Here's something to think about as you hear news coverage of the recently announced lawsuit against the entertainment industry:  What is the relationship between your favorite news organization and the defendants in this case?

Do you like ABC News?  They are owned by Disney, which is named in the suit.  Fox News?  They're named in the suit.  How about CBS or NBC?  Yep, they're named too.  CNN is good, right?  They're owned by AOL Time Warner, which is named in the suit.

Each of these news organizations has to make decisions every day about how to allocate resources.  Should we send this hard-hitting investigative reporter off to Afghanistan, or should we have him cover the entertainment industry's copyright power grab?

I get my news from the British Broadcasting Corporation, National Public Radio, Reuters (owned by the Reuters Trust, an independent business entity), and various independent Internet sites.  Who owns your news?

4:39:52 PM   

Major kudos to Craig Newmark, who is suing Hollywood!   [Scripting News]

I know this sort of thing is expensive and potentially risky (from a legal standpoint), but I want to see more of this sort of proactive legal action to maintain the rights we still have.  Normally I don't approve of lawsuits.  I'd prefer to compete on the open market.  Involving the the courts or the legislature is a last resort.

But this suit is necessary because the entertainment industry has purchased our legislature and leveraged that illegal influence to maintain their illegal cartel.  They've done everything they can to take market forces out of the equation.  The courts are all we have left (short of banding together as citizens, pooling our money, and buying a couple of senators).

4:10:17 PM   

How to Thank Kenya for 9/11 Cows. A Masai tribesman who returned from his U.S. studies recently explained what happened on Sept. 11. In response, the tribe donated highly prized cows to the people of the United States. Now there's a website to express thanks. By Michelle Delio. [Wired News]

This isn't the sort of story I usually post, but, well, that's the name of the weblog.  As a high school student, I did some outreach work digging a well for a Masai tribe in Kenya.  It was two weeks of hard labor, and I believe it made a significant improvement in the tribe's quality of life.

To thank us, they slaughtered a cow.  Many of us had a hard time appreciating that gift; we couldn't grasp the significance.  Fourteen cows is a tremendous gift and a big sacrifice.  It represents a solemn expression of sympathy and support.  I hope we can find a way to reply that is equally earnest.  The "Thanks for the Cattle" site is a good start.

9:16:26 AM   

Microsoft has released a position paper of sorts outlining their side of the recent "Hollywood vs. Silicon Valley" debate on copy protection.  They say a bill would tie Microsoft's hands, preventing DRM innovation, blah, blah, blah.  Which is why I'm not all that interested in Microsoft's essay.  Users aren't even mentioned until paragraph ten.

If our government and the industry monopolies and cartels give the free market a chance to work, customers will roundly reject the entertainment industry's crippled, copy-protected content just like we rejected Circuit City's DIVX format.  The only way copy protected content will succeed economically is if there is no other alternative.  Industry must not be allowed to take that choice away from us, be it through illegally purchased legislation or sham industry consensus.

8:43:01 AM   

MS defies Hollywood DRM Intifadah. About time [The Register]

You can always count on The Register for news and commentary that's fun to read.  Here's their take on a "position paper" recently released by Microsoft concerning the Hollings bill (and related copy protection legislation).

8:10:03 AM