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A year after launching the Meta Quest 3 mixed-reality headset, Facebook’s parent company is introducing a new model called the Meta Quest 3S that offers many of the same features for less than half the price. Available for pre-order now for $300 …
A year after launching the Meta Quest 3 mixed-reality headset, Facebook’s parent company is introducing a new model called the Meta Quest 3S that offers many of the same features for less than half the price. Available for pre-order now for $300 and up, the new model could is the cheapest member of the current Meta […]
The post Meta Quest 3S is a pared down mixed-reality headset priced at $300 appeared first on Liliputing.
A New York federal court has ordered the operators of shadow library LibGen to pay $30 million in copyright infringement damages. The default judgment comes with a broad injunction that affects third-party services including domain registries, browser extensions, CDN providers, IPFS gateways, advertisers, and more. These parties should stop facilitating access to the pirate site.
From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
Library Genesis, often shortened to LibGen, is one of the longest-running shadow libraries online. It provides free access to a vast collection of millions of books and academic papers that typically require payment.
In recent years, rightsholders have made several attempts to shut the site down. Court orders have led to LibGen being blocked in several countries, but completely eliminating the threat has been extremely difficult. This is partly because the identities of those running it remains unknown.
In 2017, Elsevier won a court case against LibGen and Sci-Hub in a New York federal court, which awarded the publisher $15 million in damages. However, both shadow libraries remained online and continue to operate to this day.
Hoping for a better outcome, textbook publishers Cengage, Bedford, Macmillan Learning, McGraw Hill, and Pearson Education filed a similar copyright infringement lawsuit against LibGen last year. According to the plaintiffs, LibGen is responsible for “staggering” levels of copyright infringement.
The lawsuit was stalled for months because LibGen’s anonymous operators didn’t respond. With no other viable options left, the publishers filed a motion for a default judgment in their favor.
The rightsholders said that LibGen distributes at least 20,000 of their copyrighted works without permission. The site is designed to be user-friendly while remaining resilient to enforcement measures.
For example, LibGen can easily switch domain names if needed and uses censorship-resistant decentralized hosting technologies such as the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS), the publishers said.
Yesterday, U.S. District Court Judge Colleen McMahon granted the default judgment without any changes. The anonymous LibGen defendants are responsible for willful copyright infringement and their activities should be stopped.
“Plaintiffs have been irreparably harmed as a result of Defendants’ unlawful conduct and will continue to be irreparably harmed should Defendants be allowed to continue operating the Libgen Sites”, the order reads.
The order requires the defendants to pay the maximum statutory damages of $150,000 per work, a total of $30 million, for which they are jointly and severally liable.
While this is a win on paper, it’s unlikely that the publishers will get paid by the LibGen operators, who remain anonymous.
To address this concern, the publishers’ motion didn’t merely ask for $30 million in damages, they also demanded a broad injunction.
Granted by the court yesterday, the injunction requires third-party services such as advertising networks, payment processors, hosting providers, CDN services, and IPFS gateways to restrict access to the site.
“…all those in active concert or participation with any of them, who receive actual notice of this Order, are permanently enjoined from…
…Using, hosting, operating, maintaining, registering, or providing any computer server, website, domain name, domain name server, cloud storage service, e-commerce platform, online advertising service, social media platform, proxy service (including reverse and forwarding proxies), website optimization service (including website traffic management), caching service, content delivery network, IPFS or other file sharing network, or donation, payment processing, or other financial service to infringe or to enable, facilitate, permit, assist, solicit, encourage, induce, participate with, or act in concert with the infringement of Plaintiffs’ Copyrighted Works…”
The injunction further targets “browser extensions” and “other tools” that are used to provide direct access to the LibGen Sites. While site blocking by residential Internet providers is mentioned in reference to other countries, ISP blocking is not part of the injunction itself.
In addition to the broad measures outlined above, the order further requires domain name registrars and registries to disable or suspend all active LibGen domains, or alternatively, transfer them to the publishers.
This includes Libgen.is, the most used domain name with 16 million monthly visits, as well as Libgen.rs, Libgen.li and many others.
At the moment, it’s unclear how actively managed the LibGen site is, as it has shown signs of decay in recent years. However, when faced with domain seizures, sites typically respond by registering new domains.
The publishers are aware of this risk. Therefore, they asked the court to cover future domain names too. The court signed off on this request, which means that newly registered domain names can be taken over as well; at least in theory.
Should Plaintiffs identify any additional Libgen Sites registered to or operated by any Defendant and used in conjunction with the infringement of Plaintiffs’ Copyrighted Works, the registries and/or the individual registrars of such domain names shall further have the authority pursuant to this Order to transfer such additional domain names to Plaintiffs’ ownership and control or otherwise implement technical measures to ensure the domain names cannot be used by Defendants or to operate Libgen as described immediately above.
