The latest twist in the SCO UNIX case is an allegation (reported in an article from eWeek and made by a source "close to SCO") that SCO used Linux code in its "Linux Kernel Personality" feature without complying with the GPL, the license under which the software was developed). The …

Linux Journal has an article this week on pending open source legislation and the groups lobbying against it. Nobody will be surprised at the finger pointing against Microsoft, but it is good to know which organizations are funded by the company (such as the Initiative for Software Choice), which wants …

An article from CNet reports that Representative Lamar Smith (R,TX), made a speech June 10th explicitly warning the FCC that future regulations for HDTV should "have an adverse affect on how consumers may legitimately use lawfully acquired entertainment products." This is in marked contrast to Senator Hollings (D,SC …

I was reading an article this morning from CNET, when it dawned on me that the rationale and complaints in most of the article could have been for a half dozen other issues, and didn't need to be discussing the legislature's newly passed bill against Internet gambling. The "Unlawful Internet …

Thanks to Amanda, here is a really nice page describing the basis of patents and the real meaning of "ordinary skill in the art." The article goes over a patent on a solution to triangular matrices and one of the compression-related patents (leading to the Stacker case). In the end …

CNET is carrying an interview with Lawrence Lessig (noted copyright and internet privacy expert from Stanford University). The interview was brought on by the petition started earlier this week (and featured here on Tuesday) which Lessig has backed. The interview contains some nice quotes, including "Before the Internet, long copyright …

Local non-profit radio stations at colleges and the like are breathing a sigh of relief if they either have or want to provide web simulcast. According to an article from Wired, the RIAA reached an agreement with the stations this weekend that will allow them to broadcast an average of …

Marking a sad day, Verizon will hand over the names requested by RIAA members according to an article from CNET. Although Verizon will continue the fight in court over the legality of the subpoena, which through the DMCA was not required to go through a court, the DC appeals court …

According to this article on CNET, Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) is planning to introduce a bill to the US Senate that will put the control of Digital Rights Management (DRM) systems under the control of the FTC. The draft of the bill reviewed by CNET also contains provisions that limit …

It's probably not a shock to anyone, but the Department of Defense is funding a program to build Distributed Intelligent Video Arrays (DIVAs) to watch people and alert the authorities if they think that something is amiss. The article from Wired continues on to describe the background of the Computer …

The RIAA is at it again. This time, they're suing Streamcast (yes, I know, they just lost a separate case against Streamcast) over a service that Streamcast never brought to market. According to an article in Wired, the RIAA is suing because Streamcast (in preparation for launching a radio service …

An article in the Washington Post describes three teenage girls in Maryland that help the FBI act like teenage girls online. They consult on everything from current hot celeb's to typing styles and language use.

The FCC has announced that they are moving up registration for the national do-not-call list to July. This is good news for those of us who get too many calls from telephone solicitors.

According to an article on Wired, Oregon is looking to replace the fuel tax with a tax based on the actual mileage driven by users. I'm sure that the SUV lobby likes this idea, but privacy advocates are up in arms. The process involves using a GPS device in each …

Cybercast News Service reports that Barbara Streisand sued an environmental web site (California Coastal Records Project) for violating her privacy by taking a high-resolution (6Megapixel) photograph of her home on the coast from a helicopter. She wants $50M for this. I'm pretty darn sure I couldn't get $50M for somebody …

The only surprise is that it took so long to happen. The San Jose Mercury News reports that TiVo (maker of the popular video recorder product, and really the only one left in that space, with Microsoft pulling UltimateTV and ReplayTV in bankruptcy) is preparing to sell aggregated customer information …

Everything old is new again. This article on Music Piracy from MP3 Newswire and this article (The Ediston Movie Monopoly) from Hollywood Renegades Archive both talk about Thomas Edison and attempts to tie up intellectual property for music reproduction and films respectively.

BBC News reports that the successful test of the license plate cameras in London has resulted in an expansion of the program throughout the UK. The program started as a way to enforce the new London motor vehicle tax, but was apparently also used by authorities to track stolen vehicles …

An article from CNET today reports that an online retailer who is dedicated to selling out of date sewing patterns has been taken off of the net by his Hosting Provider (Digital River) due to complaints by pattern manufacturers Simplicity and McCall Patterns. Their claim is that he didn't buy …

If you have any interest in the technical side of internet security, read this article on SlashDot. It's a set of Q&A with Fyodor (author of NMAP).