In ruling that the Bells don't have to offer their lines to competitors at regulated rates, the FCC has essentially given the high-speed bandwidth business to the phone company.

SBC is claiming a patent on html frames or any other web interfaces that lets you keep a nav bar or some other content static while content in other windows changes. How's that for broad? MuseumTour.com was contacted by SBC lawyers demanding that a licensing fee be paid. ARGGGH!

A federal judge ordered Verizon to disclose to the RIAA the identity of a KaZaa users accused of serving up a shocking 600 music files. Courtesy of the DMCA.

Today's SF Chronicle: "Early next month, a villager in the mountainous jungles of northern Laos will climb onto a stationary bicycle hooked to a handmade, wireless computer and pedal his people into the digital age. ..."

The Supreme Court upheld the law, 7-2. Ouch.

The Post reports today that two major tech industry associations are ready to enter an alliance with the recording industry to oppose the infamous Hollings bill.

In the Norway's prosection of DeCSS developer Jon Johansen, the court found him innocent on all counts.

I've started a blog to capture developments related to DMCA, copyright, patents/open source, etc. I call it public.net because it's about the Net as a public resource. Input, etc: rkoman@attbi.com.

Today, I got a press release from FatWallet's lawyers, announcing that Wal-Mart has dropped the demand for a name, and that FatWallet was asking for damages for Wal-Mart's knowingly false invocation of DMCA.

If you accept Jack Valenti's arguments, you believe that no creative work will ever be produced in this country unless copyright protection is a couple of generations long. But not even Jack would argue that a bunch of post-turkey sale information constitutes "creative expression."