Roger Ebert dies at 70 after battle with cancer — “Roger Ebert loved movies. Except for those he hated.”
ReDigi and the Volitional Conduct Element — Copyhype contributor Devlin Hartline has his own blog now. Here, he looks at one of the lesser commented upon aspects of the recent decision involving “used” mp3 seller ReDigi: the court’s conclusion that it possessed the necessary volition to be held directly liable for infringement. Says Hartline, “Judge Sullivan recognized the absurdity of pretending that a service provider, who does 99% of the work in creating an illicit copy, does not in fact cause the copy to be made because a user does the other 1% by simply pressing a button. I think his application of Cablevision was perhaps faithless, but I think that Cablevision itself was faithless in its own application of the rule set forth in Netcom and CoStar. Judge Sullivan however, unlike the Second Circuit, was faithful in his commitment to causation-based tort principles.”
Playing Pirate with Chiat/Day — David Newhoff hits another one out of the park. A great combination of investigative journalism and insights like this: “Treating online piracy as a progressive business model emphasizes unfounded, techno-utipian ideas over the hard-won history of individual, creative achievement.”
Iso Booths and Echo Chambers: Confirmation Bias in Download Debates — Future of Music Coalition discusses recent studies concerning the effects of piracy on sales and the spin cycle that ensues in their wake. “A more balanced appraisal might not get as much traffic, but it would mean a better-informed readership.”
Which Social Media Websites Preserve Your Metadata? — A great resource for photogs and visual artists. Photo Attorney Carolyn Wright points to a list of popular sites and their practices concerning metadata.
A Brief History of Applause, the ‘Big Data’ of the Ancient World — The article does get a little too cutesy with comparisons between clapping and “web 2.0” claptrap, but otherwise a brisk and fascinating look at the evolution of applause. For example, the article notes that the “laugh track” as a device may be relatively recent, but the laugh track as a concept is not — performers and politicians have been padding audiences with paid applauders for centuries in order to influence public opinion.