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TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 2003 RIAA Plans Several Hundred Suits Against Individuals Federal Do-Not-Call List Open for Business Michigan Pursues Do-Not-Spam List Bill Would Disallow Copyright for Federally Funded Research Court Says Microsoft Not Required to Ship Java RIAA PLANS SEVERAL HUNDRED SUITS AGAINST INDIVIDUALS Cary Sherman, president of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), announced that his organization this week will begin filing lawsuits against individuals found to have substantial numbers of copyrighted songs on their computers. The RIAA will scan networks such as Kazaa and Grokster looking for the most egregious offenders. Sherman said several hundred civil and criminal suits will likely be filed over the next two months. The announcement comes shortly after a federal court ruling that Internet service providers cannot protect the names of their customers who are suspected of music piracy. The recording industry hopes the threat of prosecution will curb illegal file sharing. Critics noted that some of those prosecuted could be minors and blamed the music industry, not file traders, for the decline in sales of CDs. New York Times, 26 June 2003 (registration req'd) http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/26/technology/26MUSI.html FEDERAL DO-NOT-CALL LIST OPEN FOR BUSINESS The federal do-not-call list went into operation this week, taking phone numbers from citizens who want not to be called by telemarketers. Similar to do-not-call lists in many states, the federal list will be made available to telemarketers, for a fee. Companies found to have called numbers on the list face fines of up to $11,000 per call. Exceptions are made for politicians, nonprofit groups, those conducting surveys, and companies with whom the person being called has an existing business relationship. The phone numbers on some of the state do-not-call lists automatically transferred to the federal list. People in states whose lists do not transfer will have to add their numbers separately to the federal list. The list is administered by both the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission, a combination that covers some wide loopholes in early plans for the list. Wall Street Journal, 27 June 2003 (sub. req'd) http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB105663464133474100,00.html MICHIGAN PURSUES DO-NOT-SPAM LIST The Michigan Senate has passed an antispam bill that would create a do-not-e-mail list, similar to do-not-call lists and lists--maintained by some marketing organizations--of individuals who do not want to receive promotional mailings. Marketers would be required to consult the list and remove the names that appear on the list from any mass e-mailing. Under the proposed Michigan law, violators could face criminal penalties, including imprisonment, as well as civil penalties of as much as $250,000 per day that spam is sent. Observers noted that an opt-out list of e-mail addresses would be an extremely tempting target for spammers outside the jurisdiction of Michigan. To address that concern, one company said it has developed a one-way encryption system that allows marketers to check their lists against the opt-out list but not to discern the addresses in an unencrypted form. CNET, 25 June 2003 http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-1021169.html BILL WOULD DISALLOW COPYRIGHT FOR FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH A bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would prevent researchers from claiming copyright protections for published work that received "substantial" federal funding. No definition is given for "substantial" in the bill. Martin Olav Sabo (D-Minn.) introduced the bill in an effort to guarantee public access to research for "all who may benefit from it--especially when they've already paid for it with their tax dollars." The Public Library of Science, an organization that is planning to introduce two free, online scientific journals, supports the proposed legislation. Opponents said the law is unnecessary because a large portion of academic work is already available online. Peter D. Farnham of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology said Sabo's bill would conflict with the Bayh-Dole Act, passed in 1980, which allows researchers to claim intellectual property rights on their work, even if funded by federal money. Chronicle of Higher Education, 27 June 2003 (sub. req'd) http://chronicle.com/daily/2003/06/2003062702n.htm COURT SAYS MICROSOFT NOT REQUIRED TO SHIP JAVA Despite accepting that Microsoft violated Sun Microsystems's copyright on its Java language, an appeals court ruled that Microsoft is not required to ship Sun's version of Java with its operating systems. Both companies claimed victory from the ruling, which overturns a lower-court decision. Sun has argued that Microsoft, which developed its own version of Java that is not compatible with Sun's, tried to use its monopoly power to confuse consumers and developers about the two versions, ultimately to harm Sun's position in the market. The appeals court ruled that Sun would not suffer "immediate irreparable harm" if Microsoft were not required to ship Sun's Java, but the court also prohibited Microsoft from shipping its own version of Java. As a result, some computer makers have gone directly to Sun to start including Sun's Java with their computers. IDG, 26 June 2003 http://www.idg.net/ic_1325164_9677_1-5043.html ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change your settings, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/edupage.html Or, you can subscribe or unsubscribe by sending e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To SUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SUBSCRIBE Edupage YourFirstName YourLastName To UNSUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SIGNOFF Edupage If you have subscription problems, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For past issues of Edupage or information about translations of Edupage into other languages, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/edupage.html ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE PUBLICATIONS EDUCAUSE publishes periodicals, including "EQ" and "EDUCAUSE Review," books, and other materials dealing with the impacts and implications of information technology in higher education. 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