Netflix and the library. This meme goes on......

Rebecca Fitzgerald post on tame the web Using Netflix at an Academic Library seems to have gone wild. Her original comments pointed the following :-

Our academic library in New York started a Netflix subscription last Fall. We started out with one account allowing for the maximum number of DVDs, 8 at a time. By the middle of Spring semester, we had two accounts. The New Media professor took over the prior, and we made the new one for all other courses. New Media requires many movies for students to watch. Our library has a very limited budget when it comes to film purchasing, especially popular titles. Netflix has saved us an enormous amount of money (around $3,000) by allowing the physical rentals as well as instant play. The streaming movies have been a great success; instead of students waiting for the one DVD on reserve, they can go to the computer or into the library’s film viewing room, where we have a Roku player set up, and watch the movies on our flat screen TV. The amount we save just having the instant play is significant; it’s almost like having multiple copies of the movie on reserve.

I was a bit concerned about this. It obviously goes against terms and conditions of netflix contract. These being that the films are for PERSONAL use only. Other have also mentioned this in more detail.

Read write web has an interest article on the subject called Netflix Turns a Blind Eye to Illegal Use by School Libraries. Seems that:-

Steve Swasey, Netflix' vice president of corporate communications, but indicated no plans to enforce the rules. "We just don't want to be pursuing libraries," he said. "We appreciate libraries and we value them, but we expect that they follow the terms of agreement."

Not sure that the film studios would agree with that sentiment. As the experts on copyright etc libraries should be upholding it, rather than using it to our own advantage.

Utrecht ruling causing mininova to go legit......

Seems that bit torrent site Mininova has had to go legitimate after Dutch Court of Utrecht ruled that BitTorrent platform Mininova acts unlawful. Seems that Bittorrent is taking a bit of a battering with Peter Mandelson hoping to amend the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and Piratebays case in Sweden.

Labour to try and Amend copyright law to deter fileshare in UK

The Guardian has an interesting article on Peter Mandelson in that he seeks to amend copyright law in new crackdown on file sharing. Mandelson is hoping to amend the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. The amended bill is expected to set out a "three strikes" policy under which people who are found to be illicitly downloading copyrighted material have their Internet connections withdrawn after three warnings.
The Guardian interestingly points out that if this became law the Tory Government (if/when it wins the election 2010) would assist Rupert Murdoch point out:-

But the proposal to alter the Copyright Act in this way has caused alarm within government, where some fear that an incoming Tory administration could use it to curry favour with Murdoch, head of the News International publishing group.......

Murdoch has recently said that he believes that copyright is being abused, particularly by organisations such as Google, which uses short extracts from online newspapers to create its Google News page, and the BBC, which he has accused of "stealing from newspapers".

Cory Doctorow has described Mandelson as Pirate Finder General. Doctorow points out the following:-

Secretary of State Peter Mandelson is planning to introduce changes to the Digital Economy Bill now under debate in Parliament. These changes will give the Secretary of State (Mandelson -- or his successor in the next government) the power to make "secondary legislation" (legislation that is passed without debate) to amend the provisions of Copyright, Designs and Patents Act (1988).
What that means is that an unelected official would have the power to do anything without Parliamentary oversight or debate, provided it was done in the name of protecting copyright. Mandelson elaborates on this, giving three reasons for his proposal:
1. The Secretary of State would get the power to create new remedies for online infringements (for example, he could create jail terms for file-sharing, or create a "three-strikes" plan that costs entire families their Internet access if any member stands accused of infringement)

2. The Secretary of State would get the power to create procedures to "confer rights" for the purposes of protecting rights holders from online infringement. (for example, record labels and movie studios can be given investigative and enforcement powers that allow them to compel ISPs, libraries, companies and schools to turn over personal information about Internet users, and to order those companies to disconnect users, remove websites, block URLs, etc)

3. The Secretary of State would get the power to "impose such duties, powers or functions on any person as may be specified in connection with facilitating online infringement" (for example, ISPs could be forced to spy on their users, or to have copyright lawyers examine every piece of user-generated content before it goes live; also, copyright "militias" can be formed with the power to police copyright on the web)

Its interesting if this highly unpopular and unworkable legislation comes out. But hell, its not if its not happened before.

Copyright Documentary release

From a blog I usually read, I was pointed to a film thats been released on copyright called Good Copy Bad Copy. Its released on a creative commons license, and speaks with some real experts in the area like Lawrence Lessig, John Buckman of bookmooch and magnatunes, the bit torrent site Pirate Bay crowd amongst other. Its free to download here unless you want to make a pay pal donation.

Jack Valenti passes away.......will DMC Act to?

Jack Valenti, techdirts favourite innovator has passed away. The man who brought us the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and in 1982 the statement that 'VCR is to the American film producer and the American public as the Boston strangler is to the woman home alone.' Ummmm, sounds bright?