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For Immediate Release:  July 2, 2010 Public Knowledge President and Co-Founder Gigi B. Sohn announced that Kathryn Tasker joined the organization as web content and new media associate.Tasker is a 2010  honors graduate of New York University in May with a B.S. degree in Media, Culture and Communication.  She was an intern with Public Knowledge from June to August 2009.Sohn said:  “We’re pleased to welcome Katy back to Public Knowledge.  Her enthusiasm and talent will be of great help in enhancing the Public Knowledge presence online and in social media.”

For Immediate Release:  July 2, 2010 Public Knowledge President and Co-Founder Gigi B. Sohn announced that Kathryn Tasker joined the organization as web content and new media associate.Tasker is a 2010  honors graduate of New York University in May with a B.S. degree in Media, Culture and Communication.  She was an intern with Public Knowledge from June to August 2009.Sohn said:  “We’re pleased to welcome Katy back to Public Knowledge.  Her enthusiasm and talent will be of great help in enhancing the Public Knowledge presence online and in social media.”

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• 5 Minutes with Harold Feld

Click thumbnail above for video Public Knowledge’s Legal Director Harold Feld explains what “Special Access” is, why you should think of wholesale Internet access costs like barrel of oil costs, and why the FCC should be assessing whether the market is competitive.

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• 5 Minutes with Harold Feld

Click thumbnail above for video Public Knowledge’s Legal Director Harold Feld explains what “Special Access” is, why you should think of wholesale Internet access costs like barrel of oil costs, and why the FCC should be assessing whether the market is competitive.

The New York Times editorial page put its formidable magnifying glass up to some fabulous work done by the Sunlight Foundation in the ferocious industry lobbying over telecommunications policy.read more

The New York Times editorial page put its formidable magnifying glass up to some fabulous work done by the Sunlight Foundation in the ferocious industry lobbying over telecommunications policy.read more

Last week, the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR)—part of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a United Nations body, failed to make any progress toward increasing access to copyrighted works by the reading disabled. Though this is bad news, the issue is not over. There’s no reason why laws should prevent people who aren’t being served by the market from helping themselves by creating and sharing accessible works. But getting this message understood by a UN entity that operates by consensus is very hard. To understand why progress on helping the reading disabled has been so elusive, it helps to put WIPO into context—it’s an institution not renowned for speed.read more

Last week, the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR)—part of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a United Nations body, failed to make any progress toward increasing access to copyrighted works by the reading disabled. Though this is bad news, the issue is not over. There’s no reason why laws should prevent people who aren’t being served by the market from helping themselves by creating and sharing accessible works. But getting this message understood by a UN entity that operates by consensus is very hard. To understand why progress on helping the reading disabled has been so elusive, it helps to put WIPO into context—it’s an institution not renowned for speed.read more

On June 28, Boing Boing co-editor, sci-fi author, and UK Open Rights Group co-founder Cory Doctorow spoke at this month’s CopyNight DC.  Doctorow has long been a respected voice in the debate about copyright law’s effect on culture, but he’s recently broadened his arguments to take aim at the consequences that overreaching copyright enforcement has for democracy itself.  The talk was inspiring, informative, and entertaining, and I highly recommend it (watch it here) to anyone who’s interested in… well, democracy itself.read more

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• PK Events

Click thumbnail above for video Last night, Public Knowledge had the privilege of cosponsoring “A Conversation with Cory Doctorow” with CopyNight DC and The New America Foundation. Gigi made brief opening remarks to set the stage for Cory who “spoke to his dystopian vision of the growing conflict between the democratic principles of the Internet and the growing financial demands of the commercial industries.” Many thanks to Thomas Gideon for making this event happen and James Losey and the NAF staff for co-hosting.

July 27, 2010 - 6:00pm - 8:00pm For all those local folks interested in copyright and technology issues, PK is hosting the next DC CopyNight. Here are the details: 6:00pm: Intro to PK & new office6:07pm: Screen RIP: A Remix Manifesto7:30pm: (C) Discussion (Limewire - what the new ruling means) w/Sherwin8:00pm: Close it up read more

For the past several days, we here at Public Knowledge have been sitting back being mildly amused by the dust-up over an ASCAP fundraising letter that sought to demonize Public Knowledge, Creative Commons and EFF as “Copyleft” organizations that want to undermine their “Copyright,” and want “music to be free.”  Now the President of the National Music Publishers Association is getting into the fray, giving a speech about 10 reasons why “enemies” like PK have a “extremist, radical anti-copyright agenda.”  How very subtle.read more

One of the things that Net Neutrality opponents often use to justify their position is that a neutral network will kill the future development of the Internet.  “The rules treating all packets the same that have been around since the beginning of the Internet [those rules that have fostered the creation of (insert any website or online service you have ever used here)] worked great up until today,” they say.  “However,” they insist, “the next generation simply demands quality of service guarantees that can only be provided by a non-neutral network.”  With that, they shrug almost apologetically (they really wish that the neutral network was sustainable, but it just isn’t) and walk away.read more

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• PK Events

Click thumbnail above for video Although the highest profile examples of problems in the world of text messaging have been things like the blocking of political speech and preventing people from raising money for disaster relief, problems are not limited to people merely trying to do good deeds or organize politically.  The screwed up world of text messaging is stopping people from building businesses and creating economic growth.read more

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• PK Events

Click thumbnail above for video Although the highest profile examples of problems in the world of text messaging have been things like the blocking of political speech and preventing people from raising money for disaster relief, problems are not limited to people merely trying to do good deeds or organize politically.  The screwed up world of text messaging is stopping people from building businesses and creating economic growth.read more

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• PK Events

Click thumbnail above for video Although the highest profile examples of problems in the world of text messaging have been things like the blocking of political speech and preventing people from raising money for disaster relief, problems are not limited to people merely trying to do good deeds or organize politically.  The screwed up world of text messaging is stopping people from building businesses and creating economic growth.read more

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• PK Events

Click thumbnail above for video Although the highest profile examples of problems in the world of text messaging have been things like the blocking of political speech and preventing people from raising money for disaster relief, problems are not limited to people merely trying to do good deeds or organize politically.  The screwed up world of text messaging is stopping people from building businesses and creating economic growth.read more

For Immediate Release:  June 28, 2010 Background:  Earlier today, the White House issued an executive order doubling the amount of spectrum now used by the Federal government that will be made available to the private sector.  The statement is here.Also Lawrence Summers, director of the White House National Economic Council, spoke about the announcement here.The following statement is attributed to Harold Feld, Public Knowledge Legal Director:read more

A decision from a federal district court in New York today affirmed that online hosts shouldn't have to pay if their users are infringing. The opinion, issued by Judge Louis Stanton of the Southern District of New York, found on summary judgment that Google and YouTube qualified for the safe harbors of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. By acting to take down infringing postings when it was notified of them, YouTube was able to meet the standards of the law, despite the fact that Viacom complained that YouTube generally knew that infringing works were on the site.   read more

For Immediate Release:  June 23, 2010 Background:  Earlier today, U.S. District Judge Louis Stanton, Manhattan, ruled that Google and YouTube were protected by the DMCA safe harbor in a $1 billion lawsuit brought by Viacom for material hosted on the video service.  Order is here.read more