PDF Link. Skim both pages, then read graf one on page one very carefully. Yow. (Thanks, Jason Schultz!)

Jason Schultz says,

You can wear a jacket with "Fuck The Draft" on the back into a court of law, but, according to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, don't even think about swearing loudly at any TSA officials who make you miss your plane.

UPDATED: Cory Doctorow weighs in on the debate, at bottom of post.

This morning on the NPR News program Day to Day, I spoke with host Noah Adams about the legal battle Google has on its hands — from some angry writers. — Read the rest

Here's the complaint (PDF Link), and here's a snip from a story by Elinor Mills at CNET:

The Authors Guild on Tuesday filed a class action lawsuit against search engine Google, alleging that its scanning and digitizing of library books constitutes a "massive" copyright infringement.

Image: snapshot of NOLA evacuee in Houston Astrodome, Jacob Appelbaum.

Snip from this week's edition of Nikki Finke's "Deadline Hollywood" column in LA Weekly:

For the first 120 hours after Hurricane Katrina, TV journalists were let off their leashes by their mogul owners, the result of a rare conjoining of flawless timing (summer's biggest vacation week) and foulest tragedy (America's worst natural disaster).

A group representing religious schools in California is suing the University of California system. At issue, the question of whether creationist courses in high school are counted as science credit for college admissions.

The Association of Christian Schools International, which
represents more than 800 schools, filed a federal lawsuit
Thursday claiming UC admissions officials have refused to
certify high school science courses that use textbooks
challenging Darwin's theory of evolution.

Here's the Powerpoint presentation delivered by Recording Industry Association of America CEO Mitch Bainwol on August 12, during a meeting of the National Association of Recording Merchandisers: Link, and mirror (both PDF files).

Bullet points include the observation "Burning and ripping are becoming a bigger threat than P2P." — Read the rest

Google today announced that it has temporarily halted scans of copyright-protected books from libraries into its Google Print database. Snip from a post by Print Product Manager Adam M. Smith on Google's official blog:

Over the last few months, we've been talking with numerous publishers, publishing industry organizations and authors about our Google Print Publisher Program and Google Print Library Project.

When I was driving back from NPR this morning in L.A., I noticed these posters beneath a freeway underpass. I fumbled for my phonecam and snapped them just as the light turned green and the driver behind me began honking — here's the snapshot. — Read the rest

Here's the long-awaited trailer for the documentary "Alternative Freedom.". It's a movie about the way that copyright and related regulations have curtailed personal liberty, free expression and innovation. The movie includes interviews with Bunnie "Xbox Hacker" Huang, Larry Lessig, Richard Stallman, EFF's Jason Schultz, DJ Danger Mouse, and numerous others. — Read the rest

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has rejected a trademark request for "Dykes on Bikes" — the decades-old grupo lesbo motorcyclo nonprofito de sanfrancisco. Why? Because the word "dyke" was seen as offensive. Oddly, they did grant a trademark for the Bravo TV show "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" last year. — Read the rest

Clay Shirky says:

Here's the sign I saw yesterday morning when getting the daily bread at College Bakery, our beloved local purveyor of pre-Atkins goodies.

Now the decor and ambience of College Bakery are echt Old Brooklyn, so it's an unlikely front in the copyfight, but the staff said they had to bust out the magic markers because they'd been roped in as the front line of defense against non-licit images of Dora the Explorer® and Thomas the Tank Engine®.

An interesting essay on (messy) fictional universes and the fans who rationalize them.

The fictional universes depicted in movies like the Star Wars or Star Trek series tend to get very complex (…) That complexity means that–inevitably–the occasional "continuity error" occurs.

Found: one well-aged pinball machine featuring a supremely cheesy space porno theme. Jason Schultz says, "I ran across it on my recent trip to Hawaii in the living room of this alternative health spa steam bath place I stayed for a night. — Read the rest

Moment of antipiracy zen:

According to a Peoples Daily report on February 27, 2005 a televised anti-piracy concert watched by 150 million included one performer asking "A copyrighted CD for 200 yuan [$24], pirated one for 10 yuan, what will you buy?"

18-year old college student Parvin Dhaliwal is believed to be the first person in America convicted of a crime under state law for illicit music and movie downloads. He pled guilty to charges of possession of counterfeit marks (unauthorized copies of intellectual property). — Read the rest

Snipped from Red Herring's coverage today:

A bill introduced in the California Legislature last Friday seeks to do what U.S. federal courts have so far refused to do: criminalize selling, advertising, and distributing peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing software. Written by state Senator Kevin Murray (D), a longtime lawmaker from Los Angeles with close ties to the entertainment industry, the legislation is aimed straight at the business plans of file-sharing companies such as Grokster, Morpheus, and Kazaa.

My cow-orker Jason Schultz — who leads EFF's fight against stupid software patents — has written a great editorial for today's Salon on the perils of dotcom patents:

The idea behind patents is that inventors and manufacturers of new products should have some protection against free riders in the marketplace that would otherwise copy their innovations.

Jason Schultz points us to the following surreal slice of news and says, "Boy, I'd love to hear the expert witness testimony in this trial!"

Hooters of America and a rival restaurant chain began arguing in federal court over who has rights to the concept of using scantily clad women to sell food and beer.

On the NPR program "Day to Day" this week, I speak with host Noah Adams about the MPAA's plans to begin suing individuals suspected of sharing copyrighted movies online. We speak with the MPAA's antipiracy director John Malcolm, and with Jason Schultz of the EFF about the planned lawsuits — the first of which are expected to be filed next week. — Read the rest