[Ecommerce] CopyNight: Hot Topics for this Tuesday, October 25th

[Manon Ress]

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Dear colleagues,

http://copynight.org/locations.html#was

See you there

Manon




in Washington, DC

Fourth Tuesday of each month, 6:00 pm
RFD, 810 7th St NW (Metro: Gallery Place/Chinatown (green, yellow,
red)) (map)
Hosted by Trammell Hudson,
And other places:


From: CopyNight <info@copynight.org>
Date: October 23, 2005 10:26:04 PM EDT
To: manon.ress@cptech.org
Subject: CopyNight: Hot Topics for this Tuesday, October 25th
Reply-To: CopyNight <info@copynight.org>


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Dear CopyNight Patrons,

It's almost time for Halloween, which means that CopyNight is just
around the corner.  Join us this Tuesday, October 25, in cities
across North America to discuss technology and information policy in
a friendly, alcohol-appropriate setting.  We'd also like to welcome
the newest addition to the CopyNight family: Gainesville, Florida!
Check to see when and where your local CopyNight is being held, or
sign up to host one if there's nothing in your area:
   http://copynight.org/

Here are a few things that you might want to discuss at Tuesday's
CopyNight:

~ Business Patents are a Cereal Killer
A cereal restaurant chain is seeking a business method patent on
ideas as basic as mixing two cereals and adding milk. That's a direct
threat to existing cereal bars (no seriously, they exist) and a great
example of the ridiculousness of business method patents.
FreeCulture.org, a kick-ass student network, is organizing events
across the country and hosting a petition to bury this silly patent
application, and eliminate business method patents once and for all.
This will be one of the topics  at the newest addition to the
CopyNight family in Gainesville, Florida:
   http://freeculture.org/cereal/

~ IP and the Developing World
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) recently wrapped
up its annual meeting, and many copyfighter issues were on the
table.  One major outcome was that WIPO will continue mainstreaming
the Development Agenda -- a soul-searching process that will
determine whether the organization will continue to push for stronger
patent & copyright laws in the developing world, even when those
policies reduce the availability of medicine and education.  WIPO is
also considering an international treaty that would give broadcasters
a 50-year copyright in anything they transmit, adding another set of
barriers to public access.  I was in Geneva for those meetings, and
we'll be chatting about them at the Toronto CopyNight. Background on
WIPO available here:
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/004056.php

~ A Blizzard of Spyware
Blizzard, the game manufacturer behind World of Warcraft and a nasty
lawsuit against open source game developers, is no friend of free
culture.  But their latest move is creepy even for a company owned by
Vivendi Universal: all 4.5 million of their online-enabled games
install spyware that sniffs into *every* open process on a user's
machine.  They say it's to prevent in-game cheating, and in any case
that there's no legal problem because players agreed to the invasion
when they installed the game (I mean, you *did* read the click-
thru... right?).  Shouldn't there be limits on end-user license
agreements that shield companies who compromise your fair use and
privacy rights?  Background on the controversy here:
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/004076.php

As always, these are just suggestions.  Remember that your CopyNight
is what you make it - so sit back, relax, and enjoy the company!

Cheers,

Ren Bucholz
CopyNight Toronto
http://www.CopyNight.org


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************************************************
Manon Anne Ress
manon.ress@cptech.org,
www.cptech.org

Consumer Project on Technology
1621 Connecticut Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20009 USA
Tel.:  +1.202.332.2670, Ext 16 Fax: +1.202.332.2673

Consumer Project on Technology
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Tel: +41 22 791 6727

Consumer Project on Technology
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Tel: +44(0)207 226 6663 ex 252 Fax: +44(0)207 354 0607