May 2021 – Page 41 – news.buyenne.com

Frieden in Nahost ist möglich

Laut ihrer Schriften streben die abrahamischen Religionen nach Frieden. Doch in Nahost führen sie Krieg. Wie kann das überwunden werden?

Rock Pi 4 Plus is a faster single-board PC with built-in storage for $49 and up

Radxa’s Rock Pi 4 line of single-board computers are tiny Pcs that look a lot like a Raspberry Pi, but which feature Rockchip RK3399 hexa-core processors rather than Broadcom BCM2711 quad-core chips. Now the company is introducing a new model ca…

The post Rock Pi 4 Plus is a faster single-board PC with built-in storage for $49 and up appeared first on Liliputing.

Google’s “I/O Adventure” was almost as good as being there

Holding a trade show inside an online game is actually pretty fun.

Virtual Google I/O! It's just like the real thing. Most of those little characters are real people. [credit: Ron Amadeo ]

Google I/O was this past week, and while there were still the usual announcements and information dump, the pandemic made the show online-only. Normally, people from across the world descend upon the Shoreline Amphitheater to learn about Google's new products and developer initiatives, swap stories, and network. But none of that could really happen this year, at least not in person.

Google often tries to "gamify" these tech trade shows (I've been known to sometimes get addicted to them), but this year Google I/O was an actual game, called Google I/O Adventure. This is Google I/O, with all the booths and information you would expect, but rendered in a 2D, top-down, MMO game that you and everyone else virtually attending can run around in. The game has a rolling chat window for nearby players, and tables in the game world start up a private chat for everyone sitting at them. It was sort like a Google I/O version of Second Life or an MMO Animal Crossing that runs in your desktop browser. I/O was only three days long, so most of the hustle and bustle of I/O Adventure is over, but the world will still be online for the next month.

When you start the game, you first go through character creation and can only pick basics like hair, skin color, and a few options for arms and legs, including wheelchairs and some robot parts. The game is a collect-a-thon though, and scattered across the virtual Google I/O during the convention were all sorts of accessories that fit into various cosmetic items slot. You could stop by the Android booth and get a cool Android hat or get an offline dinosaur doll from the Chrome booth. There are NPCs to talk to and mini-games like golf, fishing, and a few music games. The controls are dead simple: WASD and that's it. If you want to interact with something, walk into it.

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When is a Porsche 911 not a Porsche 911? When it’s a Ruf

The cars have starred in Gran Turismo and on the Nordschleife.

This looks like a collection of Porsche 911s but if you checked each car's VIN you'd find they were officially recognized as being made by Ruf. [credit: Ian Wood ]

The Porsche 911 is one of the most instantly recognizable cars in the world. For decades and across multiple generations, Porsche has kept the same basic shape and the same basic format—a flat-six engine mounted behind the rear axle. But some of the most famous 911s don't actually wear the Porsche crest. Instead, they're officially recognized as the products of a company called Ruf, based in Pfaffenhausen, Germany. And there's a new exhibition celebrating them at the Petersen Museum in Los Angeles.

If you're a car nerd, chances are you already know about Ruf. That might be because of Faszination on the Nürburgring. It's a 20-minute promo video made by Ruf in 1987 and features a bright yellow Ruf CTR, also known as the Yellowbird. Based on the naturally aspirated 911 Carrera 3.2, Ruf seam-welded the chassis, replaced the body panels with lightweight aluminum (or fiberglass for the bumpers), and upgraded the suspension and brakes. Ruf also upgraded the engine, boring it out to 3.4 L and adding a pair of big turbochargers, resulting in at least 463hp (345 kW) and 408 lb-ft (553Nm)—well in excess of anything Porsche sold at the time.

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Dänemarks Einfluss in der Arktis schmilzt

Kopenhagen gerät angesichts der Interessen der USA, Russlands und Chinas in die Defensive? Das zeigt sich vor allem auf den Faröer Inseln

Virgin Galactic: VSS Unity gelingt erfolgreicher bemannter Testflug

Virgin Galactic schickt die VSS Unity erfolgreich an den Rand des Weltalls. (Virgin Galactic, Raumfahrt)

Watch Tower Ups Pressure on YouTube & Facebook To Hand Over Infringers’ Details

After filing a lawsuit against the creator of the ‘DubTown’ Lego stop motion series, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, the supervising body and publisher for the Jehovah’s Witness religious group, has yet more alleged infringers in its sights. In addition to targeting more YouTube users, Watch Tower is attempting to find out the identities of people posting its songs to Facebook.

