X-Git-Url: https://pere.pagekite.me/gitweb/homepage.git/blobdiff_plain/e896392614ec14a44dcb5d4fb2a34ec200e190fe..d3c0bb7998cdbb9d4da99bd53d43836a424b8cf5:/blog/index.rss?ds=sidebyside diff --git a/blog/index.rss b/blog/index.rss index cf705c7013..477f484f67 100644 --- a/blog/index.rss +++ b/blog/index.rss @@ -6,6 +6,506 @@ http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/ + + Book cover for the Free Culture book finally done + http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Book_cover_for_the_Free_Culture_book_finally_done.html + http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Book_cover_for_the_Free_Culture_book_finally_done.html + Thu, 3 Sep 2015 21:00:00 +0200 + <p>Creating a good looking book cover proved harder than I expected. +I wanted to create a cover looking similar to the original cover of +the +<a href="https://github.com/petterreinholdtsen/free-culture-lessig">Free +Culture</a> book we are translating to Norwegian, and I wanted it in +vector format for high resolution printing. But my inkscape knowledge +were not nearly good enough to pull that off. + +<p>But thanks to the great inkscape community, I was able to wrap up +the cover yesterday evening. I asked on the +<a href="irc://irc.freenode.net/%23inkscape">#inkscape IRC channel</a> +on Freenode for help and clues, and Marc Jeanmougin (Mc-) volunteered +to try to recreate it based on the PDF of the cover from the HTML +version. Not only did he create a +<a href="https://marc.jeanmougin.fr/share/copy1.svg ">SVG document with +the original and his vector version side by side</a>, he even provided +an <a href="https://marc.jeanmougin.fr/share/out-1.ogv">instruction +video</a> explaining how he did it</a>. But the instruction video is +not easy to follow for an untrained inkscape user. The video is a +recording on how he did it, and he is obviously very experienced as +the menu selections are very quick and he mentioned on IRC that he did +use some keyboard shortcuts that can't be seen on the video, but it +give a good idea about the inkscape operations to use to create the +stripes with the embossed copyright sign in the center.</p> + +<p>I took his SVG file, copied the vector image and re-sized it to fit +on the cover I was drawing. I am happy with the end result, and the +current english version look like this:</p> + +<img src="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/images/2015-09-03-free-culture-cover.png" width="70%" align="center"/> + +<p>I am not quite sure about the text on the back, but guess it will +do. I picked three quotes from the official site for the book, and +hope it will work to trigger the interest of potential readers. The +Norwegian cover will look the same, but with the texts and bar code +replaced with the Norwegian version.</p> + +<p>The book is very close to being ready for publication, and I expect +to upload the final draft to Lulu in the next few days and order a +final proof reading copy to verify that everything look like it should +before allowing everyone to order their own copy of Free Culture, in +English or Norwegian Bokmål. I'm waiting to give the the productive +proof readers a chance to complete their work.</p> + + + + + In my hand, a pocket book edition of the Norwegian Free Culture book! + http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/In_my_hand__a_pocket_book_edition_of_the_Norwegian_Free_Culture_book_.html + http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/In_my_hand__a_pocket_book_edition_of_the_Norwegian_Free_Culture_book_.html + Wed, 19 Aug 2015 22:10:00 +0200 + <p>Today, finally, my first printed draft edition of the Norwegian +translation of Free Culture I have been working on for the last few +years arrived in the mail. I had to fake a cover to get the interior +printed, and the exterior of the book look awful, but that is +irrelevant at this point. I asked for a printed pocket book version +to get an idea about the font sizes and paper format as well as how +good the figures and images look in print, but also to test what the +pocket book version would look like. After receiving the 500 page +pocket book, it became obvious to me that that pocket book size is too +small for this book. I believe the book is too thick, and several +tables and figures do not look good in the size they get with that +small page sizes. I believe I will go with the 5.5x8.5 inch size +instead. A surprise discovery from the paper version was how bad the +URLs look in print. They are very hard to read in the colophon page. +The URLs are red in the PDF, but light gray on paper. I need to +change the color of links somehow to look better. But there is a +printed book in my hand, and it feels great. :)</p> + +<p>Now I only need to fix the cover, wrap up the postscript with the +store behind the book, and collect the last corrections from the proof +readers before the book is ready for proper printing. Cover artists +willing to work for free and create a Creative Commons licensed vector +file looking similar to the original is most welcome, as my skills as +a graphics designer are mostly missing.</p> + + + + + First paper version of the Norwegian Free Culture book heading my way + http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/First_paper_version_of_the_Norwegian_Free_Culture_book_heading_my_way.html + http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/First_paper_version_of_the_Norwegian_Free_Culture_book_heading_my_way.html + Sun, 9 Aug 2015 10:15:00 +0200 + <p>Typesetting a book is harder than I hoped. As the translation is +mostly done, and a volunteer proof reader was going to check the text +on paper, it was time this summer to focus on formatting my translated +<a href="http://www.docbook.org/">docbook</a> based version of the +<a href="http://free-culture.cc/">Free Culture</a> book by Lawrence +Lessig. I've been trying to get both docboox-xsl+fop and dblatex to +give me a good looking PDF, but in the end I went with dblatex, because +its Debian maintainer and upstream developer were responsive and very +helpful in solving my formatting challenges.</p> + +<p>Last night, I finally managed to create a PDF that no longer made +<a href="http://www.lulu.com/">Lulu.com</a> complain after uploading, +and I ordered a text version of the book on paper. It is lacking a +proper book cover and is not tagged with the correct ISBN number, but +should give me an idea what the finished book will look like.</p> + +<p>Instead of using Lulu, I did consider printing the book using +<a href="http://www.createspace.com/">CreateSpace</a>, but ended up +using Lulu because it had smaller book size options (CreateSpace seem +to lack pocket book with extended distribution). I looked for a +similar service in Norway, but have not seen anything so far. Please +let me know if I am missing out on something here.</p> + +<p>But I still struggle to decide the book size. Should I go for +pocket book (4.25x6.875 inches / 10.8x17.5 cm) with 556 pages, Digest +(5.5x8.5 inches / 14x21.6 cm) with 323 pages or US Trade (6x8 inches / +15.3x22.9 cm) with 280 pages? Fewer pager give a cheaper book, and a +smaller book is easier to carry around. The test book I ordered was +pocket book sized, to give me an idea how well that fit in my hand, +but I suspect I will end up using a digest sized book in the end to +bring the prize down further.</p> + +<p>My biggest challenge at the moment is making nice cover art. My +inkscape skills are not yet up to the task of replicating the original +cover in SVG format. I also need to figure out what to write about +the book on the back (will most likely use the same text as the +description on web based book stores). I would love help with this, +if you are willing to license the art source and final version using +the same CC license as the book. My artistic skills are not really up +to the task.</p> + +<p>I plan to publish the book in both English and Norwegian and on +paper, in PDF form as well as EPUB and MOBI format. The current +status can as usual be found on +<a href="https://github.com/petterreinholdtsen/free-culture-lessig">github</a> +in the archive/ directory. So far I have spent all time on making the +PDF version look good. Someone should probably do the same with the +dbtoepub generated e-book. Help is definitely needed here, as I +expect to run out of steem before I find time to improve the epub +formatting.