Convergences

Catch-Up: POLITICAL COMMENTARY

(The explanation of "Catch-Up" is here.)

POLITICAL COMMENTARY

• California’s Multiplayer Version of Chicken, AEI Enterprise Blog, Nov. 8, 2010 (Blog). Collective action problems in CA.
• Now the Fun Begins. AEI Enterprise Blog, Nov. 2, 2010 (Blog). Assuming the polls are anywhere near right, November 3 marks the opening of the real wars, such as the one between the Tea Party and the Republican establishment.
• Election Day Reflections of an ‘Angry’ Tea Partier, AEI Enterprise Blog, Nov. 2, 2010 (Blog).
• Collective Blindness to Collective Action, Digital Society, 25 Oct. 2010 (Blog). The importance of collective action problems and the oddity of the lack of interest in them by the DC policy community
• Tea Party Tech Policy, by G. T. McCoy Jr., & J. V. DeLong, The American, Oct. 29, 2010 (Article). Exactly what the title says – proposed tech policy for the new Congress.
• Tea Party Tech Policy, Digital Society, 29 Oct. 2010 (Blog). A tech agenda for the Tea Party Age.
• Tea Time for Vets, J. V. DeLong, The American, Oct. 20, 2010 (Article).
• The Fatal Addiction to OPM (Other People’s Money), AEI Enterprise Blog, May 31, 2010 (Blog).
• The Tea Party Revolt Against Forms-alism, AEI Enterprise Blog, April 14, 2010 (Blog).
• A Frank Discussion of the Pitfalls of Democracy, AEI Enterprise Blog, Feb. 3, 2010 (Blog).
• The Business Roundtable Nails 130+ Theses to the Door of OMB, Digital Society, 16 July 2010 (Blog). BRT objects to regime uncertainty.

Catch-Up: ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT

(The explanation of "Catch-Up" is here.)

ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT

• Eminent Domain (at a Price), J. V. DeLong, The American, Dec. 17, 2010 (Article). Improve the standard of Just Compensation and many of the problems of Kelo and eminent domain will disappear.
• Thermal Coal as U.S. Export Industry, Seeking Alpha, by J. V. DeLong, Sept. 15, 2010 (Article). Follow-up: if coal is unloved in the U.S., the industry can pick up its ball and go play in China.
• The Precarious Crown of King Coal, Seeking Alpha, by J. V. DeLong, Sept. 13, 2010 (Article). The environmentalist assault on the use of coal to generate energy.
• Connections: Tech & Energy, Digital Society, 23 May 2010 (Blog).  Effect of anti-carbon rules on tech.

Catch-Up: INTERNATIONAL

(The explanation of "Catch-Up" is here.)

INTERNATIONAL

• China & Intellectual Property, Digital Society, 22 Nov. 2010 (Blog). Notice of a session on session on China and IP with Fuli Chen, Intellectual Property Rights Attache for the Chinese Embassy to the United States.
• EU & Net Neutrality, Digital Society, 13 Nov. 2010 (Blog). Nellie Kroes says: “We should allow network operators and services and content providers to explore innovative business models.”
• Developing Nations and Intellectual Property, Digital Society, 29 July 2010 (Blog). The Rand Corporation has released Intellectual Property and Developing Countries: A review of the literature (2010).
• The Obligations of the Elites, AEI Enterprise Blog, July 7, 2010 (Blog). A new China hand answers my question whether its elites are dedicated to improving the lot of the people – and are ours?

Catch-Up: TECH ODDS & ENDS

(The explanation of "Catch-Up" is here.)

