Author Archives: Michael Froomkin

They Did A Great Job on the Cover-Up

Posted on February 10, 2005 by Michael Froomkin

Dozens of warnings preceded 9/11.

Kinda would have been nice if this had leaked before the election.

Posted in 9/11 & Aftermath | Comments Off on They Did A Great Job on the Cover-Up

Cool IP Lawyering Job Available at EFF

Posted on February 10, 2005 by Michael Froomkin

EFF is seeking an intellectual property staff attorney for its legal team, based in the Bay Area. Responsibilities will include litigation, public speaking, media outreach, plus legislative and regulatory advocacy, all in connection with a variety of intellectual property and high technology matters.

Qualified candidates should have at least four years of experience with litigation in at least one substantive area of IP law (patent, copyright, trademark, or trade secret) and a solid knowledge of the litigation process. Candidates should also have significant experience managing cases, both in terms of overall case strategy as well as day-to-day projects and deadlines. Candidates should have good communication skills and interest in working with a team of highly motivated lawyers and activists in a hard-working nonprofit environment. Strong writing and analytical skills as well as the ability to be self-motivated and focused are essential. Tech savviness and familiarity with Internet civil liberties and high tech public interest issues preferred.

Interested applicants should submit a resume, writing sample, and references to ipjob@eff.org.

Further details:

  • Salary range = $60-70k depending on experience
  • Health, dental, and vision benefits

(Plus, you get to work with some really great people.)

Posted in Law: Copyright and DMCA | 1 Comment

Economides, on the Internet Backbone

Posted on February 10, 2005 by Michael Froomkin

Nicholas Economides, The Economics of the Internet Backbone (October 1, 2004). New York University School of Law. New York University Law and Economics Working Papers. Working Paper 4.

This paper discusses the economics of the Internet backbone. I discuss competition on the Internet backbone as well as relevant competition policy issues. In particular, I show how public protocols, ease of entry, very fast network expansion, connections by the same Internet Service Provider (“ISP”) to multiple backbones (ISP multi-homing), and connections by the same large web site to multiple ISPs (customer multi-homing enhance price competition and make it very unlikely that any firm providing Internet backbone connectivity would find it profitable to degrade or sever interconnection with other backbones in an attempt to monopolize the Internet backbone.

Posted in Internet | Comments Off on Economides, on the Internet Backbone

YATA to the Nth (Official)

Posted on February 10, 2005 by Michael Froomkin

Holden at First Draft, Pentagon Confirms Detainee Allegations:

A forthcoming report of a Pentagon investigation of the treatment of detainees in GITMO confirms allegations that defense department interrogators used sexual humiliation tactics during interrogations. When detainees previously complained of routine torture at GITMO Don Rumsfeld insisted that they were treated “humanely,” and Pentagon officials said terrorists were trained to fabricate torture allegations. We can now assume that such assertions are no longer opperative.

…

Church's report found that interrogators used sexually oriented tactics and harassment to shock or offend Muslim prisoners, the senior Pentagon official said. The official said that the military would not condone “sexual activity” during interrogation, but that good interrogators “take initiative and are a little creative.”

“They are trying to find the key that will get someone to talk to them. Using things that are culturally repulsive is okay as long as it doesn't extend to something prohibited by the Geneva Conventions.”

I've got some news for that “senior Pentagon official”. The Geneva Conventions specifically prohibit “Outrages upon personal dignity, in particular, humiliating and degrading treatment.”

Posted in Guantanamo, Torture | 1 Comment

Brad DeLong As an Object of Study

Posted on February 10, 2005 by Michael Froomkin

A journalism student at the University of Missouri-Columbia, formerly a reporter in Shanghai, is doing a thesis on why people read politically-oriented weblogs that are written by non-journalists. In other words, he's studying Brad Delong.

Posted in Blogs | 1 Comment

YATA (Canadian Child Dept.)

Posted on February 10, 2005 by Michael Froomkin

Canadian Was Abused at Guantánamo, Lawyers Say

Lawyers for a Canadian detainee at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, who was captured in Afghanistan when he was 15 years old asserted in a document released Wednesday that he was repeatedly abused by his American jailers.

…

Mr. Khadr spent three years in a small cell in Guantánamo, and his lawyers have previously asserted that the United States government has violated the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The treaty, to which the United States is a signatory, condemns the recruitment of child fighters by groups like Al Qaeda and obliges nations to help children who become involved in armed conflict.

Where's the outrage? Very strong, but insufficiently broadly based, I'd say.

Posted in Guantanamo, Torture | Comments Off on YATA (Canadian Child Dept.)