Testimonial Bloggers
* Hao: It's about time The Guides were updated to reflect the changes in media. The Guides Governing Endorsements and Testimonials were last updated in 1980.
ftc.gov
"The Federal Trade Commission today announced that it has approved final revisions to the guidance it gives to advertisers on how to keep their endorsement and testimonial ads in line with the FTC Act."
"The revised Guides specify that while decisions will be reached on a case-by-case basis, the post of a blogger who receives cash or in-kind payment to review a product is considered an endorsement. Thus, bloggers who make an endorsement must disclose the material connections they share with the seller of the product or service."
"Preventive Detention, at What Cost?"
Al Franken Wins!
Franken, a former Saturday Night Live comedian and liberal commentator, wins the disputed election by only a few hundred votes. He will give Senate Democrats control of 60 seats, enough to overcome any Republican filibuster if they stay united.” --npr.org
I think Mr. Franken will be Minneosta’s best Senator ever.
First Sale
President Obama reportedly gave an iPod, loaded with 40 show tunes, to England's Queen Elizabeth II as a gift. Did he violate the law when he did so?You know your copyright laws are broken when there is no easy answer to this question.Traditionally, it has been the job of the "first sale" doctrine to enable gift giving -- that's the provision of copyright law that entitles the owner of a CD, book, or other copyrighted work, to give it away (or resell it, for that matter), notwithstanding the copyright owner's exclusive right of distribution.In the digital era, however, first sale has been under siege, with copyright owners (and even the Copyright Office) arguing that it has no place in a world where "ownership" has been replaced by "licenses" and hand-to-hand exchanges have been replaced by computer-mediated exchanges that necessarily make copies. But it's precisely because first sale is central to everyday activities like giving an iPod to a friend, selling a used CD on eBay, or borrowing a DVD from a library, that EFF and others have been fighting for it in case after case.
The President sides with the RIAA on file sharing lawsuits which allows fines to range from $750 to $150,000 per song. Read article: Threat Level. In a related report, President Obama continues to fill the Justice Department with lawyers from the RIAA. Read article: Threat Level.