</p> + +<p>Please let me know via github if you find typos in the book or +discover translations that should be improved. The final proof +reading is being done right now, and I expect to publish the finished +result in a few months.</p> + + + + + Typesetting DocBook footnotes as endnotes with dblatex + http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Typesetting_DocBook_footnotes_as_endnotes_with_dblatex.html + http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Typesetting_DocBook_footnotes_as_endnotes_with_dblatex.html + Thu, 16 Jul 2015 18:10:00 +0200 + <p>I'm still working on the Norwegian version of the +<a href="http://free-culture.cc/">Free Culture book by Lawrence +Lessig</a>, and is now working on the final typesetting and layout. +One of the features I want to get the structure similar to the +original book is to typeset the footnotes as endnotes in the notes +chapter. Based on the +<a href="https://bugs.debian.org/685063">feedback from the Debian +maintainer and the dblatex developer</a>, I came up with this recipe I +would like to share with you. The proposal was to create a new LaTeX +class file and add the LaTeX code there, but this is not always +practical, when I want to be able to replace the class using a make +file variable. So my proposal misuses the latex.begindocument XSL +parameter value, to get a small fragment into the correct location in +the generated LaTeX File.</p> + +<p>First, decide where in the DocBook document to place the endnotes, +and add this text there:</p> + +<pre> +&lt;?latex \theendnotes ?&gt; +</pre> + +<p>Next, create a xsl stylesheet file dblatex-endnotes.xsl to add the +code needed to add the endnote instructions in the preamble of the +generated LaTeX document, with content like this:</p> + +<pre> +&lt;?xml version='1.0'?&gt; +&lt;xsl:stylesheet xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform" version='1.0'&gt; + &lt;xsl:param name="latex.begindocument"&gt; + &lt;xsl:text&gt; +\usepackage{endnotes} +\let\footnote=\endnote +\def\enoteheading{\mbox{}\par\vskip-\baselineskip } +\begin{document} + &lt;/xsl:text&gt; + &lt;/xsl:param&gt; +&lt;/xsl:stylesheet&gt; +</pre> + +<p>Finally, load this xsl file when running dblatex, for example like +this:</p> + +<pre> +dblatex --xsl-user=dblatex-endnotes.xsl freeculture.nb.xml +</pre> + +<p>The end result can be seen on github, where +<a href="https://github.com/petterreinholdtsen/free-culture-lessig">my +book project</a> is located.</p> + + + + + Mimes brønn, norsk utgave av Alaveteli / WhatDoTheyKnow, endelig lansert + http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Mimes_br_nn__norsk_utgave_av_Alaveteli___WhatDoTheyKnow__endelig_lansert.html + http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Mimes_br_nn__norsk_utgave_av_Alaveteli___WhatDoTheyKnow__endelig_lansert.html + Thu, 9 Jul 2015 11:40:00 +0200 + <p>I går fikk vi endelig lansert en norsk version av mySocietys +<a href="https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/">WhatDoTheyKnow</a>. +Tjenesten heter Mimes brønn, og ble +<a href="http://www.nuug.no/news/NUUG_lanserer_innsynstjenesten_Mimes_Br_nn.shtml">annonsert +av NUUG</a> via blogg, epost og twitter til NUUG-assosierte personer. +Det har tatt noen år, men de siste dagene fikk vi endelig tid til å få +på plass de siste bitene. Vi er to, Gorm og meg selv, som har vært +primus motor for det hele, men vi har fått hjelp med oversettelser og +oppsett fra mange flere. Jeg vil si tusen takk til hver og en av dem, +og er veldig fornøyd med at vi klarte å få tjenesten opp å kjøre før +ferietiden slo inn for fullt.</p> + +<p>Vi er usikker på hvor mye belastning den virtuelle maskinen der +tjenesten kjører klarer, så vi har lansert litt i det stille og ikke +til for mange folk for å se hvordan maskinen klarer seg over sommeren, +før vi går mer aktivt ut og annonserer til høsten. Ta en titt, og se +om du kanskje har et spørsmål til det offentlige som er egnet å sende +inn via Mimes brønn.</p> + +<p>Hvis du lurer på hva i alle dager en slik tjenestes kan brukes til, +anbefaler jeg deg å se +<a href="http://beta.frikanalen.no/video/625321">TED-foredraget til +Heather Brook</a> om hvordan hun brukte WhatDoTheyKnow til å lære +hvordan offentlige midler ble misbrukt. Det er en inspirerende +historie.