Seminar on copyright with Dan Burk, UC Irvine and Jens Schovsbo, Copenhagen University

After cancellation due to illness in the fall this research seminar finally came through. I know Dan Burk from my time in Minnesota and has followed his works on copyright and digital rights since then. Dan started enthusiastically by demonstrating the difference between old fashioned and modern hotel keys. The first has a clear script, a message, where as the modern (digital) key has the meaning, the code hidden inside. The first is bulky where as the latter is (almost) physically non-existing. The same for traditional (material) texts which have to be copied the hard way everytime. Digital products are reproducable infinitely.
This challenges traditional notions of copyright of course. Dan moved on by discussing different strategies for enfording the copyright in the digital age. An idea is to make information bulky again or, at least, hard to copy. For example by building material characteristics into the digital products. Examples are built-in limitations of use as for example used in DVD films. Another strategy is to track the use of the product, enabling the copyright owner to track where and when his products are used. The last option makes a lot of possibilities for tracking media habits, use then facilitating surveillance and opening endless possibilities of targeted marketing based on usage patterns, just like for instance Amazon already does.
In short copyright holders in the digital age do not necessarily need copyright but they need technologies and other practices to protect their products, what Burk calls digital rights management.

The return of my research blog!

Finally I have found time to make the big move to WordPress. On this site I collect my bloggin, my research sites and my Facebook and Twitter posts in one interface. It should all make it easier for you to track me and for me to track others. Happy reading!

First time on Icelandic television!

On the 12th of November I was interviewed for Icelandic television about Danish political parties’ Internet campaigns. The clip is in Icelandic, however, I speak Danish. You see me speak and we go through some of the parties’ websites.

View the clip here!

The World Needs more Canada!

Definitely this country is wonderful. And the conference is going on very well. Interesting topics within the sessions and good discussions in the corridors. And then we are eating sushi constantly!

AoIR 8.0 i Vancouver

It is AoIR time again. This year we are in Vancouver and the conference is about to start tonight. my colleague Niels and I have been here for two days to get accustomed to the time zone. We have had the chance to take a look on the nice city although we have had too much rain. The image show a little of the experiences, I will update the blog about the conference topics.

Radio performace

Two times on Danish national radio the same day. First I talked about Scotland on Program 4, Eastern Jutland, as a part of the travel program hosting members of Travellers’ Club, where I am the newly elected treasurer!

Later, I talked about my research in online travelogues on Danish national program 1. I claimed that travelogues fulfill three functions: information, representation and identity formation. More on this research will follow on my research website

You can listen to the program here, but please mind, it is in Danish!

Netdating goes offline!

There is a strange irony going on at the moment. For a long time we have witnessed that the old media of newspapers have got their renaissance. The free newspapers like “Metro XPress” and “Urban” are taking over the newspaper market and show that the old paper medium is not dead at all.

Even stranger: A Danish netdating site now starts to publish a physical magazine ones a months containing the most interesting profiles from the internet site. I think about it as an equivalent to “The Boat Market” and “The Car Market”. The magazine could be called “The Meat Market”.

But seriously: for many years everything offline has rushed to go online. Now we see the opposite trend as well! Paper might be in power for some more years!

Assistant professor!

It is official! From August 1st I am an assistant professor at the Department of Media Studies, University of Aarhus. I am delighted, that was just the job I wanted!

Dissertation defended

Finally my dissertation was defended yesterday. It went on very well, I did the speech of my life and the committee was very nice to me. Afterwards, we had a wonderful party. Definitely the best day in my life!

Read more about it at Netdemocracy.dk and viwe the pictures at www.linaa.net

Sorry for the extremely long break here. Post have been going on in my Danish Blog (www.jakob.linaa.net) but the research blog has been silent. I am planning to move it somewhere else, but you’ll know.

My dissertation was handed in December 17th (explain the silence in the autumn) and it was accepted for public defence in late February. the defence is going to take place on April 29th (see www.netdemocracy.dk for details).

Besides, my research site www.netdemocracy.dk is now complete revised, updated and simplified. look for news about my current research which I obviously will post here as well.