Author: Gabriel

Buying fine art is a bet that the rich are going to get richer.

via NYT > Most Recent Headlines http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/03/magazine/how-the-art-market-thrives-on-inequality.html

Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli has said he will “leave the pitch and go home” if there are racist incidents at the European Championships in Poland and Ukraine.

via NYDN Rss Article only http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/euro-2012/euro-2012-italy-mario-balotelli-ll-leave-pitch-home-subjected-racism-tournament-article-1.1086234?localLinksEnabled=false&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+nydnrss%2Fgossip%2Frush_molloy+%28Gossip%2FRush+%26+Molloy%29

Michelle Obama stopped by The Daily Show last night, and while she did some promoting of her Big Vegetable agenda, Jon Stewart spent most of his time digging for some inside dirt. He asked Michelle if she lords her higher approval rating over the President to win arguments, but, ever the professional, she used the opportunity to put in a plug for her husband’s job performance. Stewart also tried to get the goods on America’s Crazy Uncle Joe Biden and Barack’s time as a wayward youth, but she playfully avoided all the traps he laid, ending with, “I’m not taking any bait.” Smart move, Michelle, though we wouldn’t blame you if you did gloat a bit over dinner about your approval ratings.

via Jezebel http://jezebel.com/5914176/michelle-obama-doesnt-take-jon-stewarts-bait-even-though-he-promises-its-organic

Image-sharing site Pinterest has been in negotiations for months with photo service Getty. A breakthrough could dispel some of the copyright questions hanging over the hot startup — but one expert says not to hold your breath.

According to Bill Rosenblatt, an engineer and authority on digital rights issues, the two sides are likely in a logjam over how — or if — Pinterest should use Getty’s image detection software, PicScout. Getty acquired PicScout, which tracks images across the Internet, last year for $20 million.

Rosenblatt speculates that Getty wants Pinterest to license the technology. This would allow Pinterest to take on a role similar to YouTube, a company that responded to copyright criticism by offering rights owners a tool to track and monetize their content:

If you make that analogy, someone like Pinterest, if they feel they’re getting a significant amount of legal threats, it would be reasonable to adopt that technology as a prophylactic against legal action.

The problem is that Pinterest, which is now valued north of $1 billion, might be equally inclined to tell Getty and other image owners to jump in the lake. The site has claimed in the past that it is protected by “safe harbor” rules that protect websites from being liable for users’ activities as long as they comply with takedown requests. If the rule holds, Pinterest should be no more responsible for someone posting a copyrighted picture than a search engine should be for listing a file-sharing site in its search results.

Getty could, of course, go to court and try to evict Pinterest from its safe harbor by showing it controlled the user content — maybe by pointing out that Pinterest fiddles with links attached to the photographs. But that’s not a slam dunk case. Likewise, Getty could try to affect the Pinterest user experience by taking down as many pictures as possible, but, as Rosenblatt notes, Getty isn’t large enough to have that big an impact.

The upshot is a stalemate. Getty and other image owners can huff and puff about infringement, but the reality is they may not have much legal leverage. In the meantime, Pinterest is taking steps to improve its relationship with photographers by, for example, making attribution easier and offering “do not pin” options.

Surely there is a way for the sides to find a viable business model before someone pulls the lawsuit trigger.

For now, Getty would only repeat its claim of four months ago that it’s “discussing it” with Pinterest. The the latter is saying nothing at all.

See also: “Pinterest: Is it a Facebook or a Grokster?“

(Image: Cora Reed via Shutterstock)

via paidContent http://paidcontent.org/2012/05/30/pinterest-locked-in-stalemate-with-image-owners/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+pcorg+%28paidContent%29

A judge on Tuesday voided the approval for construction of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro, which has been opposed by critics of Islam.

via NYT > Most Recent Headlines http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/30/us/tennessee-judge-rescinds-approval-of-new-mosque.html

After years of work, backers of the sweeping Cybersecurity Act of 2012 say they’re eager for Senate debate on the bill, but divisions over privacy and regulation show little sign of abating.

This was supposed to be the bill that got everyone on board. But its sponsors are back at the drawing board with Republicans, who say the bill would create too much government regulation; and with civil-liberties groups and some Democrats, who say the proposal could run roughshod over privacy laws.

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has introduced broad cybersecurity legislation annually for the past several years, with little to show for it. Orchestrated by Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., a multi-committee, bipartisan working-group process was supposed to break the stalemate and deliver an omnibus bill.

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via Homepage http://www.nationaljournal.com/daily/cybermess-security-bill-is-nowhere-near-being-signed-20120529

Mitt Romney officially won the Republican nomination Tuesday in the Texas primary, the Associated Press reported, a coronation for the man who essentially secured the party’s nod two months ago.

Romney went into Tuesday with 1,086 convention delegates, according to an Associated Press tally, just 58 short of the 1,144 necessary for a majority. Texas has 155 delegates at stake.

Romney said in a statement after results had been returned, “I am honored that Americans across the country have given their support to my candidacy and I am humbled to have won enough delegates to become the Republican Party’s 2012 presidential nominee. Our party has come together with the goal of putting the failures of the last three and a half years behind us. I have no illusions about the difficulties of the task before us. But whatever challenges lie ahead, we will settle for nothing less than getting America back on the path to full employment and prosperity. On November 6, I am confident that we will unite as a country and begin the hard work of fulfilling the American promise and restoring our country to greatness.”

With all of Romney’s main rivals having left the race, the outcome in the Texas primary was never in doubt. The former Massachusetts governor did not bother to campaign in the Lone Star State this week.

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via Homepage http://www.nationaljournal.com/2012-presidential-campaign/romney-wins-texas-to-become-official-gop-nominee-20120529