From ramanchima at gmail.com Thu Jan 1 19:06:28 2009 From: ramanchima at gmail.com (Raman Chima) Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2009 19:06:28 +0530 Subject: [Commons-Law] Copyright on Mahatma Gandhi's literary works goes off in 2009 Message-ID: <2fbb8fe0901010536j1ceeaa94j9ab43380a965c1fe@mail.gmail.com> (From http://in.news.yahoo.com/139/20090101/824/tnl-copyright-on-mahatma-gandhi-s-litera.html) Thu, Jan 1 02:05 PM Ahmedabad, Jan.1 (ANI): With the copyright restrictions on Mahatma Gandhi's literary works expiring on January 1, 2009, publishers other than the previously authorized Navjivan Trust may be able to publish his writings and speeches. In 1940, Gandhi made a will. In 1944, he signed an assignment deed where he assigned the copyright of his writings to Navjivan trust. But according to Section 22, Copyright Act, 1957, the copyright with Navjivan Trust ends on January 1, 2009. According to the Copyright Act of 1957, the works of a person go into the public domain after 60 calendar years of his or her death. And, by this clause the Navjivan Trust loses the copyright on Gandhi works in 2009. Navjivan Trust is unwilling to ask the Government of India to extend the copyright. Navajivan Trust, since its inception, has published some 300 volumes of Mahatma Gandhi's works including articles, letters and speeches, apart from translations of his autobiography. In 1940, Mahatma Gandhi, the legendary nationalist leader and freedom fighter, through a will had entrusted the copyrights of his works with Navajivan Trust. In 1944, he signed an assignment deed in which he assigned his copyright of his write ups to Navjivan trust. Authorities with the Navajivan Trust say that the Mahatma never subscribed to the idea of copyright despite authorizing them for his works. "Gandhiji never supported the idea of copyright. But due to some instances, where his thoughts were misinterpreted, he was forced to give into the insistence of his well wishers urging him to get his works copyrighted. So he decided to entrust the copyright of his works with Navajivan Trust, which was founded by him," opined Amrut Modi, Managing Trustee, Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad. "If you consider the spirit of Gandhian thought, one should not ask for such extension. And we have considered this issue and we are not going to ask for such extension," said Jitendra Desai, Managing Trustee, Navajivan Trust, Ahmedabad. But scholars in Gandhian thoughts and admirers of his philosophy, however, want the copyright to be revived by the government. The dominant fear among them being an unrestricted use of his works in future could lead to misinterpretation of his texts and concepts by other publishers. "Once the copyright ends, the prices of the works are sure to shoot up. Besides, the task of taking the Gandhi's thoughts to the people might also be affected. The Government should immediately take steps to do something about it and entrust the copyrights back to Navajivan Trust," said Dhimant Badiya, a Gandhian in Ahmedabad. The Navjivan Trust will, however, continue to publish Gandhi's works at subsidised prices so that his writings and thoughts would continue to be propagated even after the copyright has ceased. -By Ami Sharma (ANI) From nicheant at gmail.com Thu Jan 1 22:21:48 2009 From: nicheant at gmail.com (=?UTF-8?Q?Nishant_?= =?UTF-8?Q?|_=E0=A4=A8=E0=A4=BF=E0=A4=B6=E0=A4=BE=E0=A4=81=E0=A4=A4?=) Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2009 22:21:48 +0530 Subject: [Commons-Law] Press Freedom Round-Up 2008 In-Reply-To: <4439ee330901010850p4c57afb8u1c001fd5e8de524f@mail.gmail.com> References: <4439ee330901010850p4c57afb8u1c001fd5e8de524f@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <4439ee330901010851g5239a690je8b00a9a365f1208@mail.gmail.com> Reporters Without Borders/Reporters sans frontières 1 January, 2009 Press freedom round-up 2008 Better figures despite a hostile climate and more Internet repression In 2008: 60 journalists were killed 1 media assistant was killed 673 journalists were arrested 929 were physically attacked or threatened 353 media outlets were censored 29 journalists were kidnapped Internet: 1 blogger was killed 59 bloggers were arrested 45 were physically attacked 1,740 websites were blocked, shut down or suspended For comparison, in 2007: 86 journalists were killed 20 media assistants were killed 887 journalists were arrested 1,511 were physically attacked or threatened 528 media outlets were censored 67 journalists were kidnapped Reporters Without Borders only counted cases in which a link between the violation and the victim's work as a journalist was clearly established or very likely. The figures cover the violations the organisation learned about. They do not cover violations which the victims chose not to report (usually for security reasons). In other words, the same method was used to compile the figures as in previous years, making comparisons possible. Overview The Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions are still the deadliest for the press. After Iraq (with 15 journalists killed), the two countries with the highest death tolls are Pakistan (7 killed) and the Philippines (6 killed). The bloodshed continues in Mexico, where four journalists were murdered in connection with their work. The fall in the death toll in Africa (from 12 in 2007 to 3 in 2008) is due above all to the fact that many journalists stopped working, often going into exile, and to the gradual disappearance of news media in war zones such as Somalia. The number of arrests (for periods of more than 48 hours) is particularly high in Africa, where it is almost routine for journalists to end up in police cells when they upset senior officials or cover subjects that are off-limits. In Iraq (31 arrests), the US military's handling of the security situation often results in Iraqi journalists, including those working for foreign news media, being imprisoned. In China (38 arrests), many cases of detention were attributable to the Olympics. In Burma (17 arrests), outspoken journalists and bloggers were jailed in a crackdown by the military government. Reporters Without Borders comment: "The figures may be lower than last year's but this should not mask the fact that intimidation and censorship have become more widespread, including in the west, and the most authoritarian governments have been taking an even tougher line. The quantitative improvement in certain indicators is often due to journalists becoming disheartened and turning to a less dangerous trade or going into exile. We cannot say that 60 deaths, hundreds of arrests and systematic censorship offer grounds for optimism." Repression shifts to the Internet The fall in the number of journalists from the traditional media killed or arrested in 2008 does not mean the press freedom situation has improved. As the print and broadcast media evolve and the blogosphere becomes a worldwide phenomenon, predatory activity is increasingly focusing on the Internet. In this respect, the figures speak for themselves. In 2008, someone was for the first time killed while acting as a "citizen journalist." It was Chinese businessman Wei Wenhua, who was beaten to death by "chengguan" (municipal police officers) while filming a clash with demonstrators in Tianmen (in Hubei province) on 7 January. Cases of online censorship were recorded in 37 countries, above all China (93 websites censored), Syria (162 websites censored) and Iran (38 websites censored). There are democracies that do not lag far behind in terms of online surveillance and repression. Taboos established by the monarchy in Thailand and by the military in Turkey are so tenacious that incautious Internet users are increasingly being monitored and punished by the police. Video-sharing websites such as YouTube and Dailymotion are favourite targets of government censors. It is becoming more and more common for sites to be blocked or filtered because of content that