Intellectual Property Roundup

June 19, 2013 By

Baltimore Man Sentenced to Prison for Copyright Infringement (FBI.gov)
A Baltimore man was sentenced to 87 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiring to and infringing copyrights by illegally reproducing and distributing over 1,000 copyrighted commercial software programs totaling $4 million.

Photographer Sues BuzzFeed for $3.6M Over Viral Sharing Model (paidContent)
An Idaho photographer is suing BuzzFeed for $3.6M in copyright damages, claiming BuzzFeed is liable not only for the unauthorized photo that appeared on its site, but also for “contributory infringement” because the site’s viral news model encourages readers to share the content they find.

New Ebook DRM Will Change the Text of a Story to Prevent Piracy (paidContent)
German researchers are working on a new DRM system that would prevent piracy by changing the actual text of a story, swapping out words to make individualized copies that could be tracked by the original owner of the ebook.

This One Page Could End the Copyright War Over ‘Happy Birthday’ (NPR)
The birthday song is still under copyright protection, but a lawsuit filed in federal court last week seeks to change that. The complaint argues that the copyright to the song, if it ever existed at all, expired no later than 1921.

Keith Kupferschmid is General Counsel and SVP, Intellectual Property Policy & Enforcement at SIIA.

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Filed Under: Anti-Piracy, Policy - Intellectual Property

Making mobile publishing work: five perspectives on content, platforms and revenue streams: Wed 3 July, London

June 19, 2013 By

Publishing for tablet and smartphone is rapidly moving away from simple replicas of printed publications towards more sophisticated packaging of web feeds, articles, galleries and video. And mobile is a simple way to reach an international audience even for niche titles. But the challenge remains, how best to generate new revenues from mobile publishing: ads & sponsorship, subscriptions or one-off sales?

Join us on Wed 3 July in London for an intense interactive session featuring five different approaches to mobile publishing….get a sneak preview here:

British Journal of Photography

British Journal of Photography

[Read more...]

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Filed Under: SIIA UK Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

A New SIIA Member Interview with: Information Evolution, Inc.

June 18, 2013 By

SIIA annouces a new addition to their Content Division Members List: Information Evolution, Inc.

The following interview between new SIIA Member Matt Manning, President of Information Evolution, Inc. and Kathy Greenler Sexton,VP & GM of the SIIA Content Division, outlines how Information Evolution, Inc. is helping information businesses keep the cost of maintaining their databases as low as possible.

Matt Manning, President of Information Evolution, Inc.

 

 

 

 

 

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Kathy: What does Information Evolution, Inc. do?

Matt: Information Evolution helps information businesses keep the cost of maintaining their databases as low as possible through a combination of services including dedicated telephone verification and surveying teams, experienced Internet researchers and data analysts, managed crowdsourcing, and custom process reengineering, including the integration of cutting edge technology solutions.

Kathy: What Types of Companies (If any) do you look to partner with?

Matt: Our partners are specialized technology firms with breakthrough products that speed data processing efforts and decrease costs. We also like to think of our relationships with all of our customers as being partnerships, and we structure our relationships to be flexible and responsive. This approach is especially valuable to startups and other firms who are blazing new trails and need to turn on a dime as they shape and tweak these new services.   

Kathy: Who Does your Company Sell to?

Matt: Companies whose primary products are information, specifically data. Our clients have included firms such as Reed Business Information, Sage Publications, and R.R. Donnelly.

Kathy: What is Unique about what you do?

Matt: We’re versatile. We can handle data supply chains from end to end, starting with the initial database design through the delivery to the end user, or we can take care of specific segments within a given data supply chain. Each of our clients gets a tailored combination of IEI resources that acts as an extension of their in-house teams. IEI also uses both automated and human resources both for data collection and QC processes, creating a unique combination of checks and balances that ensure a high-quality results. Our white paper, Poka Yoke Processes and Database Quality explains some of our automated QC solutions.

Kathy: Tell me about some unique challenges you have in your business and how you go about solving them.

Matt: We have been asked to reinvent several longstanding, well-established data management processes. Every time, we start with a blank slate and three simultaneous goals: reduce costs; improve and deepen data value; and, increase throughput speeds. More often than not, the process of “pushing the envelope” to achieve our “better, cheaper, faster” goals has led us to the discovery of new methodologies that can be applied to a variety of data projects.

