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Tag: Library Of Congress

  • Unlocking Your Cellphone Is Now Legal – Again

    Today, President Obama will sign a bill into law that The White House calls “a win for American consumers, a win for wireless competition, and an example of democracy at its best.” It’s the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act, and it will allow consumers to unlock their cellphones to work on other carriers.

    “The most important part of this joint effort is that it will have a real impact. As long as their phone is compatible and they have complied with their contracts, consumers will now be able to enjoy the freedom of taking their mobile service — and a phone they already own — to the carrier that best fits their needs. At a time when partisan gridlock all too often threatens progress on everyday issues that matter to consumers, working together we listened to your voices, and the American people benefited as a result,” says the White House.

    In other words – this kind of legislative smooth sailing is rare. Cherish it, folks.

    Here’s a little background on the whole cellphone unlocking saga:

    In January of last year, unlocking new cellphones became illegal via a decision from the Library of Congress. In short, they reversed their decision to exempt cellphone unlocking from the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (by opting not to renew the exemption). It’s still legal to unlock phones purchased before January 26th, 2013, but doing so on any device purchased after that cutoff mean you could run afoul of the DMCA.

    Quickly after, a petition on the White House’s We The People site garnered 114,000 signatures. It demanded a simple task of the administration: Make Unlocking Cellphones Legal.

    The White House responded – emphatically.

    “The White House agrees with the 114,000+ of you who believe that consumers should be able to unlock their cell phones without risking criminal or other penalties,” said Senior Advisor for Internet, Innovation, & Privacy David Edelman. “In fact, we believe the same principle should also apply to tablets, which are increasingly similar to smart phones. And if you have paid for your mobile device, and aren’t bound by a service agreement or other obligation, you should be able to use it on another network. It’s common sense, crucial for protecting consumer choice, and important for ensuring we continue to have the vibrant, competitive wireless market that delivers innovative products and solid service to meet consumers’ needs.”

    All that was left to make it happen was for Congress to act. Senator Patrick Leahy authored the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act, and it got a companion bill in the House. The House measure was passed in February and the Senate Judiciary Committee approved Leahy’s bill earlier this month. Last week, the full Senate unanimously passed the bill, sending it over to the House. They also passed it unanimously.

    It went to Obama’s desk, and he’s signing it today. Congratulations, it’s no longer a crime to do what you want with something you own.

    Unfortunately, the new law only restores the exemption to the DMCA that allows consumers to unlock their cellphones and change wireless providers when their contracts expire. It doesn’t address the bigger problem – the DMCA itself. The exemption will be up for renewal again in a few years.

    Image via White House, Flickr

  • Cellphone Unlocking Bill Passes House, Heads to Obama’s Desk

    The House has unanimously passed legislation, unanimously passed last week in the Senate, that will once again make it legal for consumers to unlock their cellphones.

    “With today’s House passage of the bipartisan Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act, this important legislation is headed to the President for his signature. This law will protect consumer choice by allowing flexibility when it comes to choosing a wireless carrier.This is something that Americans have been asking for and I am pleased that we were able to work together to ensure the swift passage of legislation restoring the exemption that allowed consumers to unlock their cell phones,” House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) said in a statement.

    Some background on why we’re having to pass new laws allowing cellphone unlocking:

    In January of last year, unlocking new cellphones became illegal via a decision from the Library of Congress. In short, they reversed their decision to exempt cellphone unlocking from the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (by opting not to renew the exemption). It’s still legal to unlock phones purchased before January 26th, 2013, but doing so on any device purchased after that cutoff mean you could run afoul of the DMCA.

    Quickly after, a petition on the White House’s We The People site garnered 114,000 signatures. It demanded a simple task of the administration: Make Unlocking Cellphones Legal.

    The White House responded – emphatically.

    “The White House agrees with the 114,000+ of you who believe that consumers should be able to unlock their cell phones without risking criminal or other penalties,” said Senior Advisor for Internet, Innovation, & Privacy David Edelman. “In fact, we believe the same principle should also apply to tablets, which are increasingly similar to smart phones. And if you have paid for your mobile device, and aren’t bound by a service agreement or other obligation, you should be able to use it on another network. It’s common sense, crucial for protecting consumer choice, and important for ensuring we continue to have the vibrant, competitive wireless market that delivers innovative products and solid service to meet consumers’ needs.”

