshof im Streit um die niederländische Internetapotheke DocMorris. Der Rechtsstreit um eine Klage des Deutschen Apotheker-Verbandes gegen die niederländische Internet-Apotheke DocMorris hatte das Landgericht bis zur Entscheidung des Europäischen Gerichtshofes ausgesetzt.
(Europa) A set of quality criteria for health related websites has been adopted in a Communication of the European Commission on the basis of a workshop held in June 2001 and comments received on this site. COM(2002) 667.
(ZDNet UK) ISPs say the true cost of storing individuals' communications data as required by the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act (ATCS) that was rushed through parliament in 2001, will cost far in excess of the £20m estimated by the Government. Giving evidence at the All Party Parliamentary Group (APIG) public inquiry on Wednesday, AOL's director of public policy Camille de Stempel, said it would cost about £30m just to set up the systems for AOL alone, and the same again in running costs. Clive Feather, an Internet expert at ISP Thus who also gave evidence, said AOL's figure of 36,000 CDs was if anything an underestimate of the scale of the problem.
(Economist) A ruling by Australia’s high court has further complicated the question of which laws and whose courts have jurisdiction over the Internet. In a libel case, the court has confirmed a lower-court ruling that Dow Jones can be sued in the Australian state of Victoria over an article that appeared on its website. The court rejected the American company’s claims that any libel action should be heard in New Jersey, where its web servers reside. A range of media groups and Internet firms - including CNN, Yahoo!, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Britain’s Guardian, Reuters and Amazon - had joined the case on Dow Jones’s side, fearing that a ruling against the firm would set an important precedent which could make all Internet publishers open to lawsuits in any of the 190 countries where the Internet can be accessed and so curb free speech everywhere. Dow Jones v. Gutnick (High Court of Australia) see also Australian court to hear Net case (Reuters) and US website 'can be sued in Australia' (BBC).
(Heise) Eine Anordnung eines Schweizer Untersuchungsrichters löste heute große Verunsicherung und mitunter auch Empörung bei den IP-Providern im Alpenstaat aus: Die Netz-Betreiber sollen demnach binnen fünf Tagen den Zugang zu einer inkriminierten Website blockieren. Ansonsten drohe ihnen nach Schweizer Recht Geldstrafe und Freiheitsentzug. Empfänger der Anordnung waren viele große Schweizer Access-Provider, wie zum Beispiel Bluewin und Swisscom.
(Heise) Nach einem Erfolg nun die erste Schlappe für die Provider, die sich gegen die umstrittene Website-Sperrungsverfügung des Düsseldorfer Regierungspräsidenten Jürgen Büssow wehren: Erstmals hat ein deutsches Gericht die sofortige Sperrung rechtsextremer Internet-Angebote durch einen Zugangsanbieter angeordnet. Das Verwaltungsgericht in Arnsberg (Nordrhein-Westfalen) sei damit der Rechtsauffassung der nordrhein-westfälischen Aufsichtsbehörde gefolgt.
(Reuters) Europe's Internet service providers (ISPs) say they are overwhelmed by a barrage of requests to take from their networks Web sites that violate copyright or contain defamatory statements. The ISPs want legal protections in case they remove a site that turns out to be law-abiding. ISPA's UK body has begun collecting data from its UK members about take-down requests. To date, the group found that 54 percent of take-down notices pertain to copyright infringement claims, while 27 percent were related to defamation complaints.
(FindLaw) by Julie Hilden. In this column, I'll discuss the current legal risks of linking. I'll also argue in favor of Congress's granting a broad statutory immunity for linking, as it has done for web hosting.
(Reuters) The Federal Communications Commission has begun the process of finding more wavelength space to accommodate the explosion of new wireless technologies.The agency sought comment on whether unlicensed devices, like wireless home networks for Internet service, could operate on television broadcast airwaves in areas where they are not being used or at times when the spectrum lay fallow.
(Forum des droits de l'Internet) Le 10 Décembre 2002, à Paris, le Forum des droits sur l’internet a réuni pour une première discussion publique sur la diffusion de la pornographie sur le réseau: Christian JACOB, ministre délégué à la famille; Eric BARBRY, avocat - cabinet Alain Bensoussan; Patrice BLANC, institution du Défenseur des enfants, Secrétaire général; Monique DAGNAUD, sociologue EHESS, ancien membre du CSA; Eric LARCHEVÊQUE, Carpe Diem (Société gestionnaire de sites web pour adultes) PDG; Jean-Christophe LE TOQUIN , AFA (Association des Fournisseurs d'Accès et de services internet) Délégué général; Jean-Pierre QUIGNAUX, UNAF (Union Nationale des Associations Familiales) chargé de mission.
