Der Apple Park ist fertig, also hat Jony Ive wieder Zeit für Produktdesign: Ab sofort ist der britische Designer wieder für das Aussehen von Apples Geräten und Software verantwortlich. Die vergangenen zwei Jahre war Ive in die Designentscheidungen von …
Der Apple Park ist fertig, also hat Jony Ive wieder Zeit für Produktdesign: Ab sofort ist der britische Designer wieder für das Aussehen von Apples Geräten und Software verantwortlich. Die vergangenen zwei Jahre war Ive in die Designentscheidungen von Produkten nicht involviert. (Jonathan Ive, Apple)
Auf einer Konferenz hat Tesla-Gründer Elon Musk verraten, dass das Unternehmen eigene KI-Chips für autonome Fahrzeuge entwickelt. An der Forschung beteiligt ist Jim Keller, der zuvor unter anderem bei AMD Chips entwickelt hat. (Tesla, KI)
Auf einer Konferenz hat Tesla-Gründer Elon Musk verraten, dass das Unternehmen eigene KI-Chips für autonome Fahrzeuge entwickelt. An der Forschung beteiligt ist Jim Keller, der zuvor unter anderem bei AMD Chips entwickelt hat. (Tesla, KI)
In a series of four videos, UK charity CrimeStoppers is warning of the dangers of unauthorized third-party Kodi addons, highlighting everything from malware and identity theft through to child protection issues. CrimeStoppers also encourages the public to not only report box sellers but also anyone “directing” people to use pirate devices.
While many people might believe CrimeStoppers to be an official extension of the police in the UK, the truth is a little more subtle.
CrimeStoppers is a charity that operates a service through which members of the public can report crime anonymously, either using a dedicated phone line or via a website. Callers are not required to give their name, meaning that for those concerned about reprisals or becoming involved in a case for other sensitive reasons, it’s the perfect buffer between them and the authorities.
The people at CrimeStoppers deal with all kinds of crime but perhaps a little surprisingly, they’ve just got involved in the set-top box controversy in the UK.
“Advances in technology have allowed us to enjoy on-screen entertainment in more ways than ever before, with ever increasing amounts of exciting and original content,” the CrimeStoppers campaign begins.
“However, some people are avoiding paying for this content by using modified streaming hardware devices, like a set-top box or stick, in conjunction with software such as illegal apps or add-ons, or illegal mobile apps which allow them to watch new movie releases, TV that hasn’t yet aired, and subscription sports channels for free.”
The campaign has been launched in partnership with the Intellectual Property Office and unnamed “industry partners”. Who these companies are isn’t revealed but given the standard messages being portrayed by the likes of ACE, Premier League and Federation Against Copyright Theft lately, it wouldn’t be a surprise if some or all of them were involved.
Those messages are revealed in a series of four video ads, each taking a different approach towards discouraging the public from using devices loaded with pirate software.
The first video clearly targets the consumer, dispelling the myth that watching pirate video isn’t against the law. It is, that’s not in any doubt, but from the constant tone of the video, one could be forgiven that it’s an extremely serious crime rather than something which is likely to be a civil matter, if anything at all.
It also warns people who are configuring and selling pirate devices that they are breaking the law. Again, this is absolutely true but this activity is clearly several magnitudes more serious than simply viewing. The video blurs the boundaries for what appears to be dramatic effect, however.
Selling and watching is illegal
The second video is all about demonizing the people and groups who may offer set-top boxes to the public.
Instead of portraying the hundreds of “cottage industry” suppliers behind many set-top box sales in the UK, the CrimeStoppers video paints a picture of dark organized crime being the main driver. By buying from these people, the charity warns, criminals are being welcomed in.
“It is illegal. You could also be helping to fund organized crime and bringing it into your community,” the video warns.
Are you funding organized crime?
The third video takes another approach, warning that set-top boxes have few if any parental controls. This could lead to children being exposed to inappropriate content, the charity warns.
“What are your children watching. Does it worry you?” the video asks.
Of course, the same can be said about the Internet, period. Web browsers don’t filter what content children have access to unless parents take pro-active steps to configure special services or software for the purpose.
There’s always the option to supervise children, of course, but Netflix is probably a safer option for those with a preference to stand off. It’s also considerably more expensive, a fact that won’t have escaped users of these devices.
Got kids? Take care….
Finally, video four picks up a theme that’s becoming increasingly common in anti-piracy campaigns – malware and identity theft.
“Why risk having your identity stolen or your bank account or home network hacked. If you access entertainment or sports using dodgy streaming devices or apps, or illegal addons for Kodi, you are increasing the risks,” the ad warns.
Danger….Danger….
Perhaps of most interest is that this entire campaign, which almost certainly has Big Media behind the scenes in advisory and financial capacities, barely mentions the entertainment industries at all.
Indeed, the success of the whole campaign hinges on people worrying about the supposed ill effects of illicit streaming on them personally and then feeling persuaded to inform on suppliers and others involved in the chain.
“Know of someone supplying or promoting these dodgy devices or software? It is illegal. Call us now and help stop crime in your community,” the videos warn.
That CrimeStoppers has taken on this campaign at all is a bit of a head-scratcher, given the bigger crime picture. Struggling with severe budget cuts, police in the UK are already de-prioritizing a number of crimes, leading to something called “screening out”, a process through which victims are given a crime number but no investigation is carried out.
This means that in 2016, 45% of all reported crimes in Greater Manchester weren’t investigated and a staggering 57% of all recorded domestic burglaries weren’t followed up by the police. But it gets worse.
“More than 62pc of criminal damage and arson offenses were not investigated, along with one in three reported shoplifting incidents,” MEN reports.
Given this backdrop, how will police suddenly find the resources to follow up lots of leads from the public and then subsequently prosecute people who sell pirate boxes? Even if they do, will that be at the expense of yet more “screening out” of other public-focused offenses?
No one is saying that selling pirate devices isn’t a crime or at least worthy of being followed up, but is this niche likely to be important to the public when they’re being told that nothing will be done when their homes are emptied by intruders? “NO” says a comment on one of the CrimeStoppers videos on YouTube.
“This crime affects multi-million dollar corporations, I’d rather see tax payers money invested on videos raising awareness of crimes committed against the people rather than the 0.001%,” it concludes.
Security ist kaputt und ein Tesla-Mietwagen völlig demoliert. Außerdem drehen wir gleich zwölf smarte Lautsprecher – oder besser Lauschsprecher – auf. Sieben Tage und viele Meldungen im Überblick. (Golem-Wochenrückblick, Apple TV)
Security ist kaputt und ein Tesla-Mietwagen völlig demoliert. Außerdem drehen wir gleich zwölf smarte Lautsprecher - oder besser Lauschsprecher - auf. Sieben Tage und viele Meldungen im Überblick. (Golem-Wochenrückblick, Apple TV)
Some people who reject the conclusions of climate science claim that the existence of any remaining uncertainty means few or no actions need be taken to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. In reality, though, uncertainty is ever-present in science, and it's not necessarily our friend. A new study from Patrick Brown and Ken Caldeira of the Carnegie Institution for Science highlights the fact that uncertainty means climate change could just as easily be worse than our best current estimates predict.
The study sought to narrow the range of projected global warming presented in places like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports. For each of several scenarios of future greenhouse gas emissions, these reports have simply taken simulations from every climate model available and combined the results—showing the average temperature trajectory and the range they span. For the highest-emissions scenario, for example, the last IPCC report projected about 4.3 degrees Celsius (7.7 degrees Fahrenheit) warming by the late 21st century. But the range of model results stretched from about 3.2 degrees Celsius to 5.4 degrees Celsius.
One strategy for dealing with this variance has been to weight the results of the best-performing models more highly. The difficulty is in confidently assessing which models are the best-performing ones. A handful of studies have used some aspect of cloud behavior as the measuring stick. That work has found that the models best simulating current cloud behavior also happen to simulate more future warming.
The GPD Win is a tiny computer that looks a bit like a Nintendo DS, but it’s a full-fledged computer complete with an Intel Atom Cherry Trail processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of eMMC storage, and Windows 10 software. It has a tiny keyboard that you ca…
The GPD Win is a tiny computer that looks a bit like a Nintendo DS, but it’s a full-fledged computer complete with an Intel Atom Cherry Trail processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of eMMC storage, and Windows 10 software. It has a tiny keyboard that you can use to type with your thumbs, and pretty […]
The movie company behind the 2015 drama film Fathers & Daughters doesn’t have the right to sue for online copyright infringement, an accused pirate from Oregon argues. In a motion for summary judgment, the defense shows that the filmmakers signed away the relevant distribution rights to a third-party.
In recent years, a group of select companies have pressured hundreds of thousands of alleged pirates to pay significant settlement fees, or face legal repercussions.
These so-called “copyright trolling” efforts have also been a common occurrence in the United States for more than half a decade, and still are today.
While copyright holders should be able to take legitimate piracy claims to court, not all cases are as strong as they first appear. Many defendants have brought up flaws, often in relation to the IP-address evidence, but an accused pirate in Oregon takes things up a notch.
Lingfu Zhang, represented by attorney David Madden, has turned the tables on the makers of the film Fathers & Daughters. The man denies having downloaded the movie but also points out that the filmmakers have signed away their online distribution rights.
The issue was brought up in previous months, but the relevant findings were only unsealed this week. They show that the movie company (F&D), through a sales agent, sold the online distribution rights to a third party.
While this is not uncommon in the movie business, it means that they no longer have the right to distribute the movie online, a right Zhang was accused of violating. This is also what his attorney pointed out to the court, asking for a judgment in favor of his client.
“ZHANG denies downloading the movie but Defendant’s current motion for summary judgment challenges a different portion of F&D’s case: Defendant argues that F&D has alienated all of the relevant rights necessary to sue for infringement under the Copyright Act,” Madden writes.
The filmmakers opposed the request and pointed out that they still had some rights. However, this is irrelevant according to the defense, since the distribution rights are not owned by them, but by a company that’s not part of the lawsuit.