</p> + + + + + MPEG LA on "Internet Broadcast AVC Video" licensing and non-private use + http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/MPEG_LA_on__Internet_Broadcast_AVC_Video__licensing_and_non_private_use.html + http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/MPEG_LA_on__Internet_Broadcast_AVC_Video__licensing_and_non_private_use.html + Tue, 7 Jul 2015 09:50:00 +0200 + <p>After asking the Norwegian Broadcasting Company (NRK) +<a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Hva_gj_r_at_NRK_kan_distribuere_H_264_video_uten_patentavtale_med_MPEG_LA_.html">why +they can broadcast and stream H.264 video without an agreement with +the MPEG LA</a>, I was wiser, but still confused. So I asked MPEG LA +if their understanding matched that of NRK. As far as I can tell, it +does not.</p> + +<p>I started by asking for more information about the various +licensing classes and what exactly is covered by the "Internet +Broadcast AVC Video" class that NRK pointed me at to explain why NRK +did not need a license for streaming H.264 video: + +<p><blockquote> + +<p>According to +<a href="http://www.mpegla.com/Lists/MPEG%20LA%20News%20List/Attachments/226/n-10-02-02.pdf">a +MPEG LA press release dated 2010-02-02</a>, there is no charge when +using MPEG AVC/H.264 according to the terms of "Internet Broadcast AVC +Video". I am trying to understand exactly what the terms of "Internet +Broadcast AVC Video" is, and wondered if you could help me. What +exactly is covered by these terms, and what is not?</p> + +<p>The only source of more information I have been able to find is a +PDF named +<a href="http://www.mpegla.com/main/programs/avc/Documents/avcweb.pdf">AVC +Patent Portfolio License Briefing</a>, which states this about the +fees:</p> + +<ul> + <li>Where End User pays for AVC Video + <ul> + <li>Subscription (not limited by title) – 100,000 or fewer + subscribers/yr = no royalty; &gt; 100,000 to 250,000 subscribers/yr = + $25,000; &gt;250,000 to 500,000 subscribers/yr = $50,000; &gt;500,000 to + 1M subscribers/yr = $75,000; &gt;1M subscribers/yr = $100,000</li> + + <li>Title-by-Title - 12 minutes or less = no royalty; &gt;12 minutes in + length = lower of (a) 2% or (b) $0.02 per title</li> + </ul></li> + + <li>Where remuneration is from other sources + <ul> + <li>Free Television - (a) one-time $2,500 per transmission encoder or + (b) annual fee starting at $2,500 for &gt; 100,000 HH rising to + maximum $10,000 for &gt;1,000,000 HH</li> + + <li>Internet Broadcast AVC Video (not title-by-title, not subscription) + – no royalty for life of the AVC Patent Portfolio License</li> + </ul></li> +</ul> + +<p>Am I correct in assuming that the four categories listed is the +categories used when selecting licensing terms, and that "Internet +Broadcast AVC Video" is the category for things that do not fall into +one of the other three categories? Can you point me to a good source +explaining what is ment by "title-by-title" and "Free Television" in +the license terms for AVC/H.264?</p> + +<p>Will a web service providing H.264 encoded video content in a +"video on demand" fashing similar to Youtube and Vimeo, where no +subscription is required and no payment is required from end users to +get access to the videos, fall under the terms of the "Internet +Broadcast AVC Video", ie no royalty for life of the AVC Patent +Portfolio license? Does it matter if some users are subscribed to get +access to personalized services?</p> + +<p>Note, this request and all answers will be published on the +Internet.</p> +</blockquote></p> + +<p>The answer came quickly from Benjamin J. Myers, Licensing Associate +with the MPEG LA:</p> + +<p><blockquote> +<p>Thank you for your message and for your interest in MPEG LA. We +appreciate hearing from you and I will be happy to assist you.</p> + +<p>As you are aware, MPEG LA offers our AVC Patent Portfolio License +which provides coverage under patents that are essential for use of +the AVC/H.264 Standard (MPEG-4 Part 10). Specifically, coverage is +provided for end products and video content that make use of AVC/H.264 +technology. Accordingly, the party offering such end products and +video to End Users concludes the AVC License and is responsible for +paying the applicable royalties.