    All that was left to make it happen was for Congress to act. Senator Patrick Leahy authored the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act, and it got a companion bill in the House. The House measure was passed in February and the Senate Judiciary Committee approved Leahy’s bill earlier this month. Last week, the full Senate unanimously passed the bill, sending it over to the House.

    And now it heads to President Obama’s desk. Taking its unanimous bipartisan support and the previous statements made by The White House on the matter, the bill’s signing is a virtual certainty.

    “I thank the House for moving so quickly on the bill we passed in the Senate last week and for working in a bipartisan way to support consumers. The bipartisan Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act puts consumers first, promotes competition in the wireless phone marketplace, and encourages continued use of existing devices,” said Sen. Patrick Leahy. “Once the President signs this bill into law, consumers will be able to more easily use their existing cell phones on the wireless carrier of their choice.”

    Unfortunately, the new law only restores the exemption to the DMCA that allows consumers to unlock their cellphones and change wireless providers when their contracts expire. It doesn’t address the bigger problem – the DMCA itself.

  • Cellphone Unlocking Bill Passes Senate, Heads to House

    Late Tuesday, the Senate passed the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act with a unanimous vote. The bill, introduced by Democratic Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, reverses a Library of Congress decision regarding DMCA exemptions and would once again make unlocking your cellphone legal.

    “I applaud the Senate for so quickly passing the bipartisan Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act, which puts consumers first and promotes competition in the wireless phone marketplace,” Leahy said. “With the Senate’s swift action last night, just days after the Judiciary Committee approved the measure, I hope the House will soon take up and pass our bill so that consumers will be able to use their existing cell phones on the wireless carrier of their choice.”

    The bill also asks the Library of Congress to take a look at tablets and other wireless devices to determine if they should also get an exemption from the DMCA.

    A little background on the whole cellphone unlocking issue:

    In January of last year, unlocking new cellphones became illegal via a decision from the Library of Congress. In short, they reversed their decision to exempt cellphone unlocking from the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (by opting not to renew the exemption). It’s still legal to unlock phones purchased before January 26th, 2013, but doing so on any device purchased after that cutoff mean you could run afoul of the DMCA.

    Quickly after, a petition on the White House’s We The People site garnered 114,000 signatures. It demanded a simple task of the administration: Make Unlocking Cellphones Legal.

    The White House responded – emphatically.

    “The White House agrees with the 114,000+ of you who believe that consumers should be able to unlock their cell phones without risking criminal or other penalties,” said Senior Advisor for Internet, Innovation, & Privacy David Edelman. “In fact, we believe the same principle should also apply to tablets, which are increasingly similar to smart phones. And if you have paid for your mobile device, and aren’t bound by a service agreement or other obligation, you should be able to use it on another network. It’s common sense, crucial for protecting consumer choice, and important for ensuring we continue to have the vibrant, competitive wireless market that delivers innovative products and solid service to meet consumers’ needs.”

    All that was left to make it happen was for Congress to act. Senator Patrick Leahy authored the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act, and it got a companion bill in the House. The House measure was passed in February and the Senate Judiciary Committee approved Leahy’s bill last week.

    With the unanimous decision from the Senate, the bill will travel to the House with a lot of momentum.

    Image via Thinkstock

  • Cellphone Unlocking Bill Passes Senate Committee

    A Senate bill to reverse a Library of Congress decision and make unlocking your cellphone legal again has passed the Judiciary Committee.

    In January of last year, unlocking new cellphones became illegal via a decision from the Library of Congress. In short, they reversed their decision to exempt cellphone unlocking from the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (by opting not to renew the exemption). It’s still legal to unlock phones purchased before January 26th, 2013, but doing so on any device purchased after that cutoff mean you could run afoul of the DMCA.

    Quickly after, a petition on the White House’s We The People site garnered 114,000 signatures. It demanded a simple task of the administration: Make Unlocking Cellphones Legal.

    The White House responded – emphatically.

