Techdirt

Techdirt
Owner Floor64, Inc.
Created by Mike Masnick
Editor Mike Masnick
Website techdirt.com
Alexa rank Negative increase 24,272 (September 2016)[1]
Commercial Yes
Registration Optional
Launched 1997
Current status Active

Techdirt is an internet blog that reports on technology's legal challenges and related business and economic policy issues, in context of the digital revolution. It focusses on intellectual property, patent, information privacy and copyright reform in particular.[2]

Description

The website Masnick founded in 1997 was originally based on the weblog software Slash. Techblog'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.[3]

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, European Parliament MEP for the Netherlands,[4] Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon[5] or author Glyn Moody.[6]

Reception and impact

Techdirt founder Mike Masnick in 2012

On Techdirt in January 2005 the "Streisand effect" was coined by founder Mike Masnick.[7][8]

In 2003 Forbes named techdirt as one of the "Best Tech Blogs".[9] In 2006 techdirt has been praised for its "sharp, pithy analysis of current tech issues" by Bloomberg Businessweek.[10] In 2007 techdirt was nominated for the Webby Award in the section "Web Blog - Business".[11] Techdirt has been named among the favorite blogs of PC Magazine in 2008.[12] In 2015 techdirt was positively mentioned for the bold step to allow readers to remove web ads.[13]

In 2009, English singer Lily Allen created a blog critical of music piracy where she plagiarized an entire post from Techdirt.[14] Following an exchange with Techdirt, debating hypocrisy in the musician's handling of copyright infringement, Allen shut down her blog.[15]

Marvin Ammori, a lawyer who advocates on network neutrality and Internet freedom issues, praised techdirt in the 2011s Stop Online Piracy Act controversy with: "I’m not sure anyone did more to educate the public about SOPA than Techdirt."[16]

Shiva Ayyadurai lawsuit

In 2017, Shiva Ayyadurai filed suit against Techdirt for defamation in response to a series of articles critical of Ayyadurai's claims to have invented email.[17] Techdirt announced its intention to fight the suit, describing it as a "First Amendment fight for its life".[18] A federal judge dismissed the defamation claims on September 6, 2017.[19]

References

  1. ↑ "Techdirt.com Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
  2. ↑ Matt Asay (18 Feb 2013). "John Lennon's lesson for public-domain innovation - IP protection hurting, not helping, US and UK". The Register. Retrieved 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.
  3. ↑ "About Techdirt". Techdirt. Retrieved December 13, 2011.
  4. ↑ Schaake, Marietje. "European Parliament Member Marietje Schaake's Favorite Techdirt Posts Of The Week". techdirt. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  5. ↑ Wyden, Ron. "Senator Ron Wyden's Favorite Techdirt Posts Of The Week". techdirt. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  6. ↑ Moody, Glyn. "Glyn Moody's Favorite Techdirt Posts Of The Week". techdirt. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  7. ↑ "Is Leveraging the Streisand Effect Illegal?". techdirt.com. July 13, 2006.
  8. ↑ Robert Siegel (February 29, 2008). "The Streisand Effect' Snags Effort to Hide Documents". All Things Considered. National Public Radio. 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.
  9. ↑ "Best Tech Blogs" on Forbes by Arik Hesseldahl (3/14/2003)
  10. ↑ Hof, Rob (October 11, 2006). "The Dirt on Techdirt's New Blogger Community". Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved December 13, 2011.
  11. ↑ techdirt on webbyawards.com (2007)
  12. ↑ Heater, Brian; Griffith, Eric (December 29, 2008). "Our Favorite Blogs". PC Magazine. Retrieved December 13, 2011.
  13. ↑ Why fight it?': One tech publication is letting readers remove ads by Ricardo Bilton on digiday (October 2, 2015)
  14. ↑ Masnick, Mike (September 21, 2009). "Lily Allen: Copying Isn't Alright... Unless It's Done By Lily Allen". Techdirt. Retrieved December 13, 2011.
  15. ↑ Chivers, Tom (September 24, 2009). "Lily Allen drops fight against filesharing after Techdirt spat". The Telegraph. Retrieved December 13, 2011.
  16. ↑ How this blogger became one of the most influential voices in tech policy on medium.com by Simon Owens (Jan 21, 2016)
  17. ↑ Kravets, David (6 January 2017). "Man who says he invented e-mail sues Techdirt for disputing claim". Ars Technica.
  18. ↑ Masnick, Mike (11 January 2017). "Techdirt's First Amendment fight for its life". Techdirt.
  19. ↑ Farivar, Cyrus (6 September 2017). "Techdirt prevails in libel lawsuit over e-mail invention claims". Ars Technica.
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