Kathy: Any new or recent news you would like to announce?

Matt: We recently announced a partnership with the cloud-based data discovery firm Enlyton that offers a compelling alternative to other search and discovery technology providers.

Kathy: What do you see as the biggest trends in the industry the next 12-18 months?

Matt: The development of hybrid approaches to data processing that involve crowdsourcing, machine-driven processes, and in-house human resources working seamlessly together is one of the most important trends we see right now, and one that we expect will continue in the near term. We also expect to see better products based on improved search and discovery tools. There will be more video in content products as well.

Kathy: What do you hope to get out of your SIIA membership?

Matt: We’re looking forward to mixing with more firms that are shaping the future of the information business.

Kathy: One thing the industry doesn’t know about you (personal item e.g. avid skier, etc. … ) or others in your company?

Matt: Matt Manning, President, and Daniel Hutton, Sales Director, are avid bikers. Kevin Dodds, Project Manager and managed crowdsourcing expert, is a professional musicians in his spare time, and is the author of a biography of Eddie Van Halen. Shyamali Ghosh, Chief Quality Officer, is fluent in French and German and has recently become interested in Southeast Asian languages.

Kathy: Twitter handle?

Matt: CJB_AUS

Kathy: Company URL?

Matt: http://www.informationevolution.com

Kathy: How best to contact you?

Matt: Email to info@informationevolution.com

 

Kathy Greenler Sexton is Vice President and General Manager for the SIIA Content Division.

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Filed Under: Content, Data Content, DataContent, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , ,

Thursday’s Technology Showcase definitely worth a look

June 18, 2013 By

You might have read here or heard at the Conference—or both—about the expanded benefits for SIPA members now as a part of SIIA. You will see listed more webinars, chapter dinners, policy briefings and networking events. One such benefit takes place this Thursday when you’ll have an opportunity to attend—either in person or by webcast—a Platform Publishing Technology Showcase, brought to you by the SIIA Content Division’s Content Technology Working Group. (Register here.)

The Showcase will take place at The McGraw-Hill Companies at 1221 Avenue of the Americas in New York from 1-6 p.m. And there is no cost to members. (Non-members must pay $195.) If you are responsible for product strategy or implementation for your information company, you shouldn’t miss this event. You will learn and understand how to create a publishing platform for your business that will help you create better, faster and cheaper products.

The list of speakers and presenters is impressive. Darrell Gunter, CEO of the Gunter Media Group, will give the opening comments. At the recent SIPA Conference, he spoke winningly about your performance dashboard and 10 management truths for the web age. Number two was, “In a digitally transforming business environment, bold leadership is vital.” That leadership means taking control of your website and the content you distribute. He equated losing that control to a department store selling you a suit in one location, a shirt in another and a tie somewhere else. “The stock sells the shelf,” he said.

The keynote for the afternoon, titled, “The 5 Platform Pillars for Publishers,” will be delivered by Isaac Sacolick, CIO/Vice President, Technology, McGraw Hill Construction. He joined McGraw Hill in 2007 as vice president of technology for BusinessWeek, launching Business Exchange, a web 2.0 content sharing network for business professionals. (The articles are prioritized by user activity.) Previously, he was the founder and chief operating officer of TripConnect, a web 2.0 social travel website for sharing travel reviews and questions with your connections and groups.

Sacolick writes a blog called Social, Agile, and Transformation, where he contemplates his role as a CIO and “futurist.” He posted a very interesting column yesterday about The Internet of Things. “At McGraw Hill Financial, I continue to bring a startup culture, innovation, and entrepreneur mindset to its businesses by transforming IT using a structured Agile Planning and Development practice. So at McGraw Hill Construction, we’ve developed a new set of Big Data Analytics capabilities and products that lets customers – largely building product manufacturers, general contractors, and subcontractors – size their market, target relationships, and prioritize prospects.” He’s had this blog since 2006! I will tune in to hear him on Thursday.

Other speakers include: Robert Haddock, CEO, Coosmic Corporation; Diane Burley, Chief Content Strategist, MarkLogic; Guillaume Mazieres, EVP, North America and Worldwide Publishing, TEMIS Inc.; Bryan House, VP, Product Marketing, Acquia, Inc.; Thomas Chaffee, President & CEO, ePublishing, Inc. (very familiar to the SIPA world); and John Felahi, Chief Strategy Officer, Content Analyst.

