Monday News: copyright, Android security, comic books, and political cartoons
Anne Frank’s Diary Gains ‘Co-Author’ in Copyright Move – A very interesting and complex case over the intellectual property rights to Anne Frank’s diary, which has been published in a number of forms and versions over the years (most commonly as The Diary of a Young Girl: Anne Frank). The Anne Frank Fonds, founded by Frank’s father, Otto, is claiming that Otto is the legal co-author of the diary, essentially attempting to extend copyright to 2051, a move that is deeply opposed by a number of people, including the Anne Frank museum, which has its own version of the diary it has been planning to publish with the (previously) imminent transfer of the diary into the public domain. As University of Nantes Professor Olivier Ertzscheid argues, “It belongs in the public domain. It is part of our collective memory and heritage.” The conflict raises many issues around what and who copyright seeks to protect, and whether historical documents should be publicly accessible through the public domain or held under private control.
The decision has also set the foundation on a possible collision course with the Anne Frank House museum in Amsterdam, a separate entity that for years has sparred with the Anne Frank foundation over legal questions, such as ownership of archives and trademark issues.
The museum has been working for five years with historians and researchers on an elaborate web version of the diary intended for publication once the copyright expires. The research is still progressing with a historical and textual analysis of her writing, including deletions, corrections and stains. – New York Times & The Globe and Mail
Millions of Android Devices Vulnerable to Remote Hijacking: Baidu Wrote the Code, But Google Made it Possible – A massive security hole in a Baidu-created Android software library that is used by more than 14,000 apps is putting Android devices in danger of everything from fake SMS messages to installing apps without user permission. Apparently this vulnerability was intentionally written into the code, and Google has not done enough to protect Android users from its malicious effects:
The problem is that security and privacy are two sides of the same coin. By refusing to give users a choice about whether or not apps have Internet access, Google is putting its users at risk and sending the message that it cares more about its bottom line than its users’ security.
Fortunately for Google, this is an easy fix—just include Internet access as one of the permissions apps have to request in the next version of Android. Otherwise, Moplus SDK won’t be the last major Android security catastrophe. – Electronic Frontier Foundation
Holy return on investment, Batman! Comic book values up – All of the recent comic book adaptations are helping to drive the market for original paper comics, and the rarer editions are on the rise as investments. But before you start digging through your childhood collection, you might want to check to see what’s hot and what’s not in the current market:
“Investing in comics only makes sense if you know what you’re doing, [because] 99 percent of comics have no real value to investors,” local dealer Brandon Zuern of Austin Books & Comics, who advises friends on collecting with the objective of turning a profit, told CNBC.
He added that one of the current hot trends in collecting is “Harley Quinn,” a popular character from the Batman universe best known as The Joker’s girlfriend, who is also getting top billing in next August’s “Suicide Squad” movie. Quinn’s first appearance in 1993’s The Batman Adventures No. 12 is now selling for more than $1,000. Zuern added that that “is amazing because just a few years ago, these issues were gathering dust in bargain bins.” – CNBC
Here’s what a Charlie Hebdo cartoonist drew after the second Paris terror attack in a year – Charlie Hedbo cartoonist Joann Sfar posted a series of cartoons following Friday’s horrific attacks on Paris, giving rise to the #Parisisaboutlife hashtag and providing a secular space in which to celebrate the values of life, joy, strength, and love. A beautiful tribute to the city and to humanity, as well as a poignant reminder that political commentary isn’t always cynical and critical, even when conditions invite precisely those responses.
Friends from the whole world, thank you for #prayforParis, but we don’t need more religion! Our faith goes to music! Kissing! Life! Champagne and joy! #Parisisaboutlife – i100/Independent
