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Your life will some day end; ACTA will live on
The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) isn’t just another secret treaty—it’s a way of life. If ACTA passes in anything like its current form, it will create an entirely new international secretariat to administer and extend the agreement. Knowledge Ecology International got its hands on more of the leaked ACTA text this week , including a chapter on “Institutional Arrangements” that has not leaked before.
Continue reading »Google reportedly to part ways with China on April 10
April 10: General Robert E. Lee’s last address to Confederate troops, the Titanic’s departure from Southampton, England, my friend Jake’s birthday, and now, Google’s rumored pull-out date in China. The company is preparing to announce its decision as soon as March 22, according to an anonymous source speaking to the China Business News, though it likely won’t be the end of the company’s operations in the region.
Continue reading »Amazon threatens more publishers with freeze-out over prices
Earlier this year, Amazon found itself in a showdown over e-book pricing with publisher Macmillan, which wanted the ability to set pricing for its works. Amazon initially pulled all of Macmillan’s titles off its virtual shelves but, a few days later, conceded there was little it could do —Macmillan’s works went back on sale, and Amazon apparently gave up on trying to force its prices on the company. Despite that rousing lack of success, reports are now indicating that several other publishers may get the same treatment, as Amazon is threatening to stop selling their works as well.
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