NewsScan Daily, 23 December 2003 ("Above The Fold")

NewsScan Daily, 23 December 2003 ("Above The Fold")
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"ABOVE THE FOLD"
        Unix Copyright Battle Heats Up
        Suing Downloaders Just Got More Expensive
        Oslo Court Exonerates 'DVD Jon'
        New High-Speed Network Links U.S., Europe, Russia, China
        IBM Thinks Fast on Life Sciences Database Searches

FEATURES
        Flash Card
        Worth Thinking About: The Psalms

UNIX COPYRIGHT BATTLE HEATS UP
Novell has thrown a monkey wrench into SCO Group's plan to extract hundreds 
of millions of dollars in licensing fees and damages from IBM and other 
companies using the Linux operating system, which SCO says violates its 
copyright and license because it includes some Unix code. In the past few 
months, Novell has quietly registered for the copyrights on many of the 
Unix versions claimed by SCO, which says it acquired them through a 
transfer from Novell back in 1995. SCO has reacted with outrage, calling 
Novell's recent move a backdoor attempt to reclaim code that is rightfully 
SCO's. "We see this as a fraudulent attempt by Novell to get something they 
don't have," says SCO president and chief executive Darl C. McBride, who 
added that Novell's actions were probably prompted by IBM, the lead Linux 
seller in the corporate market. "It's not just Novell. It's an attack by 
IBM." Meanwhile, Novell executives maintain they have full ownership of the 
copyrights in question: "Novell believes it owns the copyrights in Unix, 
and has applied for and received copyright registrations pertaining to Unix 
consistent with that position. SCO has been well aware that Novell 
continues to assert ownership of the Unix copyrights," said the company in 
a statement. (New York Times 23 Dec 2003)
http://partners.nytimes.com/2003/12/23/technology/23unix.html

SUING DOWNLOADERS JUST GOT MORE EXPENSIVE
Friday's court ruling absolving Internet service providers of the duty to 
reveal subscribers' names when music companies serve them with a subpoena 
means that the costs for going after people who download music illegally 
just got a lot higher. Legal experts say the music industry can still bring 
civil lawsuits against individuals without knowing their names -- so-called 
"John Doe" suits -- and then ask a judge for permission to issue subpoenas, 
but "That's a time-consuming and fairly expensive process," says one 
intellectual property attorney. Previously, recording industry lawyers had 
been issuing subpoenas before filing any lawsuits. The new procedure will 
also allow targeted individuals to contest the subpoenas in court. "It's 
not going to stop (the recording industry) from filing legitimate claims. 
It's going to give the targets of those claims procedural protection if 
they're incorrectly named," says a lawyer for the Electronic Frontier 
Foundation. "This is certainly a setback for the industry if they're 
looking to threaten without suing. It raises the stakes all around," says 
Jonathan Zittrain, co-director of the Berkman Center for Internet and 
Society at Harvard Law School. (AP/Washington Post 23 Dec 2003)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24143-2003Dec23.html

OSLO COURT EXONERATES 'DVD JON'
An Oslo appeals court has upheld a lower court ruling clearing 20-year-old 
Jon Johansen (dubbed "DVD Jon" by fans) of piracy charges, saying he had 
broken no Norwegian law by developing and distributing software that 
disables digital locks that prevent unauthorized copying of DVDs. The court 
noted that such software prevents DVD owners from making personal copies 
that could be used as backup if the original sustains damage. The ruling 
applies only in Norway, but the case has been closely watched by advocates 
on both sides who see it as a test for cyberspace copyright rules around 
the globe. The U.S. Motion Picture Association of America expressed its 
disappointment in the verdict in a statement: "The actions of serial 
hackers such as Mr. Johansen are damaging to honest consumers everywhere. 
While the ruling does not affect the laws outside of Norway, we believe 
this decision encourages circumvention of copyright that threatens consumer 
choice and employment in the film and television industries." (Reuters/Los 
Angeles Times 23 Dec 2003)
http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-piracy23dec23,1,5798245.story?coll=la-headlines-technology

NEW HIGH-SPEED NETWORK LINKS U.S., EUROPE, RUSSIA, CHINA
A new high-speed computer network will enable scientists in Russia and 
China to collaborate with their counterparts in the U.S. and Amsterdam in a 
project that includes the first direct computer link across the 
Russia-China border. "This new network permits us to learn more from each 
other in areas where we have not worked together in the past," says Greg 
Cole of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, one of the 
leaders of the Little GLORIAD (Global Ring Network for Advanced Application 
Development) project. Scientists connected to the network will work 
together on such issues as natural disaster response, nuclear material 
security procedures, earthquake monitoring and joint space exploration. A 
formal launch is set for Jan. 12 in Beijing. The Little GLORIAD is a "first 
big step" toward the ultimate goal of establishing a higher speed GLORIAD 
capable of moving data at 10 gigabytes per second, 60 times faster than its 
"Little" predecessor. (AP 23 Dec 2003)
http://apnews.excite.com/article/20031223/D7VK5LOG2.html

IBM THINKS FAST ON LIFE SCIENCES DATABASE SEARCHES
IBM and Oslo-based Fast Search & Transfer are integrating Fast's data 
search technology with an IBM search engine geared toward the life sciences 
industry. Fast makes real-time search and filter technology that will be 
incorporated into IBM's DiscoveryLink technology, which sifts through a 
range of life sciences databases and provides search results in a 
consistent manner. "We expect this partnership to help improve the 
discovery process for those in the life sciences sector who require 
real-time access to scientific information that is highly relevant to their 
research needs," says a senior marketing manager in IBM's Life Science 
Discovery Solutions unit. (CNet News.com 22 Dec 2003)
http://news.com.com/2100-1012_3-5130882.html?tag=nefd_top

*****

FLASH CARD
      "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will 
fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." 
(Psalm 23)

WORTH THINKING ABOUT: THE PSALMS
      Yesterday we featured the Kuran; today we turn to the Hebrew Bible, 
and to the Book of Psalms. Below is a brief excerpt, followed by a link to 
one of the many translations of the Psalms available on the Internet:
          A Poem by David.
          Preserve me, God, for in you do I take refuge.
          My soul, you have said to Yahweh, "You are my Lord. Apart from 
you I have no good thing."
          As for the saints who are in the earth, They are the excellent 
ones in whom is all my delight.
          Their sorrows shall be multiplied who give gifts to another god. 
Their drink-offerings of blood I will not offer, Nor take their names on my 
lips. Yahweh assigned my portion and my cup. You made my lot secure.
          The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places. Yes, I have a 
good inheritance.
          I will bless Yahweh, who has given me counsel. Yes, my heart 
instructs me in the night seasons.
          I have set Yahweh always before me. Because he is at my right 
hand, I shall not be moved.
         Therefore my heart is glad, and my tongue rejoices. My body shall 
also dwell in safety.
          For you will not leave my soul in Sheol, Neither will you allow 
your holy one to see corruption.
          You will show me the path of life. In your presence is fullness 
of joy. In your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.

See http://www.awitness.org/biblehtm/ps/ -- or look for the Psalms in your 
favorite library. (We donate all revenue from our book recommendations to 
adult literacy programs.)

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