Key music industry lawyer now EU copyright chief
The European Union's new point person on copyright policy won't take up her post until mid-April, but she's already stirring up controversy. That's because Maria Martin-Prat spent years directing "global legal policy" for IFPI, ...
Verizon’s anti-net neutrality lawsuit tossed on technicality
The US Court of Appeals for the Washington, DC circuit has just thrown out the first net neutrality lawsuits filed against the FCC. Those cases, brought by Verizon and small wireless carrier MetroPCS, argued that the FCC's Decemb...
Judge administers another beatdown to P2P lawyer, severs cases
Multiple federal judges in Chicago have absolutely ripped the tactics of the state's only attorney filing mass P2P file-sharing lawsuits in recent weeks. Now, two new rulings directly contradict a ruling from Judge Beryl Howell, ...
FCC Commissioner: T-Mobile buyout is "paradigm-altering"
Everyone has an opinion about AT&T's $39 billion buyout of T-Mobile. FCC Commissioner Michael Copps calls it "a huge transaction. It’s a paradigm-altering transaction, as far as the world of wireless goes." A pair ...
Why the US needs to blacklist, censor pirate websites
Piracy runs rampant on the Internet, but Daniel Castro says it doesn't have to be this way. He wants the US government to start creating a blacklist of Internet sites; once approved by a judge, each site would be...
Google bestows 1Gbps fiber network on Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City, Kansas will have a new Internet provider next year, one that operates a 1Gbps fiber-to-the-home network, provides "open access" to any ISP wanting to use the pipes, and charges fees in line with current rates for mu......
Copyright troll Righthaven’s epic blunder: a lawsuit targeting Ars
Not content with just suing sources, small out-of-state nonprofits, bloggers who get 20 hits per day, and other massive copyright pirates, newspaper litigation firm Righthaven this week trained its guns on Ars Technica. The compa...
5 years later, first P2P case to be tried still chugging along
Yes, the first file-sharing case in the US to go all the way to trial is still going. Filed on April 19, 2006 and progressing through a remarkable three trials, the recording industry case against Minnesota resident Jammie Tho......
Only 9% (and falling) of US Internet users are P2P pirates
In its 2010 annual report (PDF), recorded music's global trade body said that the industry would "struggle to survive unless we address the fundamental problem of piracy." Just how "fundamental" a problem is that piracy? Not ve...
Copyright troll Righthaven achieves spectacular "fair use" loss
Whoops—in its bid to sue hundreds of bloggers, commentors, and website operators from posting even a few sentences from newspaper stories, the copyright zealots at Righthaven have just scored an own goal. Last Friday, a fed...
Internet explodes with snark, anger, despair over T-Mobile’s sale
Reaction to the AT&T/T-Mobile Mega-Merger of Doom has been, at least among consumers, overwhelmingly negative. Fortunately, those depressed about the news can now cheer themselves up by reading Twitter, which currently featur...
Analysis: higher prices, fewer choices if AT&T swallows T-Mobile
In a slide deck (PDF) released this morning as part of a conference call for analysts and journalists, AT&T defended its $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile USA by stressing five "opportunities" the deal will provide. Number...
