Why racist, nasty comments are better than none at all
photo: ArTono
Many publishers treat obnoxious comments as a problem to be solved — Above the Law takes the opposite approach, and embraces readers as they are. Read more at paidContent »
Jeff John Roberts
Jeff reports on how copyright, patents, anti-trust and other legal issues shape the digital economy. He also reports on the business and strategies of news companies. Jeff previously worked for Reuters in New York and Paris, and practiced intellectual property and media law. He writes for GigaOM and paidContent from the GigaOM East office in Manhattan's Flatiron District.
New “clues” about the Bitcoin founder — and the case for leaving him alone
photo: 69195535
Bitcoin’s recent popularity has brought new rumors about the true identity of its founder, Satoshi Nakamoto. It may be time to respect his privacy and focus on his work instead. Read more »
New York Times CEO calls digital pay model “most successful” decision in years
photo: AP Images
In a speech to Columbia business school graduates, the CEO of the New York Times described the company’s role in media disruption. Read more at paidContent »
Crowdfunding a crack scandal — did Gawker go too far?
photo: Chris Howey
Gawker has just taken checkbook journalism to a whole new level — asking the public to help buy a video tape that is likely to bring down the mayor of a major city. Read more at paidContent »
The future of Bitcoin: 3 predictions from experts
Bitcoin is being treated as a serious currency by investors, entrepreneurs and the government. GigaOM convened experts to hear what they say about what will happen next — here’s three highlights. Read more »
Bitcoin price holds up as details emerge about Mt. Gox seizure
Bitcoin traders were rattled yesterday on news that Homeland Security had shut down a popular form of trading the cyber-currency. Today, the price recovered as news emerged that the feds are targeting an exchange more than Bitcoin itself. Read more »
Publishers to testify against Apple in price-fixing trial
photo: Tricia Duryee
Apple’s exposure in a closely-watched price-fixing case over ebooks looks more serious as the CEOs of major publishers — which have already settled with the government — will testify about Apple’s role in the case. Read more at paidContent »
Homeland Security seizes funds at main Bitcoin exchange
The US Government has taken its most serious action yet against the popular cyber-currency Bitcoin by shutting down transfers between payment provider Dwolla and a Japanese exchange where the currency is traded. Read more »
Apple sued over faulty power button on iPhone 4
A new lawsuit claims the iPhone4 has a defective on-off button. The national class action claims Apple knew about the defect but didn’t disclose it even as it worked with AT&T to sell 2 year contracts. Read more »
A bet on Bitcoin: new VC fund invests in currency startups
The Bitcoin Boost Fund, announced on Tuesday, will give $50,000 to seven startups. The news comes at a time of swelling interest — and serious investment — into the new currency. Read more »
Feds grab reporters’ phone records: war on terror — or war on leaks?
photo: Flickr / Thomas Leuthard
The Associated Press is raising the alarm over news that the Justice Department secretly seized records for more than 20 phone lines tied to its reporters and bureaus. Read more »
Did Bloomberg reporters “snoop” on clients? Depends on what you call snooping
photo: Bloomberg
Bloomberg is at the center of a storm over its reporters’ use of the company’s terminals to track customers. The incident has been somewhat overblown — but the underlying issue of news and data platforms has not. Read more at paidContent »
Bitcoin buzz stays high — even after bubble
Bitcoin is more liquid and popular than ever before — though the cyber-currency remains controversial. Here’s a round-up of a busy week of Bitcoin news. Read more »
Financial Times joins Flipboard, says it’s a better deal than Apple
The Financial Times is the latest publisher to strike a partnership with Flipboard. The deal is interesting because the FT recently left another third-party platform, iTunes. Read more at paidContent »
Dish’s Ergen: we prefer working with broadcasters over Aereo
photo: Asa Mathad, All Things D
The chairman of Dish Networks toned down some of his recent rhetoric against broadcasters on today’s earnings call, and said he is in favor of a subscriber-advertising model for TV. Read more at paidContent »
Apple wins trademark case over ‘iBooks’
Apple has won one of its many lawsuits involving “i” products — a federal judge threw out a case in which a New York publisher claimed that it, not Apple, has the rights to use “iBooks.” Read more »
“Fair use” takes center stage at Google Books appeal
photo: Google
The long-running fight over Google’s decision to scan the world’s library books took a new twist on Wednesday as an appeals court pushed the parties over copyright law’s “fair use” doctrine. Read more at paidContent »
Get your cat on: BuzzFeed creates new section where readers can publish
photo: BuzzFeed
Users will now get their own vertical on BuzzFeed, where they can submit according to their “Cat Power.” Read more at paidContent »
Updated: AOL grows again on solid ad sales
AOL continues its surprising turnaround with another quarter of growth in its content and advertising segment. The company is still, however, depending on its legacy business for all its profit. Read more at paidContent »
Marissa Mayer: expect video tiers but no Yahoo Home
Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer addressed video, working from home and the company’s future goal during a chat in New York with Stephen Levy of Wired. Read more »
NYT’s Jill Abramson: Social media has changed how editors oversee major stories
Jill Abramson, the executive editor of the New York Times, addressed media trends at Wired’s conference in New York City. Read more at paidContent »
White House picks long-time Googler for privacy post (report)
Nicole Wong, a top lawyer with a reputation for standing up for liberty and free expression while at Google and Twitter, is headed to the White House. Read more »
Local news outlets get MLB clips (and money) in deal with video wire NDN
photo: MLB, Reggie Jackson
Local papers will get a heaping of Major League Baseball highlights thanks to a new syndication deal with NDN, a company backed by Reggie Jackson. Read more at paidContent »
Internet sales tax bill passes Senate, awaits House approval
The Marketplace Fairness Act — which will force online merchants to collect tax on behalf of other states — passed the Senate on Monday. Read more »
Aereo strikes back: what’s behind the mobile TV service’s new lawsuit against the broadcasters
photo: Aereo
Aereo, which sells $8 a month subscriptions to watch TV on mobile devices, has responded to lawsuits from broadcasters by filing an unorthodox suit of its own this week. The suit may be for PR purposes more than legal ones. Read more at paidContent »
SEC stays silent on Bitcoin as currency attracts new controversies
Bitcoin was the subject of a major lawsuit and another hacking incident this month. Should the SEC do something? Chances are, it can’t. Read more »
Losses mount at Washington Post ahead of summer paywall plan
The Washington Post posted discouraging earnings Friday, with revenue and circulation down from a year ago. Read more at paidContent »
Is Bitcoin for real? Find out at GigaOM’s Silicon Valley meetup
Bitcoin is a hot topic for the tech and finance industries. GigaOM is hosting an exclusive get-together in San Jose on May 16th where people from Facebook, Google and Expensify will share their thoughts on the crypto-currency. Read more »
Pretty enough for TV? Conde Nast and Wall Street Journal strut for online video dollars
photo: Yuri Arcurs
Traditional media brands are cranking out video content in the hopes of persuading marketers to shift ad budgets from TV to online offerings. But can companies like Conde Nast and the Wall Street journal deliver the necessary quality and audience size? Read more at paidContent »
What’s trending on Twitter among African Americans? The Root’s new tool will tell you
News site The Root has rolled out a page that shows the most popular tweets and trends among black Americans, who are heavy Twitter users. Read more at paidContent »
Craigslist’s hacking, copyright claims against rival PadMapper hold up — for now
Companies want to use Craigslist’s large pool of user-generated classified ads to create new services. Are they innovators or criminals? A California court ruling will help determine that. Read more »
Weather Company unveils three new web series, offers “four-screen” ad opportunity
The Weather Company continues to expand beyond its core programming with new web series devoted to adventure and human interest. The new content comes as the company deepens its content and advertising strategies. Read more at paidContent »
Court backs artist in Rasta case: less copyright control for image owners?
When is the use of another artist’s image “transformative” and when is it just copyright infringement? A major court ruling provides broader protection for appropriation artists. Read more at paidContent »
North Korea asked for Android — Google chairman on good tech and bad governments
Smartphones are part of a revolution that is connecting and giving a voice to people for the first time. Google’s chairman, Eric Schmidt, warned on Friday that the revolution has a dark side too. Read more »
Banned in China: Bloomberg and New York Times say they had no choice
Should news outlets in China engage in occasional self-censorship for the greater good of reaching readers and projecting influence? Read more »
NYT says new products to be profitable by late 2014
photo: Sergey Mironov
The New York Times is planning new lower-priced digital subscriptions for certain types of digital content. Executives provided some — but not many details on the company’s earnings call. Read more at paidContent »
Google: government censorship requests jumped 20% in last six months
Google has published new numbers that show how governments around the world are asking to remove more content from services like YouTube than ever before. Read more »
New York Times issues soft earnings, plans “new strategy for growth”
photo: Getty Images / Mario Tama
The New York Times’s latest quarterly earnings estimates slightly missed analysts’ expectations. The company also announced a new plan to offer a variety of new, lower-priced digital products. Read more at paidContent »
Internet sales tax: who’s for it, who’s against & what comes next
photo: Keith Bell
A plan to make out-of-state internet merchants collect taxes could soon become law. Is the law simple fairness or does it mean more tax and regulation? Read more »
AP returns to Twitter after hack — but where are its 2 million followers?
The Twitter account of the Associated Press has been restored nearly 20 hours after it was suspended following a hacking incident. But, as of Wednesday morning, 95 percent of its followers are missing. Read more »
