Tag Archive | "corporateering"
Antitrust Concerns Linger In Google Books Deal
The revised Google Books settlement agreement may quiet international opponents, but it still gives Google a monopoly on commercializing out-of-print books where the copyrights are unclaimed and fails to protect consumer privacy, opponents said on Monday. Also troubling to critics is the fact that the revised settlement circumvents traditional copyright provisions by allowing Google to digitize orphan works without first getting rights holder permission, while any Google competitors are blocked from doing so barring legislation granting them licensing rights. "For the millions of volumes of orphan books that Google has already scanned in, they can offer those without risk of anyone coming forward and suing them for infringement," said John Simpson, a consumer advocate at Consumer Watchdog.
Continue reading...When Does Oversight Overstep?
Monday, November 16, 2009
There are mixed reviews among the scientific community about whether CIRM's close watch of their grantees is a good thing. To some, it is an important practice for public funding agencies such as CIRM to show the tax payers that their money is going towards productive and fruitful research. "I think the oversight is outstanding," said John Simpson, the stem cell project director at the advocacy group Consumer Watchdog in California. "It shows that they're not asleep at the switch. CIRM is functioning as both a grant making agency [and] also something of a steward of the funds it hands out."
Continue reading...Political Parties, Candidates Cashing In On Pay-To-Play Issues Forums
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Top industry executives piled into Google's Silicon Valley headquarters over the weekend to hear California's Barbara Boxer, New Mexico's Jeff Bingaman and other Democratic senators discuss some of the most pressing policy issues on Capitol Hill. Consumer Watchdog urged the seven Democratic senators on the agenda for the weekend's Google event to boycott it, since it created the appearance of "pay-to-play politics when so many issues of concern to Google and the rest of the Silicon Valley technology community are on the table."
Continue reading...Google submits revised digital book settlement to US judge
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Google and US authors and publishers submitted a revised settlement to a US judge Friday seeking approval of an agreement that would clear the way for millions of books to be sold online. Rival technology companies, privacy advocates, consumer watchdog groups and the French and German governments are among those who filed objections to the original settlement with the US District Court in New York hearing the case.
Continue reading...Google, Authors Try To Answer Book Deal Concerns
Saturday, November 14, 2009
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Google and the Authors Guild filed a new version of a deal to create a massive online library on Friday in hopes of answering antitrust and copyright concerns in the United States and overseas. Critics of the deal have been a varied group that includes Yahoo, Amazon, Microsoft, the National Writers Union, Consumer Watchdog and singer Arlo Guthrie.
Continue reading...Watchdog Group Questions Propriety Of DSCC Fundraiser For Bingaman, Others
Friday, November 13, 2009
A $5,000-per-ticket “national innovation conference,” hosted by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and attended by senators including New Mexico’s Jeff Bingaman, is being criticized by a consumer watchdog group that says it gives the appearance of “pay to play.”
Continue reading...Comparing Democratic, GOP fundraisers
Friday, November 13, 2009
Both the Democratic and Republican Senate campaign committees are holding big fundraisers -- the Democrats today at Google headquarters and the Republicans on Monday and Tuesday at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, DC. Consumer Watchdog objected to the Democratic event.
Continue reading...Democrats’ Event Raises Questions About ‘Pay To Play’
Friday, November 13, 2009
A Democratic Party-sponsored "national innovation conference" to examine key policy and technology issues at Google's headquarters beginning today has critics charging that the $5,000-and-up ticket prices limit access to the event to Silicon Valley high rollers and raise the specter of "pay to play" politics. Consumer Watchdog in Santa Monica likened the event to Republicans holding an energy conference at an oil company headquarters. The consumer rights group urged California Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein and four other senators to boycott the fundraiser sponsored by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
Continue reading...Watchdog Blasts Google Event
Thursday, November 12, 2009
A watchdog group is calling on seven senators not to attend an event at Google's headquarters that the organization says is a fundraiser masquerading as a policy conference. Consumer Watchdog sent a letter Wednesday to the seven Democratic senators set to participate in the National Innovation Conference Friday and Saturday sponsored by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) at Google's headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. Those listed as attending include: Senators Mark Begich, D-Alaska, Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., Tom Carper, D-Del., Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Mark Warner, D-Va., as well as President Obama's pollster, Joel Benenson, according to a DSCC brochure obtained by Consumer Watchdog.
Continue reading...What Google Dashboard Knows About You
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Dashboard lets you get rid of some information on there. Google says part of the goal here is to stop the theory about what Google knows and doesn't know about you, to provide transparency. But there are some privacy advocates who say this is still this is not enough. For example, one group called Consumer Watchdog put out this statement saying, "If Google really wanted to give users control of their privacy, it would give consumers the ability to be anonymous from the company and advertisers in crucial areas like search data and online behavior." And you can see the statement right there.
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Monday, November 16, 2009
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