December 14, 2003

Copyright Board of Canada OKs P2P downloading...for now Ars Technica -Unlike the United States, recording industry lobbyists have, so far, failed in their efforts to get DMCA-like legislation enacted by Canadian lawmakers. Instead of ramming such legislation through, the Copyright Board of Canada decided to impose levies on recordable media to compensate musicians and songwriters for lost revenue from personal copying. This fee is paid no matter the ultimate use of the media. Many would argue such levies basically gives the OK to consumers to copy freely, and would allow them to download copyrighted music at their whim. Others would argue the levies are a form of double taxation for people who pay for the music and then have to pay again when buying recordable media to create backups or CD mixes. Of course, the recording industry would say the levies are too low and doesn't cover enough storage devices. 10:54:38 PM

Al-Jazeera Assassination Attempt on Musharraf Fails Newsday - ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- A bomb exploded moments after Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's motorcade passed a bridge near the capital Sunday, at least the second attempt on his life since he enraged hard-liners in 2001 by backing the U.S.-led war on terror in Afghanistan. No one was hurt. 2:28:09 PM

Credit: Reuters Limited © 2003 Saddam captured in raid CNN - U.S. President George W. Bush says "a dark and painful era is over" and Saddam Hussein "will face the justice he denied to millions" after the former Iraqi leader was found hiding near Tikrit. 12:27:54 PM