3 Count: Face the Music

This is daily column on Plagiarism Today where the site brings you three of the days biggest, most important copyright and plagiarism news links. If you want to offer your feedback on the column, use the contact form or just follow me on Twitter at @plagiarismtoday.

1: Facebook Backtracks Under Community Pressure, Goes Back To Old ToS (For Now)

Facebook, after receiving a great deal of pressure from its users, has decided to return to its old TOS. Its new TOS, announced two weeks ago, had caused a great deal of controversy when it removed a clause that allowed users to terminate their copyright license to Facebook by simply removing the work, thus offering them a perpetual license to use the content, even after the user was gone.

Facebook has apologized for the TOS and has created a new group to begin working with members and seek feedback on the next terms of service. This is the second major incident, the first being Beacon, where Facebook has been forced to back away from a change due to user uproar.

2: Video Game Biz Still Targeting Canada Over Mod Chips

The International Intellectual Property Association has (again) asked the U.S. Government to take action against Canada over, among other things, mod chips in Canadian video game systems. It believes that mod chips, which allow users to play games that are either out of region or pirated, are not taken seriously enough by the Canadian government and wants the U.S. to add the country to a “Priority Watch List” along with countries such as Mexico, Russia and China.

Though it is unclear exactly what impact this would have, it is unlikely to succeed as the previous administration did not comply with a similar request and it is unlikely that the current will either.

3: Mozilla backs move to decriminalize iPhone jailbreaking

Finally today, the Mozilla Corporation, the not-for-profit behind the Firefox Web browser, has thrown its support behind an exemption for “jailbreaking” the iPhone as well as other mobile phones. Mozilla joins the EFF, Skype and others in backing the exemption to current anti-circumvention laws.

The United States Copyright Office is currently accepting comments and feedback on potential exemptions to the law and plans to institute changes later this year.

Suggestions

That’s it for the three count today, we’ll be back tomorrow with three more copyright links. If you have a link that you want to suggest a link for the column or have any proposals to make it better. Feel free to leave a comment or send me an email. I hope to hear from you.

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