Archive for the 'Computer Law' Category

Pirate Bay: MPAA’s $15.4 million damage claim a fabrication

Posted by Mark Levitt in Computer Law, Copyright at May 9th, 2008

(Via Ars Technica.)

The MPAA has asked a Swedish court for $15.4 million in damages from The Pirate Bay. Peter Sunde, the torrent tracker’s fearless captain, says that the claims are bogus.

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Lords attempt to criminalise data loss

Posted by Glyn in Computer Law, Data Protection at April 28th, 2008

(via OUT-LAW.COM)

The Lords passed an amendment to the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill, defeating the Government. It still needs to be approved by MPs in the House of Commons

The amendment would make it a criminal offence to “intentionally or recklessly disclose information contained in personal data to another person, repeatedly and negligently allow information to be contained in personal data to be disclosed, or intentionally or recklessly fail to comply with [their] duties”.

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Media lobbying ‘watered down’ data-misuse laws

Posted by Glyn in Computer Law, Data Protection, Privacy at April 23rd, 2008

(Via ZDNet) Matt Loney writes

It will take another data scandal before tougher sentences are imposed for data misuse, according to the information commissioner.

“I called on the government some time ago to increase the penalty to a prison sentence. The government did listen and agreed to increase the penalty to a prison sentence in the Criminal Justice [and Immigration] Bill, but a last-minute, very intensive lobbying campaign… meant it got watered down. The result is that the prison sentence remains but will not be implemented straight away, which means we will need another scandal before it is implemented.”

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EU states agree that inciting terrorism on the Internet is a crime

Posted by Mark Levitt in Computer Law at April 19th, 2008

(Via Ars Technica.)

It’s official: ‘public provocation to commit a terrorist offense’ will be a crime in the EU, and that includes ‘terrorist propaganda’ distributed via the Internet. Enforcement will be another matter.

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Is the RIAA’s Investigator Ignoring Court Orders?

Posted by Mark Levitt in Computer Law at April 11th, 2008

File sharing lawsuits brought by the RIAA are usually based on evidence gathered by MediaSentry.

Ars Technica writes:

Is MediaSentry violating a cease-and-desist order prohibiting it from conducting private investigations in the state of Massachusetts? That’s what it looks like at first glance. On January 2, 2008, the Massachusetts State Police Certification Unit sent a letter to MediaSentry’s corporate parent SafeNet informing the company that an investigation revealed that it is “advertising and operating a Private Detective company” and that review of state records indicates that the company is “not licensed to conduct investigations” in the state.

Read more at arstechnica.com