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Like any creator of owner of original content, the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, the supervising body and publisher for the Jehovah’s Witness religious group, enjoys protections under law to prevent infringement.

As the owner of various copyright-protected works, including many registered at the US Copyright Office, the group is allowed to send DMCA takedown notices to have content removed from online platforms. As the law requires, platforms like YouTube comply with these requests but it appears that is just not enough for Watch Tower.

Ongoing Campaign to Identify Alleged Infringers

As reported last weekend, an individual who created a series of stop-motion Lego animations is currently being sued by Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. ‘Kevin McFree’ was first targeted in 2018 via a DMCA subpoena but with that legal process stalled, Watch Tower filed a full-blown copyright infringement lawsuit.

McFree (not his/her real name) is currently proceeding as a John Doe, since the earlier DMCA subpoena failed to uncover the animator’s real identity after Watch Tower met resistance from McFree’s lawyer. However, DMCA subpoenas – which do not necessarily require oversight from a judge – can prove a useful tool in obtaining people’s real names and addresses.

While this is a problem for alleged copyright infringers in any matter (such as those that involve copyright trolls), in Watch Tower related cases there is a chance that once identified, people who are current members (or have family members still in the church) could face much broader social consequences. As a result, staying anonymous carries additional importance.

Watch Tower Files a New Wave of DMCA Subpoenas

Watch Tower is no stranger to filing for DMCA subpoenas to compel YouTube to hand over the details of alleged infringers, and these can sometimes get quite messy. This week, however, Watch Tower appears to be increasing the pressure significantly.

In a wave of DMCA subpoenas targeting YouTube and also Facebook, the religious group is hoping to find out the real identities of people who uploaded Jehovah’s Witness content to the platforms. At least as far as the evidence provided reveals, none are serial infringers or mass uploaders.

In all cases, Watch Tower appears to have identified either a single upload on YouTube or Facebook, which were previously tackled by sending DMCA notices to the relevant platforms, targeting the specific content, which was removed.

All DMCA subpoenas reference a single song titled “With Eyes of Faith” which, interestingly, is publicly avabailble on the JW.org portal for streaming and also free MP3 download, no registration or login required.

YouTube and Facebook Accounts Affected

In the first subpoena application against YouTube, Watch Tower seeks the identity of the person behind the JW Music account, which currently has no videos listed and has just 116 subscribers. The account was only opened on May 5, 2021, so has had little opportunity to gain any traction.

“Watch Tower conducted a good-faith fair use analysis of the infringing posts on the account at issue. This content infringes copyrights held by Watch Tower,” the application reads.

The second application lists the PODEROSOS PELA FÉ (Powerful by Faith) channel which isn’t directly linked but also posted the same song, “With Eyes of Faith”, which has since been removed. The application does not state that a fair use analysis has been carried out, instead concluding that the video simply infringes copyright.

The third application, which like the others was filed this week, targets a Facebook user, also posting under the name PODEROSOS PELA FÉ. Since this a widely used Jehovah’s Witness term, it’s unclear whether this is the same user as targeted in the YouTube takedown.

The fourth DMCA subpoena request targets an individual, again on Facebook, operating under the name Adriana Lima. Both stand accused of ‘pirating’ the song “With Eyes of Faith”.

Demands for All Subscriber Information

In all four cases, either YouTube or Facebook are asked to hand over “all identifying information, including subscriber registration information” including their “name(s), address(es), telephone number(s), [and] any electronic mail addresses” associated with the allegedly infringing accounts.

Each application comes with an assurance that Watch Tower will only use the subpoenas (if they are granted) to obtain the identity of an alleged infringer or infringers, and that such information will only be used for the purpose of protecting Watch Tower’s rights under the Copyright Act. The big question, however, is what that will entail.

Since the content has already been subjected to takedown requests, preventing ongoing infringement doesn’t appear to be a key issue. However, since Watch Tower wants to personally identify the people in question, it is possible that it will seek to communicate with them directly. What shape those conversations will take is unknown but there could be additional consequences if the group can link the alleged infringers or their family members directly to the church.

And of course, as the lawsuit against Kevin McFree shows, there is also the possibility of a full-blown copyright infringement lawsuit, which at least carries the potential for up to $150,000 in statutory damages, if guilt is proven. Either way, if the people can be identified there is no good outcome.

The DMCA subpoena applications and supporting documents can be found below:

1. YouTube (Subpoena 1) (1,2)
2. YouTube (Subpoena 2) (1,2)
3. Facebook (Subpoena 1) (1,2)
4. Facebook (Subpoena 2) (1,2)