Chaffee, a former member of the band Styx in a previous life—did anyone catch him at the piano at last year’s Conference?—is always worth listening to. His well-attended session at this year’s SIPA Conference was titled, “Case Studies: Don’t Bring Green Bananas to the Mother Monkey, and Other Life Lessons From My Latina Mother-in-Law – How to Monetize Your Content More Effectively.” I also can’t wait to listen to the audio version of that session which will be out very soon.

There will also be a final session titled “Pulling It All Together” to demonstrate how the various concepts from the day tie together in a meaningful way. The speakers will offer case studies and a reality check so you can be as successful as possible with your platforms strategy. For those who attend in person, a cocktail hour and networking will conclude the afternoon.

Please take advantage of this great new benefit of SIPA membership and either drop in or tune in for this strategy- and technology-packed afternoon. Register now!

Ronn LevineRonn Levine began his career as a reporter for The Washington Post and has won numerous writing and publications awards since. Most recently, he spent 12 years at the Newspaper Association of America covering a variety of topics before joining SIPA in 2009 as managing editor. Follow Ronn on Twitter at @SIPAOnline

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Filed Under: SIPA

Momentum Growing for Federal Investment in Digital Learning, House passes Federal IT Reform, and Growing Need for Patent Troll Legislation Highlighted

June 18, 2013 By

Momentum Growing for Federal Investment in Digital Learning

Efforts to expand use of technology in education received several boosts this month, including when President Obama announced the ConnectED initiative. With this initiative, the President called on the FCC to modernize and leverage the existing E-Rate program to connect 99 percent of America’s students through next-generation broadband within the next five years, and add high-speed wireless within, their schools and libraries. The President’s proposal recognizes the need to build on private sector innovation to allow teachers and students to take full advantage of feature-rich educational devices, and high-quality educational software (including applications). Support is also growing in Congress, where Rep. George Miller, Ranking Democrat on the House Education & the Workforce Committee, introduced legislation to support school technology readiness and teacher professional development to ensure all students can access and benefit from technology. And Senate H.E.L.P. Committee Chairman Tom Harkin includes a number of related programs and provisions in his recently marked up legislation to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind Act. SIIA has long championed such federal investments and calls on the FCC and Congress to advance these and related initiatives needed to ensure all students and educators can realize the educational benefits made possible by technology. Read more on SIIA’s Digital Discourse Blog.

House passes Federal IT Reform

On Friday, the US House of Representatives passed an amendment to the FY 2014 Defense Authorization bill, adding Rep. Issa’s (R-CA) federal IT reform legislation to the bill. The revised version of the bill increases the authority of agency CIOs, promotes increased training of the IT acquisition workforce and expands efforts to optimize the data center infrastructure. The bill now moves to the Senate, where the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) has jurisdiction over federal IT but the issue will have to be addressed jointly by HSGAC and the Senate Armed Services Committee since the language is now part of the must-pass Defense bill. Read more on SIIA’s Digital Discourse Blog.

Rep. Goodlatte, Sen. Leahy Staff Discuss Growing Need for Patent Troll Legislation

In case you missed it, on June 4 SIIA hosted House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) for an important and timely discussion about the growing need for legislative action to curtail abusive patent litigation. The Capitol Hill event was the first in SIIA’s new Tech Policy Speaker Series, and it provided Chairman Goodlatte the opportunity to publicly announce his new discussion draft patent reform legislation to reshape the current environment surrounding patent troll-type behavior and abusive patent litigation, along with his perspective on the problem of patent trolls and their impact on the U.S. economy. The event also included a panel discussion with Aaron Cooper, the chief intellectual property counsel for Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and other experts. Read more on SIIA’s Digital Discourse Blog.

David LeDuc is Senior Director, Public Policy at SIIA. He focuses on e-commerce, privacy, cyber security, cloud computing, open standards, e-government and information policy. Follow the SIIA public policy team on Twitter at @SIIAPubPolicy.

