What’s the Secret to Bill Gates’ Incredible Private Wealth?

Staff / Truthdig Jun 22, 2016 "[I]magine a world where everyone could make as many copies as they liked of Windows, Microsoft's Office Suite and any other software at no cost," writes economist Dean Baker. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Pharrell Williams, Robin Thicke Hit With $7.4 Million Fine in ‘Blurred Lines’ Copyright Case

Donald Kaufman / Truthdig Mar 12, 2015 A Los Angeles jury on Tuesday determined that Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke had copied several elements from Marvin Gaye's 1977 song "Got to Give It Up" in making their 2013 hit "Blurred Lines." Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Aaron Swartz: The Life We Lost and the Day We Fight Back

Amy Goodman / Truthdig Jan 23, 2014 A year after Internet freedom activist Aaron Swartz's suicide at the age of 26, a film about this remarkable young man has premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Beastie Boys ‘Impressed’ by Viral ‘Girls’ Video, but Want It Taken Down

Peter Z. Scheer / Truthdig Nov 26, 2013 A feministy commercial for a toy line that encourages young girls to play like engineers, and not princesses, may have to come down. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Companies Will Soon Be Able to Punish You for Illegal Downloads

Tracy Bloom / Truthdig Feb 27, 2013 Beginning this week, the five major Internet service providers--AT&T, Cablevision, Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Verizon--will be able to take recourse against you if you download--or are suspected of downloading--anything illegally. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Who’s Supporting SOPA and PIPA?

Staff / Truthdig Jan 15, 2012 ProPublica has created an easy-to-use database that lists the congressional supporters and opponents of two bills that threaten Internet freedom under the guise of strengthening copyright protections. Of the current 80 proponents and 29 contesters, where do your representatives stand?In the SOPA- and PIPA-centered fight for the censorship-free future of the Internet, where do your representatives stand? Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Corporations Have Hijacked Copyright Law, Too

Staff / Truthdig Aug 31, 2011 Copyright originated in early 1700s England as a contract between authors and society, “To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times [28 years] to Authors … the exclusive right to their respective Writings.” (more) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Ignoring Iceland’s Revolution

Staff / Truthdig Aug 4, 2011 Iceland's revolution goes unperceived by U.S. media; Greece worries about the China-ization of its country; and Egypt questions the need for a violent uprising. These discoveries and more after the jump. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Lawrence Lessig Says Democrats Suck at Free Culture

Staff / Truthdig Jun 3, 2010 In this TEDTalk from April, Creative Commons founder Lawrence Lessig argues that Republicans are better at community creativity. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Castro Edition

Staff / Truthdig Jan 27, 2010 Going nuclear in the Senate, the anthropology of "Avatar" and why Fidel Castro sent doctors instead of soldiers to Haiti. These stories and more on today's list. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Pirate Bay Founders Get Jail Time

Staff / Truthdig Apr 17, 2009 While not to be confused with piracy on the high seas, a Swedish court has ordered that the four founders of The Pirate Bay, the most renowned file-sharing Web site on the Internet, should be jailed for one year after being found guilty of breaking copyright law. All this for a site that provides user-submitted links to media, not storage of the media itself. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Hollywood Battles Swedish Pirates

Staff / Truthdig Feb 17, 2009 The founders of The Pirate Bay, one of the biggest names in file sharing, face up to two years in a hard-core Swedish prison if they can't convince a judge that their unfortunately named Web site isn't legally responsible for 115 million kronor worth of media piracy. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )