An Artist reports on his blog that he was sent bill and accused of stealing what he claim are HIS OWN ORIGINAL ARTWORKS.

However, the new tactic I discovered this morning is so much harder to fight. They are calling or emailing every one of my clients they can find. They inform the client that I’m being investigated for copyright infringement and that the logo I designed for them may have been stolen from their client...    

www.jonengle.com

It seems to me this is a symptom of the fear of the law being more powerful of the law... he's being shunned by clients who are afraid of being sued. He describes the proof he has that the artwork is his own. If there's a lesson to be learned, it's that you need to record proof of your authorship.    

This also illustrates the risk against artists of false allegations of copyright infringement. Imagine if a law said that ISPs are required to take down his website based on a single allegation of copyright ingringment. ?? you laugh? but that's the New Zealand law. . that guy is lucky he doesn't live in New Zealand.

209.85.175.132Source: 209.85.175.132Ko te putanga html tēnei o te kōnae http://www.tcf.org.nz/content/ebc0a1f5-6c04-48e5-9215-ef96d06898c0.cmr. Ka mahia aunoanoatia e G o o g l e he putanga html o ngā tuhinga i te wā ngōki i te tukutuku.    From Google's submission on TCF code practise

Section 92A puts users’ procedural and fundamental rights at risk, by threatening to terminate users’ Internet access based on mere allegations and reverse the burden of proof onto a user to establish there was no infringement. …

Copyright law is often complex and context sensitive, and only a court is qualified to adjudicate allegations of copyright infringement. Indeed, in Google’s experience, there are serious issues regarding the improper use and inaccuracy of copyright notices by rights holders. In this context, the responsibility should not fall to ISPs to determine cases of infringement.    

From computerworld.co.nz

A local website has removed recordings of the Conan novels under the threat of legal action from the US, despite the material being in the public domain in New Zealand.

New Zealand-based audio enthusiast website BrokenSea Audio ran into trouble with the copyright holders of Robert E. Howard characters and stories, primarily the stories about Conan the Barbarian, created by the Texan writer in the 1930s.

The material in question is in the public domain, the threat of "one accusation and you're taken down" has caused a host removecontent voluntarily, even though the content is in public domain and they have every right to distribute it.

BrokenSea decided to comply with the demands. All Conan audio dramas and audio books produced by its volunteers have been removed from the website, and a major project — a production of Howard's only full length Conan novel, Hour Of The Dragon, which Mannering had adapted into a full cast audio drama script — has been cancelled.

Under New Zealand copyright law, if a website is accused of copyright infringement, the webhost must take down the content. If the webhost does not, they could be liable for any copyright infringement, even though it isn't their actions that cause the content to be there.

This is in section 92C of our copyright (new technologies) amendment act.

That big pile of accumlated data from years of using your snapper card, who owns it?

Snapper card are smart cards in use by wellington buses. You use these for payment for your trips, and all other fares except the one trip cash fares have been phased out, so if you commute you gotta use snapper or start paying a forture / carrying cash.

CC licensed photo by Alan Macdougall