Meeting 2008-03-19

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Contents

Information

  • Date: Wednesday, March 19, 2008
  • Time: 8:30PM
  • Place: Torgerson 3180

News

Rick Fenkel (Patent Troll Tracker) sued for defamation

The Daily Journal’s Tuesday edition (not linkable) reports that Troll Tracker author Rick Frenkel, and his employer Cisco, have been sued for defamation by two East Texas attorneys who are players in that district’s patent litigation scene, Eric Albritton and T. John Ward, Jr. John “Johnny” Ward, Jr. is a Texas lawyer who has filed a large number of patent infringement lawsuits in recent years. Between January and mid-October of 2007, his name was attached to 54 separate lawsuits by my count; in all but four, he represented the plaintiff. He is also, as I reported in October, the son of Judge T. John Ward, the judge who is largely responsible for making the Eastern District of Texas a hotspot for patent litigation.

The prior art

Verizon settles with BusyBox developers

Verizon subcontractor Actiontec Electronics placed free software BusyBox onto their wireless routers. BusyBox is licensed under the GPLv2, but Actiontec neglected to provide the source code for the software. BusyBox developers Erick Andersen and Rob Landley sued Verizon in December of 2007 for this GPL violation. A settlement has been reached whereby an undisclosed sum has been payed to Anderson and Landley and Verizon agreed to appoint an internal officer to ensure free software license compliance. Actiontech must also publish the BusyBox source code on their Web site.

Sequoia threatens Felton (over voting machine analysis)

Dear Professors Felten and Appel:

As you have likely read in the news media, certain New Jersey election officials have stated that they plan to send to you one or more Sequoia Advantage voting machines for analysis. I want to make you aware that if the County does so, it violates their established Sequoia licensing Agreement for use of the voting system. Sequoia has also retained counsel to stop any infringement of our intellectual properties, including any non-compliant analysis. We will also take appropriate steps to protect against any publication of Sequoia software, its behavior, reports regarding same or any other infringement of our intellectual property.

Very truly yours, Edwin Smith VP, Compliance/Quality/Certification Sequoia Voting Systems

Freedom to Tinker Boing Boing

For some reason I keep thinking Sequoia is the company that makes the bananas with the little stickers on them.  :/ --Matt 15:46, 19 March 2008 (EDT)

Big Buck Bunny trailer released

Peach

CBC will use BitTorrent to distribute DRM-free TV shows

CBC, Canada's public-broadcasting network, will be distributing DRM-free videos of their prime-time show Canada's Next Great Prime Minister using BitTorrent starting March 24th. The show has its roots on the Internet: YouTube was used for casting and Facebook for promotion. CBC states that the show "will [be] completely free (and legal) for you to download, share & burn to your heart’s desire." Reportedly a CBC producer got the idea from a BoingBoing blog entry. Unlike most other efforts to put shows online, CBC will allow for downloads both inside and outside of Canada.

Stallman's Speech

Info

  • 8:00 PM
  • Tuesday, March 25
  • Torgerson 2150

Advertising

We need to get on the ball with advertising.

Here's a link to the flyers.

  • VTLUUG (Check this thread in their forums)
  • ACM
  • CS dept
  • ENGE dept
  • CT

Arrangements

VTU Movie Night

It's in *two days*.  I'm sorry I'll have to miss it.

So they ask for a poster for Royal Wedding as soon as possible--this friday being the deadline--so they can begin advertising right away. They'll also need a digital copy of a flier then as well.

Our next movie is on the 4th of April, and will be Royal Wedding.

T-shirts

How did Saturday go?

Countdowns

I've started a page for countdowns. Put up anything FC work you are anticipating.

Countdowns

Entertainment library

Naming

What should we name it?

Stuff. --Matt 17:25, 13 March 2008 (EDT)
I'm sure stuff.com is already taken. What about something hokieish, like stuffedturkey.

Space

Where should we keep it?

Doesn't VT lease bandwidth to the Blacksburg ISPs? Maybe we could lease from them. Unless you mean the physical location of the server. --Matt 00:02, 17 March 2008 (EDT)

Nominations

Conley:

cov:

  • Texts
    • Lessig's Free Culture This is CC by-nc...it does not meet the license requirements. Ironically enough, it is not an approved free cultural work! --Conley 17:44, 19 March 2008 (EDT)

Requirements

Let's keep info about our quality requierements, etc. here: Entertainment library


Steal this Film

We are going to watch the first half of Steal this Film part II and discuss.

Show and tell

Open floor

Ghosts I-IV

Only the first 9 tracks of The Ghosts I-IV are available to download. There are 36 tracks total, available for $5. The whole album is CC by-nc-sa though. Why do artists do this? Like Magnatune, if you CC license it, why do you not let people download it freely? Isn't that the point? --Conley 11:53, 16 March 2008 (EDT)

You can. It just isn't offered on the main site. I heard Reznor put the whole album on torrent trackers so the tracks are where you would most likely expect them to be anyway. --Matt 00:13, 17 March 2008 (EDT)
Looks like I was wrong. Only Ghosts I is officially uploaded. --Matt 00:09, 20 March 2008 (EDT)

Free Film

Check out a list of free films.

Suggestions:

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