TECH ODDS & ENDS

• Tea Party Tech Policy, by G. T. McCoy Jr., & J. V. DeLong, The American, Oct. 29, 2010 (Article). A tech agenda for the Tea Party Age.
• Tea Party Tech Policy, Digital Society, 29 Oct. 2010 (Blog). Reprise of a tech agenda for the Tea Party Age.
• Apple vs Android Business Models, Digital Society, 20 Oct. 2010 (Blog). Closed and open systems – Steve Jobs plumps for integration as a consumer benefit.
• The State of Innovation, Digital Society, 11 Oct. 2010 (Blog). Information Week has just published a survey piece called Innovation Mandate on how the U.S. is doing in the info tech space.
• Geek Sports Page: The Coming Contest Over Mobile Operating Systems, Digital Society, 2 Sept. 2010 (Blog). Looks forward to the contest between the business models of Apple, Android, Windows Phone 7, and the rest of the players.
• HIGHTECHforum Open for Business, Digital Society, 27 Aug. 2010 (Blog). New techsite – Richard Bennett’s High Tech Forum: Thoughts from the Technology Trenches.
• Paul Otellini – Meet Robert Higgs, Digital Society, 26 Aug. 2010 (Blog). Otellini talks about regime uncertainty and tech investment.
• In the Mail: “The Shift”, Digital Society, 18 Aug. 2010 (Blog). From the authors: [W]e outline how additional value is inserted into the ecosystem when service providers expose intelligent network capabilities.”
• The Tech Sector & the ADA – continued, Digital Society, 7 Aug. 2010 (Blog). More on the ADA issue.
• Disabilities, Civil Rights, & the Kindle Letter, Digital Society, 4 Aug. 2010 (Blog). Coming rules applying the ADA to the tech world.
• The Business Roundtable Nails 130+ Theses to the Door of OMB, Digital Society, 16 July 2010 (Blog). BRT objects to regime uncertainty.
• “For everything there is a season”, Digital Society, 5 June 2010 (Blog). The silly assumption that a company’s stock price should keep rising.
• Apples: Golden or Sour? Digital Society, 2 June 2010 (Blog). The cult of Apple.
• Connections: Tech & Energy, Digital Society, 23 May 2010 (Blog). Effect of anti-carbon rules on tech.
• Jaron Lanier – “A Rebel in Cyberspace, Fighting Collectivism”, Digital Society, 30 July 2010 (Blog). You Are Not a Gadget.
• Technology & Academia, Digital Society, 4 May 2010 (Blog). Link to the Technology|Academics|Policy (TAP) website.
• Making The Digital Society Work, Digital Society, 7 April 2010 (Blog). My inaugural post for Digital Society: “My particular focus is on the legal and regulatory structures and rules that are necessary to make this digital society work, with emphasis on intellectual property, markets and their importance in facilitating innovation, creativity and (to lift a word from the academic left) generativity.”
• The Monsters Coming Out of Your Computer, AEI Enterprise Blog, Jan. 29, 2010 (Blog). Security issues are very scary.

Catch-Up: INTERNET & NET NEUTRALITY

(The explanation of "Catch-Up" is here.)

INTERNET & NET NEUTRALITY

• The Non-Uses of History, Digital Society, 27 Dec. 2010 (Blog). Net Neutrality – comments on the FCC’s lack of interest in its experience with the Open Video Systems concept or in other lessons from regulatory history. Breaking the Piñata, Digital Society, 22 Dec. 2010 (Blog). Net Neutrality as a gift to the DC communications bar.
• A Market Working! What Will They Think of Next! Digital Society, 20 Dec. 2010 (Blog). Net Neutrality –anyone who creates demanded content can force the ISPs to pay them rather the reverse. So why a major ISP tick off its customers by cutting them off from desired content?
• Net Neutrality, the Internet & Electronic Funds Transfer Networks, Digital Society, 17 Dec. 2010 (Blog). Looks at core similarities between the issues created by the Durbin Amendment on Electronic Funds Transfer networks the net neutrality issues.
• Danger! Kibitzers at Work, Digital Society, 14 Dec. 2010 (Blog). Net Neutrality – none of the 82 organizations that endorsed more Internet openness actually do anything to make the Internet work or to deliver content.
• Network Nation, Digital Society, 13 Dec. 2010 (Blog). Links to Network Nation: Inventing American Telecommunications, and to a presentation by the author.
• Net Neutrality & the Fifth Amendment, Digital Society, 6 Dec. 2010 (Blog). Links to Virtual Takings: The Coming Fifth Amendment Challenge to Net Neutrality Regulation, by Daniel Lyons of BC Law School.

Catch-Up: THE NEWS BUSINESS

(The explanation of "Catch-Up" is here.)

NEWS BUSINESS

• Copyright & Righthaven, Digital Society, 4 Nov. 2010 (Blog). Enforcement by bounty hunters.
• Property Rights in Content – Coming Soon to a Computer Near You, Digital Society, 23 Sept. 2010 (Blog). Content providers are coming to the conclusion that they must pull back from the open web, making content available only to those who pony up.
• Google Thoughts on the News Business: Of Cups Half Full & Half Empty, Digital Society, 26 July 2010 (Blog). GOOG’s comments to the FTC on the future of journalism.
• What Google Can Learn From Microsoft, Digital Society, 21 July 2010 (Blog). How Microsoft’s Windows Principles are applicable to GOOG search.
• Business Models, Digital Society, 21 June 2010 (Blog). A new business model for content.
• JournoList as a Management Problem, J. V. DeLong, The American, July 21, 2010 (Blog).
• Polluting the Stream of Creativity, Digital Society, 19 July 2010 (Blog). Articles are being turned out that simply maximize the number of key words used.
• Papering over the Problem, Digital Society, 14 July 2010 (Blog). Ye good olde days of journalism were pretty bad, and the last thing we need is government subsidies to bring them back.
• Creative Content Needs Functioning Markets, Digital Society, 13 July 2010 (Blog). Never before have we had such total technological disruption of functioning markets, with a corresponding disruption of legal rules that were designed to fit the old technologies.
• Catching Flies, Digital Society, 7 July 2010 (Blog). Litigation over the hot news doctrine.
• Adding Value on the Internet, Digital Society, 8 June 2010 (Blog). Economist/columnist/blogger/ex-TreasuryGuyBruce Bartlett has started Bartlett’s Notations.
• Danger! Media at Work, Digital Society, 10 May 2010 (Blog). One problem (of many) with the media.
• The News Biz: Don’t Be Happy, Worry, Digital Society, 22 April 2010 (Blog). Eric Schmidt assures newspapers that they have a future and Google is their friend. I doubt both propositions.