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Filed Under: Digital Policy Roundup, Policy

SIIA Applauds President Obama and Senator Rockefeller for Proposal to Enhance E-Rate School Connectivity

June 18, 2013 By

The Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee held a hearing today on the nomination of Mr. Thomas Wheeler to be Chairman, Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV (WV) used the occasion to highlight the priority of ensuring that the nation’s students and schools have access to digital learning opportunities through expansion of the E-Rate program. This effort received a significant boost recently when President Obama proposed his ConnectEd initiative, calling on the FCC to take steps to improve and extend the E-Rate.

SIIA strongly supports expansion of the E-Rate program, and applauds both President Obama and Senator Rockefeller for their proposals and leadership. Expanding the E-Rate program will help transform the educational experience for the nation’s students by expanding the availability of high-quality digital learning opportunities. Swift action on this initiative is also critical to support full implementation of new college- and career-ready standards and aligned online assessments.

SIIA President Ken Wasch commented today:

“The nation’s students and schools require modern tools to compete in an increasingly digital, connected and competitive world. SIIA applauds President Obama for his proposal to enhance the E-Rate program to ensure all students and educators can realize the educational benefits made possible by technology. SIIA calls on the Federal Communications Commission to act swiftly to ensure these increased resources can quickly and effectively be directed to teaching and learning objectives.”

SIIA supports and has championed increased public investments in education targeted to both improve access to, and enhance the use of, educational technologies. Learning technologies are needed to improve educational opportunities, student engagement and the personalization of learning. Yet, SIIA’s soon to be released 2013 Vision K-20 educator survey results found that, while their goal for access to robust bandwidth is 3.98 (on a 1-4 scale), educators rate their actual access as only 3.14. Similarly, their need for ubiquitous, wireless access to resources and services ranks as a 3.89, but their actual access is only a 2.64.

Mark SchneidermanMark Schneiderman is Senior Director of Education Policy at SIIA.

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Filed Under: Ed Tech Government Forum, Education, Education Policies, Education Policy, Mobile: Education, Policy Tagged With: , , ,

Public Sector Innovation Roundup

June 18, 2013 By

House passes Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA) in Defense Authorization: On Friday, the US House of Representatives passed an amendment to the FY 2014 Defense Authorization bill, adding Rep. Issa’s (R-CA) federal IT reform legislation to the bill. The revised version of the bill increases the authority of agency CIOs, promotes increased training of the IT acquisition workforce and expands efforts to optimize the data center infrastructure. The bill now moves to the Senate, where the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has jurisdiction over federal IT but the issue will have to be address jointly by HSGAC and the Senate Armed Services Committee since the language is now part of the must-pass Defense bill. See SIIA’s full statement here.

Dell launches government cloud: Last week, IT and services company Dell launched Dell Cloud for the U.S. Government, a targeted effort offering federal agencies on premise, dedicated and private clouds as well as multi-tenant options. The cloud environment was designed specifically to comply with FedRAMP and NIST 800-53 and the company plans to submit its solution to the FedRAMP certification process in the near future. Read more from GCN.

GSA upholds IBM protest of Amazon, CIA cloud deal: Earlier this year, the CIA picked Amazon Web Services (AWS) to build a private cloud for the CIA, NSA and the rest of the intelligence community to help them better analyze data and other information. The award, worth approximately $600 million over 5 years was protested by IBM and upheld in part by GSA on June 6th. In upholding the IBM protest, GSA pointed to comparability of the CIA’s evaluation of prices and that the CIA materially relaxed a solicitation term in post-award negotiations. IBM’s bid of about $94 million a year was $54 million less than AWS’s $148 million annually but the source selection authority felt the price difference was offset by AWS’s technical capability. It is unclear at this stage how this process will go forward. FCW has an inside look.

DHS to host webinar on the next generation IT: On June 26, 2013, the DHS Science and Technology Directorate will host a webinar designed to bring private industry up-to-date on the future IT needs of TSA, including what kinds of cutting-edge IT, intelligence, electronic explosives detection and other security equipment DHS is going to need to safeguard aircraft and airports in the future. Webinar attendees should register by June 19th. Interested parties can register and see the FedBizOpps notice here.

Michael Hettinger is VP for the Public Sector Innovation Group (PSIG) at SIIA. Follow his PSIG tweets at @SIIAPSIG. Sign up for the Public Sector Innovation Roundup email newsletter for weekly updates.

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Filed Under: PSIG
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