From the OA Librarian comes this useful link to the 2-minute Author’s Rights Video by the Association of Research Libraries. The film explains clearly and succinctly what scholars can do to make sure they retain the rights to use and share their work.
rights
Do you own your library?
After having packed most of my books into boxes, physically transported them to their new home and placed them haphazardly in the bookshelves to await the slower and more pleasurable task of re-arranging my books I feel a strong sense of ownership, property and belonging. My books are part of who I am. Their physical appearance and their content are telltale clues to the identity of their owner.
I have previously written against the e-book but there is a specific issue which is important to point out. Cory Doctorow has written a short note entitled In the age of ebooks, you don’t own your library. The note points out the tendency of e-books to limit the rights previously held by the book reader. Today when buying files for the e-book reader the transaction is often termed as a license and may (this needs to be tested in the courts) limit the ways in which we can buy, sell, borrow and copy our books. In the worst case scenario licenses such as these will spell the end of borrowing books from friends and become another nail in the coffin of the second hand bookstore. Cory writes:
It’s funny that in the name of protecting “intellectual property,” big media companies are willing to do such violence to the idea of real property — arguing that since everything we own, from our t-shirts to our cars to our ebooks, embody someone’s copyright, patent and trademark, that we’re basically just tenant farmers, living on the land of our gracious masters who’ve seen fit to give us a lease on our homes.
The physical property we own will be dependent upon our behavior towards the content we require to fill it. Television requires the shows and we must pay the cable company, computers require software and we must license it, e-books will require us to subscribe to the rules of those who own the content.
Unless we stick to the old fashioned paper versions of course…
How to listen
It’s good to be back! My absence from this blog has been due to a move. My broadband has not been connected and despite the fact that their are plenty of wifi networks none are open – what is the world coming to? Don’t people agree with this?
Anyway this is not what I was going to write about. While catching up on my reading I came across a list of 11 things that will enhance the lecture experience, the list included some very good tips. Number 8 is my favourite:
Listen. Yes, I know you’re supposed to listen, but engage with your own mind as the lecture moves along. Ask yourself questions, try and evaluate points through what you already know, get involved in the meat of the topic even though you’re just listening to another person speak.
This is really a good reminder even when listening outside the lecture hall. In my case this is especially true if I am on the phone since my mind tends to wander…
Check out the entire list at The University Blog.
Swedish moves against P2P
In an effort to come to terms with online copyright violation the Swedish government has decided to allow courts the power to force Internet providers to reveal the physical identity of those IP addresses involved in illegal file sharing. Previously this was thought to be a move that would go to far and diminish the integrity of Internet users.
This move is an attempt to decrease the need for police involvement since the only previous recourse for the copyright holder was to report the matter to the police. Now the move will towards civil action.
On the other hand the government has decided against the suggestion of the Renfors investigation (Renforsutredningen) which means that they will not allow Internet providers to terminate the accounts of users involved in illegal file sharing. I have written about the stupidity of these types of suggestions earlier (here) so I am glad that this proposal was not followed.
Spying violates privacy
The BBC online report that the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe have found that cyber spying violates individuals’ right to privacy and could be used only in exceptional cases.
Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court has rejected provisions adopted by the State of North Rhine-Westphalia that allowed investigators to covertly search PCs online. In its ruling, the court creates a new right to confidentiality and integrity of personal data stored on IT systems; the ruling expands the current protection provided by the country’s constitutional rights for telecommunications privacy and the personal right to control private information under the German constitution.In line with an earlier ruling on censuses, the judges found that the modern digital world requires a new right, but not one which is absolute exceptions can be made if there is just cause. The judges did not feel that the blanket covert online searches that North Rhine-Westphalia’s (NRW) provisions allowed fell under that category; rather, these searches were found to be a severe violation of privacy.
The court explained that strict legal provisions apply for covert online searches of PCs, as with exceptional cases of telephone tapping or other exceptions to the right to privacy. Specifically, the judges say that private PCs can only be covertly searched “if there is evidence that an important overriding right would otherwise be violated.” (via Heise Online).
Here is the ruling in German.
New sins and old
The Catholic Church has proposed seven new deadly sins:
Environmental destruction
Genetic Manipulation
Amassing unreasonable wealth
Causing poverty
Drug dealing
Using drugs
The list seems sensible enough since these actions cause pain and suffering to others. Naturally some of them are vague (what is unreasonable) but as a lawyer I know that it would be unfair to complain too much about that.
My beef, besides the whole church organization (all organizations exist to amass power), lies a bit with Catholic Church talking about unreasonable wealth – isn’t this the pot calling the kettle black? Actually my main beef is with the last one. I am not pro-drugs but it lies in the lack of definition of drugs.
Which drugs? Naturally narcotics, but what about abuse of prescription drugs? What about the discussion on hard and soft drugs? What about coffee, tobacco & alcohol? Their abuse, and sometimes their production, cause pain to the individual and others. Actually it would be kind of strange if the Church were to try to claim that wine was a deadly sin.
The list is published in L’Osservatore Romano and was created to help people in the confessional. Naturally the old seven deadly sins (lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride) still apply so this actually means that there are fourteen deadly sins.
Update: Read more about this at Times Online
Update 2: Obviously I could not count as I only added six new sins when there were supposed to seven – there seems to be some confusion online as to the actual content of the list – I am not sure if it is actually a list or rather groups of social ills but there seems to be a general consensus on this…
Environmental pollution
Genetic manipulation
Accumulating excessive wealth
Inflicting poverty
Drug trafficking and consumption
Morally debatable experiments
Violation of fundamental rights of human nature
Interior decoration frustration
Aaaah, right now with the move days away and I am struggling to figure out the furniture solutions needed for the new place. Writing a thesis seems easy compared to all the decisions needed to finish a home. Just take a look a these choices available for bookshelves. Some of them are nice but I still have not found anything I like. Bah, its easier to write a paper…
New Home
Some time ago I wrote that my living problems may soon be resolved. This would entail me leaving the absolute dump (a central dump – but still a dump) that I have been living in. Now it is all wrapped up. The deal is signed, sealed and delivered. I have a lease on a great apartment. Its 61 square meters in an old house with a new kitchen and a new bathroom. It even has a fireplace which is rare and very nice.
So I am moving in a couple of weeks and this means that I am stressed for everything from a sofa to curtains – besides the usual everyday stuff.
FOSS legal guide
The Software Freedom Law Center has published version 1.5 of A Legal Issues Primer for Open Source and Free Software Projects.
Here’s an excerpt from the press release:
The guide, written by members of SFLC’s staff, covers a variety of legal topics and their practical application to free software development. These topics include copyrights and licensing, organizational structure, patents, and trademarks.
Saturday procrastination
It’s Saturday and for the first time in a very long time I am home alone. Naturally I had planned to work today. With articles, chapters, interview analysis, student work, freelance work, reading and much more I really should work. But in the confusion of a Saturday I have not begun to do anything and in typical procrastination I have cleaned the apartment and done other “important” stuff.
Oh, what the hell, I am seriously considering taking my camera for a walk…
