This blog is mostly professional, but may have some personal notes in it as well, as it affects my professional activities.

Its namesake stems from my PhD research into regional identities in the late eighteenth century in what is now southern Bavaria.

I blog about issues related to information literacy, access to library resources, the environment, and the Historical Geography of Rupertsland.

Some sources regarding his life and work.

Fischer, H. (1988) ‘Schön und vortrefflich’: die ‘Charte von Schwaben’: Ein kartengeschichtlich bedeutsames Werk zu Beginn des 19. Jahrhunderts, in: Beiträge zur Landeskunde: Regelmässige Beilage zum Staatsanzeiger für Baden-Württemberg, Juni 1988, 3:1–8.

Fischer, H. (1988) Die ‘Charte von Schwaben’ im Massstab 1:86,400: Erläuterungen, in the series: Reproduktionen alter Karten, Stuttgart.

Fischer, H. (1993) Die ‘Charte von Schwaben’ 1:86,400, Cartographica Helvetica 7 (1993) 1–10.Gradmann, J.J. (1802) Das gelehrte Schwaben: oder Lexicon der jetzt lebenden schwäbischen Schriftsteller, Ravensburg.

Günther, Siegmund (1922) Eine Kartierung Oberschwabens um die Wende des achtzehnten Jahrhunderts, Sitzungsberichte der mathematisch-physikalischen Klasse der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu München, Jahrgang 1921 315–330, 317n.

Wolfart, P. (2008) Mapping the Early Modern State: the Work of Ignaz Ambros Amman, 1782–1812, Journal of Historical Geography, 34(1):1-23.

"Ignaz Ambros von Amman" in Wikipedia [short entry but cites Wolfart (2008).]


Indigenous Studies Portal News

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Wired Librarian

Attended presentation last night, all a bit fast, but some great ideas and resources for teaching with web 2.0.

Select here for the wired librarian wiki.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Copyright news

I thought the announcement regarding NFB films was of particular interest.

FROM THE OFFICES OF LESLEY ELLEN HARRIS

Copyright, New Media Law & E-Commerce News

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Vol. 13, No. 2, February 16 2009

ISSN 1489-954X

Contents:



1. Studies, Legislation and Conventions
(Nothing to Report)

2. Legal Cases:
Is Illegal Use of Subscription Web Site a Copyright Violation?
Obama: Hope artist asks for Fair Use Ruling

3. Of Interest:
NFB Makes Films Available Online
Copyright in Africa
Digital Music Report 2009
Some YouTube Videos Get Download Option
Authors Guild Claims Kindle’s Text-to-Speech Violates Copyright

4. Seminars and Publications:
Online Copyright Courses
Book: Licensing Digital Content: A Practical Guide for Librarians

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Copyright, New Media & E-Commerce News is distributed for free by the office of Lesley Ellen Harris. Information contained herein should not be relied upon or considered as legal advice. Copyright 2009 Lesley Ellen Harris. This e-letter may be forwarded, downloaded or reproduced in whole in any print or electronic format for non-commercial purposes provided that you cc: lehletter@copyrightlaws.com.

This e-letter, from 1996 to the present, is archived with Library & Archives Canada at: http://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/201/300/copyright/.

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1. STUDIES, LEGISLATION AND CONVENTIONS: (nothing to report)

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2. LEGAL CASES:

IS ILLEGAL USE OF SUBSCRIPTION WEB SITE A COPYRIGHT VIOLATION? – Late 2008, CoStar Realty Information announced that it is suing Dumann Realty for illegally accessing their subscription database using another company’s log-in credentials. CoStar is suing not just for the $5,000 US in fees it would have received had Dumann signed up for the Web site, but also for breach of copyright, claiming $150,000 US for each time that Dumann employees looked at a photo, or searched the database, using the illegal log-in. CoStar has recently filed more than 5 other similar suits.

In another case, the Financial Times is suing Blackstone Equity for copyright violation, claiming that an employee of the firm obtained an individual subscription that the employee then shared with others in the firm. Subscriptions to the FT are either for individuals, or firm-wide licenses based on the estimated number of users at a firm.

OBAMA: HOPE ARTIST ASKS FOR FAIR USE RULING – The Associated Press has contacted Shepard Fairey, the artist behind the iconic Obama: Hope poster, claiming that use of its photograph in the image required a license and credit. Fairey took a 2006 Associated Press photograph of Obama, cropped it, then created a propaganda-style poster which became synonymous with Obama’s campaign. Fairey's attorneys responded by suing in U.S. District Court in New York, asking the court to rule that the artist's work was protected by the fair use doctrine of copyright law.

