Open Access
OCLC recommends Open Data Commons Attribution License
OCLC is recommending that member institutions that would like to release their catalog data on the Web do so with the Open Data Commons Attribution License (ODC-BY). The license allows users to share, copy, distribute, modify, transform and build upon a database, provided that users "attribute any public use of the database, or works produced from the database, in the manner specified in the license," according to ODC’s simple language summary.
http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2012/08/metadata/oclc-recommends-open-data-commons-attribution-license/
Intellectual Property Issues
Embedding copyright-infringing video is not a crime, court rules
Embedding a copyright-infringing video on another Web site is not illegal, a court ruled yesterday.
Judge Richard Posner ruled at the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals that MyVidster, a social video bookmarking site, did not infringe the copyright of Flava Works, a porn production company, when it embedded copyright-infringing versions of Flava Works content from third-party Web sites.
Both Google and Facebook filed papers in support of MyVidster. They argued that sites such as theirs should be seen as intermediaries only, and that they should not be held liable if someone uploads copyrighted material to their servers, claiming Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) safe harbor.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57485976-38/embedding-copyright-infringing-video-is-not-a-crime-court-rules/
Public Policy
Citizens United Hearing: A Conversation about Democracy and Transparency
The Project On Government Oversight has had a longtime interest in more transparency about federal contractors, including their influence through campaign spending and lobbying. Since the 2010 Citizens’ United vs. FEC ruling, that problem has only worsened.
The reason is that the ruling now allows federal contractors, along with other corporations and unions, to influence elections with unlimited campaign spending and not nearly enough disclosure.
On July 24, more than 400 people attended a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on responses to Citizens United and the rise of Super PACs. Subcommittee members and guest panelists called for greater inclusion of average American citizens in the campaign financing system and more disclosure of campaign spending. "Half of all super PAC money being spent in presidential elections [come] from 22 people, millionaires and billionaires buying their way in," said subcommittee chairman Dick Durbin (D- Ill.) in his opening remarks. "Can we still proclaim to be the world’s model for free elections with open debates when we allow 22 wealthy individuals to control the terms of that debate and silence the voices of others?"
http://pogoblog.typepad.com/pogo/2012/08/citizens-united-hearing-a-conversation-about-democracy-and-transparency.html
How to Count Regulations: A Primer for Regulatory Research
The regulatory process is a politically charged arena, where the perception of over-regulating, or not regulating enough, can become a political liability.
However, one should look skeptically towards assertions about the degree of rulemaking, especially when those assertions include specific numbers. These claims are often based on research that can be structured so as to intentionally mislead. And beyond the political motivation in how one measures regulatory action, there are also many opportunities for genuine methodological error.
Despite recent improvements, the presentation of information on federal regulations is currently very convoluted: four different government websites present overlapping and incomplete pictures of the regulatory process. Sunlight Labs has been trudging through these sites for months, and we’d like to share what we’ve learned.
http://sunlightfoundation.com/blog/2012/08/08/how-to-count-regulations-a-primer-for-regulatory-research/
Census Bureau Releases Its First Mobile App Providing Real-Time Statistics on U.S. Economy
The U.S. Census Bureau today released its first-ever mobile application, "America’s Economy," which will provide constantly updated statistics on the U.S. economy, including monthly economic indicators, trends, along with a schedule of upcoming announcements. The app, which is currently available for Android mobile device users, combines statistics from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Census Bureau, Bureau of Economic Analysis, and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/miscellaneous/cb12-149.html
Privacy Issues
FTC Approves Final Settlement With Facebook
Following a public comment period, the FTC has accepted as final a settlement with Facebook resolving charges that Facebook deceived consumers by telling them they could keep their information on Facebook private, and then repeatedly allowing it to be shared and made public. The settlement requires Facebook to take several steps to make sure it lives up to its promises in the future, including by giving consumers clear and prominent notice and obtaining their express consent before sharing their information beyond their privacy settings, by maintaining a comprehensive privacy program to protect consumers’ information, and by obtaining biennial privacy audits from an independent third party.
http://www.bespacific.com/mt/archives/031004.html#031004
FTC Gets Record Settlement from Google for Privacy Violation
The Federal Trade Commission today announced it has reached a record $22.5 million settlement with Google relating to charges that the company misled users of Apple’s Safari browser by telling them it would not place tracking "cookies" or show them targeted ads. In doing so, Google violated the terms of an earlier FTC privacy settlement. The FTC also charged that Google had implied to its users that it followed the Network Advertising Initiative’s self-regulatory code of conduct.
https://www.cdt.org/pr_statement/ftc-gets-record-settlement-google-privacy-violation
International Outlook
CDT Supports Brazil’s "Bill of Rights" for Internet Users
Tomorrow, a special committee in Brazil’s Congress will vote on the Marco Civil da Internet, a "bill of rights" for Internet users. If passed, the law would represent a paramount advance in country’s digital policymaking agenda.
The Marco Civil da Internet, or Civil Regulatory Framework for the Internet, establishes a clear set of rights and responsibilities for users, sets strong net neutrality principles, and shields Internet intermediaries from liability for illegal content posted by users.
The Marco Civil is also unique in that it was developed in a highly participatory style. Lawmakers were not the only entities involved in drafting the law–academic experts, civil society groups, and Internet users had a critical role in developing the law’s text as well.
https://www.cdt.org/blogs/ellery-biddle/0708cdt-supports-brazils-bill-rights-internet-users
Digital History
U. Nevada Library Offers 3D Printing Across the Board
The DeLaMare Science & Engineering Library at the University of Nevada, Reno, has become the first academic library in the U.S. to offer 3D printing and scanning services to all students and the community at large. Using specialized software to create 3D drawings, students can now print these objects on one of two 3D printers at DeLaMare – a Stratsys uPrint acquired in May and a 3DTouch, which can also produce multicolored objects.
http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2012/08/academic-libraries/u-nevada-library-offers-3d-printing-across-the-board/
Please feel free to pass along in part or in its entirety.
The Intersect Alert is a newsletter of the Government Relations Committee, San Francisco Bay Region Chapter, Special Libraries Association.