Jibjab, makers of funny flash animations, released a new animation entitled “This Land”, a funny animation where Bush and Kerry sing out jabs at one another to the tune of “This Land is Your Land”, a song by the late Woody Guthrie. The problem? The current copyright owners are threatening to sue JibJab for using the tune and I guess some of the words. From what it sounds like, I doubt Woody would have had much of a problem with it, but even if he did, the issue here is that it is satirical, and thus protected by countless Supreme Court rulings. How sad.
SCO vs. DaimlerChrysler Thrown Out of Court, SCO Claims Victory
Despite their Iraqi information ministeresqe statements of victory, this is a major setback for SCO and may signal the beginning of the end. This case was probably the easiest for SCO to win, as all they had to prove was that Chrysler wasn't in compliance with their Unix license. If they can't even do that, how can they prove in the IBM case that:
1. SCO, not Novell, owns the UNIX copyrights
2. That said copyrights are the property of New SCO, not Old SCO, and were transferred accordingly when Caldera purchased Old SCO's IP.
3. That IBM inserted UNIX code into Linux
4. That IBM was bound in a contractual obligation to SCO to not insert said code into Linux
5. That SCO did not put the code into Linux
themselves
6. That SCO did not invalidate the above claims by distributing Linux under the GPL after they knew that said code was in Linux?
They have to do ALL those things. A single break in the chain and it will all come tumbling down. All this before they run out of money. And since SCO is being sued by their largest creditor, and since they still have four (at least) lawsuits currently tied up in court, running out of money is not an unlikely proposition.
Sony and BMG to Merge
This would leave only four major record labels left (Sony-BMG, Universal, EMI & Warner Music) and the prediction is that EMI and Warner would have to merge to stay competitive. The new company would control 46% of all music sold. I'm 23, but I'm starting to feel old. I remember I had this great picture on my computer in like 1995 showing the record industry as an octopus with the 8 major labels. (If anyone still has this I would love a copy.) Now it's the record industry Quadruped. How long until the record industry is a Gastropod?
28% of users fooled by Phishing Scams
Really? 28%!? Does that seem like an insanely high figure to anyone? I'm going to make this the subject of the first Used News Poll (over on the right: Have you ever fallen for a Phishing scam? If you answer yes, please forward all relevant credit card information to this address and we'll see if we can't get it figured out for you. I'm kidding, of course. Some of those phishing scams are very tricky, and if one is not very well versed in the ways of the web, it could be incredibly easy to fall for.
Other News of Note
Doubclick Gets DoS'd
United States 'pirates' Russian Guns(Free Reg required)
SCO Claims ELF
Canadian Dentists get bit by Copyright
