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Enforcement of Anti-piracy Laws by the Indian Entertainment Industry
This brief note by Siddharth Chadha seeks to map out the key actors in enforcement of copyright laws. These bodies not only investigate cases of infringement and piracy relating to the entertainment industry, but tie up with the police and IP law firms to pursue actions against the offenders through raids (many of them illegal) and court cases. Siddharth notes that the discourse on informal networks and circuits of distribution of cultural goods remains hijacked with efforts to contain piracy as the only rhetoric which safeguards the business interests of big, mostly multinational, media corporations.
IJLT-CIS Law Essay Competition
The Indian Journal of Law and Technology and CIS are conducting a legal essay competition to encourage law students across India to think critically about the techno-legal issues facing us today. Students can write on any of the four themes, with the top prize being Rs. 7500 and an internship at CIS.
Access to online information and knowledge – advancing human rights and democracy
An article by Achal Prabhala in GISW 2009 (Global Information Society Watch, 2009)
At the end of the niche optical pirate
In this blog post, Siddharth Chaddha goes enquiring into the modus operandi of a video pirate / film lover / businessman in Bangalore's famed National Market.
World IT Forum 2009
At the World IT Forum, Pranesh Prakash made a brief presentation on intellectual property rights, how ill-suited they are to be considered "property" rights, and how they have been foisted upon the developing world.
Fallacies, Lies, and Video Pirates
At a recent conference on counterfeiting and piracy, industry representatives variously pushed for stiffer laws for IP violation, more stringent enforcement of existing IP laws, and championed IP as the most important thing for businesses today. This blog post tries to show how their arguments are flawed.
Civil Society Letter Against TRIPS-Plus IP Enforcement
This open letter was sent to the president of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and high-level government officials on the eve of the Third International Conference on Counterfeiting & Piracy organized by CII. This conference aims to strengthen the enforcement of intellectual property rights and thus creating an imbalance in the protection that intellectual property offers to both those who own it as well as those who don't.
Emerging Bit Torrent Trends in India
Internet has been a revelation ever since its introduction. The writer in this blog examines how the progress made by Internet based technologies could never be reversed.
Are you Game?
In a preview on the rise and expectations in the Gaming industry, this post looks at emerging trends in India.
Consumers International IP Watch List 2009
In response to the US Special 301 report, Consumers International brought out an IP Watch List. CIS contributed the India Country Report for the Watch List.
'Internet and Deliberative Democracy': Panel Discussion Featuring Sunil Abraham, Philippe Aigrain and Mario Losano
Sunil Abraham, Director (Policy), Centre for Internet and Society, attended the first edition of the Biennale Democrazia in Turin, 22-26 April 2009. He participated in a panel discussion on the topic 'Internet and Deliberative Democracy'. This blog entry links to a video of his contribution to the discussion.
Letter on South Africa's IPRs from Publicly Financed R&D Regulations
Being interested in legislations in developing nations styled after the United States' Bayh-Dole Act, CIS responded to the call issued by the South African Department of Science and Technology for comments to the Intellectual Property Rights from Publicly Financed Research and Development Regulations.
Of my struggle with a Broadband Connection
This is a reflection on my experiences with installing a broadband Internet connection at home. The closing post of an interview is delayed since Jamie and Peter are traveling.
WIPO Broadcast Treaty and Webcasting
On Friday, 8 May 2009, at Shastri Bhavan, New Delhi, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting held a stakeholders' briefing meeting on the Broadcast Treaty that has been on the table at the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). The purpose of that meeting was to inform the relevant stakeholders of the developments in Geneva, as well as to garner input from them regarding the stance to be adopted by India at the WIPO. Pranesh Prakash from the Centre for Internet and Society participated and made a presentation on webcasting, highlighting the differences between webcasting and broadcasting, and arguing that webcasting should not be part of the WIPO Broadcast Treaty.
The Dark Fibre Files: 'Steal This Film' and the Pirate Bay Trial
In this posting, the fifth blog entry on the making of the film 'Dark Fibre' by Jamie King and Peter Mann, Siddharth Chadha discusses the Swedish trial of the Pirate Bay, which brought up some of the debates on intellectual property rights and piracy that were highlighted in 'Steal This Film'.
‘Housing the Democratic City’: Panel Discussion Featuring Bill Dunster, Cino Zucchi and Sunil Abraham
Sunil Abraham, Director (Policy), Centre for Internet and Society, attended the first edition of the Biennale Democrazia in Turin, 22-26 April 2009. He participated in a panel discussion on the topic 'Housing the Democratic City'. This blog entry links to videos of his contribution to the discussion and reproduces the promotional material on the event as a whole.
The 'Dark Fibre' Files: Cable TV Technology for Dummies
In the fourth entry documenting the making of 'Dark Fibre', a film by Jamie King and Peter Mann, Siddharth Chadha simplifies cable TV technology for the uninitiated.
The 'Dark Fibre' Files: The Grey Market Deficit
In this, the third entry in his series discussing the making of 'Dark Fibre' by Jamie King and Peter Mann, Siddharth Chadha gives an overview of piracy in the pay TV industry.
The Project Vidya Story: 'Study Locally, Learn Globally'
This is first of a series of blog entries by Ajay Narendran, the architect of Vidya and former Content Manager and Webmaster, Amrita University, guest blogging on the CIS website. His blog series will attempt to capture the experience of building an intranet archive at Amrita University, Coimbatore.
The 'Dark Fibre' Files: Interview with a Cable Operator
This is the second in a series of posts documenting the making of the film 'Dark Fibre' by Jamie King and Peter Mann, in Bangalore. In this post, Siddharth Chadha shares an interview he had with Thyagraj, a cable operator in Austin Town, to throw some light on the world of the cable operator, the subject of the film.
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