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3. OF INTEREST:

NFB MAKES FILMS AVAILABLE FREE ONLINE – Canada’s National Film Board (“NFB”) has created an online screening room as part of a $1.3 CDN million project to digitize its collection of historic films. More than 700 films, chosen by a group of filmmakers and curators, are now online, including Neighbours, I’ll Find a Way, Mon Oncle Antoine and The Cat Came Back.

The online screening room, which also includes playlists around themes such as Black History Month, is at http://www.nfb.ca/.

COPYRIGHT IN AFRICA – Researchers in South Africa, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, Senegal and Uganda are working together on the African Copyright and Access to Knowledge Project (ACA2K), which is funded by the IDRC (Canada) and the Shuttleworth Foundation (South Africa). This Project is probing the relationship between national copyright environments and access to knowledge in the eight above-mentioned countries. For more information about this research project, see http://www.aca2k.org. To subscribe to Copyright and A2K Issues, a list serv about copyright with a southern Africa slant, visit:

http://lists.wits.ac.za/mailman/listinfo/copyrightanda2kinfo.

DIGITAL MUSIC REPORT 2009 – The International Federation of the Phonographic Industries (“IFPI”) recently released its Digital Music Report 2009. The report claims that the music industry has transformed its business models, offering consumers an increasing range of new services. The report notes that its biggest challenge remains illegal downloads, which the IFPI claims account for 95% of all music downloads. The 32-page PDF report is at: http://www.ifpi.org/content/library/DMR2009.pdf The 2-page PDF Key Statistics is at: http://www.ifpi.org/content/library/DMR2009-key-statistics.pdf.

SOME YOUTUBE VIDEOS GET DOWNLOAD OPTION – Some U.S. government videos, including Barack Obama’s weekly addresses, will now have a “Click to download” option on YouTube. Users can download select videos as MP4 files. The option is available for a select number of YouTube videos, sometimes for a fee.

AUTHORS GUILD CLAIMS KINDLE’S TEXT-TO-SPEECH VIOLATES COPYRIGHT – The Authors Guild has written to its members, advising them that the text-to-speech feature on Amazon’s Kindle e-book reader breaches copyright. The Authors Guild is concerned that Amazon has text rights rather than audioboook rights to the authors’ work, and that Kindle e-book sales could harm audiobook sales. Amazon responded by saying that companies that upload e-books can contractually prohibit Amazon from adding audio functionality, and that the computer-generated voice of the text-to-speech feature is no threat to audiobook sales.

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4. SEMINARS AND PUBLICATIONS:

ONLINE COPYRIGHT COURSES– Copyrightlaws.com is offering courses on a variety of copyright topics this winter and spring. The next two courses begin February 23, 2009 and end March 20, 2009:

· Copyright Education: Demystifying Copyright in your Enterprise. This advanced course includes e-mail lessons with a text lecture and an interactive course blog.

· Developing a Copyright Policy (February 23 - March 20, 2009) is an assignment course that includes e-mail lessons with a text lecture, further resources, a blog discussion, and assignments in each lesson. Those who complete the assignments in this course will have a draft copyright policy for their organization.

For further information, see: http://copyrightlawscom.blogspot.com/. Registration is at: www.acteva.com/go/copyright.

Copyrightlaws.com jointly with the Special Library Association/Click University is offering a course on Digital Copyright Issues, from March 9 – March 27, 2009. This is an online course with three Webex/real time discussion sessions. The course covers a broad range of copyright issues relating to librarians using digital content. Non-SLA members may enroll in this course. See: www.clickuniversity.org.

BOOK: LICENSING DIGITAL CONTENT: A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR LIBRARIANS - Written by Lesley Ellen Harris, the 2nd edition of this book published by ALA Editions is currently being edited and will be available summer 2009. The book’s blog is now a discussion forum for digital licensing issues. See: www.licensingdigitalcontent.blogspot.com.

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This newsletter is prepared by Copyright Lawyer Lesley Ellen Harris. Lesley is the author of the books Canadian Copyright Law (McGraw-Hill), Digital Property: Currency of the 21st Century (McGraw-Hill), and Licensing Digital Content (ALA Editions). Lesley edits the print newsletter, The Copyright & New Media Law Newsletter. Lesley may be reached at: http://copyrightlaws.com.

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This LEH-Letter issue was prepared with the help of Beth Davies.

If you are looking for further topical and practical information about copyright law, obtain a sample copy of the print newsletter, The Copyright & New Media Law Newsletter, from http://copyrightlaws.com.