(entry last updated: 2002-08-13 16:29:51)

The Register really sticks it to Microsoft today - the Palladium spin has by-passed the employment side of the biz, it appears. Forrester Research has a mixed message for the RIAA. And Declan McCullagh would rather code than lobby.

And I really hate seeing Microsoft use the phrase "Software Choice." Cory Doctorow’s recent posting is Slashdotted, but you can read the comments at least.

The Norwegians want a techie judge for Jon Johansen. Wonder if it’ll make any difference?

And Salon has an illuminating article for your diversion: The media titans still don’t get it

(11 items listed below)

• John Lettice, quoting from a placement ad from Microsoft, deconstructs the distancing of Palladium from DRM by MS.

• MSNBC quotes a Forrester Research report that says a few things that will make the RIAA unhappy: (1) downloading has nothing to do with the drop in sales and (2) downloading is probably the salvation of the industry.
• Yesterday’s New York Times profiled the rise of Eva Cassidy in the face of the current record industry biz. A look at how the industry works.
• Dan Gillmor recapitulates the call to revise the rhetoric around music file downloading and copyright.
• The UK is preparing to implement their own set of copyright mechanisms to comply with the Hague Convention (see this link) and the WIPO Phonograms and Performances Treaty (a few more details) - and all the worst elements of the US’s DMCA are in place. (See the collected links on international issues)
• Blockbuster is looking at the Netflix business - how will this one play out?
• Declan McCullagh has a provocative opinion piece at News.Com, essentially arguing that it is the competitive advantage of the technologist to hack, rather than to lobby. If you don’t like a law, write code to defeat its intent - not a position that I would endorse, BTW - as I will explain in a little more detail later. Even the Slashdot discussion, Declan McCullagh On Geek Activism, doesn’t really support him on this.
• More on "Software Choice" at ZDNet. A tragic name, really.
• Cory Doctorow has an article that has gotten the Slashdot crowd worked up over the demise of the digital hub at the hands of Hollywood. The IEEE Spectrum articles (1, 2 plus graphic) are at least as informative, especially since they aren’t slashdotted at the moment.
• Declan writes at ZDNet (w/Talkbacks) that the No Electronic Theft Act is going to be employed in the MPAA/RIAA war on P2P.
• The Register reports that Johansen’s DeCSS trial has been delayed to make sure they get a judge who won’t be overwhelmed (buffaloed?) by the talk.