Swedish Embassy in Second Life

Proving yet again, that our meetings cover the most timely of topics, I read a news blurb on the world's best Blog, Boing Boing, that the Swedish Institute, an agency of the Swedish foreign ministry, will be establishing an embassy in Second Life. And we thought we were being avante garde by talking about the tax implications of gigs like Second Life.

Just think of the legal issues surrounding the establishment of an embassy: Passports, Visas, even requests for Asylum. Let's do a joint program with the Immigration Section of the ABA.

Here are links if you'd like to read more:

Boing Boing Post
Swedish News Article
The Swedish Insitute

Yag tale inte Svenska. (Which I think means, "I Love Sweden," but my Swedish is a bit rough.)

The Transferrable Records Guys

Mattias, Mike, and David, asking, whether it's a payment intangible, a general intangible, a receivable, or something else. Why, Oh Why, can't we just create Article 3A?

Perusing History

Michael Gordon, checking out the history walls in the Library.

Sitting in the Big Guy's Chair

Elizabeth Bowles arranged for a tour and dinnner at the William J. Clinton Presidential Library. Several of us had the opportunity to sit in the President's chair at a replica of the Cabinet Room. I think John Gregory looks the most Presidential (which is odd, since Canada doesn't have a President, go figure!).

If anyone want's the image file for their picture, send me an email. I'm not posting my address here for obvious reasons. Candace or Michael Fleming have my gmail address if you don't.

Can you spot Clinton's laptop?

From the Oval Office reproduction at the Clinton Library...

The President's laptop (and it isn't a Macintosh!) looks like a clunky IBM ThinkPad. But, it has a cool logo on the lid.

















(the Macintoshes were downstairs)

Watching Presidential Comedy at the Clinton Library

From Friday night's dinner at the Clinton Library, a crowd of Cyber-spacers entranced by President Clinton's videos.

CAIT "blog-policy" project

The CAIT subcommittee discussed (09:00-11:00 today) the question of company-related blogs (both "official" and unofficial, including employee off-company blogs), and the related legal exposure issues. Steve Hollman prepared a good collection of related news and materials, and others (Will Suchan and Robt. McKew) sketched specific implications for speciality employers (i.e., the US Military, and outside law firms, respectively). Vince Polley referenced a 2002 ABA book on "Employee Use of the Internet & E-Mail (a model corporate policy)" which pre-dates blogs, wikis, podcasts, IMs, and VoIP exchanges; this book is ripe for an update.

The group determined to pursue a possible panel program at the ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco this coming August on this subject, with an objective of producing material that can be integrated into an update of this ABA book. The program presentations (e.g., in PowerPoint) would be designed to be re-deliverable by audience members to other, downstream audiences (with detailed speakers notes, ancillary materials, and audio-recording of the August presentation).

As a first matter, the group will refine a list of possible legal issues (prepared by Steve Hollman), and begin to build a list of possible panel participants who would help build the internal program-application to Candace. If you're interested in participating, please contact Steve Hollman or Bill Denny.

Plenary Session Opens

We are underway in Little Rock!

(And, many of us are actually awake!)



Committee Chair Candace Jones, overcoming her dislike of Mics (not Mikes though) had her famously short plenary session going -- And then, we're all off to work!

Little Rock Restaurants

Elizabeth Bowles has provided us with a directory of restaurants (PDF - about 3 MB) from the local Convention and Visitors Bureau. Elizabeth has also added her own editorial commentary, complete with ratings (ranked by number of Aristotles -- You'll just have to look I guess...). Don't be stuck in the hotel restaurant all the time!

The Debate over Deep Linking Isn't Over

A Texas Court ruled that deep links to an audio file posted on the Internet violate copyrights. Hmmm. I thought we'd figured this one out already--with the opposite result being the usual result.

It turns out the defendant was pro se. Maybe that had something to do with it.

Here's a link to the Judge's decision.

It's only 319 miles from Little Rock to Dallas. Maybe we should make a road trip from the Winter Working Meeting and see if we can file an amici in person?