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Microsoft Announces Copilot Copyright Commitment to Address IP Infringement Concerns
Microsoft recently published the Copilot Copyright Commitment to address concerns about potential IP infringement claims from content produced by generative AI. Under this commitment, which covers various products, including GitHub Copilot, Microsoft will take responsibility for potential legal risks if a customer faces copyright challenges.
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GitHub Funds Independent Legal Support for Developers against DMCA
GitHub has launched a program to offer developers free legal support from Stanford Law School against DMCA takedowns requested under Section 1201. InfoQ has taken the chance to speak with Mike Linksvayer, head of developer policy at GitHub, and Phil Malone, director of Juelsgaard Clinic, Stanford Law.
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Supreme Court Rules Google's Use of Java API Was Fair Use
The Supreme Court in the United States of America has ruled that Google's use of the Java API was fair use, and that the objections raised by Oracle are rejected. InfoQ looks back at the history and what this means for the future of APIs.
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Microsoft Clears the Way for Having ExFAT in the Linux Kernel
Microsoft is making the official specification for exFAT freely available in a move meant to make it possible to include an exFAT driver directly into the Linux kernel. Additionally, when an exFAT-enabled Linux kernel will be published, Microsoft will support its inclusion in the Open Invention Network’s Linux System Definition.
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U.S. Commerce Dept Proposes Rulemaking for Export Control of Emerging Technologies Including AI
In the Federal Register, the official journal of the federal government of the United States, an article titled “Review of Controls for Certain Emerging Technologies” outlines proposed rulemaking for export control of “emerging technologies”, which includes a wide range of categories including biotechnology, artificial intelligence and robotics.
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California Creates Consumer Privacy Act
California has enacted the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) of 2018 which, starting on January 1, 2020, would grant consumers several rights with respect to information about them that businesses collect, store, sold, and share. This is the first legislation of its kind in the United States.
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New York Creates Task Force to Examine Automated Decision Making
New York City has created an Automated Decision Systems Task Force to demand accountability and transparency in how algorithms are used in city government. The final report of the task force is due in December 2019. This task force is the first in the United States to study this issue.
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US Supreme Court Declares Microsoft Case Moot, Microsoft Delivers Emails to US Government
After the United States Congress passed the CLOUD Act, the United States Justice Department dropped its previous request for a search warrant. The United States Supreme Court then declared the Microsoft email case moot. The Justice Department went back to court, however, and got a new search warrant based on the new law to replace the one it originally got in 2013.
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U.S. Congress Passes CLOUD Act - New Legislation Might Make Microsoft Supreme Court Case Moot
On March 23, 2018, the CLOUD Act became law in the United States. It clarifies how US and foreign countries can gain access to data stored in cloud servers in each other’s jurisdictions. Companies such as Google and Microsoft facing requests for data they have stored in foreign countries support the legislation. Privacy and human rights activists have criticized the measure.
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Oral Arguments before Supreme Court in Microsoft Cloud Computing Case Focus on Legal Issues
On February 27, 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States heard oral arguments on the Microsoft cloud computing case. A ruling against Microsoft could require companies based in the United States to hand over to law enforcement data stored on foreign servers. U.S. based organizations might then not be able to provide cloud computing services to foreign countries.
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State of Wyoming House Unanimously Pass Two Blockchain Bills
On February 19th, the State of Wyoming House unanimously passed two blockchain bills as a way to incentivize the industry to invest in the state's economy. The first bill, HB 70, focuses on utility tokens, offered in the form of ICOs, being exempt from state security regulations and the second, HB 19, excludes virtual currencies from the state’s money transmitter act.
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Developers Ask: Can I Legally Use The "Fluent UI" Or Ribbon Design?
It was recently reported that Corel lost a patent lawsuit regarding the "fluent UI" or ribbon design. This is the UI that you see in MS Office products that replaces the traditional menu + toolbar design popular since the 1990s. This has many developers concerned about their own applications.
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Could the United States Supreme Court Constrain Cloud Computing?
A U.S. Supreme Court decision could change the future of cloud computing by making U.S. companies subject to law enforcement demands for data from foreign servers. If the court rules that the data must be handed over, it is uncertain if the U.S. Congress would change the law, and what the actual content of a new law might be. This law would be still subject to interpretation and litigation.
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LinkedIn Ordered to Allow Scraping of Public Profile Data
A United States federal judge has ruled that Microsoft’s LinkedIn cannot block third party web scrapers from scraping data from publicly available profiles.
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GitHub Steps Up to Recognizing Developers' Creative Rights
GitHub’s Balanced Employee Intellectual Property agreement (BEIPA) is an attempt to strike a new balance to assign developers more rights on their intellectual creation outside of work. By making it an open source project, GitHub also hopes to make it reusable and open to outside contributions.