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...

Canadian MP auto-contact site

p2p news / p2pnet: January 23, the date of the Canadian election, is close and we need to ensure that whoever's elected on Monday is aware that Digital Copyright and Internet issues are vitally important to constituents.

We also want to make sure candidates are able to easily contact people in their own constituencies to learn more

I want to make it easy for people to send letters to their member of parliament. So I've set up an automated tool on Digital-copyright.ca.

Step 1: Log into our Open Source Drupal based website. This allows us to confirm your email address is correct so we won't be sending anonymous SPAM to candidates.

Getting a new account involves telling the website what account name you want to use, and your email address. We'll then email you a temporary password which you can use to log in, confirming for us that your email address is correct.

Once you're logged in, there are variables which you can set to tell the system more about you. For instance, there's a "my account" option which allows you to type in your postal code and other contact information to be automatically be included in the footer information of letters you send.

Step 2: Identify your riding.

Whether we're talking about candidates during a federal election, or your MP between elections, this information is always keyed to your riding. You're asked to navigate to one of the riding specific areas and then click the "set as my electoral district" option. This will set a variable with the ID number of the riding and enable a "my electoral district" button which allows you to quickly return to this page each time you log in to check for new articles specific to your area.

Setting your riding also means the next time we post a letter, you won't have to tell the web site again what riding you're in.

Step 3: Send your letter.

I have a form letter set up which you can confirm or edit it any way you wish.

If you don't want to log in, you can still see the sample letter and send it from your own email account. If at all possible, add a carbon-copy to letters@digital-copyright.ca so we'll know which candidates or MPs are receiving letters. If you receive a reply, it would also be very helpful to receive copies so that we can add them to the web site so other constituents will know what's been said.

Please take this step and go beyond conversations on the blogs to engaging with politicians to ensure that we're heard during and between elections!

Thanks.

Sarmite Sam Bulte

And don't forget to make a note of the race between Peggy Nash and Sarmite Sam Bulte in Toronto's Parkdale-High Park.

Ms Bulte is a close friend of the incumbent foreign intermediaries and could become the next heritage minister if the Liberals form the next government.

She's seen by our community as one of the greatest threats to Canadian creativity, especially independents and creators using alternative methods of production, distribution and funding.

Anyone with ties to this riding should do what they can to support Peggy Nash and ensure that Sam Bulte doesn't win the seat.

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).]
http://p2pnet.net/story/7641

 

German indies anti-DRM site

p2p news / p2pnet: Sony BMG's catastrophic DRM spyware blunder continues to reverberate not only in on- and offline mainstream media publications, but also in the hallowed halls of the corporate music industry where the other three members of the Big Four record label cartel, EMI, Vivendi Universal and Warner Music, are also being heavily splattered.

The disaster is now being felt in Germany, BMG's home country. There, VUT (German Association of Independent Labels, Publishers and Producers - Verband unabhängiger Tonträgerunternehmen) has launched a web site to, "disassociate disassociate itself from the music industry's position" in a campaign it's calling Respect The Music.

Most of the record companies and publishers VUT represents aren't interested in, "prosecuting private individuals in the same way as professional pirates," it declares. "In this sense, VUT members support a more moderate policy. policy."

The campaign has three clear statements to make, says the site:

1. DRM and copy protection are [sic] not the answer to the problems of the music industry. They cause wariness in consumers which in turn drives them to piracy.

2. We need strong yet consumer-friendly copyright laws that support the new digital forms of music distribution and create a basis for modern compensation models. The amended laws must create fair terms for the creative industry and therefore require thorough revision.

3. The legal persecution of P2P users turns fans into criminals and does not solve the problem of piracy.

VUT says it plans to provide continuous information on the position of the independents, "concerning topics such as copy protection/DRM, new forms of distributing music, as well as copyright law".

Copy protection devices punish honest fans instead of rewarding them, "which is why most indies do not use copy protection," it states, going on:

"It's about time that the independent music business and its artists respond to the misguided policies of the music industry.

But that doesn't mean that the labels approve of the "illegal burning or free download of their productions," says VUT.

"The goal of this campaign is to inform people that the survival of a diversified music culture highly depends on its being respected. Just in the same way that most labels and artists respect the rights of their fans."

