Friday, September 20, 2002

Hollywood vs Silicon Valley - thorough article on the political and legal wrangles. 11:12:32 AM

Will eBay sue eGray and will they win? eBay are strong litigators that jealously guard their intellectual property but eGray is a political site and, as such, the odds are stacked against eBay. I've been reading lotsa legal stuff this morning - including a lengthy interview with Larry Lessig on Wired News and all about the laws on deep linking on Chilling Effects. The chilling effects project offers advice about the law and digital freedoms and intends to monitor activities in this arena. The Electronic Frontier Foundation are co-partners in the project - busy as ever but whatever happened to the blue ribbon? 10:38:37 AM

Dirt Makes You Healthy. Plastic::SciTech::Health: Just one more study that suggests our abhorrance of germs directly contributes to our susceptibility to them. [Plastic: Most Recent] Referring to a study that suggests that obsessive hygiene in the home contributes to higher chances of asthma. The commentaries are hilarious. This would explain then why my three little bunnies rarely have a cold or a sniffle, while their pristine cousins are in and out of hospital when they're not clung to the home nebuliser. Nice to know I'm getting something right. 9:24:30 AM

Surprise! That Ebook's Patently Ours. Plastic::Media::Law: Patenting a concept for e-books in the 1980s? Priceless. [Plastic: Most Recent] Seems a company called MediaBay took out a patent on the eBook concept way back in 1985 and now they are demanding royalties all round them from the fast-growing eBook publishing sector. I know a lot of people would disagree with me but doesn't this stifle innovation? What's most scary is that this is another example of the laws working against the weak - Adobe can afford to pay royalties but small start-ups can't. 9:11:49 AM