VERY,VERY HOT READS, I Would Read The News In This Thread This Thead Is To post Any Thing Ye Want About The News,,NEWS WAS MOVED,READ MY FIRST POS...

CloneDVD
Version 2.8.8.1: 2006 02 16

- New: Better handling of some badly mastered DVD titles
- New: Automatic read retries (20 times), allows copying of
scratched discs
- New: Support for Windows Vista
- New: Added CD-R to the size selector in the title selection
(previously was "Mini DVD", which confused people because of 8cm
DVDs known as "Mini DVD" as well)
- New: Added support for DVD-R DL writing (only writing to +R Dual Layer
Discs was supported)
- New: Workaround for incorrectly mastered DVDs made with Pinnacle
Studio causing an error
- New: Improved writing to DVD-R media
- New: Added brazilian portuguese language
- Change: Mini DVD size is changed to 1.4 GByte (size of 8cm DVD-R media)
- Change: "Filter unreferenced material to improve splitting" has
been removed from the preferences pane. This option is now always
enabled.
- Fix: High CPU use for several minutes when checking for program update
- Fix: Sound out of sync problems with incorrectly mastered DVDs
- Fix: Quality bar sometimes invisible with incorrectly mastered DVDs
- Fix: DVD configuration reported incorrect resolution for NTSC DVDs
- Updated languages
http://static.slysoft.com/SetupCloneDVD.exe
http://www.elby.ch/en/products/clone_dvd/index.html

 

RIAA targets Santangelo's kids

p2p news / p2pnet: The Big Four record labels are escalating their attack on Patti Santangelo, the New York mother who's so far the only person to stand up to them.

And they'll be using her children as weapons against her.

On Tuesday judge Mark D. Fox presided over a discovery hearing in Elektra v Santangelo and, "Elektra's attorneys have answered Patti's objections to their discovery questions," her lawyer, Jordan Glass, told p2pnet.

"They've started to push back aggressively. They're going after her children - and this time not directly so they can get around certain protections the children have. They had information about the children that wasn't public, or wasn't supposed to be public, and it's of great concern not only that that they were able to obtain it, but also that they wanted it.

"They're not treating this as a single case or as seeking a verdict for $3,500.00. They're treating this as a symbol for how the other cases will go and I hope everyone who reads this will recognize the serious impact this case could have on their children."

The RIAA has spent enough to feed a small country on trying to make the world believe it's owners, the multi-billion-dollar Big Four labels, are being "devastated" (their word) by people who share music online, that contracted artists are suffering and that support workers are being driven into extreme financial hardship.

They make the completely unsupportable assertion that people using the p2p networks to share files would otherwise have paid $1 or more to buy the song from an online corporate music site or an offline music store.

And they claim file sharers are criminals and thieves, although nothing has been stolen and at worst, file sharing, a purely civil, not criminal, matter, involves copyright infringement.

Patti is said to have shared music, an allegation she flatly denies, and when the Big Four's RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) tried to get her to buy them off, she would have none of it, instead electing to act as her own lawyer against the labels.

When p2pnet spoke to her last September, "Assuming your case ends up in court, how far are you willing to go?" - we asked her.

"I'm willing to take it as far as I have to to prevent other innocent people being dragged into frivolous lawsuits," she replied. "It's wrong."

She also said, "I have three teenage children who love music and I think that's a great thing. I can't count the amount of concert tickets and CDs that I've purchased over the past few years, and I still have two younger ones who are showing the same love for music. I find it hard to believe that file sharing could impact record companies to the point of devastation. There are some people, apparently, who copy and sell CDs, and that is piracy and they are the ones that need to be stopped."

Thanks to the generosity of p2pnet readers, Patti has been able to retain Glass and is now going through the process of collecting the materials she needs to defend herself against the Big Four, Warner Music (US), Vivendi Universal (France), Sony BMG (Japan, Germany) and EMI (Britain).

"This case is jeopardizing the actual well-being of children and you're going to see problems develop which will be far worse than the mere 'shakedown for money' ['settlements']," says Glass emphatically.

"As just one example, it was deeply unsettling for us to learn just how much personal, non-public information the RIAA had collected on Patti's children.

"All parents should be concerned and I think people have to know the implications.

