Internet attorney blog discussing cyber law
With big players like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon pushing the issue, the FTC will revisit the issue of net neutrality versus tiered pricing.
The heavy lobbying and campaign contributions are designed to tilt the playing field further to the advantage of the big online companies at the expense of small business and individual consumers.
Watch this issue closely as it will affect your pocketbook.
Hat tip to Technocrat.
Does Google’s New Toy Really Expect Anyone To Believe This?
“We take copyright issues very seriously.”
- YouTube spokesman.
No. Just taking Viacom’s demand that 100,000 video clips be removed for infringement very seriously. Viacom has the deep pockets to take on Google in court.
If you find your copyrighted work on YouTube, use the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) to your advantage. The same Act that protects big recording and movie companies can be used as a potent weapon in your legal arsenal when dealing with someone stealing your work.
And for an amusing twist on using the DMCA, check out this story on the inventor of the “electric slide” dance move who is demanding that videos showing the move be taken down from websites. You can bet that RIAA and MPAA didn’t have this in mind when they paid off Congress to pass the law.
Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, Amazon, et al. still wage their “net neutrality” campaigns.
Level the playing field with equal access to prevent multi-tiered Internet…or just a means to preserve the market share of the big boys at the expense of small businesses?
Regardless of the position one takes on net neutrality, having elected representatives with a collective room temperature IQ attempt to legislate anything to do with the Internet is a scary proposition.
On the federal level, Senator Ron Wyden and Congressman Ed Markey are pushing the latest legislation. From what I understand, lobbying efforts are underway to pass state net neutrality laws in places like Michigan. The apparent goal is to get a bunch of conflicting state laws that “requires” Congress to intervene and pass some monstrosity on the federal level.