officials have deemed "offensive." A visceral reaction from some governments towards participatory websites, especially social networking sites, is beginning to give rise to cases of "mass censorship." The censorship of sites such as Twitter (in Syria) or Facebook (blocked in Syria and Tunisia, and filtered in Turkey and the United Arab Emirates) leads to massive amounts of content being blocked - an effect that is considerably compounded when combined with other standard methods of control. Governments are increasingly responding with imprisonment to criticism by bloggers. In China, 10 cyber-dissidents were arrested, 31 were physically attacked or threatened, and at least three were tried and convicted. In Iran, Reporters Without Borders registered 18 arrests, 31 physical attacks and 10 convictions. Online free expression is also curtailed in Syria (8 arrests and 3 convictions), Egypt (6 arrests) and Morocco (2 arrests and 2 convictions). Internet freedom has been crushed with particular severity in Burma, where the military government has arrested and tried blogger and comedian Zarganar and the young cyber-dissident Nay Phone Latt in a disgraceful manner and sentenced them to incredibly severe jail terms (59 years for the former, 20 years for the latter). These two men join Burma's many other political prisoners, who include 16 journalists. Reporters Without Borders comment: "The growth in the Internet's influence and potential is being accompanied by greater vigilance on the part of some governments with already marked security concerns. Every year, repressive governments acquire new tools that allow them to monitor the Internet and track online data. The Internet is gradually becoming a battleground for citizens with criticisms to express and journalists who are censored in the traditional media. As such, it poses a threat to those in power who are used to governing as they wish with impunity." Hostile climate, better figures The upsurge in online repression comes at a time when traditional media, even in the leading western democracies, are coming under renewed pressure. Anti-terrorism and "post-9/11" laws put investigative journalists in very delicate positions. Foreign correspondents face growing hostility if they are from countries that are part of, or associated with, the US-led "anti-terrorist" coalition. Still, even if the overall situation is bad, the figures are not as alarming as in previous years. Repression has shifted and diversified. Some authoritarian governments have been replaced. But even with 24 per cent fewer arrests, there are still too many police raids on news media and reporters' homes, including in France. And there are leading journalists and free expression activists such as Hu Jia, the "Olympic" prisoner of a Chinese government as intolerant as ever, who are beginning 2009 in jail. There are no grounds for optimism. The murders of journalists continue although the number has fallen slightly (by 22 per cent, from 86 in 2007 to 60 in 2008) and the deaths are now concentrated in "hot zones" - Iraq, Pakistan's Tribal Areas, Philippines and Mexico - where civilians of all kinds fall victim to wars, political and criminal violence or terrorism. Abduction, an effective source of income and political affirmation, is still very frequent in Afghanistan (7 journalists and media assistants kidnapped), Somalia (5 kidnappings), Mexico (5 kidnappings) and Iraq (4 kidnappings). Finally, there is a slight decline in the use of censorship (with a third fewer cases in 2008 than in 2007) but it continues to be a routine tool in many countries that are equally distributed in all the continents - Sudan (4 media outlets censored), Guinea (5), Somalia (5), Iran (27), Egypt (10), Syria (11), Russia (15), Belarus (18), Turkey (13), Burma (85), China (132), Pakistan (19), Malaysia (25), Bolivia (20), Brazil (14), Mexico (10) and Venezuela (7). Reporters Without Borders comment: "One should not conclude from a decline in the figures that the situation has necessarily improved. The sad spectacle of a journalist in handcuffs is an almost daily occurrence in all the continents. When governments are challenged, their most frequent response is imprisonment. And the dozens of murders, in which the involvement of the security forces is often almost certain, rarely lead to trials, whether in Sri Lanka or Burkina Faso." ------------------ Liberté de la presse : l'année 2008 en chiffres Un mauvais climat, mais de meilleurs chiffres ; la répression se déplace sur Internet En 2008 : 60 journalistes tués 1 collaborateur des médias tué 673 journalistes arrêtés 929 agressés ou menacés 353 médias censurés 29 journalistes enlevés Et concernant Internet : 1 blogueur tué 59 blogueurs interpellés 45 agressés 1740 sites d'information fermés ou suspendus A titre de comparaison, en 2007 : 86 journalistes tués 20 collaborateurs des médias tués 887 journalistes interpellés 67 enlevés 1511 agressés ou menacés 528 médias censurés Reporters sans frontières a pris en compte les cas où le lien entre la profession de la victime et l'incident est soit établi, soit hautement probable. Les chiffres indiqués recensent les épisodes dont l'organisation a eu connaissance, ce qui ne prend pas en compte ceux pour lesquels les victimes ont volontairement gardé le secret, souvent pour protéger leur sécurité. Pour autant, le bilan présenté pour l'année 2008 est fondé sur la même méthodologie que les années précédentes, rendant possible une comparaison. Vue générale Les zones Asie-Pacifique et Maghreb-Moyen Orient sont toujours les plus meurtrières pour la presse. Après l'Irak (15 tués), le Pakistan (7 tués) et les Philippines (6 tués) sont les deux pays où les journalistes ont le plus perdu la vie cette année. L'hécatombe se poursuit au Mexique, où 4 journalistes ont été assassinés pour des raisons professionnelles. La baisse du nombre de morts en Afrique (3 en 2008, 12 en 2007) s'explique surtout par le renoncement de nombreux professionnels à exercer leur métier, prenant souvent le chemin de l'exil, ainsi que par la disparition progressive des médias en zones de conflit (en Somalie, notamment). Les arrestations ou interpellations (au-delà de 48 heures de privation de liberté) sont particulièrement élevées en Afrique, où les commissariats sont un lieu de passage obligé pour de nombreux reporters ayant "dérangé" les gouvernements en place et franchi leurs lignes rouges. En Irak (31 arrestations), l'armée américaine continue de gérer la situation sécuritaire en faisant parfois incarcérer les collaborateurs de médias étrangers ou les journalistes locaux. En Chine (38 arrestations), l'année olympique a servi de prétexte pour de nombreuses incarcérations. En Birmanie (17 arrestations), le raidissement de la junte a été payé de leur liberté par de nombreux journalistes ou blogueurs critiques. Réaction de Reporters sans frontières : "Les chiffres sont certes moins élevés que l'année précédente, mais cette baisse masque mal une généralisation de l'intimidation et de la censure, y compris en Occident, ainsi qu'un raidissement des gouvernements les plus autoritaires. Si certaines situations se sont effectivement améliorées quantitativement, cela est parfois dû au découragement des journalistes eux-mêmes, qui prennent le chemin de l'exil ou renoncent à leur métier. Dans ce contexte, nous ne pouvons pas dire qu'une soixantaine d'assassinats, des arrestations par centaines et des actes de censure généralisés soient un motif d'optimisme." La répression se déplace sur Internet L'année 2008 a connu moins de journalistes des médias traditionnels tués ou arrêtés. Mais la situation de la liberté de la presse dans le monde ne s'est pas améliorée pour autant : désormais, à mesure que la presse écrite et audiovisuelle se transforme et que la blogosphère prend une envergure mondiale, la prédation s'exerce sur Internet. A cet égard, les chiffres sont parlants. Pour la première fois, un homme a été tué en 2008, alors qu'il effectuait un