Fsf-friends March 2008

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Govt against curbing piracy with policy ...
by Frederick Noronha [फ़र ेदरिक नोर ोनया] 29 Mar '08

29 Mar '08

http://www.business-standard.com/common/news_article.php?tab=r&autono=31800… Govt against curbing piracy with policy FICCI FRAMES 2008 BS Reporters / Mumbai March 26, 2008 In what is viewed as a setback for the film industry's efforts to stop piracy, the government today rejected the recommendations of the draft optical disk policy on grounds that it would lead to the creation of a regime of inspectors, and thus go against the grain of the liberalisation policy. For the past few months, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has been examining the draft optical disc law to check film piracy. As the draft legislation, which included a code of regulations for content, is being prepared by FICCI and members of the film industry with the initiative of the government, a positive response is expected. However, addressing the FICCI-Frames 2008 convention here today, Union Ministry of Information & Broadcasting Secretary Asha Swarup made it clear that the government was not in favour of implementing the recommendations. Acknowledging that the menace of piracy in the entertainment and media industry was huge, she said the problem had to be tackled by closing the gaps in the supply. "A possible way," she said, "is to release films in 'C' and 'D' class towns in digital formats." Swarup expressed her content with Pakistani films being released in India and Indian films like Taare Zameen Par making an entry into Pakistan. She said she hoped that with a new democratic government in Pakistan, more Indian films would be screened there. The secretary also emphasised the need to develop content for TV, especially for children. Meanwhile, the FICCI-PricewaterhouseCoopers 2008 report, released today, estimates the industry at Rs 51,300 crore in 2007 - a growth of 17 per cent from Rs 43,800 crore in 2006. The Indian entertainment and media industry is projected to clock Rs 1,15,000 crore by 2011. In his address, Yash Chopra, chairman, FICCI Entertainment Committee & Yash Raj Films, said that Indian cinema had transcended geographical boundaries. However, he added: "Piracy, IP protection in the animation segment and censorship are hurdles that the Indian media and entertainment industry have to overcome." Rajeev Chandrasekhar, MP and president of FICCI, pointed out that the industry today had reached a point of critical mass. "I believe this industry is poised to achieve the scale and size required to have global value and presence," he said. The challenge for the industry over the next few years, he said, was to become globally relevant to the capital markets and investors; relevant to producers and consumers of entertainment all over the world. Kunal Dasgupta, co-chairman, FICCI Entertainment Committee & CEO Sony Entertainment Television, said: "We are in talks with the Academy of Television Arts and Science in the US, which represents the popular Emmy Awards, and hopefully we will able to present an Indian version of the popular Emmy Awards by next year." Amit Khanna, chairman, Reliance Entertainment & FICCI Convergence Committee, said new digital technology would reshape the distribution and exhibition business. "On-demand entertainment will become a standard industry norm," he said. * * * FROM USIBC Piracy in India's Entertainment Industry Causes Huge Losses to Indian Economy March 27, 2008 Mumbai, India – The U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) has released a new study showing huge job and revenue losses to the Indian economy as a result of piracy in India's burgeoning entertainment industry. The study– 'The Effects of Counterfeiting and Piracy on India's Entertainment Industry'– prepared for USIBC by Ernst &Young India, shows as much as Rs. 16,000 crores are lost each year due to piracy. As many as 800,000 direct jobs are also lost as a result of theft and piracy, afflicting India's entertainment industry. Speaking at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) FRAMES 'Business of Entertainment' Conference, USIBC President, Ron Somers, said, "This study estimates that the Indian entertainment industry loses some 