Google has expanded its Transparency Report with a new copyright section that provides more detailed information on content removal requests. In a new blog post describing the update, Google says that "as policymakers and internet users around the world consider the pros and cons of different proposals to address the problem of online copyright infringement, we hope this data will contribute to the discussion." The new section offers data from July 2011 forward, and shows that takedown requests have increased substantially over time — with Google now receiving more than 250,000 requests per week. Google has already been providing takedown information to the non-profit group Chilling Effects since 2002, but its new copyright report provides the data in a clearer and more accessible layout. While ... Continue reading →
The FCC is trying to make a backdoor change to the rules governing television distribution that would put internet TV providers under the same umbrella as traditional cable and satellite providers. The move could saddle internet providers like Hulu and Netflix with new regulatory and fee burdens, but it could also unlock their potential by giving them the right to purchase popular programming from networks — a privilege that's guaranteed for traditional distributors but not online providers. The FCC aims to accomplish this by doing the only thing it reasonably can do: by reinterpreting existing rules set by Congress to enact its agenda. In this case, the FCC is making a similar play to the one it made when it reclassified broadband services under Title ... Continue reading →
Over a week after it began deliberations, the jury has returned a verdict in the patent infringement case between Oracle and Google, finding that the search giant did not infringe upon Oracle's patents with Android. In play were infringement counts on eight different claims across two separate patents: RE38,104 and 6,061,520. We're updating live from the courtroom... Continue reading →
Former iPhone owner Katy McCaffrey now has a public Facebook photo album that she shares with an unwitting partner: a Disney cruise ship employee named Nelson who's apparently been snapping photos on the stolen smartphone and automatically uploading them to McCaffrey's Facebook account. Within the "stolen iPhone adventures" gallery, which you can see here, are photos of Nelson's supposed love interest, his friends, and other mundane happenings aboard the ship that McCaffrey has taken the liberty to narrate with ad-libbed captions. In a comment on the album, she says that the iPhone "was stolen on board the Disney Wonder cruiseline back in April," and that "his photos are just making it to my photostream." While Nelson's employer is likely to put an end to his ... Continue reading →
