Columbia Law Prof. Tim Wu writes for Slate magazine, Where’s My Free Wi-Fi?, about the failure of municipal wireless Internet access projects. “The basic idea of offering Internet access as a public service is sound,” Wu writes, but “The problem is that cities haven’t thought of the Internet as a form of public infrastructure that—like subway lines, sewers, or roads—must be paid for.”
Verizon Wireless changed its mind and said it would allow an abortion rights group to send text messages on its network (New York Times). The company did not withdraw its assertion that it has the right to block messages from its network.
Verizon Wireless refused to allow an abortion rights group to send text messages on its network (New York Times), which it may legally do. Columbia Prof. Tim Wu pointed out, “Another entity that controls mass text messages is the Chinese government.”
Apple has warned customers about ‘unlocking’ the iPhone (Chicago Tribune). They say software products that unlock the iPhone to work with carriers other than AT&T will void the warranty and may damage the device.
Columbia Prof. Tim Wu said, “Apple is in a tricky spot. It’s in their interest for people to unlock iPhones. It makes the phone more useful. But if Apple is seen encouraging that activity, who would want to do an exclusive deal with them again?”
In a star-studded celebration of legal proportions, the Program on Law & Technology and the Kernochan Center for Law, Media, and the Arts publicly unveiled their new web site, KeepYourCopyrights.org.
KeepYourCopyrights.org is an educational resource for creators of all types—painters, writers, photographers, etc. It explains the important points of copyright law that creators need to know about, and dispel myths put forth by some publishers and agencies. It also features a collection of real-world contracts taken from a variety of creative industries with each clause explained and rated as to its “creator-friendliness.”
See also the Columbia Press Release.
Columbia Prof. Tim Wu participated in a panel discussion on net neutrality at the Future of Music Coalition policy summit. The Washington Post’s Rob Pegoraro writes about the summit. The point of net neutrality, Wu said, is “to save the Internet from being like commercial radio.”
The Associated Press reports that the SCO Group has filed for bankruptcy. SCO claimed ownership of the UNIX operating system in numerous lawsuits against vendors of Linux, an open-source UNIX clone. A U.S. district court ruled earlier this year that Novell, not SCO, owns the copyrights in UNIX. Columbia Prof. Eben Moglen says UNIX is no longer useful as corporations turn to Linux instead.
CNET News.com writers Anne Broache and Declan McCullagh write that Web ad blocking may not be (entirely) legal. Browser add-ons that hide advertisements on web pages have drawn the ire of some web publishers. There’s no lawsuit yet, but the authors say it’s only a matter of time. “Any lawsuit would likely invoke two arguments,” they write, “that copyright infringements are taking place (through derivative works), and that the Web site’s terms of service agreement is being violated.”
Frank Pasquale writes about the potential for a bill of rights for users of social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace.
Declan McCullagh writes for CNet News.com Ten things that finally killed Net neutrality. Columbia Prof. Tim Wu responds on his own blog that, in fact, net neutrality rules are being obeyed.
The Associated Press reports that the Justice Department opposes net neutrality regulations. Columbia Prof. Tim Wu responds, “It’s not very surprising considering this Justice Department has been committed to eliminating regulatory oversight of almost every industry.”
The DoJ Press Release is also available.
Law.com asks Is the Future of Legal Scholarship in the Blogosphere?
It’s hit the news by now that clever programmers have figured out how to ‘unlock’ the Apple iPhone so that it works with carriers other than AT&T. What’s not clear is the legality of doing this—or of selling the unlocked phones.
Business Week writes about Why Apple Can’t Stop iPhone Hackers, quoting Columbia Prof. Jane Ginsburg.