travail de "journalisme citoyen" : l'entrepreneur chinois Wei Wenhua a été battu à mort par des officiers municipaux ("chengguan"), le 7 janvier, après qu'il avait filmé une altercation avec des manifestants dans la ville de Tianmen (province du Hubei). Des actes de censure sur le Web ont été recensés dans trente-sept pays, notamment en Chine (93 sites censurés), en Syrie (162 sites censurés) en Iran (38 sites censurés). Mais les démocraties ne sont pas en reste, en ce qui concerne la surveillance et la répression du Net : en Thaïlande ou en Turquie, les tabous du roi ou de l'armée sont si tenaces que la police surveille et punit de plus en plus les utilisateurs indélicats du cyberespace. Les sites de partage de vidéos, comme Youtube ou Dailymotion, ont été particulièrement visés par les censeurs officiels. Blocages ou filtrages sont de plus en plus courants, dès lors que l'un des contenus est jugé "offensant" pour telle ou telle autorité. Cette réaction épidermique de certains gouvernements envers les sites "collectifs" commence à entraîner des phénomènes de "censure de masse", notamment des réseaux sociaux. La censure d'un site comme Twitter (en Syrie) ou Facebook (bloqué en Syrie et en Tunisie, filtré en Turquie et aux Emirats arabes unis) entraîne une cascade de blocages qui, s'ils étaient ajoutés aux mesures de contrôles habituelles, multiplieraient le résultat par dix. La prison est, enfin, la réponse de plus en plus souvent apportée par les gouvernements aux critiques formulées dans les blogs. Dix cyberdissidents ont été arrêtés en Chine, 31 ont été agressés ou menacés, au moins trois condamnés par la justice. En Iran, Reporters sans frontières a recensé dix-huit arrestations, 31 agressions et dix condamnations. En Syrie (8 arrestations, 3 condamnations), en Egypte (6 arrestations) ou au Maroc (2 arrestations, 2 condamnations), la libre expression sur Internet est très problématique. La machine à broyer la liberté d'Internet a été particulièrement sévère en Birmanie, où la junte a fait condamner, dans des conditions honteuses, le blogueur et comédien Zarganar et le jeune cyberdissident Nay Phone Latt à des peines de prison incroyablement lourdes (59 ans pour le premier, 20 ans pour le second). Ces deux hommes ont rejoint les nombreux autres prisonniers politiques birmans, dont 16 journalistes. Réaction de Reporters sans frontières : "L'accroissement de l'influence et des potentialités d'Internet s'accompagne d'une plus grande vigilance de certains gouvernements, aux tendance sécuritaires déjà fortes. Les pays répressifs se dotent chaque année de nouveaux outils, permettant le traçage des données et la surveillance du Réseau. Ce dernier devient peu à peu le champ de bataille des citoyens au regard critique ou des journalistes censurés, et à ce titre représente une menace pour les puissants, habitués à gouverner selon leur bon vouloir et dans l'impunité." Mauvais climat, meilleurs chiffres Cette recrudescence de la répression d'Internet survient dans un contexte où les médias traditionnels, y compris dans les grandes démocraties occidentales, sont soumis à des pressions nouvelles. Les lois antiterroristes ou "post-11 septembre" placent les journalistes d'investigation dans des situations très délicates. Les envoyés spéciaux sont confrontés à une hostilité grandissante, s'ils sont issus de pays alliés à la "coalition antiterroriste" des Etats-Unis ou assimilés. Toutefois, même si la situation est globalement mauvaise, les chiffres ne sont pas aussi alarmants que les années précédentes. La répression s'est déplacée et diversifiée. Quelques gouvernements autoritaires ont quitté le pouvoir. Il reste que 24% d'arrestations en moins ne signifient pas que l'envoi de la police dans une rédaction ou au domicile d'un reporter ne continue pas d'être trop fréquents, y compris en France. Des figures du journalisme ou de la liberté d'expression, comme Hu Jia, prisonnier "olympique" d'un gouvernement chinois toujours aussi intolérant, entament l'année 2009 en prison. L'optimisme n'est pas de mise. Les assassinats de journalistes continuent, avec une légère décroissance (86 tués en 2007, 60 en 2008, soit 22% de moins), et se concentrent désormais dans des zones "chaudes" où les conflits armés, la violence politico-mafieuse ou le terrorisme frappent tous les civils (Irak, zones tribales pakistanaises, Philippines, Mexique). Les enlèvements, sources efficaces de revenus et d'assise politique, sont toujours très fréquents en Afghanistan (7 journalistes ou collaborateurs kidnappés), en Somalie (5 kidnappings), au Mexique (5 kidnappings) ou en Irak (4 kidnappings). Enfin, la censure est un outil qui connaît certes une légère déflation (un tiers de moins entre 2007 et 2008), mais qui reste une arme quotidienne dans de nombreux pays, avec une répartition équitable sur tous les continents (Soudan : 4 médias censurés ; Guinée : 5 ; Somalie : 5 ; Iran : 27 ; Egypte : 10 ; Syrie : 11 ; Russie : 15 ; Belarus : 18 ; Turquie : 13 ; Birmanie : 85 ; Chine : 132 ; Pakistan : 19 ; Malaise : 25 ; Bolivie : 20 ; Brésil : 14 ; Mexique : 10 ; Venezuela : 7...). Réaction de Reporters sans frontières : "Il ne faut pas croire qu'une baisse des chiffres indique une meilleure situation. Le triste spectacle d'un journaliste menotté est quotidien, ou presque, sur tous les continents. La prison est la réponse la plus fréquente des gouvernements aux remises en cause. Et les assassinats, qui se comptent encore par dizaines et où l'implication des forces de sécurité est parfois plus que probable, ne font quasiment jamais l'objet d'un procès, que ce soit au Sri Lanka ou au Burkina Faso." From nicheant at gmail.com Thu Jan 1 22:20:24 2009 From: nicheant at gmail.com (=?UTF-8?Q?Nishant_?= =?UTF-8?Q?|_=E0=A4=A8=E0=A4=BF=E0=A4=B6=E0=A4=BE=E0=A4=81=E0=A4=A4?=) Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2009 22:20:24 +0530 Subject: [Commons-Law] Press Freedom Round-Up 2008 Message-ID: <4439ee330901010850p4c57afb8u1c001fd5e8de524f@mail.gmail.com> Reporters Without Borders/Reporters sans frontières * * 1 January, 2009 * * *Press freedom round-up 2008* *Better figures despite a hostile climate and more Internet repression* * In 2008:* 60 journalists were killed 1 media assistant was killed 673 journalists were arrested 929 were physically attacked or threatened 353 media outlets were censored 29 journalists were kidnapped *Internet: *1 blogger was killed 59 bloggers were arrested 45 were physically attacked 1,740 websites were blocked, shut down or suspended *For comparison, in 2007:* 86 journalists were killed 20 media assistants were killed 887 journalists were arrested 1,511 were physically attacked or threatened 528 media outlets were censored 67 journalists were kidnapped * *Reporters Without Borders only counted cases in which a link between the violation and the victim's work as a journalist was clearly established or very likely. The figures cover the violations the organisation learned about. They do not cover violations which the victims chose not to report (usually for security reasons). In other words, the same method was used to compile the figures as in previous years, making comparisons possible. *Overview* The Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions are still the deadliest for the press. After Iraq (with 15 journalists killed), the two countries with the highest death tolls are Pakistan (7 killed) and the Philippines (6 killed). The bloodshed continues in Mexico, where four journalists were murdered in connection with their work. The fall in the death toll in Africa (from 12 in 2007 to 3 in 2008) is due above all to the fact that many journalists stopped working, often going into exile, and to the gradual disappearance of news media in war zones such as Somalia. The number of arrests (for periods of more than 48 hours) is particularly high in Africa, where it is almost routine for journalists to end up in police cells when they upset senior officials or cover subjects that are off-limits. In