(Wednesday 18th January 2006)
http://p2pnet.net/story/7642


VUT campaign "Respect The Music – Copy Protection Free"

As a result of the music industry's most recent attempts at fatal copy protection methods, the VUT – German Association of Independent Labels, Publishers and Producers – feels that it needs to disassociate itself from the music industry's position by starting its own campaign called 'Respect The Music'.

This campaign has three clear statements to make:

1. DRM and copy protection are not the answer to the problems of the music industry. They cause wariness in consumers which in turn drives them to piracy.
2. We need strong yet consumer-friendly copyright laws that support the new digital forms of music distribution and create a basis for modern compensation models. The amended laws must create fair terms for the creative industry and therefore require thorough revision.
3. The legal persecution of P2P users turns fans into criminals and does not solve the problem of piracy.

From this day on this website will provide continuous information on the position of the independent scene concerning topics such as copy protection/DRM, new forms of distributing music, as well as copyright law.

The use of copy protection devices punishes the honest fan instead of rewarding him, which is why most indies do not use copy protection.

The "Copy Protection Free" logo, designed by !K7 and in use since in 2004, can be downloaded here and printed on releases by every label that supports "Respect The Music". It's about time that the independent music business and its artists respond to the misguided policies of the music industry.

That doesn't mean that the labels approve of the illegal burning or free download of their productions. The goal of this campaign is to inform people that the survival of a diversified music culture highly depends on its being respected. Just in the same way that most labels and artists respect the rights of their fans.

Most of the record companies and publishers that VUT represents are not interested in prosecuting private individuals in the same way as professional pirates. In this sense, VUT members support a more moderate policy.

For more information, amendments and feedback please get in contact with the VUT office at info@vut-online.de.
http://www.respect-the-music.com/index.html.en

 

Big Music Korean balls-up

p2p news / p2pnet: Big Four record label cartel plans to stomp file sharing and file sharers in Korea are back-firing in a big way.

"The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office says it'll, "press charges against persons who downloaded music for resale, but not against those who copied it for their personal use," states the JoongAng Daily, going on to quote an SCDPO official as saying:

"We would have to investigate more than 10,000 people, and if prosecutors start investigating Internet users nationwide, it may start controversies about infringements of human rights."

That wasn't quite what Nofree, "a music industry organization," had in mind when it officially complained to the prosecutors' office, "about 13,000 persons and two Internet sites," says the story.

Nofree spokesman Kim Young-ki said the Big Four unit wanted to, "make the illegal downloading of music a social issue here," not, "put those 13,000 people in jail.

"We were hoping that prosecutors would impose some strong measures so that people would see the consequences of getting caught distributing illegal music files, but now they've announced that it's permissible to download music for private listening.

"People who didn't even think of doing so may start."

Also See:
JoongAng Daily - Anti-piracy body looks in horror at a plan gone awry, January 19, 2006

(Wednesday 18th January 2006)
http://p2pnet.net/story/7643

 

January 18, 2006
Many Internet users forgoing Security

Do you want to understand why millions of computers are being used as bots or have been over run with spyware checkout the reasons people are shutting off the firewall provide by Windows OneCare Live. This is from the teams blog.

Based on our investigation, there are four primary reasons people are turning off their firewall.

1. Do not think a software firewall is necessary
2. Do not like the (sometimes incessant) pop-up dialogs
3. An application failed to install with firewall turned on
4. An application fails to work with firewall turned on

It just goes to prove that either Windows has to get more secure default out of the box or these application have to help the novice understand shutting off a firewall is a bad idea. [www.edbott.com]
http://www.geeknewscentral.com/archives/005636.html

 

Microsoft® Windows® Malicious Software Removal Tool (KB890830)
Brief Description
This tool checks your computer for infection by specific, prevalent malicious software (including Blaster, Sasser, and Mydoom) and helps to remove the infection if it is found. Microsoft will release an updated version of this tool on the second Tuesday of each month.


Overview
The Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool checks Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows Server 2003 computers for and helps remove infections by specific, prevalent malicious software—including Blaster, Sasser, and Mydoom. When the detection and removal process is complete, the tool displays a report describing the outcome, including which, if any, malicious software was detected and removed. The tool creates a log file named mrt.log in the %WINDIR%\debug folder.

This tool is not a replacement for an anti-virus product. To help protect your computer, you should use an anti-virus product.

Microsoft will release an updated version of this tool on the second Tuesday of each month. New versions will be made available through this web page, Windows Update, and the Malicious Software Removal Tool Web site on Microsoft.com.