(Washington Post) Software meant to protect young people from the seamier side of the Internet may also be blocking important health information on issues ranging from diabetes and sexually transmitted diseases to depression and suicide. According to a Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation study See No Evil: How Internet Filters Affect the Search for Online Health Information, Internet filters most frequently used by schools and libraries can effectively block pornography without significantly impeding access to online health information - but only if they aren’t set at their most restrictive levels. As filters are set at higher levels they block access to a substantial amount of health information, with only a minimal increase in blocked pornographic content. see also SmartFilter stupidity - health sites as SEX (Seth Finkelstein).
(CNN) The Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) is the self-regulatory arm of the Interactive Digital Software Association, the industry's trade group. Since 1994, the ESRB has rated games according to their levels of violence and other adult content. The ESRB released a study by Peter Hart Research Associates showing that parents overwhelmingly approve of the ratings assigned to computer and video games.
(Heise) Die Business Software Alliance (BSA) sorgt sich um den richtigen Umgang von Kindern mit dem Internet. Daher hat die die Interessenvertretung der Softwarebranche eine Liste mit sechs Handlungsempfehlungen ins Netz gestellt, die Eltern dabei unterstützen sollen, das Surfverhalten ihrer Schützlinge kontrollieren und wenn nötig auch einschränken zu können.
(Safer Internet) A hearing was held on Luxembourg on 27-28 November 2002 to discuss the background paper eSafe Directions for 2003-2004 - Discussion Paper. Presentations made at the hearing, together with the conclusions of 4 working groups and the list of attendees are now online. It is possible to submit online comments until 7 January 2003.
(RAPID) Mr Erkki Liikanen Member of the European Commission, responsible for Enterprise and the Information Society, European Competitive Telecommunications Association (ECTA) Brussels, 11th December 2002.
(CNet News.com) by Declan McCullagh. Why doesn't everyone in the United States have a high-speed Internet connection at home? The most obvious answer--that broadband connections remain unavailable--is not the correct one. The truth is that at least three-quarters of American homes have cable modems or DSL service available to them. The real answer is that most people still choose not to subscribe. They feel that $40 or $50 a month is too high for the benefits they receive, and they're happy to sip bandwidth through a straw or forgo Internet access at home completely.
(BBC) US satellite TV operator Hughes Electronics is to shut down its high-speed internet service. The loss-making internet service, DirecTV Broadband, has 160,000 subscribers and is linked to the DirecTV satellite broadcaster.
(RAPID) Mr Erkki Liikanen Member of the European Commission, responsible for Enterprise and the Information Society, Diffuse Final Conference, Brussels, 12th December 2002
(Economist) The video-games industry is booming, but how long will the good times last? Figures suggest that 2002 was the peak of the cycle, and that the market will shrink next year. Things will then cool off until the next generation of consoles appears in 2005. But the industry has two new tricks up its sleeve, in the form of online and mobile gaming.
(Libération) Avec la baisse des prix et les possibilités qu'offre sa vitesse, le haut débit entre dans l'usage commun - 1,3 million d'abonnés à l'ADSL à la fin de l'année
(Guardian) The scourge of modern communications - the unwanted email promising dramatic weight loss, financial gain or hardcore pornography - has reached epidemic proportions. According to research, carried out by email filtering company Brightmail, four in 10 emails received by computer users are junk mail.
(BBC) Text messaging is no longer the preserve of teenagers as businesses also embrace the technology. Text messaging is fast becoming a fundamental business tool, with 60% of firms using it on a daily basis, according to a survey by the Mobile Data Association (MDA).
(BBC) Spam is not overwhelming the inboxes of US workers, despite the growing number of junk e-mails promoting get-rich-quick scams or pornographic websites, says a report. Researchers at the US-based Pew Internet think-tank found that the majority of Americans enjoy a spam-free inbox at work.
(European Commission) CORDIS is a free service of the European Commission. CORDIS is the official EU Service for Research & Development and Innovation related activities. see CORDIS Express, a weekly briefing on what's new in European research and innovation. CORDIS news, e-mail news alert and CORDIS focus. CORDIS language versions: DE, EN, ES, FR, IT. CORDIS also hosts the eContent programme Web site.
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