Comments on: Stop Congress From Breaking Higher Education Networks http://wendy.seltzer.org/blog/archives/2007/11/13/new-bill-would-break-higher-education-networks.html Musings of a techie lawyer Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:57:35 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7-bleeding By: some guy http://wendy.seltzer.org/blog/archives/2007/11/13/new-bill-would-break-higher-education-networks.html#comment-2555 some guy Mon, 03 Dec 2007 15:22:25 +0000 http://wendy.seltzer.org/blog/archives/2007/11/13/new-bill-would-break-higher-education-networks.html#comment-2555 Here's my plan (Public domain - anyone can use): Part I 1) Create a website on the University space that has links (or, what the hell, torrents) to some nice Public Domain music, movies and photos (beyond the Sonny Bono copyright act; circa 1910s or so) 2) Take out a 2-line classified in the university newspaper publicizing the new "alternative" to illegal downloading. -------------- Part II 1) Spend 5 minutes "researching technology-based deterrents": reading 2600, Wired, and probably US News and World Report. Maybe. DONE. Here’s my plan (Public domain - anyone can use):

Part I
1) Create a website on the University space that has links (or, what the hell, torrents) to some nice Public Domain music, movies and photos (beyond the Sonny Bono copyright act; circa 1910s or so)
2) Take out a 2-line classified in the university newspaper publicizing the new “alternative” to illegal downloading.

————–
Part II
1) Spend 5 minutes “researching technology-based deterrents”: reading 2600, Wired, and probably US News and World Report. Maybe.

DONE.

]]> By: Mathieu Desruisseaux http://wendy.seltzer.org/blog/archives/2007/11/13/new-bill-would-break-higher-education-networks.html#comment-2338 Mathieu Desruisseaux Sat, 17 Nov 2007 02:14:46 +0000 http://wendy.seltzer.org/blog/archives/2007/11/13/new-bill-would-break-higher-education-networks.html#comment-2338 An actual solution would be that rolled out by Noank Media in China last month: have universities pay a fixed monthly fee per student for unlimited legal media downloads, and reward copyright holders according to the number of times their work is played. Noank licenses educational content and incorporates CC works to its library, and while I don't think it accounts for fair use, it could determine things like which fraction of a work must be played for its author to be compensated. Of course such an alternative licensing and distribution system doesn't compensate owners of works it doesn't license, but once sizable it can change student habits and encourage all owners to license their work through it. This is where the alternative lies - not in a costly technical war but in new set of incentives. An actual solution would be that rolled out by Noank Media in China last month: have universities pay a fixed monthly fee per student for unlimited legal media downloads, and reward copyright holders according to the number of times their work is played. Noank licenses educational content and incorporates CC works to its library, and while I don’t think it accounts for fair use, it could determine things like which fraction of a work must be played for its author to be compensated.

Of course such an alternative licensing and distribution system doesn’t compensate owners of works it doesn’t license, but once sizable it can change student habits and encourage all owners to license their work through it. This is where the alternative lies - not in a costly technical war but in new set of incentives.

]]> By: Ian Brown http://wendy.seltzer.org/blog/archives/2007/11/13/new-bill-would-break-higher-education-networks.html#comment-2301 Ian Brown Wed, 14 Nov 2007 23:25:12 +0000 http://wendy.seltzer.org/blog/archives/2007/11/13/new-bill-would-break-higher-education-networks.html#comment-2301 It would be incredibly resource-intensive for universities to try to screen all packets for evidence of encrypted data. They might try to block traffic on ports usually used for eg HTTPS but that will just lead applications to jump to non-standard ports... Regardless, this harebrained screen is also being <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7059881.stm" rel="nofollow">promoted</a> in the UK by the recording industries and the responsible minister, Lord Treisman. We need a Drahos & Braithwaite Information Feudalism-style investigation of who exactly is pushing this "solution" across the US, UK and doubtless elsewhere. It would be incredibly resource-intensive for universities to try to screen all packets for evidence of encrypted data. They might try to block traffic on ports usually used for eg HTTPS but that will just lead applications to jump to non-standard ports…

Regardless, this harebrained screen is also being promoted in the UK by the recording industries and the responsible minister, Lord Treisman. We need a Drahos & Braithwaite Information Feudalism-style investigation of who exactly is pushing this “solution” across the US, UK and doubtless elsewhere.

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