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International Law

Freedom to Differ

A blog that speaks freely about legal issues facing the media and the internet. It mainly covers issues relating to the legal regulation of the internet and the media, but at times Constitutional law issues and politics are discussed. While the focus is on Australia, developments in other nations around the world are considered as well.

Post Frequency: 25.4/day

Last Entry: April 01, 2011 at 09:11:39

A blogging break

Posted on February 22, 2008
With classes starting up again next week, I'm busy getting everything ready for the start of the new semester. As such, there may not be any blogging until Sunday or Monday.

Lessig08

Posted on February 20, 2008
Larry Lessig has posted a video to a new site Lessig08 - Change Congress to "explain the launch of two exploratory projects ? first, a Change Congress movement, and second, my own decision whether to run for Congress in the California 12th":

"Turns Out Social Networks Aren't Breeding Grounds For Sexual Predators"

Posted on February 20, 2008
From Techdirt: Over the past few years there has been a huge number of grandstanding politicians claiming that social networks like Facebook and MySpace were breeding grounds for online predators, who were trying to entice children. They've been pushing for new laws, basically so they can get into the papers...

Juicy Campus

Posted on February 20, 2008
Mashable discusses Juicy Campus: Is this cyber-bullying at its finest? JuicyCampus is an online network that lets students at various college campuses in the US say whatever they want, anonymously of course. Give a bunch of just-out-of-high-school kids an opportunity like this, and they?ll run with it...

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Yahoo filters (censors?) the Pirate Bay

Posted on February 20, 2008
Torrent Freak blogs about Yahoo's decision to exclude the Pirate Bay from their search results: Filtering or blocking the Pirate Bay is beginning to become a trend. Little over a week ago, a Danish court ordered the ISP ?Tele2? to block its customers access to The Pirate Bay...

The history of HD DVD and Blu-Ray

Posted on February 20, 2008
PC World charts the history of the format battle between HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc: The high-definition movie disc battle between HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc can be traced all the way back to 2000, when companies began experimenting with using new blue lasers in optical disc systems...

Presentation Zen

Posted on February 20, 2008
I was listening to the most recent This Week In Law podcast today and was intrigued by a discussion of a book titled Presentation Zen about PowerPoint technique. A quick Google search revealed that in addition to the book, there is a related blog that looks at issues related to...

The Nerd Handbook

Posted on February 20, 2008
If you don't understand nerds, the Nerd Handbook is for you. Read it here.

Are Americans hostile to knowledge?

Posted on February 18, 2008
In a piece for the New York Times, Patricia Cohen asks are Americans hostile to knowledge? A popular video on YouTube shows Kellie Pickler, the adorable platinum blonde from ?American Idol,? appearing on the Fox game show ?Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?? during celebrity week...

The wit of Hugh Atkin

Posted on February 18, 2008
I've blogged before about the recent Australian law grad, Hugh Atkin, whose YouTube's videos are proving a hit here and around the world (see here), and now he is the subject of a short profile in today's Sydney Morning Herald: IT TAKES a certain kind of wit to cut through...

Censoring social networks

Posted on February 18, 2008
The Internet & Democracy group based at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School asks who is afraid of the big, bad Facebook? Although Facebook is probably known more as a threat to productivity stateside, Sacred Facts?s post surveying its censorship in a number of Middle...

Three copyright strikes and you're out!

Posted on February 17, 2008
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the Rudd Government is considering introducing a three-strikes policy against computer users who download songs illegally: AS THE internet threatens to kill the established music industry, the Rudd Government is considering a three-strikes policy against computer users who download songs illegally...

Congratulations to Psiphon

Posted on February 16, 2008
The OpenNet Initiative Blog congratulates Psiphon: Psiphon, a tool developed at the Citizen Lab to help Internet users evade censorship, has won its latest in a string of awards and accolades, the Netxplorateur Grand Prix 2008. As Internet filtering grows around the world, so does commitment against it...

"If You Can?t Let Go, Twitter"

Posted on February 16, 2008
In the New York Times, Michelle Slatalla has an entertaining and interesting piece recounting a parent's experiences with Twitter. Read it here.

Is MySpace good for society?

Posted on February 16, 2008
A special Freakonomics Quorum asks is MySpace good for society? Two little words ? ?social networking? ? have become a giant buzzphrase over the past couple of years, what with the worldwide march of Facebook and headline-ready stories about Web-assisted suicides...

