US Department of Education Regulations take effect this summer

http://chronicle.com/article/New-Regulations-on-Campus/65135/

Lessig Writes about Education and Copyright

"I plan to make three observations on the way to stating an argument on the way to proposing what we can do in a debate that I think educators need to take more seriously." (Lessig)

http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Review/EDUCAUSEReviewMagazineVolume45/GettingOurValuesaroundCopyrigh/202337

http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERM1021.pdf

When will the office of us intellectual property honor the open government directive??

I am just wondering about this, since according to the directive, I would think that all the public comments collected by the executive office last month, would be posted in order to foster collaboration and keep the public informed.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/open/documents/open-government-directive

So far, no comments are appearing on the US Office of IP website.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/intellectualproperty/

Consumers International IP Watchlist Report 2010

http://a2knetwork.org/node/1716

http://a2knetwork.org/sites/default/files/IPWatchList-2010-ENG.pdf

Request for Comments NAGPRA

http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/2010-5283.htm


"In brief, this rule pertains to those human remains, in collections, determined by museums and Federal agencies to be Native American, but for whom no relationship of shared group identity can be reasonably traced, historically or prehistorically, between a present day Indian tribe or Native Hawaiian organization and an identifiable earlier group. These individuals are listed on inventories as culturally unidentifiable Native American human remains. The rule requires consultation on the culturally unidentifiable human remains by the museum or Federal agency with Indian tribes and Native Hawaiian
organizations whose tribal lands or aboriginal occupancy areas are in the area where the remains were removed. If cultural affiliation still cannot be determined and repatriation achieved, then the Indian tribe or Native Hawaiian organization may request disposition of the remains. The museum or Federal agency would then publish a notice and transfer
control to the tribe, without first being required to appear before the Review Committee to seek a recommendation for disposition approval from the Secretary of the Interior. Disposition requests, which do not meet the parameters of the rule, would still require approval from the Secretary, who may request a recommendation from the Review Committee.
Therefore, the Department is issuing this final rule to be effective May 14, 2010."

http://www.nps.gov/nagpra/

Michigan Repatriation Developments

"On Monday, a NAGPRA committee approved a change in the act that will force museums — like the University’s Museum of Anthropology — to inform Native American tribes that “culturally unidentifiable” remains found in their tribal regions may potentially be returned to them."
http://www.michigandaily.com/content/change-act-may-make-museum-anthropology-return-native-american-remains-0?page=0,0

"A group of about 30 anthropologists, archeologists and concerned members of the University community gathered to hear Sven Haakanson, Jr., executive director of the Alutiiq Museum in Alaska, speak and answer questions about relationships between museums and Native American tribes. Haakanson also discussed how the issue of repatriation is often handled at other museums."

http://www.michigandaily.com/content/group-gathers-discuss-native-american-remains?page=0,0

Information on The Joint Strategic Plan

I've been collecting a bit of information about this plan as it moves forward:

Bio of Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/intellectualproperty/bio_espinel/

Some comments filed recently - I am not finding a centralized location for these public comments yet:

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/03/big-content-stopping-p2p-should-be-principal-focus-of-ip-czar.ars

http://www.cdt.org/comments/comments-joint-strategic-plan

http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/fsf-opposes-more-copyright-enforcement-in-joint-strategic-plan

http://www.ascap.com/playback/2010/03/action/IPEC_Announcment.aspx

http://opinion.latimes.com/files/joint-submission-re-ipec-3-24-10-2626645.pdf