Tag Archives: law

Quiet No Longer: Law Librarians ‘Forgo the Status Quo’ | Law.com #librarianship #law #research #librarians

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The American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) recently concluded its 110th Annual Meeting and Conference. From the outset, it was abundantly clear that the organization’s members, consisting primarily of legal sector library, research, and knowledge services professionals, are more than ready to make themselves heard. Outside in their communities, within the legal services sector, and inside their own organizations, they are making a difference in a multitude of ways.

READ MORE: Quiet No Longer: Law Librarians ‘Forgo the Status Quo’ | Law.com

Supreme Court Printer Cartridge Case Could Be the Citizens United of Products | Gizmodo #copyright #DRM #law #patents #intellectualproperty #consumers

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Verdict will have significant reverberations for copyright, DRM and innovation.

No further progress on this case is expected until at least June, but if a boring story about printer cartridges pops up you might want to pay attention. It could be a decision that leads to a virtual DRM on everything. READ : Supreme Court Printer Cartridge Case Could Be the Citizens United of Products | Gizmodo

Burger King Challenges Book of Kells’ Global Trademark | IrishCentral.com #books #law #branding #copyright

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The Book of Kells is officially registered as a global trademark owned by Trinity College Dublin, despite complaints made by worldwide fast-food chain Burger King that the new trademark infringed on their own trademark in the US. READ MORE: Burger King challenges the Book of Kells’ global trademark – IrishCentral.com

#Law #Librarians May Have Killed World’s Biggest #Copyright Troll | Above the Law #books #lawlib #copyrighttroll

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I love this story! Librarians are definitely superheros. The outcome of the trial will certainly be interesting. 

We here at Above the Law appreciate law librarians. Staci attended the AALL’s recent conference and it was the law librarian community that kickstarted the Twitter phenomenon #lawlibpickuplines. But for all their invaluable support, it’s rare that law librarians get to play the hero in a litigation. If anyone out there harbored lingering doubts over the importance of a top-notch law librarian, know that the most abusive copyright troll on the planet may have just gone down due to the diligent work of a law librarian. Not bad for a day’s work. READ MORE: Law Librarians May Have Killed World’s Biggest Copyright Troll | Above the Law.

Related: The Great Canadian Copyright Giveaway: Why Copyright Term Extension for Sound Recordings Could Cost Consumers Millions | Michael Geist #copyright

John Oliver’s 16 Minute #OnlineHarassment Rant | Last Week Tonight #satire #misogyny

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B.C. Court of Appeal Upholds Global Deletion Order Against @Google | Michael Geist #search

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The B.C. Court of Appeal has released its decision in Equustek Solutions Inc. v. Jack, a closely watched case involving a court order requiring Google to remove websites from its global index. As I noted in a post on the lower court decision, rather than ordering the company to remove certain links from the search results available through Google.ca, the order intentionally targets the entire database, requiring the company to ensure that no one, anywhere in the world, can see the search results.

READ MORE: B.C. Court of Appeal Upholds Global Deletion Order Against Google | Michael Geist

The Great Canadian Copyright Giveaway: Why Copyright Term Extension for Sound Recordings Could Cost Consumers Millions | Michael Geist #copyright

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Despite no study, no public demands, and the potential cost to the public of millions of dollars, the government announced that it will extend the term of copyright for sound recordings and performances from 50 to 70 years…

…Canada will extend term without any public discussion or consultation, yet other studies have found that retroactive extension does not lead to increased creation and that the optimal term length should enable performers and record labels to recoup their investment, not extend into near-unlimited terms to the detriment of the public. For Canadian consumers, the extension could cost millions of dollars as works that were scheduled to come into the public domain will now remain locked down for decades.

READ MORE: The Great Canadian Copyright Giveaway: Why Copyright Term Extension for Sound Recordings Could Cost Consumers Millions | Michael Geist.

E-Book Legal Restrictions Are Screwing Over Blind People | WIRED

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Snip

…For the nearly 8 million people in the US with some degree of vision impairment, the advent of ebooks and e-readers has been both a blessing and a burden. A blessing, because a digital library—everything from academic textbooks, to venerated classics, to romance novels—is never further away than your fingertips. A burden, because the explosion of ebooks has served as a reminder of how inaccessible technology really can be…

READ MORE: E-Book Legal Restrictions Are Screwing Over Blind People | WIRED

Digital Publisher Ellora’s Cave sues Dear Author Blog for Reporting on its Financial Troubles | Gigaom

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MUST READ if you are a librarian…blogger, author, book reviewer, in publishing or editing…love books…Digital publisher Ellora’s Cave sues Dear Author blog for reporting on its financial troubles | Gigaom. This makes me sick to my stomach. I feel for all the authors contracted to the company and unable to reverse their rights. The outcome of the lawsuit is extremely important. The fact the lawsuit was filed in the first place is having a huge impact on the blogging and book reviewing community.

How to attack a woman who works in video gaming | theguardian.com

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A culture of hate and suspicion has descended on the games industry, and at the centre of the vortex is a familiar foe: women. Ask Anita Sarkeesian and Zoe Quinn.

READ MORE: How to attack a woman who works in video gaming | Technology | theguardian.com.

Scary. As librarians we have a responsibility to uphold the right to intellectual freedom. For situations such as this, there has to be checks and balances that hold criminal behaviour, such as harassment and death threats, accountable. Brings up all sorts of questions about social media and freedom of speech, anonymity, censorship, privacy and trolling.