</p> + +<p>Regarding Internet Broadcast AVC Video, the AVC License generally +defines such content to be video that is distributed to End Users over +the Internet free-of-charge. Therefore, if a party offers a service +which allows users to upload AVC/H.264 video to its website, and such +AVC Video is delivered to End Users for free, then such video would +receive coverage under the sublicense for Internet Broadcast AVC +Video, which is not subject to any royalties for the life of the AVC +License. This would also apply in the scenario where a user creates a +free online account in order to receive a customized offering of free +AVC Video content. In other words, as long as the End User is given +access to or views AVC Video content at no cost to the End User, then +no royalties would be payable under our AVC License.</p> + +<p>On the other hand, if End Users pay for access to AVC Video for a +specific period of time (e.g., one month, one year, etc.), then such +video would constitute Subscription AVC Video. In cases where AVC +Video is delivered to End Users on a pay-per-view basis, then such +content would constitute Title-by-Title AVC Video. If a party offers +Subscription or Title-by-Title AVC Video to End Users, then they would +be responsible for paying the applicable royalties you noted below.</p> + +<p>Finally, in the case where AVC Video is distributed for free +through an "over-the-air, satellite and/or cable transmission", then +such content would constitute Free Television AVC Video and would be +subject to the applicable royalties.</p> + +<p>For your reference, I have attached +<a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/images/2015-07-07-mpegla.pdf">a +.pdf copy of the AVC License</a>. You will find the relevant +sublicense information regarding AVC Video in Sections 2.2 through +2.5, and the corresponding royalties in Section 3.1.2 through 3.1.4. +You will also find the definitions of Title-by-Title AVC Video, +Subscription AVC Video, Free Television AVC Video, and Internet +Broadcast AVC Video in Section 1 of the License. Please note that the +electronic copy is provided for informational purposes only and cannot +be used for execution.</p> + +<p>I hope the above information is helpful. If you have additional +questions or need further assistance with the AVC License, please feel +free to contact me directly.</p> +</blockquote></p> + +<p>Having a fresh copy of the license text was useful, and knowing +that the definition of Title-by-Title required payment per title made +me aware that my earlier understanding of that phrase had been wrong. +But I still had a few questions:</p> + +<p><blockquote> +<p>I have a small followup question. Would it be possible for me to get +a license with MPEG LA even if there are no royalties to be paid? The +reason I ask, is that some video related products have a copyright +clause limiting their use without a license with MPEG LA. The clauses +typically look similar to this: + +<p><blockquote> + This product is licensed under the AVC patent portfolio license for + the personal and non-commercial use of a consumer to (a) encode + video in compliance with the AVC standard ("AVC video") and/or (b) + decode AVC video that was encoded by a consumer engaged in a + personal and non-commercial activity and/or AVC video that was + obtained from a video provider licensed to provide AVC video. No + license is granted or shall be implied for any other use. additional + information may be obtained from MPEG LA L.L.C. +</blockquote></p> + +<p>It is unclear to me if this clause mean that I need to enter into +an agreement with MPEG LA to use the product in question, even if +there are no royalties to be paid to MPEG LA. I suspect it will +differ depending on the jurisdiction, and mine is Norway. What is +MPEG LAs view on this?