CopyFraud

Cluetrain and Chef

Risto send me a link to Cluetrain Manifesto good stuff. I have been reading it for the past day and can recomend it.

I also got a message from the x-chef of Lehtovaara. He said that he had nothing to do with the threatletter, he is not pressing charges and has no grudge. He has a new restaurant Henrix. We were there just before last christmas with the same group of friends and we enjoyed the dinner and service.

EFF's legal guide to Bloggers

Whether you're a newly minted blogger or a relative old-timer, you've been seeing more and more stories pop up every day about bloggers getting in trouble for what they post.

Like all journalists and publishers, bloggers sometimes publish information that other people don't want published. You might, for example, publish something that someone considers defamatory, republish an AP news story that's under copyright, or write a lengthy piece detailing the alleged crimes of a candidate for public office.

Please notice that this is for legal guide for US legal system. We need this sort of thing for Finland too.

Link

Food wars

Now something totally different. A Star wars plug for Organic (luomu) food. Thai fighters, death mellon, Ham solo, Princess Lettuce, Yoghurt and Organic Skywalker -may the Farm be with you. Link

English translation of the Letters

The Lehtovaara letters are now translated to english. Download lehtovaaraEng.pdf

Another day with Lehtovaara

So today other major newspapers are writing about the incident and just about every blog in Finland has written something about the case. No wonder.

But wait, it gets better. Helsingin Sanomat has a story (+ new discussion forum) and another one (requires account) where they have managed to get  comments from the lawyer/owner. They are running the story on the front page of economy section. Here is my translation of the funniest pieces:

Where are you basing your claims Member of BAR Antero Molander?
"This is based to this thing, that if someone maliciously puts something like this to Internet, there are damages, and we must at some point cash in on them. We are not going to just watch it."
Can other critics at bigger publications criticize your services? 
Of course, if they are professional food critics, and of course if they are appropriate.We can guess what is behind this.
So what is behind this?
No comments
Do you know what a blog is?
No I don't really know. What are they?
One of Internet's biggest growing medium of communication, sort of electronic diaries.
Well, every one can make those things to their own (physical) diary books.
Interview by Juha-Pekka Raeste: "why should there be damages for net critique" at Helsingin Sanomat 28.6.2005

Uh.. My brain hurts.
This guy is trying to cash in "rahastaa"?
Blogs should be written in your own diary books?
I am part of some sort of conspiracy that can't be commented?
Monopoly of professional and "appropriate" opinions?
I don't blame people who think that the whole case has been another Internet hoax.

I have spent last two days reading comments from blogs and discussion groups. Man.. I couldn't imagine the response. CopyFraud is is receiving 25.000 70.000 hits a day and all those wonderful comments and rather unexpected (baby magazine)  2 (kauppalehti) 3 (tiede.fi) discussion groups.

People are also talking about Google bombs. I don't really care if my letter is first or second, but think of all the blogs... I took a snapshot of the Google results today because I predict that it will look very different in couple days.

Still no english translations of the letters. I bet the weather is too good in Finland : ) Thanks! Annu,  Kerkko, Niklas and Jay (in Florida!) Download lehtovaaraEng.pdf

Having a field day with Lehtovaara

So, now it's out of the box as reported earlier. I feel special. Though I know there is no reason. This is something I preach to students and at events. The amazing power of Internet. While I talk about it, I couldn't even dream of what has happened in past 48 hours.

Cory at Boing Boing blogged it and Finnish Digitoday and Taloussanomat are following. Helsingin Sanomat and other big news papers called me. My blog is getting 2000 visitor per HOUR! The case is being discussed on several forums and blogs. Somehow Lehtovaara's strategy doesn't seem to be the winning one...

Karu selli just wrote a Ravintola Lehtovaara fiction.

There has been some questions, if this is just another Internet hoax. While the letter sounds outrageous, I can assure it is not a product of imagination. I had some doubts of publishing the letter i received. But I got some new information that has led me to publish it. Download uhkauskirjeLehtovaara.pdf

If you are blogging this story. Please let me know. Use track back or throw a link to the comments.

There is another request. I am on the road and don't have time to translate the letters to our international readers. I would appreciate if some could help me with that. I will post the letters here as soon as they are done.

Update: I love the comments of the story. Both the supporting and the critisising.  Most of the comments on blogs are positive but I do appreciate people who care to pause for a second and look at the big picture. Then there are people who are claiming that I have: "chronic little wiener complex" :) and that I am snob.

The letter I sent was not written to be published. It is a bit clumsy and maybe snobbish at some points, but I did't want to change it before posting it.

Dead guy dragged away on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Link: Dead guy dragged away on Flickr - Photo Sharing!.

Coroner lifting a dead guy of the bench at dead center Helsinki. Apparently no one called help for the guy who had been suffering and blue for 15 minutes.

Founded from butt ugly

Google satellite images get global

Google has hugely expanded the areas of the world that it covers with satellite imagery. link 

I can see my Helsinki office :)

So weird links like the huge man in Australian outback, Eiffel tower and Baghdad Parade Grounds where Saddam used to take the salute.

"First to find the weapons of mass destruction (in Iraq) wins 2 cookies and a free can of soda redeemable at the cafetorium!" Mister Impressive (875697)

 

Larry taking a dip in his black jeans

This night the CC International had so much fun.

Professor Charlie Nesson hosted a party at his beautiful house. The weather was perfect pool was warm... Hey it had to happen. First CC South Africa Heather Ford got thrown in and couple second later Larry Lessig followed. (black picture Ford trying to drown Lessig :) )

Larry: " This is not a flickr moment". NO?  You can find pictures of the event at ... Flickr! All pictures at this post CC by 2.0 licensed.

How did this happen? CC Mexico had some excellent tequila, CC Israel drunk it. Larry was standing next to CC Israel... Co-operation across the borders.

I managed to catch Lessig's dip on video.

Thank you Charlie for the great party ; )

Imagine lunch

What a weird experience at lunch. I was just talking to some one in a table about the licenses and how they don't state what is being licensed. CC Brazil showed a video of Gilberto Gil playing music in Venice. They had recorded the performance for web casting purposes and got Gil's approval for Creative Commons licensing.

Problem 1.  I don't think that Gilberto Gil wanted that his compositions would be Creative Commons licensed. If he just wanted to license the performance, the users must have either a license or fair use restriction to perform and distribute the work. -> the problem is because CC license only defines work is defined:

"means the copyrightable work of authorship offered under the terms of this License."

In this case does it apply to lyrics, composition, performance or all of them? We have to make it more clear of what is being licensed!

Problem 2. Gil performed also Lennon's "Imagine". As far as I know, he doesn't own the rights. Hence he can't license it with Creative Commons license nor with any other license... You can't give with bucket if you get it with tea spoon.

Problem 3. The event at the law school would state as a public performance. Yes, no license means infringement. We are among other things PPP (public performance pirates). :) We should be more careful of the example we show.

Photo licensed with CC by 2.0