Colette Vogele's blog

The Music in Podcasts panel (background of speakers) at the Portabale Media Expo covered the gamut of issues faced by music podcasters. The panel discussed mechanical and compulsory licenses (don't expect either of these anytime soon), whether podcasting will kill radio (some say yes, some say no, and some say maybe), how the major record labels will/are responding (not well), and copyright's fair use in podcasts (it's very risky and costs of defending the case will have an number "with a lot of 0s after it"). Read more about Bottom Line: Just Use Podsafe Music

Justice Department has proposed new legislation that imposes new penalties for copyright infringement. CNET has the story and includes a link to a pdf download of the proposal. I haven't yet read the entire proposal, but the summary from CNET worries me. In particular, I'm curious about the addition of criminalizing "attempted" copyright infringement. I also have to agree (not surprisingly) with Public Knowledge's statement that "it wished the department 'had devoted some analysis as well to protecting the fair use rights of consumers.'" Read more about Justice dept proposal

I have just arrived at the Portable Media Expo and there is a great sense of energy here. This is only my second "techy" (non-law) conference (here are my thoughts from my first) so I'm feeling very newbie-ish. I had the good fortune, however, to run into an old friend, Matt Brand, on the flight down which makes me feel welcome in these sorts of environs. Read more about Portable Media Expo

The Stanford Daily reports on copyright/fair use questions surrounding Google's Library Project. Read more about

I discovered a new feature on iTunes today and I'm psyched about it Apparently, you can download lectures, music, sports programs, etc. performed at Stanford University through your iTunes software. Check it out here. You can download continuing ed. lectures for free and listen to them whenever you feel like it. I don't think this is traditional podcasting, since you have to go to iTunes to listen to it (you go to the iTunes store to download the lectures), but it is a handy way to get your hands on a recent lecture. Read more about Free Stanford lectures on iTunes

I attended an interesting program at Stanford's Aurora Forum last week. It featured Sister Helen Prejean, the Catholic nun most known for authoring the book Dead Man Walking, and Lawrence Marshall, law professor at Stanford and director of the Stanford Legal Clinics. They were discussing the death penalty in the US. Read more about And now for something different... an inspiring Catholic nun

Here's the link to Yahoo!'s new podcasting search engine. It's in beta stages at this time. You can search for either "series" or "episodes" (or both) containing your search terms. I ran a few searches and my results were mixed. When I just plugged in a broad term -- San Diego -- I got 27 series and 329 episodes! These search results show just how broad the podcasting community is. I received hits on podcasts ranging from religious "words of encouragement" to San Diego weather, to sports, to travel and the like. Read more about Yahoo! Podcasting Search Engine

Things have been extremely busy in starting up my new firm. Never fear. I'm back with a lot of things to say.

So, first up, I've been asked to sit on a panel about podcasting at the Portable Media Expo which will be taking place November 11 and 12. This fits in nicely with my plans to complete the podcasting guide in early November.

The panel discussion is on Nov. 12 at 3:15 is described by the organizers as follows:

Thicket In Your Ear: Podcasting And The Law

The FOM Policy Summit held earlier this month sounds like it was a an excellent event. But don't take my word for it... you can listen to many of the sessions yourself through webcasts and podcasts made available at this link. Read more about Future of Music

I just learned from Public Knowledge that Google has temporarily suspended its Library Project. (See also the same article at WiredNews.) Read more about Google

Are clothing retailers embracing remixing of album covers as a new trend in advertising? I've learend of two incidents where popular album covers have been essentially copied for advertisements by Nike and by Abercrombie & Fitch. Read more about Album cover remixing by clothing retailers

I had a great day yesterday at a retreat which brought together many of the other CIS fellows and leadership. We connected about projects that are underway and, despite the chilly summer weather, got to enjoy an afternoon being connected. As noted earlier on this blog, I'm working to put together a legal guide to podcasting and had a chance to bounce that idea off the other fellows. Read more about Podcasting, podcasting, podcasting

My brother sent me this funny video of my 4-year old nephew, Anders, playing in the Seattle summer weather. I love that it's so easy to send digital images and films. (This actually marks the first time we've exchanged family film by email). Since I live so far away from them, it's so great to be able to stay connected this way. Read more about Seattle Sun

I reported earlier that KCRW had started podcasting some of its non-music programs. Recently, it announced that it would begin podcasting "some of the live sessions performed by unsigned and independent artists on Morning Becomes Eclectic." This is cool. Read more about KCRW adds music podcasts

I took a recent vacation camping at Sequoia National Park. I'm a big believer in taking breaks now and again to refresh and reconnect with the world outside of work/law/etc. That's just what I got to do on my trip, although I had a bit of a stomach bug that I was fighting throughout... Anyway, the scenery was amazing, and I don't believe I've ever seen trees as big as those giant sequoias. I'll share a few photos in this entry: Read more about Vacation