Last week I only had two posts go live on Techdirt, so I decided to wait for this week to end before writing up my summary of posts. There were some pretty neat stories to share.
Red Cross Wants Real Life Laws Enforced Within Virtual Worlds
The Red Cross has decided that video games depicting war should have international laws governing wars such as the Geneva and Hague Conventions enforced within the game. They want game designers to voluntarily do this or it may consider the need to enforce it by government regulation. We all know how that turned out for violence in games.
Copyright Office Once Again Preparing To Throw Citizens A Fair Use Bone
The Copyright Office is accepting proposals for exemptions to the DMCA’s anti-circumvention language. The EFF wants to be able to jailbreak smartphones, tablets and game consoles. It plus Public Knowledge and the Association of Research Libraries want to be able to bypass the encryption on DVDs for a variety of reasons. Of course this whole process of begging for fair use rights every 3 years is absolutely ridiculous.
Humble Indie Bundle Well On Its Way To Break Sales Record
A new Humble Indie Bundle is upon us and is already raking in the money. It earned its first $500k in a little over 4 hours and its first million within 16. There are some great games there. Check it out now and buy some games.
CD Projekt Shakes Down Suspected File Sharers
CD Projekt has disappointed me by following in the footsteps of the entities such as the RIAA and Righthaven and has decided to send out shakedown letters to suspected file sharers. While trying to protect its copyrights is a noble goal, basing such a move on the flimsy evidence that is ip addresses is very frustrating.
Judge Says OtherOS Removal Was A Bad Business Decision But Not Illegal
The Judge overseeing the OtherOS class action suit against Sony has ruled that Sony did nothing illegal in removing the OtherOS feature. He then threw out the case. This is a relief for Sony but frustrating for those who would like to own their video game console outright.
Microsoft Reminds Everyone: You Do Not Own Your Software
Microsoft has decided that people who buy software through its new Windows 8 App Store are not really buying the software, merely licensing it. This is continuing a trend within the software industry that frustrates and harms buyers. Since we are only licensing the software, Microsoft can disable it on a whim and we have no recourse. Suck.
So that is it for the last two weeks. I hope you enjoy.
