Technology and the Public Interest
Books, essays, and commentary from John Palfrey
Essays
Notes from AI Action Summit in Delhi, India, February 2026
Reflections on AI, governance, and the public interest from the AI Action Summit in Delhi.
Read essayConcord Free Public Library 150th Anniversary Celebration
Remarks on libraries, civic institutions, and the enduring importance of public knowledge.
Read essayInvesting in the Arts—in Chicago and Beyond
Thoughts on philanthropy, culture, and why investing in the arts matters for public life.
Read essayCommentary from John Palfrey
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More post-Grokster news
Matt has a terrific essay on the opinion, and Larry Lessig encourages us all to write a check to EFF.
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Did you notice that Kazaa actually didn't win in the Grokster opinion?
It’s an interesting point in the Grokster victory: Kazaa BV, by not defending the suit, actually will have a default entered against them by the Court (p. 4, fn. 2). The official good news is for Morpheus and Streamcast only. Of course, the technology on which the judge ruled is all wrapped up with Kazaa. …
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Boston Globe on Grokster opinion
Chris Gaither and Hiawatha Bray call it “stunning.”
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ConCall among S-DMCA opponents
The EFF and others have organized a conference call this afternoon for those opposed to the Super-DMCAs. It’s fascinating to hear what people in various states are doing to organize and where each of the bills are in the process. Lots of discussion of the value of the EFF resources, the Freedom-to-Tinker info, and the…
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Grokster opinion: quick reads on some good news
Quick reads on the Grokster opinion: * the district court judge in California breathed some much-needed life back into the Sony case; * Substantial non-infringing use got some good play; * The judge distinguished the post-Napster technologies from the Napster technologies very ably; and, * I was particularly interested in the line that says that “additional legislative…
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Update: Massachusetts Super-DMCA Won't Move Soon
I just spoke to a senior committee staffer in the Criminal Justice joint committee of the Massachusetts State House. She told me they continue to be deluged with negative commentary about HR 2743, the proposed Super-DMCA bill for Massachusetts (i.e., that lots of people are telling her that the bill is ill-conceived and shouldn’t be…
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Creative Commons at ETCON demo
Fun to see the baked-in CC license in this demo RSS feed at Emerging Tech.
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Planning a conference for bloggers & would-be bloggers
We’re in the skunk-works planning phase of a BloggerCon for this Fall at Harvard, as Dave revealed at his Thursday night session and on his blog today. The idea is to have it on a perfect Fall New England day on the HLS campus, open to the public. More to come. Much more to come.
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Jamaica at Harvard
For some years, Prof. Charles Nesson has been working on a project to making learning fun, particularly using Internet technologies, in Jamaica. That’s what Becca and Wayne are up to this Spring, keeping a wonderful blog of their experiences. One of his strategies has been to try to bring attention to some of the tremendous talent and content…
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Lest you wonder about the DMCA's impact on civil liberties
The Verizon ruling handed down today brings with it continued concern about what the DMCA means for civil liberties — both speech and privacy. Verizon clearly sees it that way, from its spokesperson’s comments. The judge, it would seem, did not — or at least was substantially less concerned than others.
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Terry Fisher weighs in on the debate about his proposals
And offers a link from Derek’s blog to his book-in-progress. Absolutely worth reading and commenting on.
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Wired on "Baby-DMCAs"
Joanna Glasner of Wired has done a nice job writing up the super-, mini-, or baby-DMCA story. It’s interesting to read Vans Stevenson’s comment that these proposed laws “have nothing to do with the DMCA.” I’ve heard this from several people over the course of this campaign. There are certainly differences between these bills being proposed…