To have the newest versions automatically delivered and installed as soon as they are released, set the Automatic Updates feature to Automatic. The version of this tool delivered by Windows Update runs on your computer once a month, in the background. If an infection is found, the tool will display a status report the next time you start your computer. If you would like to run this tool more than once a month, run the version that is available from this Web page or use the version on the Malicious Software Removal Tool Web site.

Please review KB890830 for the list of malicious software that the current version of the tool is capable of removing as well as usage instructions. Also, please be aware that this tool reports anonymous information back to Microsoft in the event that an infection is found or an error is encountered. The above KB article contains information on how to disable this functionality and what specific information is sent to Microsoft.

It is strongly recommended that you review KB891716 before you consider deploying this tool in an enterprise environment.

The user must be an administrator to run this tool. This tool will not run on any version of Windows 98, Windows ME, or Windows NT 4.0.




System Requirements
Supported Operating Systems: Windows 2000; Windows Server 2003; Windows XP





download here
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...E0-E72D-4F54-9AB3-75B8EB148356&displaylang=en

 

Apple tweaks iTunes following privacy concerns

Following a wave of privacy concerns last week, Apple Computer has begun prominently notifying customers about a new recommendation feature in its iTunes software, as well as spotlighting a simple way to turn it off.

The new feature, a "MiniStore" pane in the software, provides music recommendations to iTunes users based on the songs currently in the software's active playlist. To do so, it sends information about those songs back to Apple, even if the tracks weren't originally purchased from the iTunes Music Store.

The information exchange also includes a string of data linked to an iTunes customer's unique ID number, which is also used for other Apple accounts, such as the .Mac service and the Apple Developer Connection, computer experts found last week. An Apple representative said last week that the company did not store or archive any of the information from this MiniStore recommendation process.

Previously, that information exchange was not disclosed in any user agreement or in the software itself. However, an update posted late Tuesday now prominently adds a notification inside the iTunes software itself when the MiniStore is turned on for the first time.

"As you select items in your library, information about that item is sent to Apple, and the MiniStore will show you related songs or videos," the note says. "Apple does not keep any information related to the contents of your music library."

The notification also provides a prominent new pointer to a button that will turn off the MiniStore, which does not exchange any information while inactive. As before, the feature can also be turned off by going to the menu of commands at the top of the software or by selecting a keyboard command.

The change has satisfied some of the critics who had emerged, even among committed Apple supporters, after the iTunes software release.

"I feel that Apple, in clearly telling users what the iTunes MiniStore does, has met its obligations for informing users," said Kirk McElhearn, an author of several Apple technical books, who helped identify the issue last week. "The fact that they clearly state, in this 'warning', that they do not keep any information about the contents of users' iTunes music libraries is sufficient for me."

Apple said it made the changes to assuage any potential consumer concerns.

"We've listened to our users and made access to the MiniStore an opt-in feature," Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr said.
http://news.com.com/Apple+tweaks+iTunes+following+privacy+concerns/2100-1027_3-6028085.html

 

New Linux license takes aim at DRM and Hollywood


By Martin LaMonica
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Published: January 18, 2006, 11:55 AM PST
Tell us what you think about this storyTalkBack E-mail this story to a friendE-mail View this story formatted for printingPrint

Check back with CNET News.com later this week for a complete Q&A with Eben Moglen.

Cambridge, Mass.--New licensing terms for Linux and other open-source products take a "highly aggressive" stance against the digital rights management software that's widely favored in the entertainment industry, said Eben Moglen, general counsel for the Free Software Foundation.

At a two-day event to launch the General Public License version 3, which governs use of countless free and open-source programs, Moglen said the license includes anti-DRM provisions that could put it in conflict with movie studios and even digital video recorder maker On Monday, the Free Software Foundation published a draft of the GPL version 3, which is expected to be completed in about a year. The draft states that GPL software cannot use "digital restrictions" on copyrighted material unless users can control them.

Moglen said that DRM technology, which places limits on how users can play movies, music or other digital content, is "fundamentally incompatible" with the principles of the Free Software Foundation. Moglen and Free Software Foundation founder Richard Stallman are co-authors of the GPL version 3.

"Mr. Stallman made perfectly clear that his point of view is: It's enough. It's enough that the world has to pay attention to that (DRM) problem the way the world needed to pay attention to the patent problem 10 years ago," Moglen said in an interview with CNET News.com.

