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TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 03, 2006 Spanish Judge Says Downloading Is Legal Google Pledges to Take YouTube Straight FBI Makes Arrests in Identity Fraud Stolen Laptop Included Student and Staff Data SPANISH JUDGE SAYS DOWNLOADING IS LEGAL A judge in Spain has dismissed a copyright infringement case, saying that the practice of trading songs over the Internet does not constitute a crime. In his ruling, Judge Paz Aldecoa said that sharing files online is a "socially accepted and widely practiced behavior" intended merely "to obtain copies for private use." Because the man in the case had not sought to make money from his activities, said Aldecoa, he could not be found guilty of any crime. The prosecutor in the case had sought a two-year sentence for the man. An organization that represents the Spanish music industry rejected the judge's decision, saying that downloading copyrighted material is indeed illegal and that it would appeal the ruling. Justice Minister Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar noted that although the law does include some gray areas for personal use of such material, the legal system must also protect the rights of artists. Houston Chronicle, 2 November 2006 http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/4306186.html GOOGLE PLEDGES TO TAKE YOUTUBE STRAIGHT Google, which recently announced plans to purchase YouTube for $1.65 billion, is reportedly working to move the video-sharing site from a source of frequent copyright violations to a service that compensates copyright owners for material that appears on the site. Some analysts said that the only reason YouTube has not previously been challenged is that it had little cash. With Google behind it, the operation becomes a much more lucrative target for copyright enforcement efforts. YouTube has developed technology to address copyright infringement issues, but Google is also said to be in talks with major media outlets to come to an arrangement under which their content can be used in exchange for a share of ad revenue. CBS, NBC, News Corp., and Time Warner have reportedly all been approached by Google to negotiate over content. BBC, 3 November 2006 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6112826.stm FBI MAKES ARRESTS IN IDENTITY FRAUD As part of a two-year investigation into an alleged identity theft ring in the United States and Europe, the FBI arrested more than a dozen individuals, including three Americans. Those arrested are suspected of trading in personal information, including credit card numbers and bank information. More arrests are expected, including two more Americans. James Finch, assistant director of the FBIs Cyber Division, said that obstacles to effective international investigations of such crimes are slowly coming down as governments work through the complexities of various national jurisdictions. In the current operations, U.S. officials worked with counterparts in Poland and Romania to identify suspects. "Cybercriminals will no longer be able to hide behind borders to conduct their illicit business," said Finch. "There will be no safe haven for cybercrime." New York Times, 3 November 2006 (registration req'd) http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/03/business/03cyber.html STOLEN LAPTOP INCLUDED STUDENT AND STAFF DATA A stolen laptop contained personal information for more than 1,200 students and staff of Villanova University. The computer was stolen from Hilb, Rogal & Hobbs, an insurance company that offered auto coverage for students and staff of the institution who were allowed to drive university vehicles. The lost data include individuals' names, birth dates, and driver's license numbers, though not Social Security numbers. According to Kenneth Valosky, vice president for finance at Villanova, about three-quarters of the names on the computer were for students. The laptop was stolen in September, and those affected were notified in late October. No fraudulent activity resulting from the theft has been reported, but those whose information was exposed will receive free credit monitoring. Associated Press, 3 November 2006 http://cbs3.com/topstories/local_story_307104820.html ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your settings, or access the Edupage archive, visit http://www.educause.edu/Edupage/639 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] ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE RESOURCES The EDUCAUSE Resource Center is a repository for information concerning use and management of IT in higher education. 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