Will Larry Lessig run for Congress?

Posted on February 16, 2008
techPresident wonders if "Lessig for Congress" might not be as silly as it first seems: There's a playful drive afoot to draft law professor, free-culture guru, and PowerPoint maestro Larry Lessig to run in the April 8 special election for the open seat in California's 12th congressional district...

Hiding misconduct from YouTube

Posted on February 16, 2008
Techdirt is unimpressed by a proposed Utah law: It's really fairly amazing to see how people react when bad activities are brought to light. A few times now, we've seen stories of students who were able to film inappropriate activity from teachers or principals with their mobile phones...

"Is Selling A CD You Found In The Trash Copyright Infringement?"

Posted on February 16, 2008
From Techdirt: Various courts have held that by putting something in the trash, you are relinquishing your ownership of those goods. However, apparently that might not apply to music. William Patry has the story on an unfortunate decision by our court system, suggesting that if you find a CD in...

Use of MySpace may violate court order

Posted on February 16, 2008
A judge says use of MySpace may violate a restraining order: In one of the first rulings of its kind, a Staten Island judge has said that a teenage girl could be charged with violating a restraining order by using MySpace.com to reach out to people she was told not...

There Will Be Bell

Posted on February 16, 2008
The Daily Tube sets the scene for There Will Be Bell: Oscar favorite "There Will Be Blood" raises a host of questions about the ethics of oil. But long before P.T. Anderson ever got his hands on the script, the kids of Bayside High (from TV's "Saved by the Bell")...

Liking Barack Obama is "like liking an iPhone"

Posted on February 16, 2008
Slate's Dahlia Lithwick has written a very amusing letter breaking up with Barack Obama: Dear Barack: I know it's kind of lame to break up with you on Valentine's Day. And on the Internet to boot. But it's also kind of ironic. And that's what I need to tell you...

John McCain prank calls Hillary

Posted on February 16, 2008
A funny mashup from BarelyPolitical.com:

Microsoft to teach teenagers about IP

Posted on February 15, 2008
Information Week explains Microsoft's response to a recent study on teenagers attitudes to intellectual property: Teens appear to be willing to curtail illegal downloading when told they face fines or jail time. This finding, among many in a survey published by Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) on Wednesday, is the basis for...

Facebook defamation Down Under

Posted on February 15, 2008
Australian IT reports on what is apparently the first Australian case where Facebook has been met with threats to sue: A VICTORIAN man has published public apologies in two major papers after comments he made about a family through his Facebook page. The public notices have cost the man about...

"On the Internet there are a lot of nude pictures and sexy photos, but the police don?t bring charges"

Posted on February 15, 2008
A fascinating story from the New York Times on online free speech in Hong Kong: A series of arrests here for posting sexually explicit images of what appear to be some of Asia?s best-known pop stars has led to a division among Internet users over free speech, and questions of...

Are you wasting too much time online?

Posted on February 15, 2008
TechCrunch reviews a new application that will stop you from wasting too much time on the internet: New Y Combinator startup 8aweek aims to help you stop wasting all that time on random Internet sites. They offer a Firefox plugin that monitors the web sites you visit and how long...

Online dating horror stories

Posted on February 14, 2008
To mark Valentine's Day, PC World collects some online dating horror stories: Internet dating has become an extremely popular way to meet people, and has indeed brought a lot of lonely folks together. But not every date turns out like an eHarmony ad. So in observance of Valentine's Day, we...

Trademarking nakedness

Posted on February 14, 2008
The Wall Street Journal Law Blog reports on an unusual case: When the Law Blog strolls through Times Square and sees the so-called Naked Cowboy ? the guitar-strumming street-singer whose uniform is limited to cowboy boots, a hat, and a pair of briefs ? several questions occur to us: Doesn?t...

Now that the strike is over ...

Posted on February 14, 2008
Now that the strike is over and our favourite TV shows can go back into production, the Washington Post has put together a list of which shows are going have more new episodes for this season. Read the list here.

Steve Jobs ... the epitome of cool

Posted on February 14, 2008
Alexander Wolfe asks, what is that song in the new MacBook Air commercial? You can't teach cool. Fortunately for Apple, Steve Jobs needs no instruction, as he's proved once again with his company's new TV ad for the DVD-less notebook I've taken to calling the MacBook (Hot) Air...

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