“Plaintiff claims, for example, that it still owns the right to exploit the movie on airlines and oceangoing vessels. That may or may not be true – Plaintiff has not submitted any evidence on the question – but ZHANG is not accused of showing the movie on an airplane or a cruise ship.
“He is accused of downloading it over the Internet, which is an infringement that affects only an exclusive right owned by non-party DISTRIBUTOR 2,” Madden adds.
Interestingly, an undated addendum to the licensing agreement, allegedly created after the lawsuit was started, states that the filmmakers would keep their “anti-piracy” rights, as can be seen below.
Anti-Piracy rights?
This doesn’t save the filmmaker, according to the defense. The “licensor” who keeps these anti-piracy and enforcement rights refers to the sales agent, not the filmmaker, Madden writes. In addition, the case is about copyright infringement, and despite the addendum, the filmmakers don’t have the exclusive rights that apply here.
“Plaintiff represented to this Court that it was the ‘proprietor of all copyrights and interests need to bring suit’ […] notwithstanding that it had – years earlier – transferred away all its exclusive rights under Section 106 of the Copyright Act,” the defense lawyer concludes.
“Even viewing all Plaintiff’s agreements in the light most favorable to it, Plaintiff holds nothing more than a bare right to sue, which is not a cognizable right that may be exercised in the courts of this Circuit.”
While the court has yet to decide on the motion, this case could turn into a disaster for the makers of Fathers & Daughters.
If the court agrees that they don’t have the proper rights, defendants in other cases may argue the same. It’s easy to see how their entire trolling scheme would then collapse.
—
The original memorandum in support of the motion for summary judgment is available here (pdf) and a copy of the reply brief can be found here (pdf).
The trailer for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is here, and it looks simultaneously ridiculous and self-important. This trailer is audiences' first look at the film—very little information about the plot and few images were revealed previously.
The gist of the storyline seems to be that Bryce Dallas Howard's Claire Dearing and Chris Pratt's Owen Grady are teaming up to go back to Isla Nublar years after the park has closed, because the dinosaurs are all going to die when the island "explodes." The duo wants to save the animals—in particular, Blue, a now-grown up velociraptor that Grady raised when it was a baby. The trailer seems to hint that there are other human forces at play, rounding up the dinosaurs for presumably some other purpose, but it's hard to know for sure.
Much of the trailer recounts just two set pieces—one in which a tyrannosaurus rex intervenes as Grady is threatened by another dinosaur, and one in which all the dinosaurs seem to be fleeing an island that is about to explode—though they seem to occur in close proximity. Significant moments of the latter are shown, so avoid the trailer if you don't want that scene spoiled for you. Other highlights include Jeff Goldblum's Ian Malcolm speaking at some kind of hearing about what to do with the dinosaurs, some sexual history and tension between the film's leads, and a lot of tense-looking dinosaur confrontations with lava raining from the sky.
After teasing a new line of slim desktop PCs aimed at gamers earlier this year, Zotac is officially launching the MEK1 gaming PC. It measures about 4.6 inches wide, 15.5 inches tall, and 16.3 inches deep, making the MEK1 look a bit more like a game con…
After teasing a new line of slim desktop PCs aimed at gamers earlier this year, Zotac is officially launching the MEK1 gaming PC. It measures about 4.6 inches wide, 15.5 inches tall, and 16.3 inches deep, making the MEK1 look a bit more like a game console than a PC. But under the hood it […]
Need to buy a board game? Our 2017 guide has you covered.
The holiday gift-buying season is upon us, and that can mean only one thing: it's time to buy way too many board games.
For this year's board game buyer's guide, we went big—close to 10,000 words big. We split the guide into categories for easy reading, with around five solid choices for each type of gamer. We couldn't include all of our favorite recommendations, of course (we have a lot of opinions about board games), but we love all the games on this list. Whether your giftee is a new gamer, a grizzled veteran, or someone who doesn't know the first thing about board games (and didn't even ask for one), we've got you covered. And maybe you're in the market for a new game or two for yourself—let us be your guide.
Be sure to tell us your go-to or off-the-beaten-path recommendations in the comments.
Der Apple Park ist fertig, also hat Jony Ive wieder Zeit für Produktdesign: Ab sofort ist der britische Designer wieder für das Aussehen von Apples Geräten und Software verantwortlich. Die vergangenen zwei Jahre war Ive in die Designentscheidungen von Produkten nicht involviert. (Jonathan Ive, Apple) 
Auf einer Konferenz hat Tesla-Gründer Elon Musk verraten, dass das Unternehmen eigene KI-Chips für autonome Fahrzeuge entwickelt. An der Forschung beteiligt ist Jim Keller, der zuvor unter anderem bei AMD Chips entwickelt hat. (
Security ist kaputt und ein Tesla-Mietwagen völlig demoliert. Außerdem drehen wir gleich zwölf smarte Lautsprecher - oder besser Lauschsprecher - auf. Sieben Tage und viele Meldungen im Überblick. (
In recent years, a group of select companies have pressured hundreds of thousands of alleged pirates to pay significant settlement fees, or face legal repercussions.
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