3 Count: Reset Button

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1: Hollywood Force ISP To Use Child Abuse Filter Against File-Sharing Site

First off today, the Motion Picture Association (MPA) is before a UK high court in a bid to force the UK ISP BT to block access to Newzbin2, a Usenet service that rose from the ashes of the first Newzbin, which was closed after successful litigation by the MPA. According to the movie studios, they targeted BT because it is both the largest ISP and it already has the technology in place in the form of a child pornography filter the service has installed. If the MPA is successful in getting an injunction, it would be the first time in the UK that an ISP has been forced to use an internal filter to block a site for copyright purposes, an act that is already spawning a great deal of controversy.

2: No save data reset for Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D

Next up today, Capcom, the makers of the Resident Evil series of video games, including the recent release Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D for the Nintendo 3DS, have chosen an unusual DRM scheme for the title, preventing the same game file from being reset. This move is aimed primarily at devaluing used copies of the game, which will not be able to create a new saved game file, but it also means that original owners will not be able to play through the game twice. The systems has already sparked outrage among gamers but, in Japan where the game has already been released, has succeeded in driving down the price of used copies, as low as $6.

3: Harry Potter and the Direct, DRM-Free Sale

Finally today, author J.K. Rowling, the creator of the Harry Potter books, announced a new site entitled “Pottermore” that she hopes will offer a unique online reading experience. However, within that announcement was the news that the Harry Potter books will be available for the first time as eBooks, they will be available in any format desired and will be available DRM free. Also, the sale is a direct sale, meaning that it is not going through a publisher, opening the door for Rowling to receive more revenue from each sale.

Suggestions

That’s it for the three count today. We will be back tomorrow with three more copyright links. If you have a link that you want to suggest a link for the column or have any proposals to make it better. Feel free to leave a comment or send me an email. I hope to hear from you.

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