It’s been a busy and successful year here at Public Knowledge headquarters. 2008 was marked by a series of decisive victories for PK, its allies in the public interest and industry sectors and you, the citizen and end user. While we’re proud of everything that we’ve accomplished recently, there’s still plenty of work to do. With a new Administration and Congress in office, we have a tremendous opportunity to promote an open Internet and more balanced copyright laws. However, nothing is guaranteed. There’s a need for an independent voice to represent your rights and to hold policy makers to their promises. Public Knowledge pledges to be that voice but we’ll need your support. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to Public Knowledge, to help us continue our important work in the areas of Internet Protocol, Intellectual Property and Information Policy.
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Highlights of 2008
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Comcast Complaint: The FCC voted to reprimand Comcast for interfering with peer-to-peer services, as was recommended by Public Knowledge and Free Press. The FCC’s ruling marked a critical victory for the public interest community and signaled that the agency is prepared to protect Internet users from broadband providers’ discriminatory tactics.
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Orphan Works: This year, PK was closer than it has ever been to pushing a pro-user copyright bill toward passage. The Shawn Bentley Orphan Works Act of 2008 passed in the Senate but stalled in the House and would have allowed for greater use of so-called “orphan works”— books, music, photos, movies or other works whose owners can’t be found.
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Privacy and DPI: Public Knowledge President Gigi Sohn testified in front of the Senate Commerce Committee on the topic of privacy and the invasive Internet eavesdropping technique called Deep Packet Inspection (DPI). As a result of this and Robb Topolski’s joint PK/Free Press study, many service providers have ended their agreements with behavioral advertising firm NebuAd and the company eventually abandoned the practice of DPI.
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White Spaces: The FCC voted to allow use of wireless devices to operate in the empty spaces in between television channels. This is a major victory for the public interest community, which has advocated for unlicensed use of “white spaces,” to bring affordable wireless Internet access to millions of Americans and to spur innovation.
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Cablevision Case: A federal appeals court ruled that Cablevision’s remote DVR service does not infringe on Hollywood’s copyrights, thereby following a recommendation made to the court by PK and its allies. The court’s decision leaves the door open for future devices and services to innovate in the living room and beyond.
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Technology Mandates: In 2008, we also spent a good deal of time pushing back against proposals that would encroach on the rights of users to use technology lawfully. This year, we were able to slow down and defeat several proposals that would have imposed design mandates on device manufacturers, limiting the rights of users.
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