usa

As if we needed any more, here is some more fuel for the outrage that the very mention of RIAA/MPAA is or should be causing:

"It appears that the money the RIAA is spending on campaign donations is well spent, however. With the universities not falling into line as expected, Congress held hearings where various politicians blasted universities for not taking a more proactive stance and threatening to withhold federal money from universities that don't play by the RIAA's rules."

One of the interesting comments to this story, written by "The infamous Joe" shows us the badly needed reset button on the US government:

Looks like someone in the US Congress is finally making some sense.

"Talking about the Future of Radio House Telecom and Internet sub-committee hearing, "that focused on the horrible ruling that could shut down Internet radio stations and the XM/Sirius proposed merger," he (Sean Garrett of The 463) says Doyle, "brought his fellow members into the current century with a story about one his constituents - who happens to be one of the hottest DJs of the moment ..." -- Read more

P2PNet features an astonishing story about the loss of many things that have in the past characterized the free country we once knew as America. In the wake of the digital age, rather than embracing and capitalizing on its promises, USA and its former character of freedom is being locked down.

Quoting:

"Last week, the President signed into law, legislation that formally eliminates the American concept of Habeas Corpus. Somewhere, sometime, between the time Congress voted to legislate the Military Commissions Act of October 17, 2006, and the government signed it, the wording of that law changed.

"The myth of the borderless Internet, never very credible to those who had any real understanding of the interplay between politics and technology that underpins the network, took another hit last week when the US Congress voted to ban bank and credit card payments to gambling firms.

If President Bush signs the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act into law, as he is expected to do, then within months US credit card companies and banks will be forced to check for and refuse payment for most forms of online gambling."

"The internet has always been a bordered network, and we ignore this geopolitical reality at our peril.

" The Commerce Department agreed Friday to loosen its control over the agency that manages the Internet address system, a move that experts called a big step toward private-sector control.

In addition to providing for more autonomy, the accord calls for a midterm review in 18 months, the earliest point at which ICANN could become unleashed from government oversight. "The top line is that this is a major step forward for ICANN to become completely autonomous," said Paul Twomey, the Australian who is chief executive of ICANN. "

However a commentator on CNET says: "I greatly doubt that this will improve things. ICANN is a tremendous