Iraq (31 arrests), the US military's handling of the security situation often results in Iraqi journalists, including those working for foreign news media, being imprisoned. In China (38 arrests), many cases of detention were attributable to the Olympics. In Burma (17 arrests), outspoken journalists and bloggers were jailed in a crackdown by the military government. *Reporters Without Borders comment: **"The figures may be lower than last year's but this should not mask the fact that intimidation and censorship have become more widespread, including in the west, and the most authoritarian governments have been taking an even tougher line. The quantitative improvement in certain indicators is often due to journalists becoming disheartened and turning to a less dangerous trade or going into exile. We cannot say that 60 deaths, hundreds of arrests and systematic censorship offer grounds for optimism." **Repression shifts to the Internet *The fall in the number of journalists from the traditional media killed or arrested in 2008 does not mean the press freedom situation has improved. As the print and broadcast media evolve and the blogosphere becomes a worldwide phenomenon, predatory activity is increasingly focusing on the Internet. In this respect, the figures speak for themselves. In 2008, someone was for the first time killed while acting as a "citizen journalist." It was Chinese businessman Wei Wenhua, who was beaten to death by "chengguan" (municipal police officers) while filming a clash with demonstrators in Tianmen (in Hubei province) on 7 January. Cases of online censorship were recorded in 37 countries, above all China (93 websites censored), Syria (162 websites censored) and Iran (38 websites censored). There are democracies that do not lag far behind in terms of online surveillance and repression. Taboos established by the monarchy in Thailand and by the military in Turkey are so tenacious that incautious Internet users are increasingly being monitored and punished by the police. Video-sharing websites such as YouTube and Dailymotion are favourite targets of government censors. It is becoming more and more common for sites to be blocked or filtered because of content that officials have deemed "offensive." A visceral reaction from some governments towards participatory websites, especially social networking sites, is beginning to give rise to cases of "mass censorship." The censorship of sites such as Twitter (in Syria) or Facebook (blocked in Syria and Tunisia, and filtered in Turkey and the United Arab Emirates) leads to massive amounts of content being blocked - an effect that is considerably compounded when combined with other standard methods of control. Governments are increasingly responding with imprisonment to criticism by bloggers. In China, 10 cyber-dissidents were arrested, 31 were physically attacked or threatened, and at least three were tried and convicted. In Iran, Reporters Without Borders registered 18 arrests, 31 physical attacks and 10 convictions. Online free expression is also curtailed in Syria (8 arrests and 3 convictions), Egypt (6 arrests) and Morocco (2 arrests and 2 convictions). Internet freedom has been crushed with particular severity in Burma, where the military government has arrested and tried blogger and comedian Zarganar and the young cyber-dissident Nay Phone Latt in a disgraceful manner and sentenced them to incredibly severe jail terms (59 years for the former, 20 years for the latter). These two men join Burma's many other political prisoners, who include 16 journalists. *Reporters Without Borders comment: **"The growth in the Internet's influence and potential is being accompanied by greater vigilance on the part of some governments with already marked security concerns. Every year, repressive governments acquire new tools that allow them to monitor the Internet and track online data. The Internet is gradually becoming a battleground for citizens with criticisms to express and journalists who are censored in the traditional media. As such, it poses a threat to those in power who are used to governing as they wish with impunity." **Hostile climate, better figures *The upsurge in online repression comes at a time when traditional media, even in the leading western democracies, are coming under renewed pressure. Anti-terrorism and "post-9/11" laws put investigative journalists in very delicate positions. Foreign correspondents face growing hostility if they are from countries that are part of, or associated with, the US-led "anti-terrorist" coalition. Still, even if the overall situation is bad, the figures are not as alarming as in previous years. Repression has shifted and diversified. Some authoritarian governments have been replaced. But even with 24 per cent fewer arrests, there are still too many police raids on news media and reporters' homes, including in France. And there are leading journalists and free expression activists such as Hu Jia, the "Olympic" prisoner of a Chinese government as intolerant as ever, who are beginning 2009 in jail. There are no grounds for optimism. The murders of journalists continue although the number has fallen slightly (by 22 per cent, from 86 in 2007 to 60 in 2008) and the deaths are now concentrated in "hot zones" - Iraq, Pakistan's Tribal Areas, Philippines and Mexico - where civilians of all kinds fall victim to wars, political and criminal violence or terrorism. Abduction, an effective source of income and political affirmation, is still very frequent in Afghanistan (7 journalists and media assistants kidnapped), Somalia (5 kidnappings), Mexico (5 kidnappings) and Iraq (4 kidnappings). Finally, there is a slight decline in the use of censorship (with a third fewer cases in 2008 than in 2007) but it continues to be a routine tool in many countries that are equally distributed in all the continents - Sudan (4 media outlets censored), Guinea (5), Somalia (5), Iran (27), Egypt (10), Syria (11), Russia (15), Belarus (18), Turkey (13), Burma (85), China (132), Pakistan (19), Malaysia (25), Bolivia (20), Brazil (14), Mexico (10) and Venezuela (7). *Reporters Without Borders comment:* *"One should not conclude from a decline in the figures that the situation has necessarily improved. The sad spectacle of a journalist in handcuffs is an almost daily occurrence in all the continents. When governments are challenged, their most frequent response is imprisonment. And the dozens of murders, in which the involvement of the security forces is often almost certain, rarely lead to trials, whether in Sri Lanka or Burkina Faso."* ------------------ *Liberté de la presse : l'année 2008 en chiffres* *Un mauvais climat, mais de meilleurs chiffres ; la répression se déplace sur Internet* * * * * *En 2008 : * 60 journalistes tués 1 collaborateur des médias tué 673 journalistes arrêtés 929 agressés ou menacés 353 médias censurés 29 journalistes enlevés *Et concernant Internet : * 1 blogueur tué 59 blogueurs interpellés 45 agressés 1740 sites d'information fermés ou suspendus *A titre de comparaison, en 2007 : * 86 journalistes tués 20 collaborateurs des médias tués 887 journalistes interpellés 67 enlevés 1511 agressés ou menacés 528 médias censurés * * *Reporters sans frontières a pris en compte les cas où le lien entre la profession de la victime et l'incident est soit établi, soit hautement probable. Les chiffres indiqués recensent les épisodes dont l'organisation a eu connaissance, ce qui ne prend pas en compte ceux pour lesquels les victimes ont volontairement gardé le secret, souvent pour protéger leur sécurité. Pour autant, le bilan présenté pour l'année 2008 est fondé sur la même méthodologie que les années précédentes, rendant possible une comparaison.