More foo - open source and copyright
Just returned from a session on Linux Australia with Pia Waugh - the session was a small group (about 10 of us) and Pia had some good things to say, it's a pity there wasn't more of a presence from any NZOSS people here at Baa Camp.
Following Pia's talk was a session on the new copyright bill with Judith Tizzard and Rochelle Hume - it was interesting to learn about the two year sunset window on the proposed format shifting policy. This seemed to cause concern with a few people but I'm not sure if it will actually be a problem given that people buy new iPods or cellphones every few years anyway, although thinking about it more when I rip a CD to iTunes I'm shifting format to MP3 only once - from there on I'm just synchronizing the file to multiple devices NOT re-shifting the format. I guess I'll just have to rerip my CDs every two years.
I think that's a misunderstanding of the sunset window (or I misunderstand it). It's not that you can format shift things for two years, it's that the bit of law that lets you do it is only valid for two years and then it expires, maybe being renewed at that time.
I could be wrong, but I think that's the case.