820,000 jobs and about $4 billion each year to piracy. This is an enormous and unacceptable magnitude of loss – by any measure." The piracy study was commissioned as part of the USIBC-FICCI Bollywood-Hollywood Initiative. "This study covers film, music, television and video games and has been funded by the Global Intellectual Property Center of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which aims to highlight the value of intellectual property, as well as illuminate the adverse impact theft and piracy have on creativity and innovation. The Bollywood-Hollywood Initiative promotes the sustainable growth and convergence underway between the entertainment industries in both our countries." Presented with a copy of the study, FICCI Secretary General, Dr. Amit Mitra, said, "This study shows that the best way to make the boom in the Indian entertainment bigger is to stop the affliction of piracy. For the average Indian who wants to increase his or her chances for being employed in Bollywood and associated industries, fighting piracy is a place where all our collective efforts must start." Dr. Mitra went on to point out, "The Media and Entertainment industry in India is an industry of the future. India's entertainment industry already generates more than $11 billion annually for the country, growing at a combined annual rate of over 18%. If we can stop piracy, these industries will grow even faster and employ more Indian workers." Also present at the media briefing was Ramesh Sippy, famed producer and director of the all-time number-one blockbuster 'Sholay'. Sippy said, "I know first hand the importance of fighting piracy to support the growth of Bollywood. I commend the USIBC-FICCI Initiative for enlisting all elements of the entertainment industry against piracy." Farokh T. Balsara, National Sector Leader, Media and Entertainment for Ernst & Young-India, said, "Our Mumbai office collected data for this study from on the ground – via direct interviews with stakeholders from the Bollywood entertainment industry. We looked at the industry from every angle – films, music, TV, radio, and electronic games. The story was the same across the board: if we can slow or stop piracy, a direct correlation in the generation of wealth and employment will be the result." Commenting on the USIBC-FICCI Bollywood-Hollywood Initiative, USIBC President Ron Somers said, "This study is only the beginning. Now that we have documented the job and revenue losses to the Indian entertainment industry from piracy, we intend to continue fighting piracy across the board. We will strive to bring these findings to the attention of the average person in India. We will attempt to enlist more effectively the U.S. and Indian governments to cooperate in fighting the scourge of piracy in India, as well as in the U.S. and worldwide. We strongly support passage by India of optical disc legislation that will thwart piracy in this important industry. We are pleased to stand shoulder to shoulder with counterparts in India to help protect jobs and revenues that are now being needlessly lost to piracy." Also previewed at FICCI FRAMES as a part of the Bollywood-Hollywood Initiative was 'Illicit – The Dark Trade' – a special documentary that airs world-wide, produced by National Geographic for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Global Intellectual Property Center. This made-for-television documentary shows that the problem of piracy is an epidemic affecting many sectors of world-wide dimensions. The U.S.-India Business Council, formed in 1975 at the request of the Government of India and the U.S. Government to advance U.S.-India commercial ties, is hosted under the aegis of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation representing more than 3 million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region. The U.S.-India Business Council celebrates its 33rd Anniversary at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on June 12, 2008 in Washington, D.C. -- ---------------------------------------------------------- Frederick 'FN' Noronha | Ym/Gmailtalk: fredericknoronha http://fn.goa-india.org | fred(a)bytesforall.org Independent Journalist | +91(832)2409490 Cell 9970157402 ----------------------------------------------------------