* *Vue générale* Les zones Asie-Pacifique et Maghreb-Moyen Orient sont toujours les plus meurtrières pour la presse. Après l'Irak (15 tués), le Pakistan (7 tués) et les Philippines (6 tués) sont les deux pays où les journalistes ont le plus perdu la vie cette année. L'hécatombe se poursuit au Mexique, où 4 journalistes ont été assassinés pour des raisons professionnelles. La baisse du nombre de morts en Afrique (3 en 2008, 12 en 2007) s'explique surtout par le renoncement de nombreux professionnels à exercer leur métier, prenant souvent le chemin de l'exil, ainsi que par la disparition progressive des médias en zones de conflit (en Somalie, notamment). Les arrestations ou interpellations (au-delà de 48 heures de privation de liberté) sont particulièrement élevées en Afrique, où les commissariats sont un lieu de passage obligé pour de nombreux reporters ayant "dérangé" les gouvernements en place et franchi leurs lignes rouges. En Irak (31 arrestations), l'armée américaine continue de gérer la situation sécuritaire en faisant parfois incarcérer les collaborateurs de médias étrangers ou les journalistes locaux. En Chine (38 arrestations), l'année olympique a servi de prétexte pour de nombreuses incarcérations. En Birmanie (17 arrestations), le raidissement de la junte a été payé de leur liberté par de nombreux journalistes ou blogueurs critiques. *Réaction de Reporters sans frontières :* *"Les chiffres sont certes moins élevés que l'année précédente, mais cette baisse masque mal une généralisation de l'intimidation et de la censure, y compris en Occident, ainsi qu'un raidissement des gouvernements les plus autoritaires. Si certaines situations se sont effectivement améliorées quantitativement, cela est parfois dû au découragement des journalistes eux-mêmes, qui prennent le chemin de l'exil ou renoncent à leur métier. Dans ce contexte, nous ne pouvons pas dire qu'une soixantaine d'assassinats, des arrestations par centaines et des actes de censure généralisés soient un motif d'optimisme."* *La répression se déplace sur Internet* L'année 2008 a connu moins de journalistes des médias traditionnels tués ou arrêtés. Mais la situation de la liberté de la presse dans le monde ne s'est pas améliorée pour autant : désormais, à mesure que la presse écrite et audiovisuelle se transforme et que la blogosphère prend une envergure mondiale, la prédation s'exerce sur Internet. A cet égard, les chiffres sont parlants. Pour la première fois, un homme a été tué en 2008, alors qu'il effectuait un travail de "journalisme citoyen" : l'entrepreneur chinois Wei Wenhua a été battu à mort par des officiers municipaux ("chengguan"), le 7 janvier, après qu'il avait filmé une altercation avec des manifestants dans la ville de Tianmen (province du Hubei). Des actes de censure sur le Web ont été recensés dans trente-sept pays, notamment en Chine (93 sites censurés), en Syrie (162 sites censurés) en Iran (38 sites censurés). Mais les démocraties ne sont pas en reste, en ce qui concerne la surveillance et la répression du Net : en Thaïlande ou en Turquie, les tabous du roi ou de l'armée sont si tenaces que la police surveille et punit de plus en plus les utilisateurs indélicats du cyberespace. Les sites de partage de vidéos, comme Youtube ou Dailymotion, ont été particulièrement visés par les censeurs officiels. Blocages ou filtrages sont de plus en plus courants, dès lors que l'un des contenus est jugé "offensant" pour telle ou telle autorité. Cette réaction épidermique de certains gouvernements envers les sites "collectifs" commence à entraîner des phénomènes de "censure de masse", notamment des réseaux sociaux. La censure d'un site comme Twitter (en Syrie) ou Facebook (bloqué en Syrie et en Tunisie, filtré en Turquie et aux Emirats arabes unis) entraîne une cascade de blocages qui, s'ils étaient ajoutés aux mesures de contrôles habituelles, multiplieraient le résultat par dix. La prison est, enfin, la réponse de plus en plus souvent apportée par les gouvernements aux critiques formulées dans les blogs. Dix cyberdissidents ont été arrêtés en Chine, 31 ont été agressés ou menacés, au moins trois condamnés par la justice. En Iran, Reporters sans frontières a recensé dix-huit arrestations, 31 agressions et dix condamnations. En Syrie (8 arrestations, 3 condamnations), en Egypte (6 arrestations) ou au Maroc (2 arrestations, 2 condamnations), la libre expression sur Internet est très problématique. La machine à broyer la liberté d'Internet a été particulièrement sévère en Birmanie, où la junte a fait condamner, dans des conditions honteuses, le blogueur et comédien Zarganar et le jeune cyberdissident Nay Phone Latt à des peines de prison incroyablement lourdes (59 ans pour le premier, 20 ans pour le second). Ces deux hommes ont rejoint les nombreux autres prisonniers politiques birmans, dont 16 journalistes. *Réaction de Reporters sans frontières :* *"L'accroissement de l'influence et des potentialités d'Internet s'accompagne d'une plus grande vigilance de certains gouvernements, aux tendance sécuritaires déjà fortes. Les pays répressifs se dotent chaque année de nouveaux outils, permettant le traçage des données et la surveillance du Réseau. Ce dernier devient peu à peu le champ de bataille des citoyens au regard critique ou des journalistes censurés, et à ce titre représente une menace pour les puissants, habitués à gouverner selon leur bon vouloir et dans l'impunité."* *Mauvais climat, meilleurs chiffres* Cette recrudescence de la répression d'Internet survient dans un contexte où les médias traditionnels, y compris dans les grandes démocraties occidentales, sont soumis à des pressions nouvelles. Les lois antiterroristes ou "post-11 septembre" placent les journalistes d'investigation dans des situations très délicates. Les envoyés spéciaux sont confrontés à une hostilité grandissante, s'ils sont issus de pays alliés à la "coalition antiterroriste" des Etats-Unis ou assimilés. Toutefois, même si la situation est globalement mauvaise, les chiffres ne sont pas aussi alarmants que les années précédentes. La répression s'est déplacée et diversifiée. Quelques gouvernements autoritaires ont quitté le pouvoir. Il reste que 24% d'arrestations en moins ne signifient pas que l'envoi de la police dans une rédaction ou au domicile d'un reporter ne continue pas d'être trop fréquents, y compris en France. Des figures du journalisme ou de la liberté d'expression, comme Hu Jia, prisonnier "olympique" d'un gouvernement chinois toujours aussi intolérant, entament l'année 2009 en prison. L'optimisme n'est pas de mise. Les assassinats de journalistes continuent, avec une légère décroissance (86 tués en 2007, 60 en 2008, soit 22% de moins), et se concentrent désormais dans des zones "chaudes" où les conflits armés, la violence politico-mafieuse ou le terrorisme frappent tous les civils (Irak, zones tribales pakistanaises, Philippines, Mexique). Les enlèvements, sources efficaces de revenus et d'assise politique, sont toujours très fréquents en Afghanistan (7 journalistes ou collaborateurs kidnappés), en Somalie (5 kidnappings), au Mexique (5 kidnappings) ou en Irak (4 kidnappings). Enfin, la censure est un outil qui connaît certes une légère déflation (un tiers de moins entre 2007 et 2008), mais qui reste une arme quotidienne dans de nombreux pays, avec une répartition équitable sur tous les continents (Soudan : 4 médias censurés ; Guinée : 5 ; Somalie : 5 ; Iran : 27 ; Egypte : 10 ; Syrie : 11 ; Russie : 15 ; Belarus : 18 ; Turquie : 13 ; Birmanie : 85 ; Chine : 132 ; Pakistan : 19 ; Malaise : 25 ; Bolivie : 20 ; Brésil : 14 ; Mexique : 10 ; Venezuela : 7...). *Réaction de Reporters sans frontières :* *"Il ne faut pas croire qu'une baisse des chiffres indique une meilleure situation. Le triste spectacle d'un journaliste menotté est quotidien, ou presque, sur tous les continents. La prison est la réponse la plus fréquente des gouvernements aux remises en cause. Et les assassinats, qui se comptent encore par dizaines et où l'implication des forces de sécurité est parfois plus que probable, ne font quasiment jamais l'objet d'un procès, que ce soit au Sri Lanka ou au Burkina Faso."