Hasta La Gadget!

Strange policy changes are afoot in Italy, where the government’s Communications Authority has just issued two resolutions that effectively turn YouTube and other video services into TV stations subject to stricter regulation — and stricter liability for the content they host. Under the new rules, any site that exercises even the smallest amount of editorial control over its content will be considered an “audiovisual service,” and have to pay additional taxes, take down videos within 48 hours if anyone complains of slander, and — most oddly of all — somehow refrain from broadcasting videos “unsuitable for children” at certain times of the day. (No, we have no idea how that works with an online video site.) Making matters worse, the new rules give creedence to the notion that video service providers are somehow directly responsible for what their users post to the site — even if the only “editorial control” they exercise is automated and not overseen by actual humans. We’d expect it the new rules to be challenged in Italian court sometime soon, since they effectively make it impossible to run an online video service in the country, and seem to be in opposition to EU rules that protect internet service providers — and we’ll see if YouTube remains available to Italian IP addresses for very much longer.

Oh, and if you’re worried this sort of insanity will cross over to the US, you should chillax — the laws you love to hate are on your side. Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and Section 512 of the DMCA provide “safe harbor” to internet service providers, making it extremely hard to go after them for the actions of their users. You might remember Section 512, actually — it played a starring role in knocking down Viacom’s lawsuit against Google and YouTube back in June. You, the DMCA and the CDA, all hanging out and watching YouTube together — sounds like a lovely afternoon, doesn’t it?

[Thanks, Matthew]

Italy rules YouTube and other video sites are like TV stations, are liable for content originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 15:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Geekosystem  |  La Repubblica  | Email this | Comments

Here we go. Perfectly timed with this week’s festivities, Motorola’s split, wherein one become two (a “reverse Spice Girls,” if you will) is crossing the final t’s and dotting the remaining i’s. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that by Tuesday, the Motorola stock ticker (MOT) will stop trading, being replaced instead by Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. (MMI) and Motorola Solutions Inc. (MSI, no relation). The latter will focus on public-safety radios and handheld scanners while the former, with a bright new logo, will be the smartphone / set-top box-focused company that for all intents and purposes we mean when we simply write “Motorola” from here on out. It just rolls off the tongue better.

Motorola split official tomorrow, we hope you like red originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 15:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Phone Scoop  |  WSJ  | Email this | Comments

“It’s not your dream phone. It’s the one after that,” coming January 6th. Catchy teaser from HTC, as seen displayed across the side of an entire building for all the CES attendees to see. We can’t say for sure what device it’s referencing, but we wouldn’t be entirely surprised if it ended up being the oft-leaked sequel to its Evo 4G, aptly titled the Evo Shift 4G. Walmart’s got a page up for the device, and while the listed specs are heavily contradictory (a 3.7-inch screen that’s also a 4.3-inch display? Android 2.2 but no threaded messaging?), the gallery of crisp press shots are definitely a sight to see, Sprint logo and all. Enjoy those below, and stay tuned for your next dream phone (does that mean we won’t want it until we sign a two-year contract for something else?) this Thursday — picture of the teaser after the break.

[Thanks, David M]

Continue reading Sprint EVO Shift 4G shows up on Walmart’s website, HTC teases big in Vegas

Sprint EVO Shift 4G shows up on Walmart’s website, HTC teases big in Vegas originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 15:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Walmart, HTC  | Email this | Comments

MiLi Power — the same guys who pushed out the thinnest iPhone battery case earlier this year — are back in Las Vegas, but this introduction represents quite the deviation. The MiLi HD is fairly simplistic in nature, and we get the feeling that iPhone and iPad owners may actually appreciate the understated motif. Aside from being a fully-featured charging dock, this here device also includes an internal speaker, a mini-USB connector and an HDMI output to boot. The goal here is to pipe those iTunes downloads from your iDevice right onto your television sans an Apple TV, and if that’s exactly what you’ve been hunting for, you can seek it out shortly for $99.99.

Continue reading MiLi HD iPhone / iPad charging dock boasts internal speaker, HDMI output

MiLi HD iPhone / iPad charging dock boasts internal speaker, HDMI output originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 14:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments