The Bakersfield-Dixon Line

I had a great time last night at the ABTL program on the Grokster case. It looks like the audio will be available for purchase if you're so inclined. (The audio of our U.C. Berkeley Grokster program last week will be the next episode of Sound Policy, so stay tuned for that.) We missed Russell Frackman and Hank Barry, who were prevented from joining us by last minute conflicts, but superstar Bobby Schwartz agreed to jump in on short notice and was a fantastic addition.

Some highlights of the event were Dean Sullivan's characterization of the case as one involving Northern California vs. Southern California (I'd never thought of it that way before; she intended it tongue in cheek I think, but like most things that are funny it rings true), the many back and forths between Bobby and Fred von Lohmann, Michael Weiss's real world anecdotes, and Bill Murray's taking time out from his 19th wedding anniversary to share his thoughts about fair use, DRM, and the other issues we covered. Another high point for me was the chance to catch up a bit with Ernest Miller who was kind enough to attend. All of the panelists have thought long and hard about these issues, and it was a real treat to hear their insights.

[Update]: Related goings on in Washington today:

• Judicary Leaders Target Peer-to-Peer


• The SNOCAP Solution


• eDonkey Chief Blasts Litigators In Senate Testimony