* -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/commons-law/attachments/20090101/e0497694/attachment-0001.html From anasuya_s at yahoo.com Wed Jan 7 01:44:11 2009 From: anasuya_s at yahoo.com (Anasuya Sengupta) Date: Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:14:11 -0800 Subject: [Commons-Law] For 2009... we refuse to be enemies? Message-ID: <1231272851.5869.90.camel@anasuya> Dear all, Ashwin and I wish you and yours love and strength in the new year; may 2009 be all you wish it to be and much more besides. Although 2008 was a terrible year for peace and prosperity across the world, we hope this year will give us both hope and healing. Ashwin and Anasuya We refuse to be enemies We refuse to be enemies. We refuse to use your words, claim your politics, accept your versions of history. We will wear our anger like a shroud, we will hold our defiance like a shield, we will carry our compassion like a sword. We refuse to be enemies. We refuse to believe that hate is justified, that peace is weak, that conflict is endless. We will sing across the borders, we will march across the divisions, we will fly our peace like a flag. We refuse to be enemies. Anasuya Sengupta (2 January 2009) http://blogs.sanmathi.org/anasuya/2009/01/02/for-2009-we-refuse-to-be-enemies/ -- Anasuya Sengupta http://www.sanmathi.org/ From pranesh at cis-india.org Mon Jan 19 20:28:04 2009 From: pranesh at cis-india.org (Pranesh Prakash) Date: Mon, 19 Jan 2009 20:28:04 +0530 Subject: [Commons-Law] Nazi propaganda reprints: Copyright as a tool of censorship Message-ID: <4785f1e20901190658p75311aecgff27be6fb03ccb9f@mail.gmail.com> Dear All, Here's an interesting example of using a copyright claim to prohibit reprints of Nazi propaganda newspapers (and a German edition of Mein Kampf) by a bunch of historians. While discussion of its Nazi past can be a very sensitive issue in Germany, it is very interesting to see how it isn't anti-Nazi and hate speech laws that are being used to suppress the speech but copyright. - Pranesh ------ http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2009/0119/1232059658778_pf.html Reprints of Nazi newspapers a big hit in Germany DEREK SCALLY in Berlin Mon, Jan 19, 2009 FROM CRYSTALS to miniature tractors, every January magazine publishers try to convince people that now is the time to start collecting something. A British publisher has come up with the idea of selling reprints of Nazi newspapers to German customers. You can imagine the sales pitch: "Week by week, your collection will grow into a fascinating overview of the virulent propaganda that polluted a nation's psyche and started a war that brought Europe to its knees." The Zeitungszeugen (Newspaper Witnesses) series, juxtaposing reprints with modern analysis and comment, has been a huge hit and the first issue, including pages from Der Angriff– editor Joseph Goebbels – has all but sold out in the German capital. And so, as the rest of the world reads about the inauguration of US President-elect Barack Obama this week, tens of thousands of Zeitungszeugen readers will be catching up with Der Angriff's account of Adolf Hitler's rise to power in January 1933. "We want to give people the opportunity to form their own picture not only of the political events," says series editor, historian Sandra Paweronschitz, "but also of the era in which these events took place and the attitudes to life at that time, for example by reading the classifieds or the film guide." Historian Wolfgang Benz, who worked on the project, described the reprints of original material as less harmful than the endless series of slick documentaries that run on German television every night. But involving several leading German historians in the project hasn't placated Germany's Jewish community. Ralph Giordano, one of Germany's most prominent Holocaust survivors, suggested that the series was an indication that "Hitler was defeated militarily, but not intellectually". On Friday evening, the Bavarian state government slapped a ban on the project just as publishers readied issue two – a reprint of the vitriolic Völkischer Beobachter, the Nazi party paper. Officials in Munich announced that the publication was a breach of copyright it has held since absorbing the assets of the main Nazi publishing house, Eher, in 1945. The publishers of Zeitungszeugenhave admitted they were aware of the copyright, but declined to apply for permission for fear of being refused. Now the company has vowed to fight a ban they call "an attack on press freedom". That could lead to an interesting legal battle, as some legal observers in Germany have claimed the copyright on the Nazi newspapers has long since expired. It is the latest round in a long-running battle in Germany about whether to keep Nazi documents locked up or to distribute them for educational purposes. Last year, leading historians called on the Munich government to permit a new German-language publication of Hitler's Mein Kampf, to which it also holds the rights. They want to see an annotated version on sale before the work enters the public domain in 2015. Then, 70 years after the dictator's death, far-right fringe parties in Germany plan to flood the country with their own cheap copies of the work. (c) 2009 The Irish Times -- Pranesh Prakash Programme Manager Centre for Internet and Society T: +91 80 40926283 W: http://cis-india.org From pranesh at cis-india.org Wed Jan 21 12:13:58 2009 From: pranesh at cis-india.org (Pranesh Prakash) Date: Wed, 21 Jan 2009 12:13:58 +0530 Subject: [Commons-Law] One strike and you're out? Message-ID: <4785f1e20901202243i3aa75eact92467e2e8463368@mail.gmail.com> Dear All, Two interesting articles from the Kiwi newspaper National Business Review talking about the new amendments to the Copyright Act, which force ISPs to terminate their customers' upon accusations of copyright infringement, and thereupon shifts the burden on to the customer to show the legality of his or her behaviour. Whether multiple accusations are required, or a single one is sufficient, is unclear. Interestingly, the Select Committee, before which submissions were made by interested stakeholders, opined that the sections should be removed. . As with most things, there's a Facebook group and a website for rallying together the protesters. Regards, Pranesh -- Pranesh Prakash Programme Manager Centre for Internet and Society T: +91 80 40926283 W: http://cis-india.org Govt open to changes over copyright law By admin Created 01/21/2009 - 14:58 * Politics NZPA The Government is keeping a watching brief on a new copyright law and is open to changes if it doesn't work but will not be dumping it before it comes into effect. Communications and Information Technology Minister Steven Joyce said he was keeping a close eye on how section 92A of the Copyright Act worked. The change comes into effect on February 28. Last week the New Zealand Computer Society complained the change could see internet service providers (ISPs) having to cut off families and businesses, if a third party accuses them of copyright breaches. Today the Internet Service Providers Association (Ispanz) called on the Government to drop the changes before they came into effect saying the law was poorly constructed and would force ISPs to cut off the internet access of those accused of repeat infringement of copyright. Mr Joyce acknowledged there were concerns. "The Telecommunications Forum is currently developing a code of practice for the Act and the Minister and MED are keeping informed as to how that comes together," he said. "We will keep a close eye on how the new law works in practice. We are prepared to look at further changes if they prove necessary." Ispanz president Jamie Baddeley said National should adhere to its previous opposition to the change made by the former Labour Government. "If section 92A is allowed to come in, ISPs will have to disconnect organisations such as businesses, public libraries, government agencies etc as a result of accusations that an employee has used their computers for illegal downloading. "The customer may be innocent, there may be an error, or the downloading may well have been done by a virus. Everyday Kiwis with a computer that has been inadvertently hacked may have their internet access terminated." Mr Baddeley said under the law those accused were considered guilty and punished without proof. Internet service providers were in an impossible position where if they did not act they could be sued but if they did cut off a user could be sued for breach of contract. Several other internet technology organisations also opposed the law. Source URL (retrieved on 01/21/2009 - 19:15): http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/govt-open-changes-over-copyright-law-39727 ----- ISPs: New copyright law puts business in the gun; scrap it By admin Created 01/21/2009 - 11:23 By Chris Keall The Internet Service Providers Association of New Zealand (ISPANZ) has called on the government not to enact a controversial new copyright provision, due to come into force on February 28. It says section 92A of the Copyright Amendment Act could see businesses lose their internet connections thanks to the actions of a single rogue employee. 