Note: Allen's on a well-deserved vacation. You've probably already figured out what he's been doing. (Harry Canary, indeed.)

Today's installment has Mike chatting with special guest (well, he's been a couple of times now so maybe he should be referred to as a semi-recurring guest) Derek Slater.  (Derek has major chops. Check out his blog at: http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/cmusings/2006/07/06#a1799.)

Derek and Mike kick around the recent decision regarding CleanFlicks and associated cases that utilized different methods to achieve the same goal: editing out or bypassing violent, sexual or otherwise objectionable content from copyrighted movies. 

Censorship? Violation of artistic integrity? Or is it really a needed check on creators/copyright holders' control over how their work is consumed by paying customers? 

Disclaimer: Neither Derek nor Mike are lawyers.

In today's offering, Allen and Mike discuss Microsoft's refinement of its policies regarding Spaces blog content that violate "local laws." This particular case involves a Chinese journalist whose blog was removed from MSN Spaces after complaints by the Chinese government officials.

Allen and Mike take on recent announcements from Microsoft and others that outlined various efforts to digitize and make searchable all the print material that exists, and then some.

Time agrees to turn over the private notes of its reporter. As former newspaper reporters, we look at the implications for writers moving forward. And what does this mean to a budding crop of Citizen Journalists?

While we wait for The Court to render a decision (not like rendering beef fat), Mike takes us through the legal possibilities. Seems to be a somewhat outdated case now that the media firms are embracing (well, that might be too strong) P2P technology.