Leftovers

• Computers Are Bad ☛ travelers information stations

  Histories of radio broadcasting often make a particular focus on the most powerful stations. For historic reasons, WBCT of Grand Rapids, Michigan broadcasts FM at 320¸000 watts. Many AM stations are licensed to operate at 50,000 watts, but this modern license limit represented a downgrade for some. WLW, of Cincinnati, once made 500,000. Less is made of the fun you can have under 10 watts: what we now call the Traveler's Information Station (TIS).

• Hardware

  • New York Times ☛ How U.S. Firms Battled a Government Crackdown to Keep Tech Sales to China

    An intense struggle has unfolded in Washington between companies and officials over where to draw the line on selling technology to China.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • New York Times ☛ The Benefits and Risks of Fluoride, Explained

    Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said he wants to curb water fluoridation nationwide. Here’s what the science shows about the benefits and the risks.

  • Pro Publica ☛ FDA Hasn’t Inspected This Drug Factory After 7 Recalls, 1 Potentially Deadly

    The drug potassium chloride has been on the market for decades, widely prescribed to help the nerves and muscles — including the heart — function properly in patients with low potassium. Too much of it, however, can kill you.

    At high doses, it is so effective at stopping the heart that some states have used injections of it for executions.

  • New Yorker ☛ The Gilded Age of Medicine Is Here

    Health insurers and hospitals increasingly treat patients less as humans in need of care than consumers who generate profit.

  • European Commission ☛ Speech by Commissioner Lahbib on Gender in Health at the European Parliament

    European Commission Speech Brussels, 12 Dec 2024 The British author Caroline Criado Perez wrote a book called “Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men”.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Singaporean and Malaysian companies, families snapping up CNY reunion meal packages in JB

    To cater to more customers, some restaurants are opening up spaces to fit more tables.

• Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • Google told FTC Microsoft’s Proprietary Chaffbot Company deal is killing Hey Hi (AI) competition

    Google reportedly wants the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to end Microsoft’s exclusive cloud deal with Proprietary Chaffbot Company that requires anyone wanting access to OpenAI’s models to go through Microsoft’s servers.

  • Xe's Blog ☛ Soylent Green is people

    Nuance about Hey Hi (AI) and the 'danger' of datasets

  • Windows TCO

    • Google ☛ Windows Tooling Updates: OleView.NET

      Posted by James Forshaw, Surveillance Giant Google Project Zero
      
      This is a short blog post about some recent improvements I've been making to the OleView.NET tool which has been released as part of version 1.16. The tool is designed to discover the attack surface of backdoored Windows COM and find security vulnerabilities such as privilege escalation and remote code execution.

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • NYOB ☛ BeReal: The app that won’t take no for an answer

      BeReal: The app that won’t take no for an answer

      If users refuse to give their consent, BeReal asks them over and over again until they give in

• Defence/Aggression

  • TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ Back trouble and brain fog bothered suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO killing, his posts show

    After Luigi Mangione made the difficult decision to undergo spinal surgery last year for chronic back pain, he became a proponent of the procedure that changed his life for the better.

  • New York Times ☛ Suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO’s Killing Went Silent for Months. Where Was He?

    New details are emerging about Luigi Mangione’s growing impatience with “a capitalist society” and his search for refuge in the mountains of Japan.

  • New York Times ☛ What To Know About The Gun Found With Luigi Mangione

    Part of the gun that the police believe was used to kill the C.E.O. of UnitedHealthcare was made by a 3D printer using a popular design found online.

  • Craig Murray ☛ Costs – Much Less Boring Than You Expect

    You have probably noticed my frenetic and uncharacteristic appeals for donations across social control media. This has been an experiment as to whether genuinely independent reporting from a colonialist war zone is possible, and the answer may be “No”.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China jails ex-Premier League football star Li Tie for 20 years as Beijing cracks down on corruption in sport

    China on Friday jailed former Premier League star and men’s national coach Li Tie for 20 years for bribery, snaring one of the country’s greatest football figures in a sweeping government crackdown on corruption in sport.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China breaks silence on possible drills, says it will not be soft on Taiwan independence activities