"It's one thing to sue children directly. They get a lawyer, rules are established, the court might offer certain protections, etc, but when it's done through a back door - suing a parent to get information about a child - the child has no protections, especially when the plaintiff doesn't even have the decency to not publish personal information about the child.

"This, then, is going to become the new feeding ground for those who seek to exploit children, whether through improper contact or identity theft.

"This new class of child - scared and facing the federal legal system, with few protections and their personal contact and identification information, as well as their posted feelings, fears, desires and thoughts - is now exposed to the world for all to see.

"And exploit."

Glass is working virtually for expenses and the lion's share of the $7,862.62 donated so far is going on collecting and collating the discovery materials and other documents necessary for Patti's defense.

But a lot more will be needed, so please contribute whatever you can to the Fight Goliath campaign, bearing in mind Patti has taken on the international corporate music industry as much for other parents and children around the world who might find themselves in her position, as for herself and her children.

You can make a PayPal donation by clicking the button under the picture below, or you can send a cheque or money to:

Patti Santangelo
C/O PO Box 274
Hartsdale
New York 10530-0274

All donations are held in escrow and Patti personally approves all outgoings and expenses.

Spread the word. Blog, post, use IM, emails, ICR, whatever. Contact your local tv / radio station / newspaper. Can you get something on slashdot? Can you get the Fight Goliath campaign on Digg or anywhere else?

Thanks for your help. Patti quite literally can't do this without you.

Also See:
Elektra v Santangelo - Patti Santangelo fights Goliath, February 14, 2006
innocent people - RIAA victim talks to p2pnet, September 4, 2005

(Thursday 16th February 2006)
http://p2pnet.net/story/7942

 

Movies File Share Top Ten



p2pnet.net Feature:- p2pnet's Movies File Share Top Ten is compiled from statistics supplied by p2p research company Big Champagne.

Only on p2pnet.

If you want to see how BC develops them, head over to the music FSTT, or go to our Q&A with ceo Eric Garland here.

(Note: If a movie returns after being out of the charts for two weeks or longer, it's designated 'new'.) 'Return' means back after a week's absence.

Movies Top Ten File Share Downloads, Global
Week ending February 16, 2006
Ranking Movie Number of Downloads
01 >>> Redeye + #2 1,093,385
02 >>> Flight Plan + #7 1,075,236
03 >>> Underworld: Evolution (unchanged) 1,060,642
04 >>> The Wedding Crashers - #1 1,029,433
05 >>> Big Momma's House 2 + #9 1,011,516
06 >>> The Chronicles of Narnia: LWW - #4 1,008,100
07 >>> The Fog (new) 1,006,845
08 >>> Hostel - #6 965,249
09 >>> King Kong - #5 961,693
10 >>> Lord Of War (new) 954,001

Movies Top Ten File Share Downloads, USA
Week ending February 16, 2006
Ranking Movie Number of Downloads
01 >>> Redeye + #3 592,620
02 >>> Flight Plan + #7 590,581
03 >>> Underworld: Evolution - #2 575,000
04 >>> Big Momma's House 2 + #8 572,876
05 >>> The Wedding Crashers - #1 559,318
06 >>> The Fog + #9 556,760
07 >>> Hostel - #5 548,050
08 >>> The Chronicles of Narnia: LWW - #4 545,526
09 >>> Hoodwinked (new) 526,969
10 >>> King Kong - #6 501,357

(Thursday 16th February 2006)
http://p2pnet.net/story/7946

 

Sex workers call for GTA ban

p2p news / p2pnet: An interesting new voice has been added to the growing list of individuals and organizations calling for Take-Two Interactive's Rockstar Grand Theft Auto video games to be banned.

Take-Two is currently being sued by Los Angeles for failing to disclose that its Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas video game contained "pornographic" content.

