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In 2005 Creative Commons launched Science Commons, a project that seeks to provide a model of rights for scientific material that is available on the web. The project grants different types of licenses to improve the protection of material produced by researchers at the same time that aims to promote this material and its fair use.

The elderly in an effort to uphold their right to freedom of information are undertaking workshops which teach them how to circumvent the internet filters so that they can still access information regarding euthanasia which would otherwise be fettered with the proposed ISP filtering law …..how effective are these filters going to actually be?

Constantin films invokes copyright infringement and corporate citizenship to try to pull thousands of Downfall parody videos off the internet. As they admit, it's an impossible task which begs the question of why do it at all! My favorite was/is the Vegemite iSnack 2.0 clip - which I'm bookmarking for everyone right now. And while I never expected to find the Liberal Party at all interesting, I didn't realise that heads had fallen over a Downfall vid satirising faction fighting, which is pertinent after yesterday's tutorial discussions!

What happens when an institution that is supposed to be safe, violates your personal rights? This article discusses how a high school in Philadelphia installed software on their lap tops that would capture photos of the user of the lap top. Though the software was intended for recovery measures of stolen lap tops, it appears that the software goes beyond photos taken from the software contained images of chats, and content that the user was viewing, to the users themselves dressing., as it spies upon the user's interactions with peers. This brings to question whether or not to trust institutional technology, and whether or not they should stipulate that some software installed may violate the users right to privacy.

Canada, alongside France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain and the United Kingdom have issued a warning to Google on the grounds that the company is ignoring privacy and legislation with respect to launching their products (Google Buzz). This is a clear example of when a company, may appear to attempt to protect their users (Google vs. China) while, in the company's own interest, these rules and regulations may be ignored. How much trust should we put into any company that offers services free to the public, and exactly what liberties do we give up when we sign up for that service?

"Some criticize me, others insult me. I don't care," he said. "It's a form of contact with the world." The president joined Twitter on April 27 in an attempt to counter adversaries who have actively used the site to make accusations of human rights violations, organize protests and - above all - ridicule Chavez. I found this interesting for many reasons - Chavez's use of Twitter as a communication mode but also to counter criticism of his government and person.

South Korea, the world's most wired country, has been listed as an "Enemy of the Internet" by the Paris-based rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) for its draconian censorship. Now, North Korea has a company to talk how to effectively contorl people on the Net.

Scroll down and read the discussion forum paper, "Child Protection and Freedom of Expression Online". The report aims to open discussion and reframe the debate surrounding child protection by bringing together, rather than isolating, advocates of online child protection and those of freedom of expression. It rejects the current moral panics that dominate the debate, particularly in the media, which over-represents the likelihood of harm to children online. It highlights the unproductive nature of framing online protection as a moral panic because it obscures and undermines the work of both freedom of expression and child protection advocates. Rather than keeping these two parties as diametrically opposed the discussion laid the first steps in finding common ground between the two. From here they can work together to advance both of their agendas and therefore achieving a more desirable balance between defending the rights of children and maintaining freedom of expression.

Am I being sued? that's the first thing that comes across our minds upon noticing legal notices or letters..This article tells us not to panic but thoroughly analyze what the document says and have an in depth understanding out of the doc. If the situations seems like you are really getting a lawsuit, the next step is to seek immediate assistance from a legal advisor or lawyers. The most important thing to bear in mind is that to ensure our rights are not infringed. I find the article sound and most useful.

Israeli soldier posts the details of an operation on Facebook, and the operation is called off. Ironic: the Internet, originally a military tool, causes trouble in the military. Like with potential victims for kidnapping in Mexico posting personal details online: should basic media literacy education be provided for the use of social media among groups with potential risks?

The internet: a land without "social or cultural or primitive race memory". What are the implications when entire generations voluntarily forfeit their right to privacy?

Surprisingly, a Spanish judge has ruled today in favor of a file-sharing website since P2P networks as a mere transmission of data between Internet users, would not violate, in principle, any right protected by Intellectual Property Law. Furthermore, he decided that "offering an index of links and/or linking to copyright material is not the same as distribution." The decision was based on the notion that the file-sharer doesn't make any direct or indirect profits off the site

Google speaks out on censorship and the violation of user privacy in China. Yahoo in the US agrees but its Chinese partner Alibaba Group does not. Are they afraid of a backlash from Beijing and fear for their ungoing business success? Makes me wonder how bad the quagmire in China really is...

The manifesto, further discussion and information regarding the Pirate Party in the UK

Copyright is big news over there right now. This party sprang up during the election, in direct response to the new copyright laws. Given the UK's voting system, they never really had a chance, and managed just over 1000 votes nationally. Still, the important thing is that they tried - yes?

We talked a lot about enforcement last week in class. This youtube clip is a massive hit in the Netherlands since last week, two drunken police officers from the little town 'Spa' in Belgium had to lead a carnivals parade 'Laetare de Sart-Tiège' in the right direction. One of them throws up and falls on the floor while the other police officer is too drunk to walk in a straight line. How does this effect enforcements reputation in Belgium?

Article from PC World dated 19/3/2010 Talks about the the enduring legal battle between Viacom and Google over intellectual property rights which have been (arguably) 'violated' by the Video sharing website, Youtube. This is another prime example of the indefinable nature of the digital medium and the problems inherent in resolving issues of ownership and distribution of information in the context of the internet. The inability to fully implement control in free flowing information forums again raises the question who can really be made responsible for copyright infringements?

Another case in which intellectual property rights come into question. Apple is suing HTC for infringement of 20 Apple patents. It is interesting to note, that the majority of handsets which been specified in this case are powered by Google's Android operating system which is open source. I feel that corporations using open sources to power their products need to consider the potential repercussions. Although open source communities tend to operate with an ethic of contribution and collaborative innovation; it is inevitable that ideas and the products which stem from it will crossover from one realm to another, which in turn will lead to a figurative 'stepping on one another's toes' and ensuing law suits. In saying this, it is clear that whether or not it is open source product or not, that cases like this have almost become a symptom of the modern tech-business climate.

China and Google are in negotiations to break their ongoing feud... apparently. According to this article, 25 more countries around the globe have taken steps to censoring the internet, which calls for discussions about basic human rights and the so-called online "embargo" this puts on US companies.