    Any reliance on "foreign forces to seek independence" is doomed to fail, China said.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China says Philippines has ‘provoked trouble’ in South China Sea with US backing

    Manila says Beijing is blockading waters around a shoal that has been established as a fishing ground for everyone.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ US targets China's solar dominance with 50% tariffs on solar wafers and polysilicon — tungsten products will see a 25% increase

    Tariffs on solar wafers and polysilicon will rise to 50%, while certain tungsten products will see a 25% increase.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ US finalises tariff rises on more China green tech imports, including solar panel parts

    The United States firmed up tariff hikes Wednesday on more Chinese imports including crucial solar panel components, capping recent efforts by the world’s biggest economy to guard its growing green energy sector. The latest moves announced by the US Trade Representative’s office cap a review of tariffs imposed during President-elect Donald Trump’s first administration.

  • MIT Technology Review ☛ China banned exports of a few rare minerals to the US. Things could get messier.

    This article is from The Spark, MIT Technology Review’s weekly climate newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Wednesday, sign up here. I’ve thought more about gallium and germanium over the last week than I ever have before (and probably more than anyone ever should).

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Chinese national arrested after allegedly flying drone over US military base

    A Chinese citizen has been charged with flying a drone over Vandenberg Space Force Base in California where he is alleged to have recorded images of the military facility, the US Justice Department said Wednesday. Yinpiao Zhou, 39, was arrested as he readied to board a flight to China from San Francisco, authorities said.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ Can China’s new ambassador to Israel reset the strained relationship?

    Ambassador Xiao Junzheng faces the task of restoring trust between China and Israel after more than a year of bilateral tensions.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s telecom carriers brace for traffic surge ahead of impeachment vote

    Three companies temporarily installed additional network stations during last week’s rallies.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea support for Yoon hits record low before key impeachment vote

    The support rate for Mr Yoon dropped 5 per cent percentage points from last week’s survey.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea police secure data from ‘secret phone’ of ex-defence minister in martial law probe

    The phone is suspected to contain evidence of communications related to the short-lived martial law.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea opposition leader Lee says impeaching Yoon is the best way to restore order

    Mr Yoon survived the first attempt to impeach him when most of his ruling party boycotted the vote.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Will second impeachment vote for South Korea’s Yoon be different?

    Seven ruling party members are now saying they will back a second impeachment vote.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Young South Koreans, seeing democracy at stake, take to the streets

    The president's attempt to suspend the country’s democracy has given rise to a new group of politically active South Koreans.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Full text of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s address to the nation on Dec 12

    He wanted to clarify his position regarding the declaration of martial law.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Asian Insider: Power transition in Syria | Walls closing in on S. Korea President Yoon

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s President Yoon vows to ‘fight to the end’, defying impeachment threat

    At least seven members of his ruling party are expected to support the new impeachment motion.

  • CS Monitor ☛ South Korean President Yoon’s impeachment inches closer. But Mr. Yoon won’t quit.

    The leader of Asia’s fourth-largest economy claims “criminal groups” have paralyzed state affairs as he fights to remain in power. President Yoon Suk Yeol survived an impeachment motion brought after he declared martial law on Dec. 3, but a new vote looms.

  • New York Times ☛ Young Koreans, Seeing Democracy at Stake, Take to the Streets

    South Korea’s night of martial law was a jolt for some members of a generation accused of political apathy. They say they aren’t going away.

  • New York Times ☛ A Father’s Search for His Missing Daughter in South Korea

    A father’s 25-year search for his missing daughter in South Korea made him a tragic national symbol of unwavering parental devotion.

  • TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ North Korean nationals indicted in scheme using IT workers to funnel money for weapons programs

    The scheme involving thousands of IT workers generated more than $88 million for the North Korean government, according to an FBI official.

  • US offers $5 million bounty for information on North Korean IT firms

    The firms are suspected of placing workers in US firms to extort money to fund North Korea’s weapons programs.

  • Scoop News Group ☛ Court indicts 14 North Korean IT workers tied to $88 million in illicit gains

    It’s part of a broader effort to counter Pyongyang’s use of tech professionals to fool U.S. companies and nonprofits.