"I recognize that that's a highly aggressive position, but it's not an aggression which we thought up. It's a defense related to an aggression which was launched against the people whose rights are our primary concern," he added.

Moglen said DRM systems that take control out of users hands or violate their privacy do not respect free software users' rights and therefore are in conflict with the forthcoming GPL provisions.

The planned anti-DRM changes to the GPL are significant because the entertainment industry regularly uses Linux-powered computers in the production process, notably for special effects and animation. In general, movie studios support DRM technology to prevent piracy.

Moglen and Stallman have voiced concern specifically with TiVo, which uses Linux, because the company collects information on users' actions. Moglen said TiVo complied with version 2 of the GPL "by the skin of its teeth" and said the company will find more difficulty complying with GPL version 3's anti-DRM provisions.

"Having a personal video recorder which reports every button you push to headquarters when you use the remote control--and which won't run software if you modify the box so it snoops on you a little less--is not user-respecting conduct," he said.

"What TiVo needs to do--what everybody needs to do who makes electronic devices--is to stop injuring users to help movie companies. We don't want our software used in a way which batters the head of the user to please somebody else. Our goal is the protection of users' rights, not movies' rights," Moglen said.

He said Hollywood studios that use free software, namely Linux, to create animated movies yet deny users' freedoms are "flat unfair."

Separately, Moglen sought to allay concerns that the GPL version 3 requires application hosting companies to provide the source code for software delivered as a service over the Internet.

"It is clear that in this draft we have not changed those rules at all," he said.
http://news.com.com/New+Linux+licen...3-6028284.html?part=rss&tag=6028284&subj=news

 

Microsoft, the Xbox 360, Blu-ray, and common sense

1/18/2006 1:21:42 PM, by Ken "Caesar" Fisher

Like so many stories, Peter Moore's comments about the Xbox 360 and possible support for Blu-ray morphed into something else entirely by the time it had traversed the blogosphere. Whether it's people only reading headlines, trolling, or coming off of acid trips, the story got spun upside-down and backwards, and suddenly certain sites were reporting that Microsoft is planning to add a Blu-ray drive to the Xbox 360. But they're not.

In my previous report on this topic, I wrote the following:

Microsoft would consider adding an external Blu-ray drive to the Xbox 360 in the future, should the right market conditions emerge. According to Peter Moore, corporate VP in charge of fun stuff at Microsoft, those conditions would be the emergence of Blu-ray as the clear winner in the next-generation optical disc format battles.

Moore had told Japanese-language website ITmedia that Microsoft could consider adding a Blu-ray drive to the Xbox 360, but it was clear that he was only speaking of a hypothetical situation in which HD DVD failed, Blu-ray became massively popular, and Microsoft decided to act. Moore was actually speaking to the possibilities that present themselves when the only option for expansion is an external drive. With the company not planning on adding a next-gen optical drive to the main Xbox 360, even in a future revision, any such addition would necessarily be external in nature, and this obviously affords Microsoft some choice in terms of hardware.

But the talk of Microsoft's Xbox 360 "getting Blu-ray" was apparently a little too much for the company, prompting them to make their allegiance to HD DVD even more clear than before (and let's face it, it was exceedingly clear already). In a statement, Microsoft said:

"It is important to understand the context in which that statement was made. Microsoft firmly stands behind the HD-DVD format as the best choice for our consumers. As we've said before, we're confident that HD-DVD will bring the excitement of high definition movies to the consumer faster and at a greater value. We believe that consumers have signalled [sic] what format they want to enjoy high definition DVD and we're going to follow them down that path."

At the same time, Microsoft took the opportunity to portray the Xbox 360 as a future-proof device.

"The question of whether Xbox 360 has the flexibility to adapt to consumers' needs is a different issue entirely. Xbox 360 is a future-proofed system - one that allows us to add features as consumers demand them - as evidenced by our offering of the HD-DVD drive as an accessory. Current reports indicating that we have a back-up plan, which includes Blu-Ray support are incorrect. At this point, we're fully committed to HD-DVD and have absolutely no plans to support other optical formats."

In my previous coverage, I said that any move by Microsoft to back Blu-ray at a late stage would simply be a "me too" move, and I think this perspective is now more clear than ever. I know more than one of you took that as an insult to Microsoft, but I hope it's clear now that the company is not yet interested in showing signs of doubt in HD DVD.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060118-6003.html

 

Macrovision RipGuard DVD Copy Protection now available
By MacroVision
Nov 10, 2005, 7:03am



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 09, 2005

Macrovision RipGuard DVD Copy Protection now available to the Adult Video Industry.