"Since the video game Grand Theft Auto accrues points to players for the depiction of the rape and murder of prostitutes, SWOP-USA calls on all parents and all gamers to boycott Grand Theft Auto," says the project. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Regarding the Video Game Grand Theft Auto
Sex Workers Outreach Project USA (SWOP-USA)

Although SWOP-USA will always be adamantly opposed to any and all forms of censorship, as concerned parents ourselves, we wish to inform other parents of the potential danger extremely violent video games pose to children. And in the interest of furthering sex worker’s human and civil rights to life and personal safety, we object to any media which represents sex workers as legitimate targets of violence, rape and murder. Censorship is a blight on the freedoms we hold dear but we wholeheartedly encourage citizens to vote with their dollars by refusing to purchase products which encourage the denigration and destruction of prostitutes. Since the video game Grand Theft Auto accrues points to players for the depiction of the rape and murder of prostitutes, SWOP-USA calls on all parents and all gamers to boycott Grand Theft Auto.

Concerned parents and citizens are encouraged to read pertinent research regarding child development and interactive representations of violence. For your convenience, research results as reported by David Walsh, Ph.D. for the National Institute on Media and the Family in 2001 are summarized below:

“Prominent organizations like the American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Medical Association have all concluded that the scientific evidence shows a cause-effect relationship between television violence and aggression among the children and youth who watch it. Based on this research, many social scientists have hypothesized that we should expect video games to have an even greater impact for the following four reasons.

“1. Children are more likely to imitate the actions of a character with whom they identify. In violent video games the player is often required to take the point of view of the shooter or perpetrator.

“2. Video games by their very nature require active participation rather than passive observation.

“3. Repetition increases learning. Video games involve a great deal of repetition. If the games are violent, then the effect is a behavioral rehearsal for violent activity.

“4. Rewards increase learning, and video games are based on a reward system.

“ . . . [Research is] showing that the concern is indeed warranted. . .

“Children with the lowest hostility scores are almost 10 times more likely to have been involved in physical fights if they play a lot of violent video games than if they do not play violent games (38% compared to 4%). In fact, the least hostile children who play a lot of violent video games are more likely to be involved in fights than are the most hostile children who do not play violent video games.

“ . . . [There is] a strong correlation between exposure to violent video games and various forms of antisocial behavior.”

From Video Game Violence and Public Policy by David Walsh, Ph.D. for the National Institute on Media and the Family, copyright 2001

Also See:
"pornographic" content - LA sues GTA San Andreas co, January 27, 2006

(Thursday 16th February 2006)
http://p2pnet.net/story/7945

 

WHO LOVES MICROSOFT NOW!


Microsoft re-defines 'new PC'

p2p news / p2pnet: The entertainment cartels aren't the only ones trying every trick in the book to extort more money from their customers.

Bill and the Boyz now claim a new motherboard equals a new computer, "hence you need to purchase a new Windows licence," says Aviran Mord on his blog, where he also reveals the change in question, to wit:

An upgrade of the motherboard is considered to result in a 'new personal computer' to which Microsoft® OEM operating system software cannot be transferred from another computer. If the motherboard is upgraded or replaced for reasons other than a defect, then a new computer has been created and the license of new operating system software is required.

Apparently, Microsoft, "needed to have one base component 'left standing' that would still define that original PC," says Mord. And that's because, "Since the motherboard contains the CPU and is the 'heart and soul' of the PC, when the motherboard is replaced (for reasons other than defect) a new PC is essentially created.”

OEM partners have been 'asked' to enforce the new policy, adds the post.

Also See:
blog - Microsoft: Upgraded Motherboard = New Windows Licence, February 15, 2006

(Thursday 16th February 2006)
http://p2pnet.net/story/7944

 

Bill Gates speaks his mind

2/16/2006 3:25:36 PM, by Jeremy Reimer

Back in the dark days before personal computers changed our lives, there was a TV commercial for the brokerage firm EF Hutton. A man at a restaurant casually mentioned that he used that broker, and the entire room hushed and leaned forward in anticipation of his next sentence. The tagline was: "When EF Hutton talks, people listen." While Bill Gates may not be able to command such legendary (and fictional) attention-getting powers, when the richest man in the world and the co-founder of the largest software company on the planet takes the time to do a personal interview, many people are going to listen.

Sitting comfortably in the headquarters of Channel 9, Microsoft's documentary Internet video web site, Gates spoke about the future of the company, the next release of Office, the Internet, and software in general. He even revealed a few personal details about his life, despite jokingly saying how he "loves the privacy of the Internet."

