Its a sad day for people in the UK :(

Today I was looking at my BBC app and read a story that The Pirate Bay, a well known torrent site has been blocked in the UK by ISP's by the High Court.  Although this will probably mean a lot less viruses for UK internet users its still sad to see it go in that country because if you like to download torrents you are just gonna have to find another place to go,except they are also blocking other sites such as Newzbin2.  In the UK officials are saying that these torrent sites are taking away the jobs of British people and upcoming artists (don't that's true).  Hopefully we get some updates on the future of torrent downloading in the UK.

My photo...not yours!!

As the class continues to go on and the discussions on digital journalism heats up, I've been thinking about copyrights. With Sam Gregory providing a space for people to post or display what they see, I wonder how he handles copyright issues. The images of non public figures and random pictures that journalist may fiind on the internet, may requir permisson right?  I found this article that slams the idea of people freely taking images and using them without permission. James (Jim) Colburn is a digital photograher and journalist. Check out the article  http://digitaljournalist.org/issue0111/colburn.htm

The Evolving Climate of Digital Consumerism

Only a couple of decades ago, the key driver of the world economy was characterized by Capitalism and the raw materials/resources that it relied on. With digital technologies such as social media outlets permeating our socio-economic atmosphere, the aforementioned driver of our world economy is now based on intellectual property(which includes copyrights, trademarks, patents etc.).

Since individuals are now able to transfer information freely across the Internet, including those that have been difficult to access previously, digital piracy of such things as movies, music and other coveted entertainment media has become a large issue. In the following article, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka delves on the legal ramifications of violating intellectual property rights; "Digital theft has cost the U.S. entertainment industry countless jobs. ... The need to address foreign rogue websites remains urgent as they continue to profit at the expense of U.S. jobs and income." With the addition of social media websites such as Facebook and MySpace, illegal sharing of copyrighted material has become much easier for violators, creating a need for more stringent IP laws. The linked article below outlines these new laws and business models created by various organizations that aim to satisfy consumers, create greater revenue opportunities for music creators all while effectively fighting piracy.



Link to this feature: http://www.grammy.com/news/artswatch-sizing-up-the-creative-economy