All in all, the default judgment isn’t just a monetary win, on paper, it’s also one of the broadest anti-piracy injunctions we’ve seen from a U.S. court.
The paperwork is still fresh, so it remains to be seen how third-party services will respond to it. Some foreign companies, in particular, may be more hesitant to comply with U.S. court orders, for example.
At the time of writing, all LibGen domains mentioned by the publishers remain online.
—
A copy of the default judgment including the injunctive relief, as signed by U.S. District Court Judge Colleen McMahon, is available here (pdf)..
A list of all domain names mentioned by the publishers in March, with the associated details, can be found below.
| Libgen Site(s) | Registry | Host |
|---|---|---|
| libgen.is | Sarek Oy | Internet Iceland Ltd. / Epinatura LLC |
| libgen.rs | Webglobe d.o.o. | 1337 Services LLC / Epinatura LLC |
| libgen.su | Masterhost | Serbian National Internet Domain Registry / Masterhost |
| libgen.st | Sarek | Tecnisys / Epinatura LLC |
| jlibgen.tk | BV Dot TK | Telecommunication Tokelau Corporation / n/a |
| library.lol | Tucows, Inc. | XYZ.COM LLC / Epinatura LLC |
| libgen.re | NETIM | Association Française pour le Nommage Internet en Coopération / Cloudflare |
| cdn1.booksdl.org | Tucows, Inc. | Public Interest Registry / IP Volume Inc |
| llhlf.com | Alibaba Cloud | VeriSign, Inc. / Cloudflare |
| libgen.ee | NETIM | Eesti Interneti Sihtasutus (EIS) / Alibaba |
| libgen.rocks | Tucows, Inc. | Identity Digital Inc. / Cloudflare |
| libgen.space | Namecheap Inc. | Radix FZC / Cloudflare |
| libgen.gs | EPAG Domainservices | Government of South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands / Cloudflare |
| libgen.li | Sarek Oy | Swiss Education & Research Network / Cloudflare |
| libgen.lc | EPAG Domainservices | University of Puerto Rico / Cogent Communications |
| libgen.pm | Sarek Oy | Association Française pour le Nommage Internet en Coopération / Cloudflare |
| libgen.vg | Sarek Oy | Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of the Virgin Islands / Cloudflare |
| libgen.click | Tucows, Inc. | Internet Naming Co. / n/a |
| libgen.fun | Namecheap Inc. | Radix / FZC Data Room |
From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
LG’s TV business is heightening focus on selling ads and tracking.
Enlarge / LG's 2024 G4 OLED TV. (credit: LG)
Last month, Ars Technica went on a deep dive into the rapid growth of ads in TV software. Less than three weeks later, LG announced that it was adding advertisements to its TVs’ screensavers. The move embodies how ads are a growing and virtually inescapable part of the TV-viewing experience—even when you're not watching anything.
As you might have expected, LG didn’t make a big, splashy announcement to consumers or LG TV owners about this new ad format. Instead, and ostensibly strategically, the September 5 announcement was made to advertisers. LG appears to know that screensaver ads aren't a feature that excites users. Still, it and many other TV makers are happy to shove ads into the software of already-purchased devices.
LG TV owners may have already spotted the ads or learned about them via FlatpanelsHD, which today reported seeing a full-screen ad on the screensaver for LG's latest flagship TV, the G4. “The ad appeared before the conventional screensaver kicks in," per the website, “and was localized to the region the TV was set to.” (You can see images that FlatpanelsHD provided of the ads here, here, and here.) The reviewer reported seeing an ad for LG’s free ad-supported streaming channel, LG Channels, as well as third-party ads.
OpenAI stokes China fears to woo US approvals for huge data centers, report says.
Enlarge (credit: Anadolu / Contributor | Anadolu)
OpenAI hopes to convince the White House to approve a sprawling plan that would place 5-gigawatt AI data centers in different US cities, Bloomberg reports.
The AI company's CEO, Sam Altman, supposedly pitched the plan after a recent meeting with the Biden administration where stakeholders discussed AI infrastructure needs. Bloomberg reviewed an OpenAI document outlining the plan, reporting that 5 gigawatts "is roughly the equivalent of five nuclear reactors" and warning that each data center will likely require "more energy than is used to power an entire city or about 3 million homes."
According to OpenAI, the US needs these massive data centers to expand AI capabilities domestically, protect national security, and effectively compete with China. If approved, the data centers would generate "thousands of new jobs," OpenAI's document promised, and help cement the US as an AI leader globally.
Low-end option, available Oct. 15, is also missing Quest 3’s improved pancake lenses.
Enlarge / Meta's Mark Zuckerberg announces the Meta Quest 3 headset. (credit: Meta)
At a Connect conference keynote today, Meta officially unveiled the Quest 3S headset, a cheaper version of last year's Quest 3. The new spin-off device will be available in stores Oct. 15 for a price starting at $300 (for 128GB of storage).