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BIS disappoints Microsoft
by CK Raju, Thrissur 24 Mar '08

24 Mar '08

" NEW DELHI: Microsoft India today expressed disappointment over Bureau of Indian Standards voting against the software giant's Open XML, which is file format specification for electronic documents. However, the company said that it would continue to work with the Indian government to achieve its "stated goal of technology neutrality". Microsoft said that even though it is disappointed, the company is encouraged by the support of the of industry players Nasscom, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro and Infosys, which voted in favour of Open XML. Nasscom and the three IT companies formed a part of BIS LITD committee. "While we are disappointed with the decision of the BIS LITD 15 committee, we are encouraged by the support of IT industry players like Nasscom, TCS, Wipro and Infosys who voted in favour of Open XML becoming an ISO standard," Microsoft India said in a statement..." Story at http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News_by_Industry/Microsoft_disappointed… ----------- Is there anyway to get the details of these 15 member committee ? CK Raju Thrissur

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Re: [Fsf-friends] [ILUG-BOM] BIS committee votes against ooxml
by Praveen A 21 Mar '08

21 Mar '08

2008/3/20, Nagarjuna G. <nagarjun(a)gnowledge.org>: > India's BIS votes against ooxml. out of 19 members, five of them did not > attend the meeting, one of them abstained, five voted in favor of ooxml, and > the rest voted against. Congratulations to all those who worked so hard for long hours, days together to bring this victory! For the rest of us, we should use this victory as a starting point and join campaigns to save our country from the lock-ins and lead to a knowledge society. In Rabindranath Tagore's words, Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high, Where knowledge is free; Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls; Where words come out from the depth of truth; Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection; Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit; Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action– into that heaven of freedom, my Father, Let my country awake. One such campaign which needs your support is SaveKarnataka campaign http://groups.google.com/group/savekarnataka?hl=en http://savekarnataka.wordpress.com/ Regards Praveen -- പ്രവീണ്‍ അരിമ്പ്രത്തൊടിയില്‍ <GPLv2> I know my rights; I want my phone call! <DRM> What use is a phone call, if you are unable to speak? (as seen on /.) Join The DRM Elimination Crew Now! http://fci.wikia.com/wiki/Anti-DRM-Campaign

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[MAJOR X-POST] Re: BIS committee votes against ooxml
by Raj Mathur 21 Mar '08

21 Mar '08

On Thursday 20 Mar 2008, Nagarjuna G. wrote: > India's BIS votes against ooxml. out of 19 members, five of them did > not attend the meeting, one of them abstained, five voted in favor of > ooxml, and the rest voted against. Major win for the community, and I'd like to extend personal thanks to the 3 people who I know have been putting in long hours into this effort with no gain: - Nagarjuna - Venky (of Red Hat) - Prabir Purkayastha That isn't an exhaustive list by any means, and it'd be great if you guys could enumerate the other people who have contributed to this win. A request to the community: if you have the time and the inclination, please take a few minutes and send a personal mail thanking these front-line warriors. If we can come up with the list of organisations who voted against OOXML and a contact person, a mail to each of those organisations wouldn't go amiss either. I'm convinced that if Prabir, Venky, Nagarjuna and the others in the team hadn't worked like dogs for months on end, today we'd be seeing a proprietary standard for all our documents. Must feel good to see all that work pay off, huh? :) Regards, -- Raju -- Raj Mathur raju(a)kandalaya.org http://kandalaya.org/ GPG: 78D4 FC67 367F 40E2 0DD5 0FEF C968 D0EF CC68 D17F PsyTrance & Chill: http://schizoid.in/ || It is the mind that moves

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Re: [Fsf-friends] WORKSHOP by Moving Republic in vibgyor 2008
by shirish 20 Mar '08

20 Mar '08

On Thu, Feb 14, 2008 at 12:00 PM, <fsf-friends-request(a)mm.gnu.org.in> wrote: > Today's Topics: > > 1. WORKSHOP by Moving Republic in vibgyor 2008 (MOBIN M) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2008 21:59:39 +0530 > From: "MOBIN M" <mobstux(a)gmail.com> > Subject: [Fsf-friends] WORKSHOP by Moving Republic in vibgyor 2008 > To: fsf-friends(a)mm.gnu.org.in, fsf-kerala(a)mm.gnu.org.in. > Message-ID: > <1f2cf8b50802130829oe636d86kb9bbfcd3c3527b0b(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > WORKSHOP BY MOVING REPUBLIC > http://movingrepublic.org/ > > > Date : February 14 and 15 > Event: Vibgyor 2008- short and documentary film festival > http://2008.vibgyorfilm.com/ > > > Schedule : > > Workshop1- Towards hactivist media culture; Introduction to > free software video production > > Date : February 14 > Time :10-12A.M > Place : Town Hall, Thrissur > > Workshop2- Towards hactivist media culture; Introduction to > free software audio production > > Date : February 15 > Time :10-12A.M > Place : Town Hall, Thrissur > > > Talkers: Anivar Aravind > Hiran Venugopal > Suresh P > Krishnanunni >

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Re: [Fsf-friends] IT@School, Kerala in News
by Vimal Joseph 17 Mar '08

17 Mar '08

On Sun, Mar 16, 2008 at 9:36 PM, Nagarjuna <nagarjun(a)gnowledge.org> wrote: > The video said nothing about the use of free software. Is it because > IT@School is not using free software exclusively, or it is reporter's > bias? the reporter deliberately avoided "Free Software" :( >From 2007-2008 educational year onwards, all schools that follows Kerala State syllabus (around 2832 highschools) migrated to Free Software. They use a debian based distribution called IT@School GNU/Linux (http://support.space-kerala.org/wiki/index.php/Download_IT%40School_GNU/Lin…) see these news clips also : http://www.education.kerala.gov.in/ITexam_help/images_itschool/ie_exam_feb_… http://www.education.kerala.gov.in/ITexam_help/images_itschool/hin_exam_feb… ~vimal

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Fwd: IT@School, Kerala in News
by Vimal Joseph 17 Mar '08

17 Mar '08

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Senthil S <senthilsos(a)yahoo.com> Date: Mon, Mar 17, 2008 at 10:31 AM Subject: Re: [Fsf-friends] IT@School, Kerala in News Though i might sound like a conspiracy theorist.. the ndtv coverage doesnt talk about free software ..thought the students are using gnu/linux if u carefully see ;) cheers senthil

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IT@School, Kerala in News
by Vimal Joseph 17 Mar '08

17 Mar '08

see the children learning with Free Software... http://youtube.com/watch?v=OGKL8MG_O_E ~vimal -- Free Software, Free Society സ്വതന്ത്ര സോഫ്റ്റ്വെയര്‍, സ്വതന്ത്ര സമൂഹം <http://fsfs.hipatia.net>

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Re: [Fsf-friends] Kerala schools to go completely FOSS
by shirish 16 Mar '08

16 Mar '08

> Message: 4 > Date: Thu, 6 Mar 2008 11:50:55 +0530 > From: "Vimal Joseph" <vimalekm(a)gmail.com> > Subject: Re: [Fsf-friends] [X-POST] Kerala schools to go completely > FOSS > To: raju(a)linux-delhi.org > Cc: linux-india-general(a)lists.sourceforge.net, The Linux-Delhi mailing > list <ilugd(a)lists.linux-delhi.org>, fsf-friends(a)mm.gnu.org.in > Message-ID: > <81428c130803052220p3e8b108bvb685ede2076e24d4(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 > > On Wed, Mar 5, 2008 at 8:12 PM, Raj Mathur <raju(a)linux-delhi.org> wrote: > > Congratulations to our friends in Kerala are in order, I think: > > > > Kerala shuts windows, schools to use only Linux > > > > http://www.indianexpress.com/story/280323.html > > > > I'd like to get my hands on a copy of the courseware... is it freely > > available? > > The latest books are not available online but you can send a request > to IT@School Project > > Executive Director > IT@School Project > SCERT Building > Poojappura > Thiruvananthapuram-12 > Kerala > Tel: 0471-2348274, 2343261 > Fax: 0471-2343261 Hi Vimal, First of all thank you for providing the info. Are u by any chance in Thiruvananthapuram? It would be nice if the Executive Director also had an e-mail address. I do understand its not a good idea to give somebody's e-mail address without his permission on an open mail list. (i.e. if he/she has one) . Either way it would be nice to see what these guys are serving as content/courseware. -- Regards, Shirish Agarwal This email is licensed under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ 065C 6D79 A68C E7EA 52B3 8D70 950D 53FB 729A 8B17

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Software logos issue?
by shirish 16 Mar '08

16 Mar '08

Hi all, I work with companies & non-profits who want to take up/use free & open source software within their institution as well as promote its usage in the world using outreach programs. For doing this I've been trying to compile a list of logos which could be used in banners as well as elsewhere for either letting people know these alternatives exist or/and to show which alternatives already exist. While compiling/downloading the logos I came across range of issues. Some of the issues are as under :- 1. The logos are all scattered over different places, couldn't there be a repository from where people could download these logos? 2. Most of the logos range from having no license information, having some restrictive license information to having some free content license. Having such a barrage of differing licenses, there are bound to some incompatible licenses, in such how does one use them in an outreach program? 3. An extension of the above, how do non-profits who generally have no skill-sets in understanding licensing as well as other issues supposed to cope with the matter? 4. Some of the logos are not clear or are or bad quality. Some don't have .svg filetype which could be used for printing either on paper, cloth, flex or whichever material & scales up easily. So can we as a community come up with some solution to the above issues & make it easier for people who want to show off some of the work done by the global community & feel to be part of the community? Feel free to comment, suggest and/or flame on the topic :) -- Regards, Shirish Agarwal This email is licensed under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ 065C 6D79 A68C E7EA 52B3 8D70 950D 53FB 729A 8B17

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Hot News : Hack into Windows : Boileau publishes his tool
by Omshiva prakash 08 Mar '08

08 Mar '08

A security consultant based in New Zealand has released a tool that can unlock Windows computers in seconds without the need for a password. Boileau, a consultant with Immunity Inc., said he did not release the tool publicly in 2006 because "Microsoft was a little cagey about exactly whether Firewire memory access was a real security issue or not and we didn't want to cause any real trouble". But now that a couple of years have passed and the issue has not resolved, Boileau decided to release the tool on his website. To use the tool, hackers must connect a Linux-based computer to a Firewire port on the target machine. The machine is then tricked into allowing the attacking computer to have read and write access to its memory. With full access to the memory, the tool can then modify Windows' password protection code, which is stored there, and render it ineffective. below is the link http://storm.net.nz/projects/16 -- -- "A well-directed imagination is the source of great deeds" -- With Best Regards, Omshivaprakash.H.L WebPage : http://platonic.techfiz.info Phone: 91- 9902026518 / 9343726518

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Getting away with the booty...
by CK Raju, Thrissur 08 Mar '08

08 Mar '08

"06.03.2008 - This summer, after 30 years at the helm of Microsoft, Bill Gates (pictured) will finally take retirement. But can he let go and can Microsoft afford to let him go?........." Story at http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/news.nv?storyid=single10457 ------------ The great Bill manages to run away with his share of the booty... CK Raju Thrissur

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[X-POST] Kerala schools to go completely FOSS
by Raj Mathur 06 Mar '08

06 Mar '08

Congratulations to our friends in Kerala are in order, I think: Kerala shuts windows, schools to use only Linux http://www.indianexpress.com/story/280323.html I'd like to get my hands on a copy of the courseware... is it freely available? Regards, -- Raju -- Raj Mathur raju(a)kandalaya.org http://kandalaya.org/ Freedom in Technology & Software || February 2008 || http://freed.in/ GPG: 78D4 FC67 367F 40E2 0DD5 0FEF C968 D0EF CC68 D17F PsyTrance & Chill: http://schizoid.in/ || It is the mind that moves

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Kerala Schools and Free Software
by Vimal Joseph 05 Mar '08

05 Mar '08

Here are the news clips about the IT Practical Exams 2008. http://www.education.kerala.gov.in/ITexam_help/itschool_gov_in/newsindailie… -- Free Software, Free Society സ്വതന്ത്ര സോഫ്റ്റ്വെയര്‍, സ്വതന്ത്ര സമൂഹം <http://fsfs.hipatia.net>

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OOXML BRM
by Mani A 04 Mar '08

04 Mar '08

"The OOXML Ballot Resolution Meeting (BRM) in Geneva ended in tears. World XML expert Tim Bray (pictured) immediately recorded his thoughts on the meeting, and his verdict was withering: despite some good that perhaps came of it ("With a very few exceptions, everyone really tried hard to work together and make the document better," he writes), he described the BRM process as "complete, utter, unadulterated bullshit." "..... .... "In practice this means that the heavy politics starts Monday morning. National bodies that are smart will make their decision between 8:30 and 9:00 AM on March 3rd and immediately go on long vacations in Tasmania or Nunavut." Read the whole report at http://java.sys-con.com/read/509779.htm -------------------------------- Best A. Mani -- A. Mani Member, Cal. Math. Soc

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Fsf-friends March 2008