Summary:
Full Monty Post has licensed with Macrovision Corporation to provide Authoring and Embedding Services for it’s recently launched flagship Anti-Ripping and DVD Copy Protection solution known as RipGuard DVD., to the Adult Video Industry.

Press Release Body:
November 09, 2005 - LOCKPORT, IL – Full Monty Post, a full service Adult Video Post Production house located in Chicago, IL has licensed with Macrovision Corporation to provide Authoring and Embedding Services for it’s recently launched flagship Anti-Ripping and DVD Copy Protection solution known as RipGuard DVD.

RipGuard DVD is a unilateral content protection system that is applied to DVD discs and requires no additional software or hardware to be incorporated into PCs, DVD players or DVD recorders. The combination of Macrovision's analog copy protection technology (ACP) and RipGuard DVD provides comprehensive DVD protection for both major piracy threats faced by video content copyright owners -- the analog and digital holes. RipGuard DVD is a technological solution that effectively protects a copyright owner's rights. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) makes it illegal to attempt circumvention of such technological measures.

In support of the worldwide content protection ecosystem, Macrovision has developed extensive test and certification facilities used to validate both these products for seamless playability on nearly all manufacturer's DVD players, drives, and recorders prior to market release.

Full Monty Post is the first Adult Video Post Production house in the U.S. to be equipped to offer RipGuard. FMP provides both RipGuard DVD enabled Authoring for new content and RipGuard DVD Embedding Only services for those who have existing content which they desire to have protected by RipGuard. “We have turned a corner in copy protection.” says Monty Rensselaer, Creative Director at Full Monty Post, “Up until now, ripping was the easiest thing in the world to do, and while nothing is 100%, ripping has just become a whole lot harder with RipGuard DVD. We are now able to offer the highest level of protection available, even if a Producer or Studio authors their own DVDs in-house.”

 

Bay TSP file share top ten

p2p news / p2pnet: What's the Number One item on RIAA/ MPAA p2p scalp-hunter Bay TSP's mentioned-in-the-press list?

Number One with a Pirated Bullet, says BAY TSP, quoting FilmStew. And that's what FilmStew says, quoting Bay TSP.

It, "topped the list of most pirated TV shows for December of 2005 on peer-to-peer Internet networks," says FilmStew, going on:

"According to Bay:TSP, Top Gear is ahead of Desperate Housewives, Lost and other programs as far as files being downloaded on the FastTrack, eDonkey and BitTorrent networks. Over on the film side, Robert Rodriguez’s Sin City led the way, with a total of 52,973 different copies available at a computer screen near you.

Bay TSP's top ten worldwide online pirated movies in December were, says the story:

1. Sin City - Disney - 52,973
2. Elizabethtown - Paramount - 47,819
3. Batman Begins - Warner Bros. - 47,594
4. Mr. And Mrs. Smith - Fox - 46,435
5. The Interpreter - NBC Universal - 46,279
6. Flightplan - Disney - 46,090
7. Constantine - Warner Bros. - 45,656
8. The Skeleton Key - NBC Universal - 45,279
9. The Legend of Zorro - Sony Pictures - 43,951
10. The Transporter 2 - Fox - 43,050

p2pnet's top ten worldwide most downloaded movies last week were:

01 The Chronicles of Narnia - 1,020,650
02 King Kong (unchanged) - 1,004,540
03 Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire - 991,594
04 Mr & Mrs Smith - 956,307
05 Fantastic Four - 936,333
06 The 40 Year Old Virgin - 932,444
07 War Of The Worlds - 929,932
08 Four Brothers - 890,515
09 Batman Begins - 882,979
10 Fun with Dick and Jane - 880,491

Our unique Movies File Share Top Ten is compiled from statistics supplied by p2p research company Big Champagne.

(Wednesday 18th January 2006)
http://p2pnet.net/story/7647

 

Deleted UMG albums to go online

p2p news / p2pnet: Big Four record label cartel member Universal Music Group International says it's digitizing previously deleted tracks from 10,000 European albums so it can sell them online.

"This program will offer material that, in some cases, goes back to the early days of recorded music," says Barney Wragg, senior vp of Universal's eLabs division.

