I borrowed "punish infringers, not technology" in the title from Public Knowledge's statement on the MGM v. Grokster decision.
The question before the Supreme Court was whether those who produce software that can be used illegally should face legal liability for the actions of third-parties using their software for illegal purposes. The Court adopted a so-called "inducement test" to assess whether liability should attach to those who produce technologies. more
With the help of companies like Microsoft, Cisco, and Juniper, China continues to be quite successful in censoring access to the Internet within its borders. In the last couple weeks, we learned that Microsoft was helping China censor bloggers on MSN:Spaces. Because of this cooperation, China does not block access to MSN:Spaces. Interestingly, China blocks entire domains like Blogger and Typepad. Why?
My guess is that Google (owner of Blogger) and Six Apart (owner of Typepad) refuse to provide censorship services. If that is the case, both deserve rounds of applause for standing up against the economic pressure to do social harm. (China is the most populous nation in the world, representing a huge market pressure to make the Chinese government happy.)
So "Bravo!" to the socially responsible companies. You will have my business. more
How many law students quit full-time university jobs to take internships at small progressive technology consulting firms? At least one. This December I will graduate from the University of Wisconsin Law School, but for all of 2005 I am taking classes at the Georgetown University Law Center as a visiting student. It sounds more complicated than it should. Think of it as domestic study abroad for law students. The most frustrating aspect of the whole arrangement is working out the details of financial aid. But I digress... more
Andrew Eldredge-Martin was an intern at EchoDitto.