He first spoke about the Internet, and how some old web technologies were finally getting widespread use to improve people's experiences online. DHTML has been around for many years, but just recently it has been put to good use making web pages that are more responsive, such as Google Maps' ability to update only the part of the screen that is changed. Despite an obvious desire to sell Windows applications, Microsoft is not against improving the web application experience, and is actively trying to help more people to be able to do this by creating a set of tools (called Atlas) that makes it easier to write interactive web applications with DHTML and Asynchronous Javascript (AJAX):

"DHTML let you do things with jobs that ran pretty reliably on the client platform, and it is surprising how long it's taken [...] Now people have woken up to that and it creates a phenomenon. Even within Microsoft we've seen it in many places. We have our Infopath group, our Hotmail group [...] so we've brought it together in terms of creating a runtime and making it really easy for people, which we call Atlas. [Keeping track of] synchronization and caching and debugging [these web sites], it's fairly hard, but with the right tools, this sort of thing will become fairly standard, and so here at the Mix 06 [web developer's conference] we'll have Scott Guthrie talking about how he's really looked at all these groups, both inside Microsoft and outside, and figured out how to create a runtime [Atlas] that makes this very doable and in a very rich way."

When asked about the long time it has taken for the development of Internet Explorer 7, Gates actually apologized for his company missing the boat and falling behind competitors like Firefox:

"We're certainly doing a mea culpa there, we feel bad that we weren't more aggressive doing releases. Part of that was the incredible focus we had on security, really getting that architecture right, doing the concept we call 'low rights' IE, so that if you have a control come in, it's running in a different context than general code would, in terms of what it can access on your machine. I'd say that people may underestimate how hard those changes are and how important they are, but even given that, in terms of features we have not moved as fast as we should. Starting with IE 7 people will see very regular activities there."

The discussion moved on to Office 12, which we now know will end up being called Office 2007:

Office 12 has got more sexy new stuff than any new release we've done for ages and ages. [...] The thing people will first notice is the new user interface, it lets you get at features in the way that the menu structure was holding you back. [...] The second thing they'll notice is the role of sharing [...] SharePoint will become on the server what Office is on the client. You can assume people know the templates in your organizational project, you just pick one of those templates and get people collaborating using that.

I think the final thing and what may be the biggest thing is what we've done with extensibility. Office extensibility used to mean that you programmed against the user interface of the application. Now, because of the XML revolution, we put it in the core of the product, [...] literally the format of the documents is XML. What that means is that getting the data in and out of these documents and spreadsheets is that you don't think about the application, you just think about the name range and the scheme. We've finally got to the point where people can write solutions in just a few lines of code, moving very complex data in and out of Office applications. That may be the biggest thing, although it's hundreds of thousands of customization applications, not one single one that'll show its value

I've talked before about how Microsoft has embraced XML, not merely as a hot buzzword of the day, but a real reason to convince people to upgrade and stay with Microsoft Office, instead of finding alternatives. How can opening up a file format possibly help to get users locked in? Well, some people who have been following the controversy in Massachusetts over Office XML versus OpenDocument seem to think that this is just about another file format battle, that somehow Microsoft is tricking people into thinking Office XML is open when it really isn't. This is not only incorrect, but missing the point. Microsoft's biggest competitor to Office is not OpenOffice, but earlier versions of itself. Opening up the file format so that companies can create "hundreds of thousands" of custom applications creates a demand for the new "XML-ized" version of Office.

Gates then revealed a few tidbits about his personal life. He reads news web sites like News.com, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times, as well as checking out all the latest Internet video sites. While he doesn't have much time left over for watching TV, he has gotten hooked on the DVDs of 24, which he watches while exercising on his treadmill. After putting his kids to bed, he spends time catching up on all the e-mails that people send him during the day. On the weekends he plays a bit of Zuma on Xbox Live and jumps on his trampoline. It's not the most exciting life, perhaps, but Gates has made his billions largely as a result of his obsession with reading and thinking about technology. He still takes "Reading Weeks" from time to time to catch up on stuff he has missed.