  • EXPLAINED: Why are leaflets protesting North Korea dropped in Japan?

    What is the Chosen Soren, and why is their Tokyo headquarters regarded as Pyongyang’s embassy?

  • Defence Web ☛ DRC Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner details national security challenges and regional role

    On Monday 9 December, the United Nations Security Council held a meeting on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This meeting’s debate included the work of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).

  • JURIST ☛ Human rights organizations document escalating violence, civilian casualties in Mali

    Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report on Thursday detailing serious human rights abuses committed by Mali’s armed forces in collaboration with Russian mercenaries of the Africa Corps (formerly Wagner Group) following the withdrawal of a United Nations peacekeeping mission late last year.

  • France24 ☛ Syrian rebels uncover Assad regime's large-scale illegal drug laboratories

    Sales of the synthetic drug Captagon were used as a source of funding for the brutal regime, making Syria its largest producer. Among the secrets uncovered by rebel fighters since Assad fled the country, large-scale illegal drug factories housed in villas on the outskirts of Damascus. FRANCE 24's Emily Boyle reports.

  • The Strategist ☛ Syria’s house of cards

    Some 54 years after Hafez al-Assad seized power in Syria, rebels overthrew the dynasty his son Bashar squandered.

  • New York Times ☛ Assad’s Fall in Syria Renews Push for Justice on Crimes Committed by His Regime

    It seems unlikely that deposed President Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Russia, will be forced to stand trial. That is not deterring activists who have worked for years to document his government’s crimes.

  • Site36 ☛ Von der Leyen on ‘weaponisation of migration’: From now on, refoulement of refugees is allowed

    The EU Commission has published a communication according to which states are authorised to pushback refugees to Russia and Belarus if they ‘use migration as a weapon’. This opens the floodgates for even more human rights violations.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • New York Times ☛ Humbled in Syria, Putin Seeks Vindication in Ukraine

      An ally’s downfall has prompted calls in Russia for a definitive victory closer to home.

    • Meduza ☛ ‘Still Wagner at heart’: Investigative journalists identify former mercenary commanders now fighting in a new ‘legion’ under the Russian Defense Ministry — Meduza

    • Latvia ☛ Rīga's Ferris wheel owner alleged to have been on Ukraine's sanctions list

      Rustam Gilfanov, a Russian-born businessman and the true beneficiary of the project "RPR operators", the developer of the future Ferris wheel project in Pārdaugava, has been included for several years in the Ukrainian sanctions list restricting the economic activity of foreign citizens, reports the magazine "Ir" and news agency LETA.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Why Finland thinks Finlandization is a bad idea for Ukraine

      Some believe the Finlandization of Ukraine is the most realistic option to end to Russia's invasion, but any attempt to impose neutrality would leave Ukraine in a precarious position, writes Minna Ålander.

    • France24 ☛ European allies mull sending peacekeepers to Ukraine

      Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Thursday chose not to join a potential initiative discussed among some European countries to send peacekeepers to Ukraine. With Donald Trump's January inauguration looming, Ukraine's European allies look to map out its long-term support for Kyiv, anticipating that Russia will opt to extend its war into one of attrition.

    • RFERL ☛ Noted Russian Missile Designer Reportedly Shot Dead Near Moscow

      A senior official from a Russian company that develops cruise missiles used by Moscow in its war with Ukraine has reportedly been shot and killed just outside the capital.

    • RFERL ☛ Trump Criticizes Decision To Allow Ukraine To Strike Inside Russia

      U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has criticized the Biden administration for giving Ukraine permission to strike inside Russia with powerful U.S. missiles, claiming it is intensifying the war.

    • RFERL ☛ Russia Closes In On Key Ukrainian City As Zelenskiy Visits Front Line

      Russian forces continue to take ground near the strategic eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk amid a surge in diplomacy to end Europe's biggest war in decades.

    • RFERL ☛ Ukrainians Skeptical About War With Russia Ending Soon

      Asked whether they believe the war will end in 2025, Ukrainians in Chernihiv and Zaporizhzhya expressed doubt -- although some believe it may happen if the United States withdraws support.

