Monday, June 25, 2007

Copyright Infringement

I posted a poem from Mountainwings onto my blog some days ago. I posted the complete poem, dutifully recorded a "©" symbol below the poem, along with the author's name, and this, to my mind constituted fair use.

Today, I received a legal notice from blogger.com saying that they had received a notice that I was infringing a copyright, and that I had better remove the offending post within 3 days. Ab Kaun Phaltu Ka Panga Le...so edited the post.

I find the whole affair slightly strange....anyhow! For the legally inclined, here's the complete legal notice!
===

Hello,

Blogger has been notified, according to the terms of the Digital
Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), that content in your blog:

ankurjain.blogspot.com

allegedly infringes upon the copyrights of others. The content in question
is located in the following posts:

http://ankurjain.blogspot.com/2007/05/dash.html

The notice that we received, with any personally identifying
information removed, will be posted online by a service called Chilling
Effects, and we will send you the link of this notice. We do this in
accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

The DMCA is a United States copyright law that provides guidelines for
online service provider liability in case of copyright infringement.
Please see http://www.educause.edu/Browse/645?PARENT_ID=254 for more
information about the DMCA, and see
http://www.google.com/blogger_dmca.html for the process that Blogger
requires in order to make a DMCA complaint.

We are asking that you please remove the allegedly infringing content in
your blog. If you do not do this within the next 3 days (by 6/28/07), we
will be forced to remove the posts in question. If we did not do so, we
would be subject to a claim of copyright infringement, regardless of its
merits.

We can reinstate this content into your blog upon receipt of a counter
notification pursuant to sections 512(g)(2) and (3) of
the DMCA. For more information about the requirements of a counter
notification and a link to a sample counter notification, see
http://www.google.com/blogger_dmca.html#counter.

Please note that repeated violations to our Terms of Service may result in
further remedial action taken against your Blogger account.

If you have legal questions about this notification, you should retain
your own legal counsel. If you have any other questions about this
notification, please let us know.

Thank you for your understanding.

Sincerely,
The Blogger Team
===

Monday, June 11, 2007

Shayari

Baadlon ke darmiyaan kuch aisi saajish hui,
Mera ghar mitti ka tha, mere hi ghar barish hui.
Usko bhi zid hai bijliyan girane ki,
Aur hamein bhi zid hai wahin aashiyan banane ki.

MDI Plans Campus in Doha

MDI, my alma mater, is planning to set up an international campus in Doha, Qatar. Details here.

Saturday, June 09, 2007

Slaves and George Washington

George Washington's house has been found to have a slave passage. An interesting discovery that puts their history to more open scrutiny! Have a look!

Thursday, June 07, 2007

Was Sherlock Holmes based on a real person?

If this question has ever haunted you, then here's the answer....kind of!

Shilpa Sheety is a Desirable Preservable

What does this mean? Umm....why not check out on your own :-D

Mathematics

The current US supremacy was built, partly on the back of scientific advances and technological superiority. The Chinese look at replicating that model, and are funding their universities and technological research institutes at a scorching pace. However, erstwhile leader, the UK, lags behind. Why is that so?

Well, here's the reason!

Suicide Mission

Banta joins the suicide bomber squad, so when he is given a mission to suicide in the enemies camp. His leader supply him a lot of weapons and bombs stacked to his body and mobile for communications.
He lands up in the enemy's camp, called his boss: Sir, there are 2 enemies soldier, can I suicide now?
Leader: No, not for two, wait till you see more soldiers.
Banta: Sir now there are 25 can I do it now?
Boss: Wait for more.
Banta: Sir, now I am in a midst of 150 soldiers, can I suicide now?
Boss: Yes, go ahead, you will be a martyr, don't worry about your family, we will look after.
Banta pulls his knife and stabs himself in his chest!

Swiss Banking, Anyone?

A very funny account of "Swiss Banking", filled with the perils of being a middle-class person! Have a dekko!

Saturday, June 02, 2007

Bengalee...A poem

Through the jongole I am went
On shooting Tiger I am bent
Boshtaard Tiger has eaten wife
No doubt I will avenge poor darling's life
Too much quiet, snakes and leeches
But I not fear these sons of beeches
Hearing loud noise I am jumping with start
But noise is coming from damn fool's heart
Taking care not to be fright
I am clutching rifle tight with eye to sight
Should Tiger come I will shoot and fall him down
Then like hero return to native town
Then through trees I am espying one cave
I am telling self - "Bannerjee be brave"
I am now proceeding with too much care
From far I smell this Tiger's lair
My leg shaking, sweat coming, I start to pray
I think I will shoot Tiger some other day
Turning round I am going to flee
But Tiger giving bloody roar spotting this Bengalee
He bounding from cave like football player Pele
I run shouting
"Kali Ma tumi kothay gele"
Through the jongole I am running
With Tiger on my tail closer looming
I am a telling that never in life
I will risk again for my damn fool wife!!!!