Stanford Center for Internet and Society

How could I forget such cataclysmic news? My sincere apologies. The Yanks -- my beloved underdogs -- are back in first place. It'll be an interesting run to the end; but my fondest wish is that Boston invokes the beloved memory of Wes Gardner, my favorite ex-Bosox pitcher. More on my interest in his career at a later date.

Go Yanks!

A new report by the Pew Internet & American Life Project shows that the pace of the growth of broadband's usage slowed in the first six months of 2005, as compared to a similar period in 2004. This is not particularly alarming, but it does point to an issue that I intend to investigate during my fellowship -- the use of unlicensed spectrum in an effort to increase the use and penetration of such technology. Opening up more such spectrum -- like that of analog television -- would certainly help. Stay tuned: I hope to be a

I guess it should be no surprise, in the wake of the US Supreme Court's Grokster decision and its endorsement of an "inducement" theory of liability, that it is reported that some of the "underground" P2P operations, like WinMX.com and eDonkey.com, appear to be trimming back (eDonkey) or ceasing (WinMX) operations.

Let's assume that these entities were "inducing" copyright infringement. If so, then Grokster may have served a useful tangential purpose -- to eliminate entities that are truly seeking to violate basic copyright protections. But, what if they have been used for dual purposes -- legal and illegal -- without having "induced" such illegal behavior? Then their preemptive withdrawal from the market is an unfortunate loss and a very bad sign for the development of new technologies that have dual uses.

Before reading on (and thanks if you do -- you really, really care!), I should make two disclosures: first, as I mention in my bio, I am an active and ardent supporter of The Concord Coalition, founded by the late Senator Paul Tsongas and former Senator Warren Rudman in 1992 to focus the country on the dire need for deficit reduction. Second, the co-author of the article to which I refer is my sister. Like any older brother, I am honored to link to sis' articles in a continuing effort to annoy -- but I am proud of her. My sister will be pleased for me to state that the below is entirely my responsibility, so that she can get on with her life.

Simon Wiesenthal , the great Nazi hunter who helped capture Adolf Eichmann and many other former Nazis, has died at age 96 .

Wiesenthal's life and achievements cannot be adequately summarized here. Moreover, I am no fan of reinventing the wheel, so go here for his biography. The Simon Wiesenthal Center, founded by Wiesenthal in 1977, focuses not only on Nazi-hunting (a dying art, literally), but also on exposing hate groups and reminding the world of this awful chapter in human history in an effort to avoid similar recurrences, as much as is possible.

Its not too hard in the world of music and music piracy to say: "yes, stealing is bad." What is more difficult to say is: here is a solution to avert piracy while at the same time not averting the creation of new technology. And yet, it is fair to say that iTunes has found a route to those goals.

As of today -- where piracy is still a major force in the music market -- iTunes is a new success story for both the music industry and the tech field. So why tinker with one of the minority of successful ventures? Apparently for some of the leading music content providers, it is the old and very basic reason: we aren't making enough money.

A friend pointed out that New Orleans' legendary jazz music venue Preservation Hall is selling t-shirts that say "Do you know what it means . . .?" This phrase is taken from the famous Louis Armstrong song of the same (but longer) name.

According to the site, all of the proceeds will go to New Orleans' musicians -- musicians whom carry on a tradition in and genre of American music that is both unique and irreplaceable.

David Levine is a Residential Fellow at the Center for Internet and Society (CIS). Aside from the copyright and fair use areas for which CIS has become known, Dave's research interests include the operation of intellectual property law at the intersection of the technology field and public life, as well as the impact of copyright law in the arts. Additionally, Dave is examining the regulation of Internet gaming and the current state of employment discrimination law.

Dave's article, "Secrecy and Unaccountability: Trade Secrets in Our Public Infrastructure," will be published in Volume 59 of the Florida Law Review (January 2007), and a draft can be found here. Additionally, Dave has been published in the New York State Bar Association's Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Journal and the Holy Cross Journal of Law and Public Policy, and has been quoted in articles in the Los Angeles Times and Christian Science Monitor. Dave also hosts a talk show on KZSU-FM (Stanford), 90.1 on the dial, entitled "Hearsay Culture" where he interviews people involved with technology. The show airs from 5 to 6 PM PST on Wednesdays, and is available by live stream here and by iTunes podcast here.

Thanks everyone! I'm new to the area (for clarity, "the area" is the immediate surroundings to Stanford), and love it so far. Alas, the one major drawback -- other than a lack of Gray's Papaya and the Village Vanguard -- are the legendary earthquakes.

Therefore, thanks to my favorite news/political periodical -- The New Republic -- for its dire warning to me and my new neighbors. See "After Shock" by Douglas McGray (subscription may be necessary). Let's hope and pray that his excellent article gets read and acted upon in time.