Techdirt Explained

Techdirt
Commercial:Yes
Registration:Optional
Country Of Origin:United States
Owner:Floor64, Inc.
Author:Mike Masnick
Editor:Mike Masnick
Current Status:Active

Techdirt is an American Internet blog that reports on technology's legal challenges and related business and economic policy issues, in context of the digital revolution. It focuses on intellectual property, patent, information privacy and copyright reform in particular.[1]

Description

The website was founded in 1997 by Mike Masnick. It was originally based on the weblog software Slash. Techdirt's content is based on reader submissions as well as the editorial staff's picks. The website makes use of MySQL, Apache, and PHP, and is hosted at ActionWeb.[2] Techdirt is managed by Floor 64, a company located in Redwood City, California, US.[3] As of 2009, Techdirt had eight full-time employees.[4]

There is a guest editor section in Techdirt, called "Favorite Techdirt Posts of the Week", where several high-profile personalities of politics and culture contributed articles over the years; for instance Marietje Schaake, Member of the European Parliament for the Netherlands,[5] Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon[6] or author Glyn Moody.[7]

Reception and impact

The popular term the "Streisand effect" was coined on Techdirt by founder Mike Masnick in January 2005.[8] [9] [10]

In 2003, Forbes Magazine selected Techdirt as one of the "Best Tech Blogs".[11] In 2006 Bloomberg Businessweek praised Techdirt for its "sharp, pithy analysis of current tech issues".[12] In 2007, Techdirt was nominated for the Webby Award in the section "Web Blog – Business".[13] Techdirt has been named among the favorite blogs of PC Magazine in 2008.[14] In 2015, Techdirt allowed readers to remove web ads.[15]

In 2009, English singer Lily Allen created a blog critical of music piracy in which she plagiarized an entire post from Techdirt.[16] Following an exchange with Techdirt, debating hypocrisy in the musician's handling of copyright infringement, Allen shut down her blog.[17]

Marvin Ammori, a lawyer who advocates on network neutrality and Internet freedom, praised Techdirt in the 2011 Stop Online Piracy Act controversy, saying: "I'm not sure anyone did more to educate the public about SOPA than Techdirt."[18]

Shiva Ayyadurai lawsuit

In 2017, American entrepreneur Shiva Ayyadurai filed suit against Techdirt for defamation in response to a series of articles critical of Ayyadurai's claims to have invented email as a teenager in 1978, an assertion which has been dismissed by several experts.[19] [20] Techdirt announced its intention to fight the suit, describing it as a "First Amendment fight for its life".[21] Masnick filed for the suit to be dismissed under California's anti-SLAPP statute.[22] [23] A federal judge dismissed the defamation claims on September 6, 2017.[24] [25] In June 2018, attorneys for Ayyadurai appealed the ruling to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.[26] The two parties settled out-of-court in May 2019 with no money changing hands, and Techdirt's articles remaining online with an added link to a rebuttal on Ayyadurai's website.[27]

During the lawsuit, Techdirt accepted funding from multiple sources to expand its reporting on free speech topics, including from the Freedom of the Press Foundation, Automattic, the Charles Koch Foundation, Union Square Ventures, and Craig Newmark.[28]

Other work

In 2012, Techdirt published a report on the state of the entertainment industry, arguing that despite the rise of online file sharing, the music industry and broader entertainment industry were still able to make significant money.[29]

In 2018, Techdirt and Diegetic Games ran a Kickstarter campaign to publish a version of a CIA training card game that had been released to the public after a FOIA request.[30] [31]