Catch-Up: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

(The explanation of "Catch-Up" is here.)

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY  

• Piracy, Counterfeiting, Web Domains & the Evolution of Property Rights, Digital Society, 21 Dec. 2010 (Blog). Combatting content piracy and counterfeit goods via payments systems and Internet infrastructure – S.3804.
• Self-Help Copy Protection (Oh, the Inhumanity!), Digital Society, 11 Dec. 2010 (Blog). Substituting a vuvuzela for the expected content.
• Intellectual Property: More on S.3804, Digital Society, 10 Dec. 2010 (Blog).  S.3804 - The Leahy Amendment and the effort to combat content piracy and counterfeit goods via payments systems and Internet infrastructure.
• Intellectual Property & the Leahy Bill, Digital Society, 9 Dec. 2010 (Blog).  S.3804 - The Leahy Amendment and the effort to combat content piracy and counterfeit goods via payments systems and Internet infrastructure.
• Protecting Property on the Internet , J. V. DeLong, The American, Dec. 8, 2010 (Article). Free speech does not include the right to shout, ‘Fake goods here!’ in a crowded digital marketplace.

Catch-Up: DIGITAL ECONOMY & ELECTRONIC PAYMENT SYSTEMS

(The explanation of "Catch-Up" is here.)

DIGITAL ECONOMY & ELECTRONIC PAYMENT SYSTEMS

• The Payments Revolution, Digital Society, 27 Sept. 2010 (Blog). Link to a new 65-country study on payment cards.
• Boston Fed Issues Flawed Study on Digital Commerce, AEI Enterprise Blog & Digital Society, 2 Aug. 2010 (Blog). The electronic payments issue – the title says it.
• Endangering Digital Commerce, AEI Enterprise Blog & Digital Society, 30 June 2010 (Blog). In mucking up the Electronic Funds Transfer industry, Congress exhibits the Dunning-Kruger effect, the phenomenon whereby incompetent people are too incompetent to be aware of their own incompetence, and thus proceed confidently from one disaster to another.
• Writing on Telecom’s Wall, Digital Society, 28 June 2010 (Blog). Electronic Funds Transfer industry as an omen of government willingness to meddle in complex   network industries.
• Crony Capitalism, AEI Enterprise Blog & Digital Society, 18 June 2010 (Blog). Big retailers win one over the Electronic Funds Transfer industry and consumers.
• Digital Commerce: Update, Digital Society, 15 June 2010 (Blog). Links to Mercatus conference on Electronic Funds Transfer and interchange fees.
• Danger: Congress at Work on Interchange Fees, AEI Enterprise Blog & Digital Society, 10 June 2010 (Blog). Durbin Amendment, the Electronic Funds Transfer industry, and interchange fees

Playing Catch-Up

The Convergence Law Institute website has been hibernating for the past year while its principals engaged in other enterprises, with a few exceptions in the form of posts by Solveig Singleton.

But Spring is coming, and it is time to bring things up to date so as to get ready for some promising new initiatives.

So this post and the next few play catch-up, listing and linking to our articles and blogs that appeared in other forums over the past few months, and providing a few words of description about each. The effect will be to provide on CLI a complete archive of what was produced elsewhere, for ease of one-stop shopping.

The pieces are divided into seven substantive topics (see below), and each will get its own blog entry.  Within each topic, the listings are in reverse chronological order. A few multi-topic publications are listed more than once, but not many. Most of the duplicates are in the Intellectual Property & News Business categories.

Topics:

• DIGITAL ECONOMY & ELECTRONIC PAYMENT SYSTEMS
• INTELLECTIAL PROPERTY
• NEWS BUSINESS
• INTERNET & NET NEUTRALITY
• TECH ODDS & ENDS
• INTERNATIONAL
• POLITICS
• ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT