Sun Microsystems threatens INQUIRER with High Court injunction. [Hack the Planet]

American media outlets are corporate lapdogs compared to the kick-ass journalism you'll find every day at UK pubs like The Register and INQUIRER.  American news organizations get pushed around by giant corporations all the time.  They never write about it, they just quietly buckle.  Why?  Because American news organizations are themselves owned by giant corporations with deep pockets.  Thus they respond well to legal threats.  There's too much money at risk to show some spine and stand up for the First Amendment and journalistic integrity.

6:47:18 PM   

Left gets nod from right on copyright law. A prominent federal judge warns of an "enormous expansion" of intellectual-property law, adding a conservative voice to a chorus of criticism that's so far come from the left. [CNET News.com]

A quote from the story: "In his speech, Posner warned that Hollywood studios and other entertainment companies that lobbied for the 1998 Copyright Term Extension Act could be fouling their own industry by reducing materials in the public domain."  Posner was quoted as saying, "Patents are clogging retail commerce on the Internet, and software (patents) in particular are apparently impediments to software development."

Praising Eldred as sympathetic, he then went on to mock "eccentrics" wearing "Free Mickey Mouse" tee shirts.  Where can I get one of those?

5:58:01 PM