Stanford Center for Internet and Society

Microsoft has recently blogged the details of its “InPrivate” browsing and blocking feature for IE8. InPrivate is a bona fide privacy-enhancing technology; Microsoft should be commended for taking this step. As anyone familiar with the space should realize, InPrivate also fits within and informs the complex history of the online advertising industry.

I guess the "Good Brooks" showed up to work today:
 

The Second Circuit decided The Cartoon Network v. CSC Holdings & Cablevision already two and a half weeks ago. This means light years in terms of blogging, but due to its importance I've decided to take the liberty and offer a late (and somewhat elaborate) entry discussing this ruling and some of its implications. The Cartoon Network is a very significant decision and I will not be surprised to see it surfacing in many future decisions and law review articles to come. Its central import is in pinching a big hole in the balloon often referred to as the “MAI v. Peak and its progeny.” I believe that the decision will have far-reaching ramifications on the development of temporary reproduction law in the future.

Yesterday evening I had the pleasure of attending a Women in Consulting dinner meeting, and then speak on a panel called "Blogging Your Business to Another Level".

CIS Faculty co-directors Larry Lessig and Barbara van Schewick (with Yale's Jack Balkin) separately sent letters to the FCC to commend the Commissioners on the Comcast ruling released today.

Both praised the order as furthering the FCC's policy that the Internet should function as an open platform for innovation.

I've been attending the 4th New Media Expo. This year the conference has moved to Las Vegas, which is a fun upgrade from past years. I've had a blast meeting up with friends from the past year and industry, and see how many of the businesses are growing in this still somewhat nascent field.

As reported by Lessig and others, the Federal Circuit vacated and remanded yesterday a ruling by the Northern District of California which denied the copyright claims of an open source software developer for violations of the Artistic License. This is a landmark decision which is likely to influence all types of free licensing, including Creative Commons licenses and the question of enforceability of copyright claims upon violation of free licenses in general. Here are four quick points on the decision:

A quick look at the winners from drilling in pristine areas.