The Net's unlimited storage capacity is increasingly seen as a way for record companies to reissue specialist, vintage or hard-to-find music from their archives, as well as chart and popular music, Universal, based in France and the world's largest music company, says in a statement.

The 'new' golden oldies will include songs from Marianne Faithfull, Fairport Convention, Nirvana and Jacques Brel.

Digitization will be ongoing and will involve, "substantial investment, particularly for the excavation and digitization of older, rare analogue material".

The tracks will be supplied to Universal online business partners, the first becoming available in February, says the company.

"Hopefully, the first round of recordings selected for this initiative will start to satisfy consumer demand, as more and more people buy their music online," says Bragg.

All Universal - not to mention the other three cartel members, EMI (UK), Warner Music (USA) and Sony BMG (Japan, Germany) - has to do really satisfy consumers is to stop trying to sue them into buying music, and start wholesaling product at reasonable, instead of extortionate, rates.

Also See:
statement - Universal Music Opens Archives For Downloads, January 18, 2005

(Wednesday 18th January 2006)
http://p2pnet.net/story/7648

 

StarForce has been checked. No root-kits found
Posted by Dan Bell on 19 January 2006 - 04:00 - Source: StarForce

Since the Sony rootkit fiasco, there have been rumors a flyin' that this software protection software uses rootkits as well. Therefore, to squelch the ignorance, the StarForce folks have had their wares independantly tested and given a clean bill of health. No malware. Well, actually a "well-known online magazine" asked Mark Russinovich, the guy that blew the whistle on Sony to take a peek and “check-out” StarForce for root-kits or any other malwares. He ought to know!

Independent tests showed that StarForce copy protection contains no malware.

The international IT community will not quickly forget the incident with Sony BMG at the end of 2005. The root-kits discovered in music CDs’ copy protection forced Sony to call back millions of discs and suffer serious losses.

Mark Russinovich was the main character of the story. It was him who one day discovered the root-kits and woke up famous the next morning.

Soon after the story with Sony calmed down a well-known online magazine asked Mark to “check-out” StarForce for root-kits or any other malwares.

After detailed examination of copy-protection installed by StarForce Mark came to the conclusion that StarForce protection contains zero root-kits or malwares. While the fact that StarForce drivers have to be sometimes uninstalled separately from the protected application is a bit annoying, it is not the StarForce’s responsibility, but the developer’s.

This conclusion together with the online contest again show that accusations about StarForce protection damaging PCs or operation systems have absolutely no ground.

StarForce Technologies

On the other net rumor and resulting challenge from the protection company from Russia: Win a free trip to Moscow if you can be the first to show your rig was hosed by StarForce! There are also a lot of claims concerning DVD/CD writers malfunctioning after installation and start-up of StarForce protected applications. Prove your case to StarForce and you can take home $5000.00 plus expenses. So far, not one application has been filed at the StarForce web contest hangout, even after 43.000 views, so they upped the ante from 1000 dollars to 5000! Kinda funny that they started at $1000.00 and now they are thinking, "Hell, maybe it really doesn't screw over a PC! Let's raise the prize money!".
http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/12970

 

West Virginia Capitol building site of pirate DVD operation
Posted by Dan Bell on 19 January 2006 - 00:42 - Source: Sunday Gazette Mail

The Associated press has aquired a memo through the Freedom of Information act, bringing to our attention a piracy operation located in the bowels of the West Virginia State Capitol building. According to this report, state investigators "stumbled" upon a basement office outfitted with computers, video and audio gear, along with software commonly used to pirate movies and music recordings. They also found computer hard discs with some 40 full length movies and also 3500 MP3s, amounting to about 14 gigs worth of intellectual property. In addition, they also found a stash of hundreds of blank DVDs, CDs and jacket covers, all purchased with tax dollars.

When you read this report, the fact that a piracy lab was running in the state capitol kind of makes you wonder how well your tax dollars are being monitored no matter where you live! Here is what (hopefully the soon to be replaced) Administration Secretary Robert Ferguson had to say about the situation.

Ferguson confirmed Tuesday that his staff found the makeshift audio-video studio amid his widening probe into spending and other abuses at the state General Services Division.

The review found that someone in General Services sidestepped state purchasing rules to buy more than $88,000 worth of computers and related equipment over the last three years, including the items discovered in the basement office. Not all the purchased computers and gear can be located, Ferguson said.