Finally, Gates talked a bit about how he feels that software is still just at the beginning of its useful evolution. He mentioned how it could help in education to channel kids' natural interest in the world into a desire to learn about some of the mathematics and science that underlies it. He also mentioned how software could do a better job at managing the information overload associated with modern health care. One of the most interesting things he said was that "the crazy dreams of the late 90's, you know, the dreams weren't wrong, there just weren't the right software foundations for building on these things, and now's the time that people who take the long term view, including us and others, have really started to put these things into place." Will the dotcom revolution wind up happening anyway, this time done properly and with a real business model? Look around—it's already happening.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060216-6199.html

 

5 steps to help avoid instant message viruses
This is a MS article and I thought some of you might be interested in.

Just this past week we had an incident with a chat client + a nice AIM trojan that wanted to join the party.

Instant messaging, commonly referred to as IM, is a method of online communication like e-mail. The main difference, as the name suggests, is that IM is instantaneous. Using an IM program—such as MSN Messenger, Windows Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, or others—you and a friend can type messages to each other and see the messages almost immediately.

Because IM has become so popular, virus writers are using it to spread malicious programs. Read on to find out how to avoid getting or spreading a virus when you use IM.


5 steps to help avoid instant message viruses

As with most threats on the Internet, you can help keep yourself safe by taking basic precautions. If you know how to avoid e-mail viruses, you'll already be familiar with many of these steps.

1.


Be careful downloading files in IM. Never open, accept, or download a file in IM from someone you don't know. If the file comes from someone you do know, don't open it unless you know what the file is and you were expecting it. Contact the sender by e-mail, phone, or some other method to confirm that what they sent was not a virus.

2.


Update your Windows software. Visit Microsoft Update to scan your computer and install any high-priority updates that are offered to you. If you have Automatic Updates enabled, the updates are delivered to you when they are released, but you have to make sure you install them. For more information, visit the Protect Your PC site.

3.


Make sure you're using an updated version of your IM software. Using the most up-to-date version of your IM software can better protect your computer against viruses and spyware. If you're using MSN Messenger, install the updated version by visiting the MSN Messenger Web site and clicking the Download Now! button.

4.


Use antivirus software and keep it updated. Antivirus software can help to detect and remove IM viruses from your computer, but only if you keep the antivirus software current. If you've purchased a subscription from an antivirus software company, your antivirus software may update itself when you're connected to the Internet.

5.


Use antispyware software and keep it updated. Some IM viruses may install spyware or other unwanted software on your computer. Antispyware software can help to protect your computer from spyware and remove any spyware you may already have. If you don't have antispyware software, you can download Windows Defender (Beta 2) or another spyware removal tool.

http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/viruses/imvirus.mspx#EHC

 

SlySoft CloneDVD Mobile v1.0.5.1


CloneDVD mobile converts your DVD movies quickly and easily into a format that your portable device (Sony PSP, Apple iPod Video, iAudio X5, Creative Labs ZEN Vision, etc) can play. You can also convert your DVDs to other file formats, such as DivX, XviD, AVI, MP4, etc.
Version 1.0.5.1: 2006 02 16
- New: Added frame rate selection to the User Interface
- New: Added NTSCFrameRateX and PALFrameRateX keywords to devices.ini
- New: Improved playback of NTSC material, if correct frame rate is selected (23.98 fps for movies, 29.97 fps for videos)
- New: Added Subtitle selection and output to VOB passthrough
- New: Workaround for problem of hanging Video with iPod G5 firmware 1.1
- Change: Output resolutions of Apple iPod video
- Updated lanuages
- Updated manuals

http://static.slysoft.com/SetupCloneDVDmobile.exe

 

i can not keep up with them,every time i turn my head slysoft or clone is updated.


CloneDVD

Version 2.8.8.2: 2006 02 16
- Cosmetic: Wrong button size in output selection pane

http://static.slysoft.com/SetupCloneDVD.exe

 

updated again
CloneDVD mobile Revision History


Version 1.0.5.2: 2006 02 16
- Cosmetic: Wrong button size in output selection pane
http://static.slysoft.com/SetupCloneDVDmobile.exe

 

US rootkit spyware legislation?

p2p news / p2pnet: The dirty dealings of a German/Japanese record company which tried to spy on its customers may result in new laws being introduced in the US.

Sony(Japan) BMG(Germany) planted secret rootkit DRM applications made by America's SunnComm and the UK's First 4 Internet on music CDs.

When buyers played inserted the discs into their PCs, the spyware was installed without their knowledge or permission, also creating security hazards.