    • New York Times ☛ Ukrainian Women Are Traveling to the Front Line to Keep Love Alive

      Many women are making dangerous trips to places where loved ones are fighting Russian forces. “We try to imagine that for these two days, there is no war,” one said.

    • New York Times ☛ Russian Troops Advance to Within 3 Miles of Key Ukrainian Transit Hub

      Russia is pushing toward Pokrovsk, a strategic city for Ukraine’s army with important rail and road connections, in a rapid capturing of ground in the Donetsk region.

    • Meduza ☛ Moldova to declare state of emergency over Ukraine’s plans to halt Russian gas transit — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ U.S. allocates $500 million in military aid for Ukraine — Meduza

    • Latvia ☛ Monument desecrator possibly paid EUR 350 by Russian services

      The Estonian-Russian dual citizen accused of desecrating the Latvian Legion memorial was most likely recruited by Russian special services on the "Telegram" platform, and the man allegedly received 350 euros for his actions, Ieva Šomina, spokesperson for the Latvian Prosecutor's Office, told LETA on December 12.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Foreign troops help Putin avoid pitfalls of another Russian mobilization

      Russia’s growing use of foreign troops in Ukraine is a dangerous trend that promises to prolong the war and has the potential to fuel international instability, writes Katherine Spencer.

    • Meduza ☛ More than $12.4 million, plus real estate, seized from former Russian Presidential Property Management Department officials — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ ‘An imitation of activity for appearances’: Russia managed to build just seven of 108 airliners planned since the start of the full-scale war — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Trump says U.S. missiles shouldn’t be used for strikes on Russian territory — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russia has ‘informal understanding’ with new Syrian leadership to keep Tartus and Khmeimim bases — Bloomberg — Meduza

    • European Commission ☛ Opening speech by Commissioner Kos at a musical performance by Belarusian artists

    • European Commission ☛ Opening remarks by Commissioner Kos at the high-level conference on standing with the people of Belarus

    • Meduza ☛ Russian lawmakers want to deny distribution licenses to movies that ‘discredit traditional values’ — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Google Play to halt monetization for apps linked to Russian bank accounts — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Engineer behind Russian Kh-69 cruise missile reportedly killed in Moscow region as part of Ukrainian intelligence operation — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ ‘Above the rules’: Russian train supervisor gets demoted after arguing with soldier over ‘box of gifts’ for fighters in Ukraine — Meduza

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • Medevel ☛ BTCPay Server: The Best Open-Source Solution for Self-Hosted Crypto Payments

      If you’re a business owner or an individual looking to accept cryptocurrency payments without relying on centralized services, you’ve likely encountered plenty of solutions promising flexibility and security. However, few can match the power and transparency of BTCPay Server.

  • Overpopulation

    • The Straits Times ☛ Tokyo to make daycare free to boost birth rate

      The city plans to make daycare free for all pre-school children starting in September.

• Finance

  • Latvia ☛ Heads up for Latvian central bank's cabbage coin

    On Monday, December 16, the Latvian central bank (Bank of Latvia) will release the silver collection coin "Cabbage", revealing the "deep symbolism of cabbage, which brings health, prosperity and well-being".

  • The Straits Times ☛ Australia inks $518m rugby deal with Papua New Guinea to combat China influence

    The deal marked the most substantial investment the country has ever made in sports diplomacy.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Denmark moves to reduce China reliance by boosting Malaysia ties

    Restarting negotiations for a free-trade agreement with Malaysia will be a priority for Denmark.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China to issue more debt, boost consumption in 2025

    The need to "vigorously boost consumption” is listed at the top of policymakers’ tasks.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • France24 ☛ 'Negotiations down to the wire' as Macron's self-imposed deadline to name new PM looms

    French President Emmanuel Macron was expected Thursday to name a new prime minister a week after MPs toppled the government, shortening a visit to Poland amid a torrent of criticism over the prolonged political crisis, explains FRANCE 24's Marc Perelman.

  • Xi Jinping calls for wider use of Mandarin in China’s border areas

    By 2025, Beijing aims for Mandarin to be spoken in 85% of the country as a whole and in 80% of rural areas.

