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Date Fairness.com Resource Read it at:
Sep 06, 2009 Gadget Makers Can Find Thief, but Don’t Ask

QUOTE: many tech companies will not disclose information about the new owners of missing devices unless a police officer calls with a search warrant. Even a request to simply shut down service — which would deter thieves by rendering their pilfered gadget useless — is typically refused.

 New York Times
Sep 05, 2009 Parental control company sells data on what kids say (Safe and Secure)

QUOTE: A software product sold to protect children from predators, cyberbullying, and visiting inappropriate Web sites is also collecting information about what the kids are saying, and its publisher is selling that data...

 CNET
Aug 18, 2009 A Scheme For Protecting Content

QUOTE: Intertrust holds a treasure trove of patents that help content owners manage digital rights; it has spent five years and tens of millions of dollars developing a standard called Marlin, which aims to keep content secure in a way that legitimate consumers won't find offensive.

 Forbes
Aug 11, 2009 Can I make copies of my DVDs? One reader wants to know how to replace his damaged DVD movies and music CDs (Gripe Line)

QUOTE: let's start with the loaded part of the question: "We all know that it's illegal to make copies of CDs and DVDs." I don't think we do know that. In fact, I [Christina Wood] think there is a lot of confusion about this.

 InfoWorld
Aug 05, 2009 Modder arrest a reminder that most console hacks are illegal

QUOTE: The question some gamers are now asking themselves: am I breaking the law [for modifying gaming systems]? The answer is not comforting.

 Ars Technica
Aug 04, 2009 New petition demands an end to Kindle DRM, faces long odds

QUOTE: It was that decision [by Amazon] to link the Kindle hardware and store with a new DRM scheme that led the Free Software Foundation (FSF) to add the Kindle to its "Defective by Design" anti-DRM campaign.

 Ars Technica
Oct 10, 2008 Wal-Mart's DRM Nightmare Just Won't End

QUOTE: Wal-Mart has decided to keep the music that it sold wrapped in a layer of copyright protection playable, following a flurry of customer complaints about legally purchased music becoming unplayable.

 Wired
Feb 08, 2008 More Games Rebate Baiters Play

QUOTE: how many people would remember or notice that the check was not for the right amount?....send a rebate card rather than a check....misfile the claim....rebate forms are printed on ultra glossy stock which cannot be written on with ball point or fountain pens...

 InfoWorld
May 26, 2006 Loading the iPod With Egalitarianism: French Bills Have Firms Singing Blues

QUOTE: songs downloaded from Apple's online music store embedded with code that prevents them from being played on anything other than an iPod....French lawmakers say their bill is enlightened consumerism for cutting-edge technology, an effort to force Apple and other companies to freely compete, rather than relying on techno-secrets to crush the competition.

 Washington Post
Jan 30, 2006 Starting a EULA Library

QUOTE: ...appearance of several programs or websites devoted to analyzing EULAs. Some, like the "EULAlyzer" at Javacool Software[2], even offer automated scanning of EULAs to pick out the dicier terms for you to consider.

 InfoWorld
Jul 12, 2005 Tapping Into Tinkering: Some Makers of Electronics Benefit From Users' Modifications

QUOTE: Roomba's creator, iRobot Corp., is such a believer in letting programmers play with the appliance that it has said it might release tools to facilitate reprogramming. But....At worst, hackers can undermine a company's business.

 Washington Post
May 13, 2005 It's Hard to Say Goodbye to AOL

QUOTE: Sometimes it seems the only way to cancel your AOL account is to cancel the credit card they're billing.

 InfoWorld
Mar 11, 2005 Why You Should Stop Before You Click

QUOTE: ...Americans For Fair Electronic Commerce Transactions (AFFECT) coalition announced its "Stop Before You Click" campaign promoting its 12 Principles for Fair Commerce in Software and Other Digital Products.

 InfoWorld
Feb 06, 2005 'Sunset Policy' Stymies Loyal Quicken Users

QUOTE: "[Intuit is]... effectively breaking the old software; it's not that they just aren't supporting it anymore."

 Washington Post
Jan 18, 2005 Quicker and Quicker Quicken Sunsets

QUOTE: ...features that were essential to many customers choosing to buy Quicken in the first place -- such as downloading account data from their financial institutions, on-line bill pay, and getting stock quotes -- are essentially being turned off for users of the 2001 and 2002 versions.

 InfoWorld
Sep 23, 2004 Microsoft security controversy: Broken promise or a bullet that had to be bitten?

QUOTE: [Ed.--Microsoft] has acknowledged that, going forward, critical Internet Explorer security updates will only be available for Internet Explorer (IE) running on Windows XP.

 eWeek
Aug 26, 2004 Beware of 'Free' Services

QUOTE: Beware of companies that don't show you a clear business model. Why? Because you can never be sure what they will end up doing to make a buck or whether you can rely on them long-term.

 eWeek
Jan 22, 2001 How MS Could Make a Liar Out of Me -- and You, Too!

QUOTE: Microsoft's new copy-protection scheme...does more than just end casual copying of Microsoft products...turn millions of Microsoft's customers into liars.

 ZDnet