Sony BMG is still suffering the consequences of what's become a major PR disaster affecting not only it, but also the other members of the Organized Music cartel, Vivendi Universal, Warner Music and EMI, who, together with Sony BMG, are also being probed by the state of New York in a separate bribery scandal.

The company has been ordered to recompense victims via cash payments or replacements and now, "A U.S. Department of Homeland Security official warned today that if software distributors continue to sell products with dangerous rootkit software, as Sony BMG Music Entertainment recently did, legislation or regulation could follow," says PC World.

"We need to think about how that situation could have been avoided in the first place," the story has Jonathan Frenkel, director of law enforcement policy with the DHS's Border and Transportation Security Directorate, saying. "Legislation or regulation may not be appropriate in all cases, but it may be warranted in some circumstances."

The DHS has, "no ability to implement the kind of regulation that Frenkel mentioned," but it's, "attempting to increase industry awareness of the rootkit problem," he said.

"All we can do is, in essence, talk to them and embarrass them a little bit."

Nor is this the first time that the department has expressed concerns over the security of copy protection software, says PC World, going on:

"In November, DHS assistant secretary for policy Stewart Baker warned copyright holders to be careful in protecting their music and DVDs. 'In the pursuit of protection of intellectual property, it's important not to defeat or undermine the security measures that people need to adopt in these days,' Baker said."

Meanwhile, the Sony BMG debacle doesn't seem to have sounded a warning note to other companies.

An example of Settec Alpha-DISC DRM with rootkit-like features was found on a DVD of the movie Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

Also See:
bribery scandal - 9 radio stations in bribery probe, February 9, 2006
PC World - Sony Rootkit Experience May Lead to Federal Oversight, February 16, 2006
rootkit-like features - Mr and Mrs Smith: with rootkit, February 14, 2006

(Friday 17th February 2006)
http://p2pnet.net/story/7950

 

US online gambling ban

p2p news / p2pnet: A bipartisan bill to outlaw the $12 billion Net gambling industry has been introduced by the US House of Representatives, says the Seattle Times.

An existing ban against interstate gambling over telephone lines to also outlaw use of the Internet and related technology would be updated.

The legislation, co-sponsored by 115 lawmakers, "would specifically prohibit a gambling business from accepting credit cards, checks, wire and Internet transfers in illegal gambling transactions," says the story, adding:

"It also would set a maximum prison sentence of five years for violations."
___________________________________________________________________

Washington

Bill would outlaw Internet gambling

More than 100 lawmakers in the House of Representatives introduced a bipartisan bill Thursday to outlaw the $12 billion Internet gambling industry.

The bill would update an existing ban against interstate gambling over telephone lines to also outlaw use of the Internet and related technology. A total of 115 House lawmakers co-sponsored the bill.

The legislation would specifically prohibit a gambling business from accepting credit cards, checks, wire and Internet transfers in illegal gambling transactions. It also would set a maximum prison sentence of five years for violations.

Similar legislation was introduced previously, but the bill was defeated in 2000 due in part to efforts by Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
http://p2pnet.net/story/7952

 

Don't fence me in

p2p news / p2pnet: In the 1960's there were discussions including consumer advocate Ralph Nader about the need for seatbelts in cars. Policy makers didn't understood the need, and wouldn't mandate that manufacturers installed them in cars, until finally a simple idea clicked in their mind. The need for seatbelts didn't relate to the car hitting something (the "first collision"), but the body hitting the car (the "second collision").

Until people recognized the existence of the second collision ,they couldn't see the point of safety devices that didn't avoid the first collision.

The discussions about Digital Rights Management (DRM), or other controversial uses of technical measures by copyright holders, has the same type of conceptual problem.

Copyright holders sheepishly suggest they're are putting digital locks, or "fences," around their own "property", and that the only people who'd disagree with this are people who want to "steal" that property.

For DRM to do what copyright holders want, the technology people use to access this content must disobey the instructions of its owners. What this means is: this "fence" must not only be around the digital content, but the technologies.

This technology is owned by someone other other than the copyright holder. It isn't copyright holders putting a fence around their "property": rather, i's the third parties putting a fence around *MY* property.

