Digital Discourse / Archives for piracy

The week’s top 5 IP enforcement headlines

March 30, 2011 By

1. Baidu Announces New Anti-Piracy Measures (Wall Street Journal)
Chinese online-search provider Baidu announced that it will begin to use new copyright-recognition technology on its online document-sharing platform to prevent sharing of pirated content. 

2. ICANN Asks to be Set Free (The Inquirer)
ICANN sent a letter to the Department of Commerce last week asking NTIA to privatize ICANN, saying that the security and stability of the Internet would be enhanced by moving to a cooperative agreement.

3. U.S. Internet Piracy on the Decline? (USAToday)
A report by the NPD Group says that Internet piracy is on the decline in the United States.

4. Have Microsoft’s Anti-Piracy Efforts Gone Too Far? (ZDNet)
The article questions whether Microsoft’s efforts to get new anti-piracy legislation passed in the state of Washington go too far.

5. Photobucket Rebuffs A Copyright Lawsuit—A Pattern Likely To Continue (paidcontent.org)
In Wolk v. Eastman Kodak, a visual artist lost her suit against Photobucket and Kodak, in which she alleged that her copyrighted illustrations were uploaded to the photo-sharing network without her permission.  As in similar cases brought against Veoh and YouTube, the court found that Photobucket was immune from liability under the “safe harbor” of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

Share|
Filed Under: Anti-Piracy, Content, Copyright, Government, Policy, Policy - Intellectual Property, Software Tagged With: , , , ,

Just released: Don’t Copy That 2 – School Version

February 15, 2011 By

Don't Copy That Floppy 2 - School Version

For today’s tech-savvy youth, software piracy can be an easy and tempting option. But it’s an option that’s not only wrong–it’s illegal. That’s why it’s so important to reach out to kids and teens about the ethical and legal use of copyrighted materials.

SIIA created Don’t Copy That 2–School Version to educate 6 through 12th grade students about the use of copyrighted materials, such as software, books, articles, music, and movies. The program includes classroom resources and a rap video that addresses the dangers of engaging in piracy and the importance of respecting the creative output of others.

The acommpanying classroom resources include support materials for the video, lesson plans for middle and high school teachers, a glossary, and other resources that can be helpful to educators in teaching these complex and important concepts. The course materials include many of the same concepts for middle and high school students, but use age-appropriate methods. The lesson plans serve as models that educators can customize to their students’ needs. The learning materials have been designed as a series of presentations, discussions, and student activities.

Watch the Don’t Copy That 2–School Version video to learn more about copyright compliance:

Share|
Filed Under: Anti-Piracy, Education Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

‘It’s Time to Sell the Yugo,’ or ‘Why Software Compliance and Piracy Enforcement Needs a 25 Year Upgrade’

February 1, 2011 By

Written by Jim Nauen, VP, Global Sales

A few weeks ago as I was getting ready to speak at a local HTCIA chapter in California, I started thinking about how little progress has been made in Software Compliance over the last 25 years. Having recovered over $130 million in compliance revenue over the last 20+ years for a number of large and small software vendors, it seems in 2011 that Software Compliance and Piracy Enforcement is still largely a matter of blind luck for many software vendors.

Hit or miss manual audits, whistle blower leads, channel partner tip offs, even mystery dialing are still the main source of overuse and piracy enforcement leads 25 years later, which is like driving in the dark with your headlights off and hoping to find the road. In keeping with the 80s, let’s call it the Yugo strategy of compliance revenue recovery. Why would you wait and hope that these leads come to you, instead of using modern methods of aggressively tracking and pursuing companies illegally using your software?

To continue reading this post, please visit the V.i. Labs blog.

Jim Nauen

Share|
Filed Under: Cloud Computing, Government, Security, Software Tagged With: , , , , ,

Which organizations are most likely to pirate software?

January 31, 2011 By

Eliminating corporate software piracy is one of SIIA’s biggest missions. Our members depend on our expertise when it comes to tracking down the organizations which, knowingly or not, shirk software license laws. Over the years, we’ve learned a lot about why and how organizations steal software. And next month, we’re giving you a chance to learn more about the underbelly of corporate piracy. 

Keith Kupferschmid, who heads SIIA’s Anti-Piracy Department, will share his expertise in an online panel hosted by V.i. Labs. The webcast, taking place Wednesday, Feb. 16 at 11 am ET, will cover everything from geographic trends in software piracy to the impact of the recession on compliance. 

Here’s a glimpse at Keith’s take on the average infringing organization: 

Key Characteristics: 
* Over 567 employees
* Average annual sales of $441 million

Most Common Industries: 
* 12% IT
* 10% Healthcare
* 10% Education
* 7% Real Estate & Retail
* 6% Insurance
* 3-4% Finance/Telcom/Engineering/Media Publishing/Legal/Construction

Curious why an IT company with over 500 employees would risk getting caught pirating software? You’ll have to sign up for the free webcast to find out more.

Share|
Filed Under: Anti-Piracy, Corporate-End User Piracy, Policy Tagged With: , ,

Top 11 SIIA Moments of 2010

December 29, 2010 By

SIIA branched out in 2010. We met dozens of new members, spearheaded new events and initiatives, and contributed new research to the industries we serve. Looking back on 2010, it’s exciting to see how much SIIA — and the entire digital landscape — grew and evolved in one year.

Here are our favorite SIIA moments from 2010:

  • The intellectual property team filed an amicus brief in a U.S. Supreme Court case that led to one of the most important IP decisions of the decade. Bilski v. Kappos addressed the question of which things and activities are eligible for patents. SIIA’s brief argued that software should remain eligible for patent protection–and due to the decision, it will continue to be.
  • The education and policy teams launched a new initiative based on the Personalized Learning movement, which advocates a flexible, project-based educational system. SIIA hosted a symposium on the model in August, and used the findings to create a groundbreaking report in partnership with the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and the Council of Chief State School Officers.
  • The Software Division spearheaded a report which revealed some welcome news: small and midsize software companies are emerging from the recession stronger than ever. Revenues grew about 15 percent from 2008 to 2009, with even higher growth coming from small SaaS firms, says the report, developed in partnership with OPEXEngine.
  • The globetrotting Financial Information Services Division (FISD) held meetings on five continents last Spring. For the first time, they hosted events in Dubai and Brazil. Both meetings attracted over 100 financial industry players, who hashed out the challenges and opportunities facing global financial markets. [Read more...]
Share|
Filed Under: Anti-Piracy, Content, Education, Mobility, Policy, Software Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Newer Posts »