Campaigning to mobilize musicians for net neutrality, the Future of Music Coalition (FMC) Tues. announced a Rock The Net campaign and website, FutureOfMusic.org/RockTheNet. Rock The Net -- endorsed by House Telecom & Internet Subcommittee Chmn. Markey (D-Mass.), 26 bands and others -- maintains that indie musicians will suffer unless Congress stops AT&T, Verizon and other ISPs from charging websites for extra bandwidth. The campaign is “big, powerful and going to rock,” Markey said.
Campaigning to mobilize musicians for net neutrality, the Future of Music Coalition (FMC) Tues. announced a Rock The Net campaign and website, FutureOfMusic.org/RockTheNet. Rock The Net -- endorsed by House Telecom & Internet Subcommittee Chmn. Markey (D-Mass.), 26 bands and others -- maintains that indie musicians will suffer unless Congress stops AT&T, Verizon and other ISPs from charging websites for extra bandwidth. The campaign is “big, powerful and going to rock,” Markey said.
Disputes are raging over the size - and even the existence - of a market for “clickstream” data on ISP users. At the Open Data 2007 conference in N.Y.C., Compete CEO David Cancel said national ISPs sell his company’s and competitors’ individualized “clickstream” data detailing customers’ website visits and have been doing so for years. After a post by blogger Henry Blodget on Cancel’s comments, discussion erupted about the practice, which some call illegal.
As parental oversight of kids’ Internet use has become a legislative issue, companies have stepped in to offer products and services that target parents, but in practice are used by others, sometimes illegally, industry and govt. officials told Washington Internet Daily. Generally developers are immune to liability for users’ violations of terms. But some software functions may border on unfair business practices, especially given FTC and state consumer protection authorities’ pursuit of Sony BMG for its CDs’ “rootkit” behavior.
It’s up to households and other “microcommunities” to control the Internet content that kids have access to, American panelists said at a Kaiser Family Foundation roundtable yesterday (Tues.). But a British panelist from Orange UK disagreed, saying that it’s up to ISPs to shut down obscene content at the source.
YouTube and other video websites are in multiple deals to bring new content online. Meanwhile, MySpace licensed content protection company Audible Magic to provide a filter that will keep users from uploading that content to their MySpace pages.
Sony BMG will allow consumers to exchange CDs containing concealed content-protection software purchased before Dec. 31, 2006, for non-content-protected versions and reimburse up to $150 to repair damages resulting directly from attempts to remove the software, according to a settlement with the FTC announced Tues. The FTC voted 5-0 to accept the proposed consent agreement. It will be subject to public comment through March 1, after which the FTC will decide whether to make it final.
Sony BMG will allow consumers to exchange CDs containing concealed content-protection software purchased before Dec. 31, 2006, for non-content-protected versions and reimburse up to $150 to repair damages resulting directly from attempts to remove the software, according to a settlement with the FTC announced Tues. The FTC voted 5-0 to accept the proposed consent agreement. It will be subject to public comment through March 1, after which the FTC will decide whether to make it final.
In a move that could cripple legal blogging and reduce consumer convenience, N.Y. Mon. amended rules on lawyers’ ads. Curbs taking effect Feb. 1 limit attorneys’ ability to solicit potential clients and use marketing that may deceive. Several N.Y. law blogs slammed the changes as unfair, although the N.Y. Appellate Div. presiding justices formally reworked the rules after receiving complaints about proposed restrictions from lawyers and the FTC.