'Third-rate legislation' But despite the controversial legislation being widely regarded as the unfinest hour in a series of heroically unfine hours put in by outgoing Labour minister Judith Tizard, a spokesman for Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson's office says "a last minute stall won't happen." The government has no plans to overhaul the legislation. Instead, Mr Finlayson will focus on trying to make the legislation work. While National supported the act's passage while in opposition, during an April 2008 parliamentary debate Mr Finlayson said his party's support was reluctant, saying "I think this bill is very much a patch-up job and very much what I would call third-rate law reform legislation." (Read the Hansard transcript here [1].) ISPANZ also notes that the select committee considering the original bill, which was chaired by Gerry Brownlee, rejected the section 92A approach but "the previous government reinserted the clauses in a last minute action, making New Zealand a guinea pig for experimental cyberlaw. "If section 92A is allowed to come in, ISPs will have to disconnect organisations such as businesses, public libraries, government agencies etc as a result of accusations that an employee has used their computers for illegal downloading," says ISPANZ president Jamie Baddeley. "Section 92A is poorly constructed law designed to force ISPs to cut off the internet access of those accused of repeat infringement of copyright." The new government still has a chance to take corrective action, and re-draw a bill more in line with the select committee's original version. Warning first Chapman Tripp senior solicitor Justin Graham confirms that the act fails to differentiate between individual accounts (home users) and internet accounts with multiple users (such as businesses). But this flaw does not necessarily mean a business would necessarily lose its internet connection if an employee is accused of downloading illegal music or movies onto a company server. The act calls on ISPs to create a termination policy. Mr Graham envisions that typically such a policy would involve an ISP sending a letter of warning to a company with a rogue employee who pirated copyrighted material. If the company in question addressed the employee's piracy, then the ISP could decide that appropriate action had been taken and drop the matter. But that might not be the end of things: Mr Graham says the act still allows a copyright holder – such as a record or movie industry organisation – to take out an injunction against the company housing the rogue employee, and the company's ISP. Test cases needed However, it's impossible to predict just how events could unfold once an accusation is made against a business. Mr Graham emphasises that the act's extremely vague wording means a series of test cases would be needed to resolve the exact definition of "repeat infringing" and many other elements of the upcoming legislation – including what exactly constitutes an "internet service provider" (ISP). Mr Graham says under the act as it now stands, TradeMe could be considered as ISP. Mr Graham also cautions that while large ISPs like Telecom Broadband (formerly Xtra), TelstraClear and Vodafone could be expected to formulate comprehensive termination policies, many smaller ISPs would be ill-equipped to deal with the new legislation. ISPANZ agrees, noting that in Australia, where similar – and similarly controversial – legislation has already gone into force, smaller ISPs are bearing the brunt of complaints from copyright holders. A further complication has been introduced in Australia with ISP iinet choosing to not terminate an accused pirate's account but rather turn over details of his case to police. It is unclear whether the move is valid under the legislation, or whether police will take any action. A bob each way The act's vague nature reflects the way it tries to reflect the contradictory interests of two camps, says Mr Graham: the freedom of information lobby, which believes all copyright material should be free of charge for fair use, and rights holders who see the digital world as an extension of the real-world copyright environment. "The legislation puts a bob each way, with a nod to the rights holders, and a nod people who imbue the hacker ethic, " Mr Graham says. Section 92A's termination clauses are an example of the former, while the act's liberal attitude to DVD zoning and password encryption – which can be bypassed for educational or research reasons – reflects the latter. The resulting law, says ISPANZ's Mr Baddeley, puts ISPs in a terrible position: "Under Section 92A We'll be damned if we do and damned if we don't. "We'll be faced with dealing with an accusation, not proven, of a copyright infringement and making a very difficult judgment call. If we decide in favour of our customers, we risk being sued by global media powerhouses. If we decide in favour of the rightsholder and disconnect a customer from the Internet, we risk being sued by customers for breach of contract. Disconnecting customers goes against everything we do." Mr Baddeley notes support on this issue from every major ICT group in the country, including the Telecommunication Carriers' Forum, The NZ Computer Society, The Telecommunications Users Association of New Zealand, InternetNZ, and others. By contrast, the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) and the Motion Picture Association's NZFact lobby group have welcomed section 92A. Mr Finlayson's office says the minister is "not adverse to amending the legislation if people's fears do come true," but for now it is concentrating on how the act will work once up and running. Source URL (retrieved on 01/21/2009 - 18:59): http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/isps-new-copyright-law-puts-business-gun-scrap-it-39710 Links: [1] http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/Debates/Debates/5/2/4/48HansD_20080408_00000860-Copyright-New-Technologies-Amendment-Bill.htm From pranesh at cis-india.org Tue Jan 27 19:57:51 2009 From: pranesh at cis-india.org (Pranesh Prakash) Date: Tue, 27 Jan 2009 19:57:51 +0530 Subject: [Commons-Law] French Music Industry Sues American P2P Software Companies (and Sourceforge!) Message-ID: <497F19E7.9040602@cis-india.org> Dear All, I just recently came across this story (on Torrent Freak) that broke out around two and a half months back. It seems the French music industry would want to block access to the Internet if provided that option, since they wish to go after Sourceforge, a host of open source projects. This case has very important implications for intermediary liability and notions of "tertiary infringement". (Tertiary because the wrongdoing, if any, of Vuze, Limewire, Morpheus and Shareaza would be classified "secondary infringement" and hence the wrongdoing of Sourceforge (where Shareaza is hosted) could only be "tertiary infringement", wouldn't it?) The article says: "Recent French legislation which inspired the labels to go after the P2P companies, suggests that all P2P applications must have a feature to block the transfer of unauthorized copyright works." That doesn't seem to make sense given the way copyright works in most countries (and that which is mandated by the Berne Convention) -- that copyright comes into existence at the moment of creation of the work and not upon registration. Wouldn't that necessitate that the software presume all non-public domain works that are transferred to be "unauthorized"? Even if an open content or FOSS licence is somehow embedded in the work and that licence is readable by P2P software, that still won't put that work in the clear. It is very much possible that the work itself is an unauthorized derivative work / adaptation and is hence infringing material. Plus, there is the legal question of what is in the public domain and what isn't. So, can some work that is public domain in the UK (Maurice Ravel's compositions, for instance) but not so under French law, come within the ambit of the software's hard-coded definition of "public domain"? Or must it refer to the individual laws of each country and hard-code that into the software and ensure blocking by means of IP addresses? Would anyone know of any useful commentary (preferably in English) on the French law that the article is referring to, or can anyone hazard any guesses as to what the French legislators intended? Regards, Pranesh ---------- http://torrentfreak.com/record-labels-to-sue-vuze-limewire-and-sourceforge-081114/ Record Labels to Sue Vuze, Limewire and SourceForge Written by Ernesto on November 14, 2008 French record labels have received the green light to sue four US-based companies that develop P2P applications, including the BitTorrent client Vuze, Limewire and Morpheus. Shareaza is the fourth application, for which the labels are going after the open source development platform SourceForge. Société civile des Producteurs de Phonogrammes en France (SPPF), an umbrella group for several record labels in France, claims that the four file-sharing applications facilitate mass copyright infringement. Although the companies (and applications) themselves have nothing to do with copyright infringement, SPPF believes it has a strong case. The record labels argue that the Vuze and the others are knowingly distributing software with the purpose to permit unauthorized access to copyrighted works. In essence they are saying that everything, or every application which allows a user to share files, will be indeed used for illegal purposes. In contrast, in the US, companies that don’t encourage their users to commit copyright infringement with their applications, are not acting illegally. SPPF had already sued the various companies and organizations last year, but until now it has been unclear whether the US based companies behind the applications could be prosecuted under French law. A French court has now ruled that this is indeed possible, which means that they can proceed to court. Recent French legislation which inspired the labels to go after the P2P companies, suggests that all P2P applications must have a feature to block the transfer of unauthorized copyright works. The clients that are sued by SPPF obviously don’t have such a feature. In fact, it is questionable whether it would be technically possible to develop such a filter. Nevertheless, SPPF demands it, and is claiming millions of dollars in damages for lost revenue. Vuze CEO Gilles BianRosa stated in a response to TorrentFreak, “While we appreciate the intent of the new French law, we believe SPPF’s complaint is misguided. Vuze is dedicated to the distribution of legitimate content using new technology. In that sense, our interests are aligned with the interests of all content owners, including SPPF’s members, against piracy.” “We are disappointed that SPPF has taken this approach, given that our business is dedicated to the distribution of legitimate content,” BianRosa added. “SPPF’s claims against Vuze are simply wrong. The Vuze business complies fully with both French and American law. The recent ruling of the French Court was solely on a jurisdictional issue, not on any merits, and we believe it is in error.” Interestingly, SPPF is also going after Sourceforge, the open source development website, because it hosts the P2P application Shareaza. Putting aside the discussion on the responsibilities of application developers for their users activities, the decision to go after SourceForge for hosting a application that can potentially infringe, is stretching credibility beyond all bounds” Meanwhile, Vuze has appealed the decision. Separately, the company is suing SPPF for defamation based upon several false and harmful statements made by SPPF about Vuze. A different French Court has denied SPPF’s attempt to derail those claims recently , and is allowing the defamation lawsuit to proceed. If SPPF succeeds in their case against organizations running the four P2P applications, FTP software and Internet browsers might be next, if they don’t go after Ubuntu and other operating systems first. Perhaps it is even better to shut down the Internet entirely. -- Pranesh Prakash Programme Manager Centre for Internet and Society T: +91 80 40926283 W: http://cis-india.org -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: signature.asc Type: application/pgp-signature Size: 197 bytes Desc: OpenPGP digital signature Url : http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/commons-law/attachments/20090127/a3011680/attachment-0001.bin From jeebesh at sarai.net Sat Jan 31 12:14:54 2009 From: jeebesh at sarai.net (Jeebesh) Date: Sat, 31 Jan 2009 12:14:54 +0530 Subject: [Commons-Law] Jacques Ranciere Message-ID: <77C349E2-EF54-42D3-9EEB-D5CF422D6D62@sarai.net> Jacques Ranciere: Revisiting Nights of Labour Sarai invites you to a public talk by renowned philosopher Jacques Ranciere, the release of the Hindi translation of his book Nights of Labour: Workers' Dream in 19th Century France. (Sarvahara Raatein: Unneesaveen sadi ke Frans mein Mazdoor Swapna). The book has been translated from the English by Abhay Kumar Dube. This the first in a series of translations of outstanding texts to be published by Sarai- CSDS and Vani Prakashan. Date: Friday, 6th February, 2009 Time: 6:00 pm Venue: CSDS , 29 Rajpur Road Workshop and Roundtable with Ranciere. Saturday 7th February Time: 10 am Venue: CSDS , 29 Rajpur Road Jacques Ranciere is a well known philosopher and writer. As a young student, Ranciere, co-authored Reading Capital (1968), with the Marxist philosopher Louis Althusser. Ranciere later broke with Althusser over the 1968 uprising in France. Since the 1970s Ranciere has produced a number of remarkable texts that range from working class history, philosophy, education, politics, and aesthetics. His books include The Ignorant Schoolmaster: Five Lessons in Intellectual Emancipation(1991), The Names of History: On the Poetics of Knowledge (1994), The Politics of Aesthetics: The Distribution of the Sensible Tr. Gabriel Rockhill (2004),The Future of the Image (2007). Ranciere wrote The Nights of Labour after years of archival work. It traces the world of worker intellectuals in 19th century France, who, through their poems, music, letters, produced a world that did not celebrate work as in conventional socialist texts, but a life outside it. Radical in its style and argument, Nights of Labour, offers not just a revision of working class history, but the relation between politics, knowledge, aesthetics and equality, all of which have become topics of Ranciere's future books. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This event has been made possible by the support of the French Embassy, Delhi. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/commons-law/attachments/20090131/2a1540bb/attachment.html