Masnick and Techdirt run a think tank called Copia, which has received funding from companies such as Google and Yelp.[32] Through this effort, Masnick has worked on multiple policy-focused video games, including Moderator Mayhem, a game focused on content moderation,[33] and a followup titled Trust & Safety Tycoon.[34] [35]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: John Lennon's lesson for public-domain innovation – IP protection hurting, not helping, US and UK. 18 Feb 2013. Matt Asay. 2017-01-02. TechDirt highlights research showing that extending copyrights increases prices and limits dissemination of knowledge, while also pointing out that people who believe patents cause innovation are simply confusing correlation with causation. If anything, patents inhibit innovation.. The Register. https://web.archive.org/web/20161130022131/http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/02/18/open_and_shut/. 2016-11-30. live.
  2. Web site: About Techdirt. Techdirt. December 13, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20111204194312/http://www.techdirt.com/about.php. 2011-12-04. live.
  3. Web site: About Techdirt.. techdirt.com. 2019-11-07.
  4. Web site: Sandoval . Greg . September 14, 2009 . Dirt cheap: Techdirt bets on 'free' business models . 2024-08-11 . CNET . en.
  5. Web site: Schaake. Marietje. European Parliament Member Marietje Schaake's Favorite Techdirt Posts Of The Week. techdirt. 17 May 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130203034812/http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120518/14001518975/european-parliament-member-marietje-schaakes-favorite-techdirt-posts-week.shtml. 2013-02-03. live.
  6. Web site: Wyden. Ron. Senator Ron Wyden's Favorite Techdirt Posts Of The Week. techdirt. 17 May 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130501005222/http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120127/17433217576/senator-ron-wydens-favorite-techdirt-posts-week.shtml. 2013-05-01. live.
  7. Web site: Moody. Glyn. Glyn Moody's Favorite Techdirt Posts Of The Week. techdirt. 17 May 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130119035257/http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110422/12175514003/glyn-moodys-favorite-techdirt-posts-week.shtml. 2013-01-19. live.
  8. Web site: Is Leveraging the Streisand Effect Illegal?. techdirt.com. July 13, 2006. 2017-01-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20170103173753/https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20060713/0332234.shtml. 2017-01-03. live.
  9. Web site: The Streisand Effect' Snags Effort to Hide Documents. National Public Radio. All Things Considered. February 29, 2008. Robert Siegel. The episode is the latest example of a phenomenon known as the "Streisand Effect." Robert Siegel talks with Mike Masnick, CEO of Techdirt Inc., who coined the term.. 2018-04-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20180306072519/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=87809195. 2018-03-06. live.
  10. Web site: Masnick . Mike . 2005-01-05 . Since When Is It Illegal To Just Mention A Trademark Online? . 2024-04-09 . Techdirt . en-US . How long is it going to take before lawyers realize that the simple act of trying to repress something they don't like online is likely to make it so that [...] is now seen by many more people? Let's call it the Streisand Effect..
  11. https://www.forbes.com/2003/03/14/cx_ah_0314blog.html "Best Tech Blogs"
  12. News: Hof . Rob . The Dirt on Techdirt's New Blogger Community . December 13, 2011 . . October 11, 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110416130858/http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/techbeat/archives/2006/10/the_dirt_on_techdirts_new_blogger_community.html . 2011-04-16 . dead .
  13. http://webbyawards.com/winners/2007/web/general-website/blog-business/techdirt/ techdirt
  14. Web site: Heater . Brian . Griffith . Eric . Our Favorite Blogs . . December 13, 2011 . December 29, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120530182543/http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2337388,00.asp . 2012-05-30 . live .
  15. Web site: Bilton . Ricardo . 2015-10-02 . 'Why fight it?': One tech publication is letting readers remove ads . 2024-08-11 . Digiday . en-US.
