Copyright infringement and potential technological prevention measures in UK universities

Sony Music v. Easyinternetcafe´ 1 Sony Music Entertainment (UK) Ltd, Sony Music Entertainment Inc., Polydor Limited, UMG Recordings Inc. and Virgin Records Limited (claimants) v. Easyinternatcafe Ltd [2003] EWHC 62 (Ch) in the High Court of Justice Chancery Division 28 January 2002. Case No: HC 02 C01798. View all notes has introduced a new facet to the debate concerning the copyright legality of peer-to-peer file transfer. The judgment and subsequent settlement has highlighted that companies offering services that are used to infringe copyright may be held to account in the UK courts. Liability may extend from the private to the public sector and the British Phonographic Industry (BPI)2 The action was supported by the BPI's international sister organization: The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). View all notes has reinforced this theme recently. In March 2003 every university in Britain received a letter pointing out the legal risks of universities acting as copyright infringement facilitators. By allowing students to download copyright material such as software, Mp3s and DVDs, universities and their vice-chancellors may face injunctions, damages, costs and potential criminal sanctions. This paper first, briefly reviews the history and literature concerning peer-to-peer file sharing and secondly provides a preliminary discussion of the heads of peer-to-peer copyright infringement liability with regard to UK universities. Although the law at present gives no clear precedent in regard to the university sector, the area is unlikely to remain static. It is feasible that student copyright infringement liability could be transferred to universities in the future if universities do not show due diligence when dealing with copyright infringement. Thirdly this paper outlines the technological and administrative actions that may be taken to satisfy the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and other copyright holders that UK universities are showing due diligence in preventing student copyright infringement. It is proposed that the university sector will follow the Internet service providers (ISPs) and will begin to work with the collecting and enforcement societies to prevent copyright infringement, perhaps in a similar way to the operation of the Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA). This article puts forward two main reasons for this: First, to avoid the potential legal costs of a copyright infringement action and secondly as the majority of downloading of copyrighted Mp3s, DVDs and computer software does not constitute an academic pastime or fulfil any worthwhile university endorsed learning aims it should be actively discouraged.3 Certain limited peer-to-peer use may fulfil legitimate educational goals: This area in the UK is governed by the Copyright, Design and Patents Act of 1998 in sections 28–44. View all notes     

Age calculation using X-ray microfocus computed tomographical scanning of teeth: a pilot study

To correlate dental age with an individual's chronological age based on the calculated volume ratio of pulp versus tooth volume measured, an X-ray microfocus computed tomography unit (microCT) with 25 microm spatial resolution was used to non-destructively scan 43 extracted single root teeth of 25 individuals with well-known chronological age. Custom-made analysis software was used by two examiners to obtain numerical values for pulpal and tooth volume. The ratio of both was calculated and statistically processed. No significant intra- or inter-examiner differences were found. In fact, a very strong concordance correlation coefficient was found. Linear regression analysis showed a coefficient of determination (r) of 0.31 which suggests that there is a rather weak correlation between the volume ratio of pulp versus tooth and biological age. Although rather time consuming, this technique shows promising results for dental age estimation in a non-destructive manner using X-ray microfocus computed tomography.     

Characteristic features of deaths due to decapitation

Deaths due to decapitation are rare in civilian populations. A study in South Australia over 17 years from January 1986 to December 2002 revealed 20 cases (age range, 14 to 72 years; average, 30.7 years; male to female ratio, 15:5). There were 13 suicides consisting of 11 train-related deaths (age range, 14 to 72 years; average, 31.3 years; male to female ratio, 10:1), 1 hanging death, and 1 death using a ligature and a motor vehicle. Five cases related to motor vehicle crashes (age range, 19 to 46 years; average, 30.2 years; male to female ratio, 1:4) and 2 were associated with industrial trauma. Suicidal decapitation accounted for <1% of total suicides and showed a striking male predominance, with the favored method involving trains.     

Is "ten days" really ten days?--the National Labor Relations Act's strike notice requirement in the healthcare industry

Nearly thirty years ago, Congress amended the National Labor Relations Act (Act) and provided employees of healthcare institutions with the right to strike and picket. At the same time, Congress added a new Section 8(g) requiring a labor organization to provide a healthcare institution with ten days' notice before engaging in various types of concerted activity--primarily strikes and picketing--against the institution. Thus, Section 8(g) is an important statute for healthcare employers. But since the time Congress added Section 8(g), the National Labor Relations Board has taken various views on Section 8(g) and whether "ten days" is really ten days. This Note explores the purposes of Section 8(g), as well as the reach and limits of its language, noting areas in which the board may wish to reconsider its application of the statute. Ultimately, the Note provides a checklist for healthcare employers to keep in mind with respect to Section 8(g).     

Standardisation of nomenclature for dog mtDNA D-loop: a prerequisite for launching a Canis familiaris database

Domestic dogs are increasingly involved, often as protagonists, in the forensic scene. Acknowledging this fact and benefiting from the accumulated experience on human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analyses, we propose a standard for Canis familiaris mtDNA sequences as a prerequisite for the launching of the corresponding database.     

Cervical fracture, decapitation, and vehicle-assisted suicide

Two cases of vehicle-assisted suicides are described in males aged 33 and 24 years, respectively. In both cases the victims had tied ropes between stationary objects and their necks and then attempted to drive their vehicles away. The speed with which the vehicles were driven resulted in forces great enough to cause fracture--dislocation of the cervical spine in Case 1 and virtual decapitation in Case 2. Although inadvertent alteration of the death scene in Case 1, with removal of the rope, complicated the initial assessment, the extent of soft tissue and bony injuries was such that ligature strangulation appeared unlikely.     

Determination of ethylene glycol tissue content after fatal oral poisoning and pathologic findings

A 23-year-old comatose man who had drunk an unknown amount of ethylene glycol was admitted to the hospital 5 hours after ingestion. The initial plasma ethylene glycol concentration was 116.2 mg/100 ml. A severe metabolic acidosis was present. Despite aggressive therapy with ethanol, hemodialysis, and intensive care support, the patient died 27 hours after poisoning. The plasma ethylene glycol concentration immediately before death was 35.9 mg/100 ml. Brain edema and acute renal tubular necrosis were evident at postmortem examination. Oxalate crystals were identified in both organs. Ethylene glycol content or concentration was determined in tissues and biologic fluids.     

Clinicopathologic features of fatal self-inflicted incised and stab wounds: a 20-year study

The files of the Forensic Science Center in Adelaide, South Australia, were examined for all cases listed as suicide in which death had been caused by the use of a sharp instrument during the 20-year period from January 1981 to December 2000. Fifty-one cases were identified, consisting of 35 men and 16 women. The age range was 23 to 83 years (mean 49 years) representing 1.6% of total suicides (513182). Fatal injuries included incised wounds to the arms in 51.4% of men (n = 1835) compared with 87.5% of women (n = 1416), incised and stab wounds to the neck in 40% of men (n = 1435) and 25% of women (n = 416), and stab wounds to the chest or abdomen in 28.6% of men (n = 1035) and 12.5% of women (n = 216). In 8 cases, multiple sites were involved. The use of sharp instruments in suicide was favored by older, rather than younger, individuals, with a tendency for women to incise their wrists. Hesitation marks were present in 23 cases (54%) and scarring of the wrists from previous suicide attempts in 5 cases. Although this study demonstrated a higher number of men than women committing suicide by using sharp objects, this method of suicide remains uncommon.