Just like there was a need for laws mandating seatbelts be installed in cars to protect us from this "second collision", there's increasing awareness for the need for laws which protect citizens from this "second digital fence".

The practice of putting a "digital fence" around someone else's property shouldn't be supported in law. This suggests anti-circumvention laws such as those proposed in the 1996 WIPO treaties, and implemented in the USA's controversial Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), shouldn't exist.

This lack of legal protection for this "second fence" isn't enough. Most citizens aren't technical enough to be aware of this harmful behaviour, or be able to on their own protect their technology property rights.

Powerful government officials have started to weigh in on this debate.

In November 2005 Stewart Baker, the Department of Homeland Security's assistant secretary for policy, said to the industry, "It's very important to remember that it's your intellectual property - it's not your computer".

In February, Jonathan Frenkel, director of law enforcement policy at the U.S Department of Homeland Security, gave a speech at the RSA Conference 2006 where he suggested that "RootKits" should be outlawed.

A simple definition of a "RootKit" would be a modification to the operating system of information technology which hides its operations from the owner of the computer, and controls the computer in ways not authorized by this owner. This definition it would properly catch the controversial aspects of DRM in any law that outlaws "RootKits".

It should be unlawful to install DRM on my computer without my permission. It should also be unlawful to make it a condition of purchasing someone's content that I put DRM on my computer, something that echoes a concept in the privacy act which says you can't make it a condition of buying something that the customer waive their privacy rights.

Schedule 1 of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) includes:

4.3.3
An organization shall not, as a condition of the supply of a product or service, require an individual to consent to the collection, use, or disclosure of information beyond that required to fulfil the explicitly specified, and legitimate purposes.

Russell McOrmond - p2pnet contributing editor
[McOrmond is an independent author (software and non-software) who uses modern business models and licensing (Free/Libre and Open Source Software, Creative Commons).]

(Friday 17th February 2006)
http://p2pnet.net/story/7954

 

AACS reaches interim agreement; HD DVD trying to stay on schedule

2/17/2006 11:45:54 AM, by Ken "Caesar" Fisher

The Advanced Access Content System, better known as AACS, was delayed yet again late last week, pushing the release of both Blu-ray and HD DVD back even further. While the AACS licensing authority (AACS-LA) has been mum on the cause for the most recent delays, sources are saying that the problem is actually a Blu-ray-specific technology called BD+. While BD+ is not part of AACS per se, there are apparently some interoperability issues that are preventing all members of the AACS group from agreeing on a final specification. As I suggested earlier this week, holding back HD DVD because of a Blu-ray DRM problem could ruffle some feathers.

However it came to be, the AACS-LA has reached an interim agreement that will allow device manufacturers on either side of the divide to push ahead with producing products. The major hurdle that has been cleared relates to encryption keys: that part of the specification is apparently finished, and companies can now apply for the keys needed in order to lock down their wares. (You know, so that you don't accidentally turn into a pirate.)

Toshiba was a major player behind the scene, and for good reason. The company wears the pants in the HD DVD family, and they've been watching what they hoped would be a significant first-launch advantage dwindle down to almost nothing. Still, the company showed renewed vigor at CES, proudly showing off the two players with which they plan to storm the North American market.

Toshiba is cutting it close, however. The company is starting a 40-city promotional tour in only five days, ramping up to the full retail launch of their HD DVD players by the end of March. According to Reuters, the tour begins in Paramus, New Jersey on February 21, with a stop over at PC Richards in New York City the next day. The tour will also stop in Boston, Chicago, San Francisco and other cities nationwide. (Be sure to tell 'em Ken sent you.)

Toshiba is still hoping that units will be on shelves by March 28, but because of the timing of this latest AACS delay, players will likely need to be upgraded in order to actually play HD DVD content. That's right: you may pick up your sweet, new HD DVD player only to find out that it needs a firmware upgrade to operate.

At this time, it is unclear how that upgrade will be delivered, but Toshiba may be in a position to include optical discs with the needed updates at the time of sale. Nevertheless, the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants approach being displayed by nearly all members of the AACS is alarming. Given the all-encompassing nature of AACS, one might hope that its development and implementation would see its final stages carried out without such haste and in-fighting.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060217-6203.html

 

Shareholders go after Take-Two

p2p news / p2pnet: Take-Two Interactive, the maker of the Rockstar Grand Theft Auto video game series which takes players on brutal killing sprees, is being sued by shareholders.

