america
US broadband seeks ISP speed stickers
Government mandated bandwidth exams Government-mandated ISP ratings, a new copyright symbol and a national poll database – just a taste of what you’ll find in the new plan for America’s next-generation broadband.…
Continue reading »Funeral Flap: Justices Weigh Religion, Speech Rights
The Supreme Court agreed Monday to delve into the sensitive question of whether the First Amendment protects anti-gay protesters carrying placards outside military funerals, bearing “America is Doomed,” “Thank God for 9/11″ and other volatile slogans, like “Thank God for dead soldiers.” The messages and picketing are part of a Kansas church’s belief that the United States’ tolerance for homosexuality is cause for soldiers’ deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan. The case the justices decided to review Monday tests the boundaries of free speech versus freedom of religion — doctrines both embodied in the First Amendment. Without comment, the justices agreed to review last year’s federal appellate decision that overturned a $5 million verdict (.pdf) in favor of a Baltimore man who sued the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka and its pastor, Fred Phelps, in 2006.
Continue reading »Former Teen Cheerleader Dinged $27,750 for File Sharing 37 Songs
Whitney Harper must pay the RIAA $27,750 for file sharing that began when she was 14 A federal appeals court is ordering a university student to pay the Recording Industry Association of America $27,750 — $750 a track — for file sharing 37 songs when she was a high school cheerleader. The decision Thursday by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reverses a Texas federal judge who had ordered defendant Whitney Harper to pay $7,400, or $200 per song.
Continue reading »EU Commission on ACTA – ‘There is no Treaty’
It appears as though confusion and mixed signals continue to plague the EU commission in more than one committee. Movement in North America on ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement) may have slowed down today, but the issue is definitely heating up in Europe. Fresh on the heals of the IMCA experiencing difficulty in understanding ACTA , the INTA (European Parliament’s Trade committee) committee had some more dramatic commentary in the European parliament.
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