    “The White House agrees with the 114,000+ of you who believe that consumers should be able to unlock their cell phones without risking criminal or other penalties,” said Senior Advisor for Internet, Innovation, & Privacy David Edelman. “In fact, we believe the same principle should also apply to tablets, which are increasingly similar to smart phones. And if you have paid for your mobile device, and aren’t bound by a service agreement or other obligation, you should be able to use it on another network. It’s common sense, crucial for protecting consumer choice, and important for ensuring we continue to have the vibrant, competitive wireless market that delivers innovative products and solid service to meet consumers’ needs.”

    All that was left to make it happen was for Congress to act. Senator Patrick Leahy authored the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act, and it got a companion bill in the House. The House measure was passed in February and now the Senate Judiciary Committee has approved Leahy’s bill.

    “Consumers should be able to use their existing cell phones when they move their service to a new wireless provider. I have worked for months with Ranking Member Grassley, Chairman Goodlatte and House members, consumer advocates and wireless providers to ensure we enact common sense legislation that puts consumers first by allowing them to ‘unlock’ their cell phones,” Leahy said. “With today’s strong bipartisan vote in the Judiciary Committee, I hope the full Senate can soon take up this important legislation that supports consumer rights.”

    The act also urges the Library of Congress to take another look at tablets and other wireless devices to determine if they should also get an exemption from the DMCA. It also “ensures that consumers who lack the technological savvy to unlock their phones themselves can authorize others to do the unlocking for them.”

    The bill technically only restores the exemption to the DMCA that allows consumers to unlock their cellphones and change wireless providers when their contracts expire. It’s not a permanent solution to a bigger problem – the DMCA itself.

  • Linda Ronstadt, U2 Music to be Preserved by the Library of Congress

    The U.S. Library of Congress today announced that it has chosen 25 sound recordings to be placed in the library’s National Recording Registry. The recordings will now be preserved as “cultural, artistic, and/or historical treasures” of the U.S.

    The selections were made according to the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, which tasks the National Recording Preservation Board with selecting 25 recordings each year that are deemed to be “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” The board is made up of experts and “leaders” of the music, recorded sound, and preservation industries.

    Each year’s selections must be at least 10 years old. Each of the selections’ best existing version will be identified and stored in the Library of Congress’ Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation.

    Including this year’s selections, the Library’s collection now stands at 400 recordings. In addition, the library also holds a collection of more than 3.5 million sound recordings.

    This year’s nominees were selected from nominations submitted online and through the National Recording Preservation Board. The Library of Congress is already accepting nominations for next year’s selections.

    Prominent among the selections is the 1974 Linda Ronstadt album Heart Like a Wheel. The album includes such hits as “You’re No Good” and “Faithless Love.”

    Other recording selected for this year’s induction include the 1987 U2 album The Joshua Tree, the song “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime,” Roland Hayes’ version of the song “Were You There.” the Louvin Brothers song “When I Stop Dreaming,” the Everly Brothers song “Cathy’s Clown,” the 1962 Vaughn Meader comedy album The First Family, the Creedence Clearwater Revival song “Fortunate Son,” the original cast recording of the Stephen Sondheim musical Sweeney Todd, the Jeff Buckley song “Hallelujah,”the Issac Hayes soundtrack for the movie Shaft, and the entire collection of Lyndon B. Johnson’s presidential conversation recordings.

    “These recordings represent an important part of America’s culture and history,” said James Billington, Librarian of Congress. “As technology continually changes and formats become obsolete, we must ensure that our nation’s aural legacy is protected. The National Recording Registry is at the core of this effort.”

    Image via Carl Lender

  • ‘Pulp Fiction,’ ‘Forbidden Planet’ Added to National Film Registry

    The U.S. Library of Congress today announced its annual selections for the National Film Registry. Each year 25 movies are selected to join the registry, which helps to preserve important films.

    This year’s selections are highlighted by such classics as Pulp Fiction and Mary Poppins. Other recognizable movies include Forbidden Planet, The Magnificent Seven, The Quiet Man, and Michael Moore documentary Roger & Me.

    Several silent films were also selected for inclusion in the registry, including Daughter of Dawn, A virtuous Vamp, and Ella Cinders. The inclusion of these older films, though important, could be viewed as bittersweet in light of a recent report estimating that 70% of all U.S. silent films have been lost forever.

