Blarg!

Copyright law

Mon, 11 May 2009 17:14:27 -0400

The spirit of the Fair Use clause of copyright law is not intended for blatant copying of text. It was, in a case like this, intended to allow Inside Charm City to provide commentary to an existing article. The idea of copying without commentary, of critical or comical nature, has long been established under US law.

While the idea of newspapers pursuing this legal course is one for another discussion, the legal theory behind their use of fair use in the case seems sound to me.

One of the main problems is that like the newspapers, copyright law is in a chaotic time, so no solution seems amicable to the end user looking for the information from any source.

karmcity:

“Another plan was to educate the public about the behaviors required of them by copyright law.”

- Shirky’s piece about online journalism

…and yet, newspapers like The Baltimore Sun have yet to define explicit fair-use guidelines. The blog Inside Charm City was recently sent a cease and desist by The Sun for quoting part of an article. According to The Sun:

“…copying anything more than a headline or one paragraph form an article plainly constitutes copyright infringement.”

Except, that isn’t spelled out anywhere. It only states:

“The fair use doctrine permits the republishing of a minimal amount of content when accompanied by new commentary or criticism.”

Completely vague. Define minimal. An argument could be made that Inside Charm City was operating well within the limits of fair-use. These so-called plans the newspapers have for educating the public about fair-use need to be accelerated.

Localist.com has gone mobile!

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 14:52:35 -0500

localist:

Visit m.localist.com on any mobile phone to view Localist in all its tiny-resolution glory. The site is designed to load fast while still delivering all the great information you need, so don’t worry about missing out on anything.

For best results, use a phone that supports full-HTML browsing (iPhone, T-Mobile G1, Blackberrys, etc). If you notice any strange quirks, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Some more exciting things are coming soon. Stay tuned!

watching A Muppet's Christmas: Letters to Santa on @boxee

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 15:38:11 -0500

watching A Muppet's Christmas: Letters to Santa on @boxee

listening to Black Moth Super Rainbow on lastfm using boxee

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 15:36:54 -0500

listening to Black Moth Super Rainbow on lastfm using boxee

Bail out

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 09:36:40 -0400

karmcity:

While the idea of a free market economy is wonderful, what’s the incentive for these big companies to act responsibly when they know the government has to bail them out if the going gets rough?

I think the greater question is why is it o.k. to the bail out the wealthiest but keep forgetting those people are struggling to pay the mortgage every month?

Palin's eMail Password

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 16:34:53 -0400

Brandon: I was just on facebook and saw you were reading the palin yahoo thing

me: yep

Brandon: because I found this really funny thread of people saying what they think her password was: BookBurnerInWasilla

me: HA HA

Brandon: CaribouBarbie ;dinosaursdidnotexist ;PregnantTeensWithGuns ;MrsPresident ;L1pst1ck ;ThanksButN0thanks

"No one should ever sit in this office over 70 years old, and that I know” — Dwight D...."

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 22:52:43 -0400

““No one should ever sit in this office over 70 years old, and that I know” — Dwight D. Eisenhower”

Umbrella Today?

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 11:36:45 -0400

Umbrella Today?:

This is simply brilliant!

iron (via brittnybadger)

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:30:56 -0400

iron (via brittnybadger)

listening to "It Fit When I Was A Kid - Liars"

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:53:09 -0400

listening to "It Fit When I Was A Kid - Liars":

via Simlify Media

photo.jpg

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:06:43 -0400

photo.jpg

In the Shadows: Milling around the Parthenon.

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 17:06:40 -0400

In the Shadows: Milling around the Parthenon.

The Dapperstache - The Periodic Table of Awesomements

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:30:36 -0400

The Dapperstache - The Periodic Table of Awesomements

Bubble Calendar, a poster-sized calendar with a bubble to pop...

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:48:31 -0400

Bubble Calendar, a poster-sized calendar with a bubble to pop every day.

backgroundvista

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:56:24 -0400

backgroundvista

backgroundxp

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:56:22 -0400

backgroundxp

This Lawn is Your Lawn (via kitchengardeners) This video is...

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 11:56:23 -0400

This Lawn is Your Lawn (via kitchengardeners)

This video is part of Kitchen Gardeners International’s “Eat the View” campaign to convert part of the White House lawn into an edible landscape.

DSC_0007.JPG

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 19:53:46 -0400

DSC_0007.JPG

Baltimore, Aug 3, 2008: Uploaded with AirMe

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 17:53:37 -0400

Baltimore, Aug 3, 2008: Uploaded with AirMe

DSC_0052.JPG

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 20:52:30 -0400

DSC_0052.JPG