Extra 24 live HD streams during the Games

The BBC will be dropping eight of its Red Button channels after an Olympic splurge, focusing on IPTV content instead of the alternative electronic programme guide that the Red Button had become.…


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Last month the feds arrested four alleged members of the prominent BitTorrent release group IMAGiNE . One of them has struck a deal with the US Government and pleads guilty to one of the charges. The remaining three plead not guilty. Recent documents filed at court further reveal that the MPAA was the tipster that initiated the investigation.Source: IMAGiNE Member Pleads Guilty to Criminal Copyright Infringement


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Facebook credits, and what they might buy

Analysis*~ As we reported today, the third-largest advertiser in the United States says it's going to stop advertising on Facebook, citing lack of engagement. General Motors is taking the $10m it spunks on Facebook ads somewhere else. This is a tiny proportion of GM's $1.1bn annual advertising budget, but it's hardly a vote of confidence from major brands in boy-child St Zuck's burgeoning global empire.…


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Anonymous says 'not us, dude'

The Pirate Bay claimed to be “getting back up! Stronger than ever!” this evening after crumpling under a DDoS attack for most of today.…


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Not the beginning of a beautiful friendship outside the USA

Seventy year-old flick Casablanca is set to get a free outing in a new medium: Facebook.…



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Stoke venue's man oysters leave ASA open-mouthed

NSFW*~ The Advertising Standards Authority has sunk its teeth into the Manhattan Bar in Stoke on Trent, for a Facebook promotion "likely to cause serious or widespread offence".…


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The mass- BitTorrent lawsuits that are sweeping the United States are in a heap of trouble. After a Florida judge ruled that an IP-address is not a person, a Californian colleague has gone even further in protecting the First Amendment rights of BitTorrent users. The judge in question points out that geolocation tools are far from accurate and that it's therefore uncertain that his court has jurisdiction over cases involving alleged BitTorrent pirates. As a result, 15 of these mass- BitTorrent lawsuits were dismissed.Source: IP-Address Can’t Even Identify a State, BitTorrent Judge Rules


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Dependant on the side they're representing, lawyers around the world have taken opposing stances when it comes to liability for infringement via open WiFi. When representing plaintiffs they speak of 'a duty of care' to rightsholders and when defending Internet users they insist that holding individuals responsible for the actions of others is a step too far. In a landmark case in Finland, a court has just agreed with the latter.Source: Open WiFi Owner Not Liable For Illegal File-Sharing, Court Rules


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Very heavy metal

Vid*~ Storage is weird, wonderful and sometimes very odd. Did you know floppy disk drives can be used for something other than emergency boots of legacy kit or as cool antiques?…


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Also-ran run-in

For Michael Robertson, it’s déjà vu all over again. The same flexible and somewhat optimistic interpretation of copyright law that sank his music service in the dot.com bubble has also sunk his current music service, over what was essentially the same idea. On Friday Robertson’s cloud music locker – MP3Tunes – filed for bankruptcy protection, blaming music industry litigation.…


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American rock band Counting Crows have sold more than 20 million albums worldwide, but this success hasn't caused them to overlook the changing landscape of the music business. Today the band releases four tracks from their new album for free on BitTorrent . Talking to TorrentFreak, Counting Crows frontman Adam Duritz says BitTorrent is the new and improved radio.Source: BitTorrent is the New Radio, Says Counting Crows Frontman


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Getcher applications in for White Space telly channels

Ofcom has received 87 expressions of interest from groups interested in running Local TV channels, and three companies interested in broadcasting them, so has launched the beauty contest to see who gets to be the next Alan Partridge.…


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Having being found guilty of copyright infringement offenses and subsequently denied the opportunity to be heard by Sweden's Supreme Court, one of the founders of The Pirate Bay is taking his case to the European Court. The lawyer of Fredrik Neij believes that the function of The Pirate Bay is protected by the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights.Source: Pirate Bay Founder Takes Case To European Court


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Defeat in a single battle in the war over net liberty doesn't concern me too much. I know that the net freedom forces have the strategic and intellectual upper hand in this war over our freedom, but there is something else that concerns me gravely. Why are people seriously thinking that the copyright industries have the final say in shaping society?Source: Why Are People Resigning Before The Copyright Industries’ Will?


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All it needs is international music rights

You don‘t have to be a genius to know that mSpot, which has just been bought by Samsung Electronics in the US, is going to go through both a transformation and a huge international upsurge in usage, if it has, or can get, international music rights.…


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