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Senator Demands IP Treaty Details Wired
That a U.S. senator must ask a federal agency to share information regarding a proposed and “classified” international anti-counterfeiting accord the government has already disclosed is alarming. Especially when the info has been given to Hollywood, the recording industry, software makers and even some digital-rights groups. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) is demanding that U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk confirm leaks surrounding the unfinished Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, being negotiated largely between the European Union and United States. Among other things, Wyden wants to know if the deal creates international guidelines that mean consumers lose internet access if they are believed to be digital copyright scofflaws.

Government launches consultation on next-generation broadband Guardian
The government is seeking public advice on how to spend £1bn to ensure that almost all of Britain gets superfast broadband this decade – should it hook up rural communities first, or the suburbs? The Next Generation Access (NGA) fund, which would come from a 50p a month levy on all telephone landlines proposed in the Digital Economy bill, is intended to persuade telecoms companies such as BT and Virgin Media to install fibre-optic cable to rural and suburban households where it might otherwise be unprofitable. But the key question facing the government is whether it would be more effective to encourage telcos to install fibre-optic cable, capable of carrying two-way video and other high-speed internet links, in the most geographically remote areas – or provide funding for installation at locations that are close to those where fibre would be put in anyway without intervention due to market demand.

Mexican government says Starbucks owes for using pre-Hispanic images on coffee mugs Associated Press
http://www.whistlerquestion.com/article/GB/20100106/CP07/301069782/1030/WHISTLER/mexican-government-says-starbucks-owes-for-using-pre-hispanic-images&template=cpArt
The Mexican government says it has notified Starbucks Corp. that Mexico is owed intellectual property rights for a line of coffee mugs showing pre-Hispanic images. Starbucks says it is working with Mexico to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. It says the mugs have been removed from its shop shelves pending the discussions. The mugs show images of the Aztec calendar stone and the Pyramid of the Moon from the pre-Aztec ruins of Teotihuacan, near Mexico City.

Mini projector turns any surface in to touch-screen computer Telegraph
The Light Touch pico projector, from Light Blue Optics, can turn any surface in to a virtual touch-screen computer The gadget, Light Touch, uses holographic laser-projection technology to beam a 10in virtual touch-screen on to any surface. Infrared sensors detect the finger taps of the user, and allows them to type words, or open and close programs and applications. It runs Windows CE, a basic version of Microsoft’s popular operating system, and users can use it to write a letter or watch a video. Sweeping a hand across the surface enables users to flick between photos or programs.

Analysis: The murky world of deep packet inspection IT News
Three words, “Deep Packet Inspection,” strike fear into the hearts of privacy advocates and net neutrality supporters alike. Using DPI on your network is something of a double-edged sword: on the one hand, the technology allows for fine-grained control over network data flows and can boost security as well as prioritise services or even create new ones. However, DPI can also block certain data deemed undesirable and even modify it for purposes such as censorship, copyright monitoring and enforcement, and intrusive marketing and advertising. ISPs tend to keep quiet about their use of DPI on their networks so as not to raise users’ hackles and to avoid thorny legal issues on whether or not such packet peeking amounts to wiretapping.

How online life distorts privacy rights for all BBC
People who post intimate details about their lives on the internet undermine everybody else’s right to privacy, claims an academic. Dr Kieron O’Hara has called for people to be more aware of the impact on society of what they publish online. “If you look at privacy in law, one important concept is a reasonable expectation of privacy,” he said. “As more private lives are exported online, reasonable expectations are diminishing.”

Viacom, YouTube inch toward courtroom showdown CNet News
Google and Viacom are preparing to throw legal blows at each other as part of Viacom’s $1 billion copyright lawsuit against YouTube, according to documents filed with a federal court last month. Both parties have requested a meeting with the judge to discuss the individual motions for summary judgment that each plans to file. In summary judgment, a court decides enough evidence exists for for him or her to rule without sending the case to trial. Viacom accuses YouTube of encouraging copyright and profiting when users upload unauthorized TV and movie clips. That the two sides are preparing for summary judgment is a sign that the nearly 3-year-old and closely-watched copyright fight is finally nearing some kind of closure.

Boris Johnson to open City Hall data Telegraph
Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, is following in the footsteps of Barack Obama and launching a bid to open up the data stored in City Hall to software developers. Modelled on America’s data.gov website, Johnson has launched data.london.gov.uk and hopes that software developers will develop British “Apps for Democracy” like those that have been so successful in the USA. Channel 4’s fund, 4iP, will also contribute £200,000 towards the cost of developing applications that will use information that is currently available for topics such as census data, crime attributable to alcohol and deliberate fire incidents. In due course the Mayor hopes that more than 200 topics will be covered by the time of the ‘Datastore’ official launch on January 29, and that the resources will continue to expand.

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January, 2010

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