In this case, the state motto kind of fits!
http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/12968

 

i'm gonna get in on this one... add my .02c
plus, the loads of info i have learned... i think i am gonna run for president..

here's to ya'll !! (lol @ ya'll... must be a texas thing, oh wait, i am in texas)

btw, this is supposed to look like this...

 

Apple spyware admission

p2p news / p2pnet: Apple has virtually admitted a component in its latest iTunes upgrade was a form of spyware.

With the Sony BMG rootkit DRM debacle still drawing major media play, until yesterday, Apple's iTunes 6.0.2 had an element called the MiniStore which author and Apple aficionado Kirk McElhearn called "invasive".

It tracked songs being played and made suggestions about items uses might buy.

How did it know what to suggest? "Unbeknownst to users ... the software was reporting their clicks to Apple and Omniture, a company that analyzes customer data," says the Los Angeles Times, going on:

"Apple shrugged off the complaints at first, saying users could turn off the MiniStore if they didn't like it. Besides, Apple said, it didn't store any of the information it received."

Now, however, a "revised" iTunes, "warns users about data being collected and lets them switch off the recommendation system," says the BBC.

The loud public outcry forced to Apple rapidly pulling the offending sofware. Would it have done that left to its own resources?

You know the answer. But at least Apple was smart enough to take fast action to minimize the damage – unlike Sony BMG which wriggled and writhed and consequently, is still taking hits.

Also See:
invasive - iTunes MiniStore spyware, January 14, 2006
Los Angeles Times - A big move by Apple, January 19, 2006
BBC - Apple addresses iTunes concerns, January 19, 2006

(Thursday 19th January 2006)
http://p2pnet.net/story/7651

 

DRM vs GPL3

p2p news / p2pnet: The Free Software Foundation's discussion draft of the General Public License version 3 public is now online and takes a, "highly aggressive" stance against digital restrictions management (DRM) software, promises co-author and FSF general counsel Eben Moglen.

CNET News has Moglen saying the license includes anti-DRM provisions, "that could put it in conflict with movie studios and even digital video recorder maker TiVo".

DRM is, "fundamentally incompatible" with the principles of the Free Software Foundation, Moglen and Free Software Foundation founder and GPL3 co-author Richard Stallman are quoted as saying.

"The planned anti-DRM changes to the GPL are significant because the entertainment industry regularly uses Linux-powered computers in the production process, notably for special effects and animation," says the story. "In general, movie studios support DRM technology to prevent piracy.

"It's not clear whether the Linux operating system kernel will be governed by version 3 of the GPL when the new license is released; creator Linus Torvalds specifically didn't follow the Free Software Foundation's recommendation to describe a software project as governed by version 2 or 'any later version.' However, many other components of the operating system, such as the GLIBC library of supporting software and the GCC compiler, are expected to move to GPL 3."

Both Moglen and Stallman have, "voiced concern specifically with TiVo, which uses Linux, because the company collects information on consumers' actions," CNET continues. "Moglen said TiVo complied with version 2 of the GPL 'by the skin of its teeth' and said the company will find more difficulty complying with GPL version 3's anti-DRM provisions".

What TiVo needs to do and, "what everybody needs to do who makes electronic devices" is to, "stop injuring users to help movie companies," says Moglen.

Hollywood studios that use Linux to create animated movies yet deny users' freedoms were, "flat unfair."
http://p2pnet.net/story/7653

 

IFPI on p2p file sharing

p2p news / p2pnet: A senior Big Four record label cartel spokesman has finally admitted the cartel has been lying about the success of its bizarre sue 'em all marketing and sales campaign.

The likes of Mitch 'The Don' Bainwol and Cary 'Scary' Sherman, the RIAA's (Recording Industry Association of America) two master truth adjustment specialists, claim efforts to sue customers into buying product are succeeding and that significant numbers of file sharers are deserting the p2p networks in favour of the grossly over-priced corporate sites and their lossy, low fidelity downloans and downloads.

"The level of file-sharing has remained the same for two years despite 20,000 legal cases in 17 countries," says the BBC.

In fact, it's risen, say new statistics from p2p research firm BigChampagne.

In America in December, 2005, on average, 6,978,715 people were simultaneously logged onto the p2p networks at any given time, it says.

In 2003, the number was 3,239,298, says the firm, which compiled statistics for the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Information Technology Outlook report for 2004. By 2004, it was 5,500,314.

