Friday, November 2, 2001

Stealing MS Passport's Wallet From : http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,48105,00.html By cobbling together a handful of browser-based bugs with flaws in Passport's authentication system, Slemko developed a technique to steal a person's Microsoft Passport, credit card numbers -- and all, simply by getting the victim to open a Hotmail message. [Mike Hogsett via risks-digest Volume 21, Issue 74] 0:00 # G!

DeCSS is Speech (James S. Tyre, from IP) [Summary: Source code is speech. Object code is not speech. PGN] >Date: Thu, 01 Nov 2001 13:02:54 -0800 >From: "James S. Tyre" >Subject: DeCSS is Speech >> "Like the CSS decryption software, DeCSS is a writing composed of computer >> source code which describes an alternative method of decrypting >> CSS-encrypted DVDs. Regardless of who authored the program, DeCSS is a >> written expression of the author's ideas and information about decryption >> of DVDs without CSS. If the source code were "compiled" to create object >> code, we would agree that the resulting composition of zeroes and ones >> would not convey ideas. (See generally Junger v. Daley, supra, 209 F.3d >> at pp. 482-483.) That the source code is capable of such compilation, >> however, does not destroy the expressive nature of the source code >> itself. Thus, we conclude that the trial court's preliminary injunction >> barring Bunner from disclosing DeCSS can fairly be characterized as a >> prohibition of "pure" speech." > This is *not* from the Second Circuit, where we did the amicus brief. > This is from the California state court trade secrets case, DVDCCA > v. Bunner, in which the court today reversed the preliminary injunction > issued against the Defendants. PDF Opinion: > http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/opinions/documents/H021153.PDF > James S. Tyre mailto:jstyre@jstyre.com > Law Offices of James S. Tyre 310-839-4114/310-839-4602(fax) > 10736 Jefferson Blvd., #512 Culver City, CA 90230-4969 > Co-founder, The Censorware Project http://censorware.net For IP archives see: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/ [David Farber via risks-digest Volume 21, Issue 73] 0:00 # G!

Sony uses DMCA against Aibo Enthusiast's Site Sony Dogs Aibo Enthusiast's Site Courts: The company uses a controversial law to stop owners from altering the robotic pet. Some consumers balk. Sony Corp. is using a controversial U.S. law aimed at protecting intellectual property to pull the plug on a Web site that helps owners of Aibo, Sony's popular and pricey robotic pet, teach their electronic dogs new tricks. Aibo owners are outraged, and hundreds have vowed to stop buying Sony products altogether until the company backs off. Sony has sold more than 100,000 Aibos worldwide since 1999, at prices ranging from $800 to $3,000. The dogs have spawned a community of enthusiasts who fuss over the mechanical marvels as if they were real canines. [Source: Article by Dave Wilson and Alex Pham, *Los Angeles Times*, 1 Nov 2001] http://www.latimes.com/business/la-000086726nov01.story?coll=la-headlines [Monty Solomon via risks-digest Volume 21, Issue 73] 0:00 # G!