  • Trump ‘invited’ China’s Pooh-tin to inauguration in Washington

    The unprecedented move, if confirmed, could give Beijing a chance to negotiate on trade.

  • LRT ☛ Lithuania should align its position on China with partners – minister-designate

    Lithuania’s Economy and Innovation Minister-designate Lukas Savickas has criticised the outgoing conservative government’s position on China as “acting out of line” and suggested that Lithuania should take a unified stance with the European Union and other strategic partners.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • Latvia ☛ Rally against hate speech by Latvian Saeima Thursday

    On Thursday, December 12, a singing protest took place in front of the Saeima House with the aim to draw the attention of the Saeima members to the problem of hate speech in Latvian society, its consequences and shortcomings in the legal framework.

  • JURIST ☛ Vietnam cybersecurity law violates freedoms of speech and expression: HRW report

    Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged Vietnam on Tuesday to repeal its new cybersecurity law, saying that it violates the rights to free speech and freedom of expression. Vietnam’s new law, set to come into effect on 25 December 2024, builds on existing legislation to create stricter rules surrounding internet use and freedom of speech.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Jimmy Lai denies promoting hostility against China in posts supporting hawkish Pompeo speech, trial hears

    Jailed Fashion Company Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai has denied that he promoted hostility towards China by posting online about a speech made by then-US state secretary Mike Pompeo, a Hong Kong court has heard as Lai’s national security trial continued.

  • EFF ☛ X's Last-Minute Update to the Kids Online Safety Act Still Fails to Protect Kids—or Adults—Online

    TELL CONGRESS: VOTE NO ON KOSA

    The most important update, according to its authors, supposedly minimizes the impact of the bill on free speech. As we’ve said before, KOSA’s “duty of care” section is its biggest problem, as it would force a broad swath of online services to make policy changes based on the content of online speech. Though the bill’s authors inaccurately claim KOSA only regulates designs of platforms, not speech, the list of harms it enumerates—eating disorders, substance use disorders, and suicidal behaviors, for example—are not caused by the design of a platform. 

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Press Gazette ☛ British Journalism Awards winners 2024: Channel 4 News named best news provider, Caroline Wheeler is journalist of the year

    All the winners of the British Journalism Awards 2024 and links to their winning work.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • Pro Publica ☛ Family Separations Persist. In Some Cases, the Government Doesn’t Say Why.

    In handwritten cursive, a Russian immigrant named Marina wrote out the story of the day U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents took away her 1-year-old baby while she was being held in a detention facility in southern California. “I cried and begged, kneeling, not to do this, that this was a mistake, not justice and not right,” she wrote. “She was so little that no one knew anything about her. I was very afraid for her and still am!”

    This didn’t happen during the Trump administration, which separated more than 4,000 migrant children from their families under its controversial “zero tolerance” policy. Marina was separated from her baby in April of this year. The 40-year-old former restaurant manager came to the U.S.-Mexico border with her husband, mother-in-law and child to seek asylum. More than eight months later, she and her mother-in-law remain in federal immigration custody in Louisiana. Her husband is detained at a different Louisiana immigration facility. And Aleksandra is over a thousand miles away, being cared for by strangers in foster care in California.

  • Site36 ☛ Von der Leyen on ‘weaponisation of migration’: From now on, refoulement of refugees is allowed

  • Site36 ☛ 11-year-old rescued alone in the Mediterranean: Coastguard searches for dozens dead off Lampedusa

    A girl from Sierra Leone was adrift in the Mediterranean for several days after a migrant boat from Tunisia sank. An aid organisation from Wendland rescued the child from drowning.

  • Site36 ☛ German trial over death of refugee Mouhamed Dramé ends with acquittals for five police defendants

    After a year of trial, five police officers in Dortmund have been acquitted. The court recognised Mouhamed Dramé’s jumping up as self-defence-situation for the defendants – even though the victim was forced to do so by them.

• Digital Restrictions (DRM)

  • Bryan Lunduke ☛ The End of Physical Media is Here (and That Sucks)

    Blu-Ray is dead - everyone from Sony to LG is ceasing production -- with no physical media alternative to take its place.

