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Six months ago I barely knew a copyright from a patent; and not that I am an expert by any means now, but I at least have a basic conception of the issues, the players, the process, and what is at stake. The system as it stands right now is …

Consumers are scouring for bargains on the Internet, spending less per order than last year. Isn’t that what the Internet is for? Internet cheapskates are out in force this holiday season. They may be spending less on each order than they did last year, but together they’re coughing up more …

Prognosticators predict a new round of mergers and acquisitions for media and entertainment companies in 2003: It looks as if 2003 is shaping up to be a year of the deal for media and entertainment after months of calm on the merger front and much effort and ink spent dissecting …

Nashville’s United Record Pressing says “Vinyl Rules,” which may be true on some level but the bottom line is that vinyl isn’t very durable: not nearly as durable as CDs or DVDs or any other digital content delivery system because the process of playing vinyl is mechanical. Every time the …

I think astrology is baseless blather: not that there couldn’t be some cause and effect between the gravity of the stars and planets and whatever else in going on in astrological “readings,” but being able to predict anything concrete about life on this earth from such gross measurements seems implausible …

Big movie memorabilia sale next week: Four helmets from the original “Star Wars” blockbuster 25 years ago will vie for top billing with Jack Nicholson’s jacket from “The Shining” and Pierce Brosnan’s Omega watch from “The World is Not Enough” at a movie memorabilia sale next week. But they will …

Once the press latches onto someone with much to explain away, if not hide, you might as well forget it. It’s kind of like the government: slow to act, hard to get focused, letting much slip through the cracks (look at the conviction rates for violent crime – you will …

While file-sharing exists in a gray area where fair use and infringement overlap and intersect, commerical pirating of recorded material for profit is just all wrong. It is stealing pure and simple. I would much rather see the RIAA and law enforcement focus their efforts on these unambiguous bad guys …

It’s lonely at the top: that’s the message of the new Britney Spears book and DVD, Stages, a behind-the-scenes view of life on the road: She eats alone. She paces her hotel suites alone at night. While other stars surround themselves with helpers, Spears packs her own suitcases and puts …

PAWS, my friends, PAWS: The Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) was founded in 1984 by Hollywood animal trainer and author, Pat Derby, and cofounder, Ed Stewart. The story of PAWS began when cofounder Pat Derby worked with exotic animals as a trainer on the sets of many popular television shows …