31 Oct, 2006: Chinese Govt. tells IGF: “We do not have [Internet] restrictions at all” & IGF Questions Balance of IPR in Cyberspace
The inaugural meeting of the United Nations Internet Governance Forum (IGF) hosted lively discussion during today's "Openness" session, which focused on online freedom of expression, the free flow of information, and access to knowledge. During the session, a representative from the government of China had the audacity to tell a room of 800 IGF participants that China doesn't restrict access to websites. The audience hissed with disapproval upon hearing this massive bold-face lie and several people even shouted out "liar" in a number of languages. Read more and see video clips...

29 Oct, 2006: UN Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Opens in Athens: IP Justice Sponsors 3 Workshops on Internet Policy Issues
The inaugural meeting of the United Nations Internet Governance Forum (IGF) takes place in Athens, Greece from 30 October – 2 November 2006. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has convened the forum to build multi-stakeholder dialogue on Internet policy issues. Over 1500 participants from around the world are expected to attend the forum to identify emerging issues and make recommendations intended to foster the sustainability, robustness, security, stability and development of the Internet. In May 2006, Annan appointed IP Justice Executive Director Robin Gross to the IGF Advisory Group to help shape the policy dialogue. “The IGF was created out of recognition that the Internet has connected the world’s people together like never before, and we must work ...

23 Oct, 2006: DVD-Jon Liberates the iPod - Digital Music Wars Take New Direction - Unlocking the Devices
Jon Johansen has done it again! He has has figured out how to improve existing technology by reverse engineering it and building innovative new software that expands consumer choice -- this time for digital music. You may remember in 1999, when 15-year-old Jon Johansen posted DeCSS, a tool created to build a DVD player for the Linux operating system, and started a fire-storm of movie studio lawsuits under the brand new 1998 US Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and California trade secrets law. (Jon was also acquitted twice in Norway by the Norwegian Supreme Court). The DeCSS case was my first case as an attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), and we were all treading ...

21 Oct, 2006: ICANN’s “Data Valdez” - The Future of Whois Privacy Policy - Panel in New York City on 8 November
The controversy over ICANN's "Whois" personal data policy, which conflicts with a number of national and international privacy guarantees, is the topic of an upcoming panel discussion sponsored by the New York Internet Society. ICANN requires Internet domain name registrants to publish their personal information, like their home address and telephone number on the Internet in its "Whois" database. ICANN's policy has caused a lot of problems for people because spammers use the personal information, the data is used to engage in identity theft, to send bogus legal demands, and silence freedom of expression on the Internet.

18 Oct, 2006: New DRM.INFO Website to Educate on Dangers of Digital Restrictions Management (DRM)
Several public interest groups including international library groups, the Free Software Foundation Europe, the Consumer Project on Technology, iCommons and others have created a new website DRM.INFO to educate the public on the use of technological restrictions on digital media. There are a number of good articles and other resources there on the topic of "Digital Restrictions Management" so its worth a bookmark.

17 Oct, 2006: Robin’s Cyberlaw Remix: Blogging Cyberspace and Intellectual Property Legal Issues
News of an online petition to give Brazilian music lovers the right to copy their CDs onto their MP3 players sounds like an appropriate topic for kicking off this blog. Friends at the Brazilian law school Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) have begun a campaign to raise awareness of a new wave of law suits against Peer-2-Peer (P2P) file-sharers in Brazil. Also part of the campaign is the launching of an online petition to the Brazilian Congress requesting that Brazilians be restored the right to make personal use copies of their music. Check out Robin Gross's new blog...

17 Oct, 2006: Sign the Online Petition for Balanced Copyright Law in Brazil
FGV Law School - Center for Technology & Society (Brazil), IP Justice, Derechos Digitales (Chile), CPSR-Peru and others have launched an online petition for balanced copyright law in Brazil to permit personal use copying of music. Thanks to music-industry lobbying, it is illegal to copy your own music CDs onto your own iPod for your own personal use in Brazil. Sign the petition to stand-up for individual rights to use digital media!

17 Oct, 2006: WIPO Treaty Has Cloudy Future (TV Technology News)
TV Technology Magazine spoke with IP Justice, Public Knowledge, and Jim Burger, a DC lawyer representing tech companies, about the problems with the proposed WIPO Broadcast Treaty and its chances for failure in 2007

4 Oct, 2006: Broadcast Treaty Needs Sounding Out, Says WIPO — Tech companies breathe sigh of relief…for now
Out-Law.Com and Register UK Article on Broadcast Treaty Decision: "A diplomatic conference is now contingent upon member states reaching consensus where there are currently great differences such as the inclusion of anti-circumvention measures in the treaty and outlawing internet retransmissions of programs," said Robin Gross, executive director of IP Justice, a civil liberties IP law pressure group which addressed the General Assembly.

2 Oct, 2006: WIPO General Assembly Puts Brakes on Broadcast Treaty, Overrules Chairman
The 42nd General Assembly called for 2 additional meetings in 2007 to work out the many contentious provisions in the proposed Broadcast Treaty. ... the General Assembly decided “the Diplomatic Conference will be convened IF such agreement is achieved.” Read IP Justice's Report .....

2 Oct, 2006: WIPO General Assembly Decision on Broadcast Treaty
"The General Assembly approves the convening of the Diplomatic Conference on the Protection of the Rights of Broadcasting Organizations under the conditions set out in paragraph 4 below from November 19 to December 7, 2007, in Geneva. ...The scope of the treaty will be confined to the protection of broadcasting and cablecasting organizations in the traditional sense.... The Diplomatic Conference will be convened if such agreement is achieved. ..."