• Photographer Sells Other People's Instagrams -- For $90,000
    Photographer Richard Prince printed copies of other people's Instagram photos and then offered to sell them for $90,000 at the Frieze Art Fair. CNN examines whether Prince was legally entitled to do so.
  • Minnesota Court Nixes 'Criminal Defamation' Law
    The Minnesota Court of Appeals this week vacated a man's conviction for “criminal defamation,” which was based on comments that he posted to Craigslist. An appellate panel said the 1963 law was unconstitutional because it could be used to criminalize true statements, the Star Tribune reports.
  • 'Net Neutrality' Added To Dictionary
    The phrase “net neutrality” has been added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, The Hill reports. The term's official dictionary definition is, “the idea, principle, or requirement that Internet service providers should or must treat all Internet data as the same regardless of its kind, source, or destination.” Other new terms added this year include “meme," and "emoji."
  • FCC Chairman Wants To Close Text-Spam Loopholes
    Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler proposed to close loopholes in a law that prohibits companies from sending unwanted text messages to mobile users. Among other changes, Wheeler's proposal would make it easier for consumers to revoke their consent to receive robotexts. The FCC will take up the proposal at its June 18 meeting.
  • German Privacy Watchdog Convinces Five Companies To Remove 'Like' Button
    Five German companies -- Nivea, travel site HRS, ticket seller Eventim, and fashion companies KIK and Peek & Cloppenburg -- removed Facebook's Like button due to pressure from the government-sponsored Consumer Advice Center of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Register reports. The watchdog says that Facebook's use of cookies to track visitors via the Like button violates the German Telemedia Act. The move comes two weeks after privacy officials in Belgium accused Facebook of violating European privacy law by tracking visitors on outside sites.
  • Cox Ordered To Identify 250 Suspected Music Downloaders
    A federal judge has ordered Cox Communications to reveal the identifies of 250 broadband subscribers whose accounts allegedly were used to download copyrighted music, Torrent Freak reports. The order requires Cox to provide names, addresses and other personal details of the subscribers.
  • TiVo Wants To Develop New Streaming Video Service
    TiVo, which recently acquired Aereo's customer lists for $1 million, hopes to offer a new, legal version of the streaming video service, according to DSLReports. But TiVo might have a hard time convincing any cable-TV partners to support a new online video service, given that it could “cannibalize existing pay TV subscribers,” DSLReports says.
  • Florida Enacts Anti-Piracy Law Backed By Record Labels
    Florida Governor Rick Scott on Thursday signed the “True Origin of Digital Goods Act,” which imposes new obligations on owners and operators of Web sites offering streams and downloads of music or music videos. The site operators and owners must now disclose their names, physical addresses, telephone numbers or email addresses. The law, backed by the record industry, will take effect July 1. “Supporters of the law are wagering illegal sites and services will refuse to comply with the law,” Billboard writes. “If this happens, and after a court order seeking compliance is ignored, third-party services can be asked to …
  • News Site Takes Down Sony's Contract With Spotify
    The Verge, which recently posted Sony's U.S. contract with Spotify, took down the document in response to Sony's copyright infringement allegations, Techdirt reports. Techdirt's Mike Masnick questions the Verge's decision. “The Verge has a slam dunk fair use case here,” he writes. “They're providing commentary on the contract. It's a matter of public interest. They're not 'selling' the contract and they're certainly not harming the 'market' for the contract itself, of which there is none.”
  • Charter Communications May Have Exposed Subscribers' Personal Information
    Eric Taylor, an 18-year-old security researcher, discovered a flaw in Charter Communications' Web site that may have exposed personal information about its customers, Fast Company reports. Exposed information includes payment details, account numbers and home addresses of subscribers.
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