This Week In Techdirt History: October 2nd – 8th
Five Years Ago
This week in 2017, ISPs were ignoring the death of six strikes" and still threatening to disconnect accused pirates, and also taking their third shot at getting the Supreme Court to kill net neutrality, while broadband lobbyists were gushing over the re-appointment of Ajit Pai, who was himself busy blasting Apple for refusing to turn on an iPhone chipset that didn't exist. Newly acquired documents revealed more about the NSA's abuse of pen register statutes, and we looked at how the agency's time machines" made it easy to violate Section 702 restrictions, while the House Judiciary Committee was introducing a weak surveillance reform bill.
Ten Years Ago
This week in 2012, the six strikes" plan wasn't dead, but rather just gearing up to come into practice. We looked at the trend of using copyright as a stand-in for moral rights, MPAA boss Chris Dodd was giving a predictably dissembling interview, and we wrote about the MPAA's overall problem of viewing its relationship with the public as one-way. We also took a look at how the CAFC had made patents so destructive, and tried to kill the myth that the constitution guarantees copyrights and patents.
Fifteen Years Ago
This week in 2007, we wondered if investors might pressure the RIAA to change its ways, while the soon-to-be-infamous Jammie Thomas case headed to a difficult trial that resulted in a quick win for the association. We took a look at the many wrongheaded ideas in a speech by the CEO of Viacom, and the many whoppers told by a Sony-BMG exec in the aforementioned Thomas trial. Video game executives were hoping to export the DMCA around the globe, Mitt Romney learned a lesson about the pitfalls of user-generated content, and we saw an incredible example of performance rights society overreach when a UK garage was sued because its mechanics played their radios too loud.
In The Beginning...
Another edition of the Up To Date newsletter that would become Techdirt went out this week on October 4th, 1997, and included the first ever letter from the editor" by Mike to kick things off.