That lower price for the Quest 3S comes with a few compromises compared to its predecessor. The biggest is the display, an LCD panel which matches the 1832x1920 per eye resolution of 2020's Quest 2. That should be a noticeable downgrade from the two 2064×2208 pixel LCD displays on the Quest 3. The 3S also mirrors the Quest 2's use of fresnel lenses, a downgrade from the pancake lenses on the Quest 3 which allowed for improved clarity and less bulky lens housing.
The Quest 3S also promises just a 96 degree horizontal field of view, down from 110 degrees on the Quest 3, and 90 degrees of vertical field of view, down from 96 degrees on the Quest 3. That should lead to a noticeable, relative "tunnel vision" effect that requires a lot more head movement to center an object in your VR vision.
Der holpernde und klappernde Einkaufswagen soll der Vergangenheit angehören. Künftig soll eine Drohne den Einkauf in der Schwebe halten. (Drohne, Verkehr)
A couple of unannounced Amazon products passed through the FCC recently, and they sure looked like they could be next-gen Amazon Kindle eReaders. Now there’s growing evidence that Amazon is preparing to refresh at least one of its Kindle devices:…
A couple of unannounced Amazon products passed through the FCC recently, and they sure looked like they could be next-gen Amazon Kindle eReaders. Now there’s growing evidence that Amazon is preparing to refresh at least one of its Kindle devices: Spanish and UK retailers have posted product pages for a new 12th-gen Amazon Kindle, providing […]
The post Amazon Kindle 2024 leaked by Spanish and UK retailers appeared first on Liliputing.
“There are no clever tricks to get around the necessary diet and exercise.”
Enlarge / Physicist Martin Bier in an aerodynamic tuck, a cycling position that reduces wind resistance. (credit: Martin Bier)
Many avid bicyclists these days have hopped onto the "everesting" bandwagon, in which one rides up and down the same mountain route over and over until the total distance of one's ascents matches the elevation of Mount Everest: 8,848 meters or about 5.5 miles. Recently there has been debate over whether a strong tailwind could help a rider improve their time. But apparently that's not the case, according to a new paper published in the American Journal of Physics by physicist Martin Bier of East Carolina University in North Carolina.
The term "everesting" takes its name from George Mallory, grandson of the legendary 1920s mountaineer George Mallory who participated in the first three British Everest expeditions. Mallory the younger was prepping for his Everest attempt in 1994, and his training included weekend workouts involving bicycling up Mount Donna Buang in Australia many times until he had achieved the elevation of Mount Everest.
Twenty years later, another Australian cycling enthusiast, Andy van Bergen, started organizing worldwide "everesting" events. Participating cyclists would pick a hill near their homes and track each other's progress online. The events became extremely popular in 2020 after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic sparked global lockdowns.
Nach dem Scheitern der Verhandlungen zwischen Meta und der Telekom um Peering laufen die Daten seit vergangener Nacht über neue Wege. Meta erwartet schlechtere Verbindungen zu Whatsapp, Facebook und Instagram in Deutschland. (Netzneutralität, Video-Com…
Nach dem Scheitern der Verhandlungen zwischen Meta und der Telekom um Peering laufen die Daten seit vergangener Nacht über neue Wege. Meta erwartet schlechtere Verbindungen zu Whatsapp, Facebook und Instagram in Deutschland. (Netzneutralität, Video-Community) It gave pedestrians room but ran red lights and crossed into oncoming traffic.
Enlarge / An independent automotive testing company has evaluated Tesla FSD, and it found some concerning results. (credit: PonyWang/Getty Images)
Tesla's controversial "Full Self Driving" is now capable of some quite advanced driving. But that can breed undeserved complacency, according to independent testing. The partially automated driving system exhibited dangerous behavior that required human intervention more than 75 times over the course of more than 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of driving in Southern California, averaging one intervention every 13 miles (21 km).
AMCI Testing evaluated FSD builds 12.5.1 and then 12.5.3 across four different environments: city streets, rural two-lane highways, mountain roads, and interstate highways. And as its videos show, at times FSD was capable of quite sophisticated driving behavior, like pulling into a gap between parked cars to let an oncoming vehicle through, or moving left to give space to pedestrians waiting at a crosswalk for the light to change. AMCI also praised FSD for how it handled blind curves out in the countryside.
"It's undeniable that FSD 12.5.1 is impressive, for the vast array of human-like responses it does achieve, especially for a camera-based system," said Guy Mangiamele, director of AMCI Testing.
Der holpernde und klappernde Einkaufswagen soll der Vergangenheit angehören. Künftig soll eine Drohne den Einkauf in der Schwebe halten. (
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