Globally, in December, 2003, 5,602,384 people were simultaneously logged on, in 2004 the number had swelled to 7,582,248 and in December, 2005, it was 9,554,298.

But the IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industries), owned by cartel members Sony BMG, Vivendi Universal, Warner Music and EMI, said it's "containing" the problem while more people are connecting to broadband.

Big Music was, "winning the war but we haven't won the war" against "piracy", the BBC has IFPI boss John Kennedy (upper right) saying.

"I would love to be sitting here telling you that it had gone down," he said. "As broadband rolls out and as there's an explosion in many countries of broadband, file-sharing is being contained."

But, the BBC goes on, the industry was, "finding it difficult to persuade existing song-swappers to use legal download services such as iTunes instead".

Music lovers who've, "got into the habit of consuming their music for free are very difficult to shift," says Kennedy.

Also See:
BBC - File-sharing 'not cut by courts', January 19, 2006
new statistics - P2p file sharing is on the rise, January 11, 2006

(Thursday 19th January 2006)
http://p2pnet.net/story/7657

 

Samsung announces Blu-ray disc drive development completion
Posted by Dan Bell on 19 January 2006 - 17:44 - Source: Samsung

The following text is a complete press release, unmodified by CD Freaks. If you don't want to view these kind of news posting you can disable them in your preferences page once logged in. Please send your press releases to news@cdfreaks.com

Revolutionary Disc Drives Store Up To 25GB On a Single Layer

San Jose, CA –January 19, 2006 –TSST Korea (Toshiba Samsung Storage Technology Corporation) announced today that it has completed the technical development of its Blu Ray Disc Drives. These revolutionary products for the Optical Disc Drive market offer a massive storage capacity up to 25GB at a single layer disc.

“As a global technology leader, Samsung is always on the forefront of cutting-edge technologies, working to provide consumers with best-of-breed products” said Albert Kim, national sales manger, Storage Systems for Samsung SSI. “Samsung’s announcement of the completion of its Blu Ray disc drive is a major step ahead in the ODD technology battleground. “

Better Performance

The demand for high-definition and large storage capacity is taking off and both Blu Ray and HD-DVD are next generation optical disc formats.

In the Blu Ray drive, the Blue laser is the core factor that enables the next generation optical disc format. Current DVDs uses the red laser (650nm) to read and write data, while Blu Ray and HD-DVD use a shorter wavelength, blue laser (405nm). As a result, the Blu Ray beam can focus more precisely, enabling it to read information recorded in pits that are only 0.16 microns long, which is more than twice as small as the pits on a DVD. Also the smaller pit length allows for the storing of up to 25GB in a single layer disc -- about five times more than can be stored on a standard DVD disc.

Elegant Design

The enhanced design that was first incorporated into Samsung’s External DVD Writer is being adapted to the Blu Ray Drive as well. Samsung’s Blu Ray Drive has the sophisticated black and silver color design of a high-end A/V product that would look perfect even in a living room.

More Applications

Blu Ray offers an outstanding 50GB of storage capacity on a double-layer disc (25GB on a single- layer disc). A single-layer Blu-ray Disc can hold 25GB, which can be used to record over 2 hours of HDTV or more than 13 hours of standard-definition TV. There are also dual-layer versions of the discs that can hold 50GB. Moreover, consumers can enjoy High Definition Blu Ray ROM movies at home, and record Digital Broadcast Programming.

Like all the other Samsung ODD Drives, the Blu Ray drive is eco-friendly and supports Firmware Live Updates that allow users to ensure they always have the latest Blu Ray firmware version.

Samsung Electronics is a member of Blu Ray Association and will launch internal and external Blu Ray drives simultaneously in 2006 under the Samsung Brand name through the Samsung Electronics distribution channel.

For more information about Samsung’s Optic Disc Drive products, visit http://www.samsung.com.


About Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2003 parent company sales of US$36.4 billion and net income of US$5.0 billion. Employing approximately 88,000 people in 89 offices in 46 countries, the company consists of six main business units: Corporate Technology Operations, Digital Appliance Business, Digital Media Business, LCD Business, Semiconductor Business and Telecommunication Network Business. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is the world’s largest producer of color monitors, color TVs, memory chips, TFT-LCDs and VCRs. For more information, visit www.samsung.com.
http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/12973

 

thats alotta friggen space !!!!!!

 

Thats alotta friggin television, now I can spend more time on AD. If I use the double disk I can get a whole TV season on one disk.