In January, audit committee chairwoman Barbara Kaczynski walked out, accusing management of failing to keep the board informed on issues centering on the hidden Hot Coffee animated sex scenes in GTA San Andreas.

Now, "Law firms Milberg Weiss and Stull, Stull & Brody announced the suits seeking class-action status this week," says Reuters. "The actions come on the heels of similar suits filed in recent weeks.

"Each of the firms is looking for people who owned Take-Two shares between October 25, 2004, the launch of 'Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas,' and January 27, 2006, the day that Los Angeles' city attorney sued Take-Two for selling pornographic video games to children."

The US game industry’s Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) reluctantly raised San Andreas from M for Mature (which had allowed people aged 17 to buy it) to AO for Adults Only (which resulted in Grand Sex Auto being taken off store shelves altogether).

New Zealand and Australia banned the GTA games completely, an 85-year-old US grandmother sued Rockstar Games and Take-Two, "on behalf of herself and all consumers nationwide," and Haitian civil rights workers sued Take-Two because, they said, GTA: Vice City instructed players to "kill the Haitians" and awarded points for each kill.

Lawyers partly blamed killings in a murder case on the hours the defendant had spent playing Grand Theft Auto video games. And nor was this the first time GTA had been mentioned in a ‘real’ murder case.

Grand Theft Auto III was said to have been behind two other murders in California where deputy district attorney Darryl Stallworth called fordeath penalties for reputed killers Leon Wiley and half-brothers Joe and Demarcus Ralls, "the most malevolent members" of a gang linked to about a half-dozen slayings, scores of robberies, and a set of shootings," said the Alameda Times-Star.

Players can also pick up prostitutes and SWOP-USA (Sex Workers Outreach Project USA) wants on all parents and all gamers to boycott Grand Theft Auto.

The SEC ( Securities and Exchange Commission) filed a fraudulent accounting practices claim against Take-Two Interactive Software, the company's former chairman and ceo, Ryan Brant, its former executive vpt and coo Larry Muller, its former cfo, James David, Jr, and current vp of sales Robert Blau.

In this latest legal action, Milberg Weiss, "the most prominent class-action law firm in the United States, said in a press release on Monday that Take-Two engaged in fraudulent and illegal conduct during the class period so that insiders could sell more than 661,000 shares for proceeds of more than $18 million," says Reuters.

Also See:
Reuters - Lawyers target "Grand Theft Auto" maker, February 15, 2006
pornographic video games - LA sues GTA San Andreas co, January 27, 2006
New Zealand - Brutal and violent, December 12, 2003
Australia - Grand Sex Auto banned in Oz, July 29, 2005
awarded points - Take-Two's 'Kill Haitians' game, January 27, 2004
partly blamed - GTA player guilty of murder, August 11, 2005
pick up prostitutes - Picking up prostitutes in GTA, December 17, 2004
boycott Grand Theft Auto - Sex workers call for GTA ban, February 16, 2006
fraudulent accounting - Rockstar sued by grandmother, July 28, 2005
Ryan Brant - Take down Take-Two, January 2, 2004

(Friday 17th February 2006)
http://p2pnet.net/story/7951

 

Screener man busted

p2p news / p2pnet: A screener of Walk the Line, sent to a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, came close to ending up online.

"Luis Ochoa of Corona, Calif., faces up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine for seeking to distribute the film," says Reuters.

Dan 'Jedi' lickman and the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America), which he heads, claim Hollywood's bottom line has been seriously and deeply dented through the unauthorised online distribution of "pirated" product.

The story doesn't say how Ochoa got hold of the screener, of who it was meant for, but, "Prosecutors said Ochoa, using the online nickname 'jai,'' unwittingly discussed his plans to distribute the film with MPAA officials, who then set up a server intended to look like a site used by illegal downloaders," says the story.

Ochoa, "voluntarily admitted that he used the name 'jai' and had uploaded the copy of 'Line,' according to the affidavit supporting the charges.

Also See:
Reuters - "Line" pirate walks plank after MPAA sting, February 16, 2006

(Friday 17th February 2006)
http://p2pnet.net/story/7956