Damn

Eldred vs Ashcroft is decided. It looks like we won't be seeing Mickey Mouse in the public domain for a long while yet.

Lawrence Lessig is pretty philosophical. I'm kinda depressed that a small number of corporations have been able to push it this far. I doubt that Disney & Co. will stand quietly aside when Mickey and similar icons start to approach their new copyright limit in 15-20 years' time.

"But this is American Law, and you're British"
You seriously think Disney, etc. will let anyone in (for instance) Europe exploit that, without hitting 'em with a lawsuit the size of Texas? (Believe me, I'd love to be proved wrong on this).

[addendum: I Am Not A Copyright Lawyer]

Product Activation is baaad, mmkay?

The Register is reporting that the Windows XP add-on "Plus! Digital Media Edition"¹ is refusing to install for large numbers of legitimate purchasers. I'm afraid my immediate respone was "bwahahahaha!".

¹By the way, what kind of lamebrain comes up with a product name like "Plus! Digital Media Edition"?

Just Read: The Secret Of Life, Paul McAuley

[amazon.co.uk]

Sinister machinations abound as corporate and government interests struggle to control research into Martian life, as well as conceal the existence and origin of a related organism which is adding to the ecological havoc of 21^st century Earth. A lone scientist, trapped in the middle, tries to get to Mars and survive with her principles intact.

McAuley's vision of a world where corporations control the majority of scientific research is a chilling warning of the kind of place we could end up in before too long. I enjoyed it, not least because of the biologist's-eye view of the sort of story that is more normally seen from the computer-geek's perpective.