Month: August 2022

Rocket Report: SpaceX sees rideshare demand, Russia’s odd launch deal with Iran

“One of the questions that we’re getting a lot is, ‘How full are you guys?'”

India's Small Satellite Launch Vehicle takes flight on Sunday.

Enlarge / India's Small Satellite Launch Vehicle takes flight on Sunday. (credit: ISRO)

Welcome to Edition 5.06 of the Rocket Report! The big news this week is Northrop Grumman's deal with both Firefly and SpaceX to make sure it can continue flying Cygnus spacecraft to the International Space Station. This is a bold move that draws upon the deep US commercial space industry in order to meet NASA's needs in space. It is great to see this kind of cooperation in the aerospace community.

As always, we welcome reader submissions, and if you don't want to miss an issue, please subscribe using the box below (the form will not appear on AMP-enabled versions of the site). Each report will include information on small-, medium-, and heavy-lift rockets as well as a quick look ahead at the next three launches on the calendar.

Astra pivots to larger rocket. Astra will shift away from its previous mantra of being lean in terms of staffing, moving at breakneck speed, and tolerating some failure in launch vehicles, Ars reports. It will also go bigger in terms of its rocket size. "First, we've increased the payload capacity target for launch system 2.0 from 300 kg to 600 kg," CEO Chris Kemp said. "Second, we're working with all of our launch service customers to re-manifest on launch system 2.0. As such, we will not have any additional flights in 2022. And third, we're increasing investments in testing and qualification."

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The best cheap Android phones

Want a smartphone but don’t want to spend $1,000? We’ve got you covered.

The camera bar returns but it's a lot shallower than the Pixel 6 version.

Enlarge / The camera bar returns but it's a lot shallower than the Pixel 6 version. (credit: Ron Amadeo)

So you want to buy a cheap Android phone, but you're overwhelmed by the countless options out there. Let us point you in the right direction.

First, though, you should figure out if you even want to buy a midrange or low-end phone. Getting a less-expensive device usually means giving up some features, like a higher-than-60 Hz display refresh rate, quick charging, mmWave 5G, and wireless charging. On the other hand, you won't be paying $1,000 for a top-of-the-line device.

You should pay close attention to the things some manufacturers skimp out on, like update plans, a decent camera, cutting-edge performance, NFC support, and support for newer versions of Wi-Fi.

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Microsoft Sues Activation Key & Token Sellers For Enabling Customers’ Piracy

Software sold by market leaders tend to be primary purchases for regular consumers. Brand comfort is important but so too is affordability, especially when pirate copies are available for free. Some find a middle ground with purchases of discounted activation keys but, as a new Microsoft lawsuit shows, that can amount to copyright infringement for buyers and sellers alike.

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

Pirate WindowsHaving spent billions on development and marketing over decades, companies like Microsoft dominate important sections of the software market.

As a result, in some business and educational environments use of Microsoft software is effectively mandatory, leaving consumers with little room to consider alternatives or negotiate a discount.

Pirate sites are always an option but many consumers feel that a genuine product bought at a discounted price is a safer and more honest option. What some don’t know is that through the actions of others, they may be paying to access unlicensed software that is no more legal than a download from The Pirate Bay.

Microsoft Files Copyright Lawsuit

In a complaint filed at a Washington court this week, Microsoft targets Canadian company The Search People Enterprises Ltd (TSPE), assumed director Mehtabjit Singh, and ‘John Doe’ defendants 1-10.

The defendants are described as prolific distributors of “black market access devices”, aka activation keys and tokens for Microsoft software. Those who bought keys and tokens may have been under the impression that they were purchasing official software but as Microsoft explains, that is not only misleading but a mischaracterization of the things they were sold.

Background: Keys and Tokens Are Not Licenses

Microsoft says that it develops software and distributes digital downloads using its own site and those of other vendors. Importantly, Microsoft stresses that it does not sell software; it offers licenses that enable people to use its software, under a set of strict terms and conditions.

Products including Microsoft Office, Project, Visio, Windows 10, and Windows 11 are all subject to licensing terms that restrict how the products can be used. Microsoft can also provide a product activation key to be entered as part of the installation process, with data about the activation sent to the company’s servers.

Like software tokens, which enable downloads and automatic software activation, activation keys are anti-piracy tools, and exchanging money for them is not the same as buying a license. Indeed, Microsoft makes itself very clear – the activation of a piece of software means nothing in the absence of a license.

Microsoft’s problem is that product activation keys can be ‘decoupled’ from the software they were meant to authorize and then reused to activate more copies of the software, in some cases more copies than the attached Microsoft license permits. As a result, there is a global black market for activation keys which are sold to often unsuspecting consumers who then download official software from Microsoft, without buying a license.

Device Peddlers Enabled Piracy

According to Microsoft, the defendants engaged in “widespread marketing” that enabled the illegal sale of Microsoft’s activation keys and tokens through the websites softwarekeep.com, softwarekeep.ca, saveonit.com and catsoft.co. Once the keys were purchased, customers were given links to download the software either directly from Microsoft or from sites hosting counterfeit copies.

Between September 2020 and January 2022, Microsoft made a number of test purchases including Office Professional Plus, Office Home & Student, and Windows 10 and 11 Professional. These confirmed the sale of activation keys, software tokens, and the supply of instructions to illegally download Microsoft software.

software-keep

“In either instance, copying software from these sites constitutes the infringement of Microsoft’s copyright-protected software which Defendants induced, enabled, facilitated, and proximately caused,” the complaint reads.

In other words, since people who bought keys did not buy a license, downloading the software from anywhere and making a local copy amounted to piracy. Microsoft doesn’t appear interested in chasing consumers but the software giant wants to hold the defendants liable for their customers’ unintentional piracy.

Contributory Copyright Infringement

“Defendants’ customers unwittingly have infringed and continue to infringe Microsoft’s copyright-protected software by using unauthorized access devices to download, copy, and activate Microsoft software,” Microsoft continues.

“Defendants and the Doe Defendants materially contributed to their customers’ infringement by knowingly and intentionally sourcing and reselling decoupled product keys to be used by their customers to facilitate the downloading, copying, and activation of Microsoft’s copyright-protected software from unauthorized and counterfeit download sites.”

Microsoft says it’s entitled to recover its actual damages and profits attributable to the defendants’ infringement. Alternatively, Microsoft is entitled to seek $150,000 in statutory damages under 17 U.S.C. § 504(c) for each willful infringement.

Additional Causes of Action

Microsoft continues with a claim for trademark infringement due to the defendants using its product logos to advertise and sell keys to activate counterfeit and unlicensed software.

“Defendants’ activities are likely to lead others to conclude, incorrectly, that the infringing materials that Defendants are advertising, marketing, installing, offering, and distributing originate with or are authorized by Microsoft, thereby harming Microsoft, its licensees, and the public,” Microsoft adds.

The complaint concludes with additional causes of action including false designation of origin, false and misleading representations and descriptions of fact, trade dress infringement, and a request for an injunction.

Microsoft’s complaint can be found here (pdf)

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

Teslas auf Behörden- und Firmengelände: Wächtermodus steht unter Beobachtung

Die Berliner Polizei wollte Teslas den Zugang zu ihren Liegenschaften verwehren. Wie machen es andere Behörden oder auch Unternehmen? Wir haben nachgefragt. Eine Recherche von Werner Pluta (Tesla, Technologie)

Die Berliner Polizei wollte Teslas den Zugang zu ihren Liegenschaften verwehren. Wie machen es andere Behörden oder auch Unternehmen? Wir haben nachgefragt. Eine Recherche von Werner Pluta (Tesla, Technologie)