rewards
a2f2a Goes Live, Let the Debate Begin
Site’s objective is to figure out a viable “direct artist-to-fan model” with the assumption that P2P can’t be stopped technologically, and that file-sharers are indeed willing to pay artists for their work. A few weeks ago I mentioned how Jon Newton over at P2PNet began a discussion with Billy Bragg, English alternative rock musician and member of the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC), over how best to create a stable digital music business model for the 21st century. Together they came up with a2f2a , artists-to-fans-to-artists , a site which is intended to create a community where artists and music fans are able to discuss how they can “cut out the middleman” and ensure that artists are fairly compensate for their work.
Continue reading »Hotel Error Advertises Room Rate in Italy for 1 Cent
Word apparently spread quickly across the internet on Sunday night that a luxury hotel in Venice, Italy, was offering a special 1-cent-a night rate. Visitors to the online registration page of the luxury Crowne Plaza Venice East-Quarto d’Altino hotel discovered it wasn’t just a rumor and that instead of the standard room rate of $92 to $170, guests could book a room for 0.01 EUR a night, or about 1 cent. During the six hours the promotional rate was on the site, the hotel received bookings for 1,400 nights at the deeply discounted rate.
Continue reading »Firefox Plug-In Frees Court Records, Threatens Judiciary Profits
Access to the nation’s federal law proceedings just got a public interest hack, thanks to programmers from Princeton, Harvard and the Internet Archive, who released a Firefox plug-in designed to make millions of pages of legal documents free. Free as in beer and free as in speech. The Problem: Federal courts use an archaic, document tracking system known as PACER as its official repository for complaints, court motions, case scheduling and decisions.
Continue reading »Feds Support $1.92 Million RIAA File Sharing Verdict
The Obama administration told a federal judge Friday the $1.92 million jury verdict against a Minnesota woman for sharing 24 music tracks on Kazaa was constitutionally sound, despite defense claims it was unconstitutionally excessive. After the June verdict against Jammie Thomas-Rasset, defense attorneys urged U.S. District Judge Michael Davis to set it aside or reduce dramatically the $80,000-per-song award, arguing it was “ excessive, shocking and monstrous .” In response to that challenge to the Copyright Act, which allows damages up to $150,000 per song, the Justice Department told Davis in a 26-page brief that the verdict should not be overturned on grounds it was unconstitutionally excessive.
Continue reading »