Monthly Archives: May 2005

And a HUGE victory for the Stanford CIS

So it’s Saturday morning here in Australia, and I’m reading my email in reverse order. First the fantastic news about PublicKnowledge. Now this: The Stanford Center for Internet and Society has won an important case about anonymous speech. An anonymous participant in an online chat posted comments critical of Ampex and its chairman. They sued for defamation. The poster sued under the California anti-SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation) statute. Ampex tried to dismiss and run away. The Court of Appeals ruled at first that there remeained anti-SLAPP jurisdiction. The District Court then refused to award fees. The Court of Appeals has now reversed the District Court and ordered fees. The case was argued by a law student. It will have an important effect in stopping the abuse of process against online critics. Continue reading

Posted in good law | 5 Comments

A big slapdown for the FCC (and maybe another coming?)

The American Library Association, with the help of PublicKnowledge, has won its case challenging the FCC’s Broadcast Flag regulation. The opinion is here and fantastic.
PK had to pay for the lawyers to litigate this case. This is a big victory. Supporters should consider returning the favor with some support. Continue reading

Posted in good law | 7 Comments

Advice taken

We read; we’ve discussed; we’ve lost sleep; we’ve decided…. Continue reading

Posted in creative commons | 37 Comments

Bzzzz: seeking advice

Creative Commons recently launched a relationship with BzzAgent. The blogs were not amused. See Corante, Corante_II , Corante III, Just a Gwai Lo. BzzAgents has now responded poorly, calling Corante “liars.” As I’m partial to Corante, I’d be willing to ask CC to pull the relationship on the basis of that bad judgment alone. But I’d be really keen for some feedback.
Here are the facts to keep in mind:
(1) This “partnership” (like all our partnerships) is pro bono: CC doesn’t get or give money in these commercial contexts.
(2) The aim of the partnership is to extend our work offline. The vast majority of BzzAgent action occurs offline.
Thanks for the help. Continue reading

Posted in creative commons | 140 Comments