  16. News: Masnick. Mike. Lily Allen: Copying Isn't Alright... Unless It's Done By Lily Allen. December 13, 2011. Techdirt. September 21, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20111209161236/http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20090921/0527456270.shtml. 2011-12-09. live.
  17. News: Chivers . Tom . Lily Allen drops fight against filesharing after Techdirt spat . December 13, 2011 . . September 24, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120112201541/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/6226690/Lily-Allen-drops-fight-against-filesharing-after-Techdirt-spat.html . 2012-01-12 . live .
  18. https://medium.com/thoughts-on-journalism/how-this-blogger-became-one-of-the-most-influential-voices-in-tech-policy-a80c0c495839#.gf8d56kha How this blogger became one of the most influential voices in tech policy
  19. News: Man who says he invented e-mail sues Techdirt for disputing claim . . 6 January 2017 . David . Kravets . 2017-06-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170628014340/https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/01/man-who-says-he-invented-e-mail-sues-techdirt-for-disputing-claim/ . 2017-06-28 . live .
  20. News: Defamation lawsuit brought by self-proclaimed email 'inventor' settles. Farivar. Cyrus. May 17, 2019. NBC News. November 7, 2019. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20190529140115/https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/defamation-lawsuit-brought-self-proclaimed-email-inventor-settles-n1007196. May 29, 2019.
  21. Web site: Mullin . Joe . 2017-01-11 . Popular tech blog sued by self-proclaimed “inventor of e-mail” hits back . 2024-08-11 . Ars Technica . en-us.
  22. Web site: Mullin . Joe . 2017-02-18 . Techdirt lawyers ask judge to throw out suit over “Inventor of E-mail” . 2024-08-11 . Ars Technica . en-us.
  23. Web site: Gardner . Eriq . 2017-03-20 . Techdirt’s Mike Masnick Squares Off Against Charles Harder in SLAPP Fight . 2024-08-11 . The Hollywood Reporter . en-US.
  24. News: Techdirt prevails in libel lawsuit over e-mail invention claims . Ars Technica . Cyrus . Farivar . 6 September 2017 . 2017-09-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170906201803/https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/09/judge-dismisses-libel-lawsuit-filed-by-self-proclaimed-e-mail-inventor/ . 2017-09-06 . live .
  25. Web site: Cullins . Ashley . 2017-09-06 . Techdirt’s Mike Masnick Defeats $15M Libel Lawsuit From Self-Proclaimed Inventor of Email . 2024-08-11 . The Hollywood Reporter . en-US.
  26. News: "Inventor of email" appeals ruling that tossed his libel suit against Techdirt. Farivar. Cyrus. June 30, 2018. Ars Technica. 2018-07-16. en-us. https://web.archive.org/web/20180717012852/https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/06/inventor-of-email-appeals-ruling-that-tossed-his-libel-suit-against-techdirt/. 2018-07-17. live.
  27. Web site: Joint Press Statement On Behalf Of Dr. Shiva Ayyadurai And Techdirt, Michael Masnick, And Leigh Beadon. Harder LLP. May 14, 2019. PR Newswire. en. 2019-11-07.
  28. Web site: Farivar . Cyrus . 2017-08-09 . Facing libel lawsuit, Techdirt takes large donations to broaden coverage . 2024-08-11 . Ars Technica . en-us.
  29. News: Moltke . Henrik . February 23, 2012 . Mike Masnick: 'The sky is rising' for the entertainment industry . 2024-08-11 . Wired . en-US . 1059-1028.
  30. Web site: Gaynor . Michael . 2018-04-24 . These People Are Selling the CIA's Internal Board Game to the Public . 2024-08-11 . VICE . en-US.
  31. Web site: Liao . Shannon . 2018-05-21 . The CIA made a Magic: The Gathering-style card game for training agents, and we played it . 2024-08-11 . The Verge . en.
  32. News: Kashmir . Hill . 2023-07-29 . An Internet Veteran's Guide to Not Being Scared of Technology . en . The New York Times . 2023-08-03.
  33. News: Pegoraro. Rob . May 15, 2023. Think You Can Be a Content Moderator? Test Your Skills With This Game. PCMag. 2023-07-05.
  34. News: Sinclair . Brendan . Oct 27, 2023 . Why is Trust and Safety so hard? This Week in Business . . 2023-11-02.
  35. News: Lima-Strong . Cristiano . 2023-10-17 . Think you could make a safer social media site? This game lets you try . 2024-08-11 . Washington Post . en-US . 0190-8286.

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