Author Archives: Hamish MacEwan
Judge Orders Failed Copyright Troll to Forfeit ‘All’ Copyrights
Righthaven, a copyright-troll law firm that failed in its attempt to make money for newspapers by suing readers for sharing stories online, was dealt a death blow Tuesday by a federal judge who ordered the Las Vegas company to forfeit ???all of??? its intellectual property and other ???intangible property??? to settle its debts.
via wired.com
Patent is not alone in being an abused “IP.” But sometimes abusers are punished.
Yahoo! v Facebook: Making a tough job harder
This is not the first time that Yahoo! has reached for its lawyers to target a firm about to go public. In 2004 it launched a legal assault on Google involving patents shortly before the search firm staged its own listing. Google ultimately agreed to a settlement over the matter, taking a $200m charge against its earnings to do so. Yahoo! is no doubt hoping that Facebook will throw in the towel as well to avoid awkward legal wrangling in the run-up to its initial public offering (IPO).
via economist.com
Perhaps Yahoo will patent the pre-IPO patent suit. A wonderful innovation that deserves state protection.
NetHui 2012
Registrations open for 2012
Registrations for NetHui 2012 ??? New Zealand???s largest and most inclusive Internet-related conference ??? are now open! Registrations cost a low $40 including GST. The conference is being held at Auckland???s SkyCity Convention Centre from 11 ??? 13 July. If you???re interested in taking part in collaborative, community-led discussions on the impact of the Internet??? Read more >>
via nethui.org.nz
61 registrations on opening day. Get in quick.
Unpacking Kony 2012
My goal, in this (long) blogpost is to get a better understanding of how Invisible Children has harnessed social media to promote their cause, what the strengths and limits of that approach are, and what some unintended consequences of this campaign might be. For me, the Kony 2012 campaign is a story about simplification and framing. Whether you ultimately support Invisible Children???s campaign ??? and I do not ??? it???s important to think through why it has been so successful in attracting attention online and the limits to the methods used by Invisible Children.
The Bank of England Gets It ??? using search data as economic indicators
From this Bank of England paper on using search data:
???In contrast to most traditional survey methods, they are collected as a by-product of normal activity, rather than requiring individuals or firms to respond to survey questions after the event. This can avoid problems associated with non-response or inaccurate responses. And it also means
that information is continually collected on a wider range of issues, rather than just on a few pre-determined questions. As a result, search data can help analyse issues that arise unexpectedly.???
via redmonk.com
This way they can tell when the economy is pregnant…
Kony 2012 – is the US military the answer?
The viral campaign that is circulating the internet on Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony is well-meaning but extremely problematic. KONY 2012 fever has also hit New Zealand, with events springing up all over the nation. To put it simply: if you are going to agitate for reform in another country, you better darn well be open to hearing criticisms and incorporating these into your arguments. It is not critiquing that Kony is a bad guy, it is making sure that people are not having the wrong effects on the Ugandan people in their support of the campaign.
The future of capturing action is around the corner…
The great ebook price swindle | Dan Gillmor
Media freedom and independence under threat | The National Business Review
While we politicians sometimes bridle at criticisms which can seem harsh, superficial, or unfair, most of us will defend the right of the media to investigate and criticise without fear or favour. We should fiercely defend that right because informing the public of bungling or corruption ??? especially by politicians and government agencies – is essential to stop it happening again.
The refusal of the National government to address this important issue as part of the Search and Surveillance Bill currently before Parliament is driven by politics not principle. The Minister of Justice, who was until recently the SFO Minister, alleges that because Labour will not vote for the Bill unless it better protects the liberties of the fourth estate, we in Labour are soft on crime.
In other words, National is attempting to gain politically by positioning Labour. National is taking a superficial populist approach for its own political ends. This should concern those who think the principles at stake are important.
This is one of a number of worrying events concerning the relationship between the media and the government
via nbr.co.nz
Hamish MacEwan 