    “The National Film Registry stands among the finest summations of more than a century of extraordinary American cinema,” said James Billington, Librarian of Congress. “This key component of American cultural history, however, is endangered, so we must protect the nation’s matchless film heritage and cinematic creativity.”

    Films selected for the National Film Registry are named each year by the Librarian of Congress after consultation with film curators and the National Film Preservation Board. The movies must be at least 10 years old and be culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.

    This year’s National Film Registry selections, in full:

    Bless Their Little Hearts (1984)
    Brandy in the Wilderness (1969)
    Cicero March (1966)
    Daughter of Dawn (1920)
    Decasia (2002)
    Ella Cinders (1926)
    Forbidden Planet (1956)
    Gilda (1946)
    The Hole (1962)
    Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
    King of Jazz (1930)
    The Lunch Date (1989)
    The Magnificent Seven (1960)
    Martha Graham Early Dance film (1931-44)
    Mary Poppins (1964)
    Men & Dust (1940)
    Midnight (1939)
    Notes on the Port of St. Francis (1951)
    Pulp Fiction (1994)
    The Quiet Man (1952)
    The Right Stuff (1983)
    Roger & Me (1989)
    A Virtuous Vamp (1919)
    Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966)
    Wild Boys of the Road (1933)

  • 70% of U.S. Silent Films Have Been Lost Forever

    The U.S. Library of Congress this week revealed the troubling statistic that 70% of silent-era films made in the U.S. have been lost forever.

    In a report titled “The Survival of American Silent Feature Films: 1912-1929,” the library has compiled information on all of the surviving films of that era. Though earlier reports have found that 10,919 different feature-length silent films, only a fraction of those movies have been cared for enough to survive in some form today. The report was commissioned by the National Film Presentation Board, and can be found on its website.

    “The Library of Congress can now authoritatively report that the loss of American silent-era feature films constitutes an alarming and irretrievable loss to our nation’s cultural record,” said James Billington, Librarian of Congress. “We have lost most of the creative record from the era that brought American movies to the pinnacle of world cinematic achievement in the 20th century.”

    The report found that only 14% of movies from the silent era have survived in their original format. Another 5% have survived in their original format, but are incomplete and 11% can only be found in lower quality or foreign formats.

    In addition to these survival estimates the report has compiled a database of existing silent films and their whereabouts. The report’s authors hope the list will help bring silent films found in other countries back to U.S. soil for preservation.

    “This report is invaluable because the artistry of silent film is essential to our culture,” said Martin Scorsese, film director and founder of The Film Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to film preservation. “Any time a silent picture by some miracle turns up, it reminds us of the treasures we’ve already lost. It also gives us hope that others may be discovered. The research presented in this report serves as a road map to finding silent films we once thought were gone forever and encourages creative partnerships between archives and the film industry to save silent cinema.”

  • Library Of Congress To Archive Every Public Tweet

    The Library of Congress said today it will digitally archive every public tweet since Twitter’s launch in March 2006.

    On the Library of Congress blog Matt Raymond writes, "That’s a LOT of tweets, by the way: Twitter processes more than 50 million tweets every day with the total numbering in the billions."

    The Library of Congress announced the news in this tweet: Library acquires ENTIRE Twitter archive. All tweets.

    Twitter-Archive

    Raymond offers more details about the Library acquiring the entire Twitter archive. "So if you think the Library of Congress is ‘just books,’ think of this: The Library has been collecting materials from the web since it began harvesting congressional and presidential campaign websites in 2000.  Today we hold more than 167 terabytes of web-based information, including legal blogs, websites of candidates for national office, and websites of Members of Congress."

    A few examples of important tweets include:

    The first-ever tweet from Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey (http://twitter.com/jack/status/20), President Obama’s tweet about winning the 2008 election (http://twitter.com/barackobama/status/992176676), and a set of two tweets from a photojournalist who was arrested in Egypt and then freed because of a series of events set into motion by his use of Twitter (http://twitter.com/jamesbuck/status/786571964) and (http://twitter.com/jamesbuck/status/787167620).

    Earlier today Google announced a new search option that allows users to view an archive of tweets on any topic in a timeline format.