:: GussetBLOG ::

:: Monday, August 11, 2008 ::

Assault

This Security Guard Assaulted Me
Originally uploaded by Aztec West.

See here for backstory and the image above for the follow up.

Labels: Flickr, Law, Photography

:: Dan 11.8.08 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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Gowers Review Bingo
The Rambler marks the first anniversary of the Gowers Review into intellectual property law with a quick summery of its recommendations, and a note of hope that it may be implemented now that the person who commissioned it is in number 10.

Incidentally, I've just noticed that when that post was published two weeks ago, GussetBlog also turned five! Hooray for us!

Labels: Gusset, IP, Law

:: Dan 5.12.07 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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Some time ago I found a thread on the Hijack board containing a copied and pasted story about someone getting into trouble with the police for taking photographs of CCTV cameras around Waterloo station. I was intrigued, but at the time couldn't find the original source or substantiate the story in any way, so didn't post it here.

I googled it again today and found the original Indymedia article from Feb of this year. It makes for interesting reading and if you read down through the comments you'll find the author has updated it as he's found out more information about the legal situation. It boils down to this:

"You can take photographs at [railway] stations provided you do not sell them. However, you are not allowed to take photographs of security related equipment, such as CCTV cameras."
[network rail]


Worth knowing. However, that doesn't justify the behaviour of the community support officer as alleged in the story.

Labels: Law, Photography, Secuirty

:: Dan 8.11.07 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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Free legal advice for the creative industries

The Rambler reports, "...copyright is becoming an increasingly important issue for anyone working in the creative industries. I’m frequently baffled (and increasingly concerned) that so many of the writers, performers and composers that I come across don’t have even the most rudimentary understanding of how intellectual property works, and how it is crucial to their professional lives ... So, it’s particularly timely for the Legal Advice Centre of the Queen Mary, University of London School of Law to expand its free pro bono advice to the creative industries, starting from 7th November."

It's an appointment only centre but it is free. Handy to know should you ever need it. Read the post linked above and keep in bookmarked in case you ever need it.

Labels: Art, Copyright, Law

:: Dan 29.10.07 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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Free Our Data: Make taxpayers' data available to them
"...government-funded and approved agencies such as the Ordnance Survey and UK Hydrographic Office and Highways Agency are government-owned agencies; they collect data on our behalf. So why can't we get at that data as easily as we can Google Maps or the Xtides program?"

From the blog:

• Want to put maps online cheaply? Get a paper licence and scan them
  
• Crown Copyright: time for an end?

OS Explore portal includes useful user generated route maps like pubcrawls! Note that, "any “walk” you submit becomes OS’s property. ... In other words, OS can resell your stuff if everyone creates walks it likes. Not exclusively, but for itself. Which in fact is exactly the same as we want the OS to provide its data to us, the citizens. Except that things seem to have gotten turned on their head, and OS is acting like a big media company such as MTV wanting to piggyback on the submissions of its viewers. ... Still, it’s movement, of sorts. But what we really want is an API so we can create mashups."

Labels: Copyright, FOSS, Law, Maps

:: Dan 26.9.07 [Arc] [1 comments] [links to this post] ::
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free krek.
Originally uploaded by night_photographer.


The campaign to overturn, or at least reduce, the jail sentences handed out to Krek and Mers has been making national headline news today.

Natali summarised the problems with the sentence last Friday (see quote below) and Night Photographer (a friend of Krek and one of the best young photographers I have come across) is leading the online campaign on Flickr.

"They didn't drink and drive, didn't sexually abuse someone, they didn't deal drugs, commit any kind of violence, didn't steal anything, break anything - just painted something, an act that can be easily reversed. But the courts have jailed two young adults, stuck them into jails full of rapists, thieves and drug addicts, instead of making them clean up the "mess" they made and contribute their talents to society in a more productive manner."

The Guardian news blog tries to pull the various opinions together and Manchester Evening News reports on the campaign. Some of the comments following that M.E.N. article are quiet astonishing. People who take the side of the financial hit corporation over the talented young artists brightening up and protesting against a bland, conformist, branded landscape, amaze me.

It's clear that both guys have changed their ways and are making further efforts to use their skills to better society by offering to teach other prisoners while they are in prison.

Lots of people are coming down on the "well, the law is the law" side on this. Bollocks to that. There is an injustice here and the law is wrong. Do something about it.

Labels: Art, Flickr, graffiti, Law

:: Dan 18.9.07 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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