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This case study looks at "jailbreakers," who are hacking their iPhones so that they may use unauthorized software and applications from other cell phone carriers. Apple has warned that such hacking will not only damage their iPhone, but is indeed copyright infringement. However, the Copyright Office has actually proposed that "jailbreaking" is actually considered "fair use." In the past, other laws, like the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act (1998), have been used to protect creative property for much longer than actually necessary, thus diminishing valuable work available in the public domain.

The Internet Commerce Security Lab at Australia's Ballarat University has developed a new program that can track illegal downloads on torrent websites. The program monitors copyright infringement online, targeting 100 individuals who upload the most content, including television shows and music. With the aid of the program, Australian Federal Police may prevent the sharing of illegal content.

After lengthy copyright diputes, Swedish author and publisher Fredrik Colting has essentially decided to wait for "The Catcher in the Rye" to enter the public domain before releasing "60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye", the unauthorized sequel to the work.

Does this open-source repository hurt sales? Can the website serve as an exception based on educational purposes and the high cost of sheet music?

"Do they treat piracy as part of the cost of doing business in the Internet age, or do they try and recoup piracy losses from paying customers by raising prices?"

Really neat series, lots of information...!

As soon as the photograph is taken, Lady Gaga requests that the copyright is turned over to her. Unlike other artists, like Madonna or Radiohead, Gaga is limiting how photos of her performances are distributed. Is this demand justified and if so, does it exclude people who cannot afford to attend live performances?

My roomates know this guy and he mentioned that he is talking to the original creators of the film. I wonder if they will take any legal copyright action against him.

After reading the article it's interesting to see how his classmates/fellow filmmakers have reacted to this. We haven't heard anything about legal action being taken by the original creators, but it seems that this guy has been taken to the people's court!

"Google provides the Android operating system free to handset makers, and allows them to tailor the open-source software somewhat, yet limits their freedom to tinker." It's interesting that this case brings up the question of the Android's compatibility, much like Apple's DRM dilemma.

Wow. It really is fascinating how people attempt to manipulate facts for personal gain through legal action. Now good business sense is collusion? My personal favorite comment on the article: "Good luck to him, he's 3 ignorant judges and 15 years in lawsuits away from winning"

Great article. I must admit to having had some of those very thoughts at different point this semester.

In contrast to an article I posted on February 14th, it seems as though Madonna has finally come around and noted that Gaga's new single, "Born This Way," sounds like her original music. This change of perspective is surprising.

As a follow up to my blog about potential lawsuits from high-end designers against fast fashion stores, like Zara and Forever 21, it seems as though J. Crew is now being sued over a print design. However, the author rightfully points out that Wilkinson is not suing over the leopard print, per se, because no one has IP rights to that.

It's really interesting to see how Google adapts to being an international corporation. The company clearly needs to comply with each country's laws. This is where people need to ask themselves the following question: do we WANT Google to be the same in every country? What are we saying about globalization/transnationalism at this point? People show concern towards homogenization (at least in a cultural sense), but putting ourselves in the shows of Belgian Google users who may find the links and excerpts useful or integral their research, where do we draw the line? Something to think about, I suppose. Here's another article on the matter, from PCWorld: http://www.pcworld.com/article/227379/google_busted_for_copyright_violation_in_belgium.html