  • New York Times ☛ YouTube TV Hikes Monthly Price to $82.99, a 14 Percent Increase

    The increase is the latest for the streaming service, which debuted in 2017 at $35 a month. The company blamed “rising content costs.”

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• New York Times ☛ Amazon Plans $1 Million Donation to Trump’s Inaugural Fund [Ed: Bribes as the "new normal", government as a corporation]

  The move follows Meta’s donation of the same amount to the fund earlier this week.

• Patents

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ When (and Where) Does Amazon’s APEX Create Personal Jurisdiction

    The Supreme Court will soon consider whether to review what I see as an important Federal Circuit decision finding personal jurisdiction based solely on a patentee's use of Amazon's private patent monopoly enforcement system. In Lighting Def. Grp. LLC v. SnapRays LLC, No. 24-524 (petition filed Nov. 5, 2024), Arizona-based LDG submitted a patent monopoly infringement complaint against Utah-based SnapPower through Amazon's Washington-based Patent Evaluation Express (APEX) program.  To be clear: this is a private arbitration system that relates to selling on Amazon - it is not a federal court case.  Under APEX, Amazon notifies accused sellers who have three weeks to either participate in Amazon's evaluation process, settle with the patent monopoly owner, or file a declaratory judgment action - otherwise their listings are removed.

  • Kangaroo Courts

    • JUVE ☛ The role of Italian law firms in UPC litigation [Ed: UPC is illegal and this is more paid-for SPAM from JUVE disguised as supposed endorsements (for an illegal system it got paid to lobby and lie for)]

      As a European project, the UPC is also an interaction between patent monopoly specialists trained in national patent monopoly litigation who are now working at a joint court. Not only the way in which they work on pleadings, but also their views on the UPC are very different.

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ Peju Pursues Appeal of SDNY Decision Misapplying B&B Hardware On Issue Preclusion

    Six years ago we discussed here the decision of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in Cesari S.R.L. v. Peju Province Winery L.P., Civil Action No. 17 Civ. 873 (NRB) (S.D.N.Y. Dec. 11, 2017) [pdf here], in which the court granted Plaintiff Cesari's motion for partial summary judgment on its trademark infringement claim, ruling that preclusion applied to the issue of likelihood of confusion based on a 2004 TTAB decision. Several commenters, and yours truly, criticized that ruling. After battles over other issues, the case has now made its way to the Second Circuit and Peju has just filed its opening brief. [pdf here].

• Copyrights

  • Latvia ☛ Media watchdog will be able to block [copyright-infringing] sites in Latvia

    In order to better protect the works of Latvian authors and promote the use of legal content, the National Electronic Mass Media Council (NEPLP) will be able to restrict and block [copyright-infringing] websites, according to amendments to the Copyright Law adopted by the Saeima in its final reading on Thursday, December 12.

  • EFF ☛ EFF Speaks Out in Court for Citizen Journalists [Ed: Yet EFF keeps uploading its material to YouTube while taking bribes from Google]

    WCAC, Waltham’s public access channel, records city council meetings on video. Channel 781, a group of independent journalists, curates clips of those meetings for its YouTube channel, along with original programming, to spark debate on issues like housing policy and real estate development. WCAC sent a series of DMCA takedown notices that accused Channel 781 of copyright infringement, resulting in YouTube deactivating Channel 781’s channel just days before a critical municipal election.

    Represented by EFF and the law firm Brown Rudnick LLP, Channel 781 sued WCAC for misrepresentations in its DMCA takedown notices. We argued that using clips of government meetings from the government access station to engage in public debate is an obvious fair use under copyright. Also, by excerpting factual recordings and using captions to improve accessibility, the group aims to educate the public, a purpose distinct from WCAC’s unannotated broadcasts of hours-long meetings. The lawsuit alleges that WCAC’s takedown requests knowingly misrepresented the legality of Channel 781's use, violating Section 512(f) of the DMCA.

    In court today, EFF pushed back against WCAC’s motion to dismiss the case. We argued to District Judge Patti Saris that Channel 781’s use of video clips of city government meetings was an obvious fair use, and that by failing to consider fair use before sending takedown notices to YouTube, WCAC violated the law and should be liable for damages.