</p> +</blockquote></p> + +<p>According to the answer, MPEG LA believe those using such tools for +non-personal or commercial use need a license with them:</p> + +<p><blockquote> + +<p>With regard to the Notice to Customers, I would like to begin by +clarifying that the Notice from Section 7.1 of the AVC License +reads:</p> + +<p>THIS PRODUCT IS LICENSED UNDER THE AVC PATENT PORTFOLIO LICENSE FOR +THE PERSONAL USE OF A CONSUMER OR OTHER USES IN WHICH IT DOES NOT +RECEIVE REMUNERATION TO (i) ENCODE VIDEO IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE AVC +STANDARD ("AVC VIDEO") AND/OR (ii) DECODE AVC VIDEO THAT WAS ENCODED +BY A CONSUMER ENGAGED IN A PERSONAL ACTIVITY AND/OR WAS OBTAINED FROM +A VIDEO PROVIDER LICENSED TO PROVIDE AVC VIDEO. NO LICENSE IS GRANTED +OR SHALL BE IMPLIED FOR ANY OTHER USE. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION MAY BE +OBTAINED FROM MPEG LA, L.L.C. SEE HTTP://WWW.MPEGLA.COM</p> + +<p>The Notice to Customers is intended to inform End Users of the +personal usage rights (for example, to watch video content) included +with the product they purchased, and to encourage any party using the +product for commercial purposes to contact MPEG LA in order to become +licensed for such use (for example, when they use an AVC Product to +deliver Title-by-Title, Subscription, Free Television or Internet +Broadcast AVC Video to End Users, or to re-Sell a third party's AVC +Product as their own branded AVC Product).</p> + +<p>Therefore, if a party is to be licensed for its use of an AVC +Product to Sell AVC Video on a Title-by-Title, Subscription, Free +Television or Internet Broadcast basis, that party would need to +conclude the AVC License, even in the case where no royalties were +payable under the License. On the other hand, if that party (either a +Consumer or business customer) simply uses an AVC Product for their +own internal purposes and not for the commercial purposes referenced +above, then such use would be included in the royalty paid for the AVC +Products by the licensed supplier.</p> + +<p>Finally, I note that our AVC License provides worldwide coverage in +countries that have AVC Patent Portfolio Patents, including +Norway.</p> + +<p>I hope this clarification is helpful. If I may be of any further +assistance, just let me know.</p> +</blockquote></p> + +<p>The mentioning of Norwegian patents made me a bit confused, so I +asked for more information:</p> + +<p><blockquote> + +<p>But one minor question at the end. If I understand you correctly, +you state in the quote above that there are patents in the AVC Patent +Portfolio that are valid in Norway. This make me believe I read the +list available from &lt;URL: +<a href="http://www.mpegla.com/main/programs/AVC/Pages/PatentList.aspx">http://www.mpegla.com/main/programs/AVC/Pages/PatentList.aspx</a> +&gt; incorrectly, as I believed the "NO" prefix in front of patents +were Norwegian patents, and the only one I could find under Mitsubishi +Electric Corporation expired in 2012. Which patents are you referring +to that are relevant for Norway?</p> + +</blockquote></p> + +<p>Again, the quick answer explained how to read the list of patents +in that list:</p> + +<p><blockquote> + +<p>Your understanding is correct that the last AVC Patent Portfolio +Patent in Norway expired on 21 October 2012. Therefore, where AVC +Video is both made and Sold in Norway after that date, then no +royalties would be payable for such AVC Video under the AVC License. +With that said, our AVC License provides historic coverage for AVC +Products and AVC Video that may have been manufactured or Sold before +the last Norwegian AVC patent expired. I would also like to clarify +that coverage is provided for the country of manufacture and the +country of Sale that has active AVC Patent Portfolio Patents.</p> + +<p>Therefore, if a party offers AVC Products or AVC Video for Sale in +a country with active AVC Patent Portfolio Patents (for example, +Sweden, Denmark, Finland, etc.), then that party would still need +coverage under the AVC License even if such products or video are +initially made in a country without active AVC Patent Portfolio +Patents (for example, Norway). Similarly, a party would need to +conclude the AVC License if they make AVC Products or AVC Video in a +country with active AVC Patent Portfolio Patents, but eventually Sell +such AVC Products or AVC Video in a country without active AVC Patent +Portfolio Patents.</p> +</blockquote></p> + +<p>As far as I understand it, MPEG LA believe anyone using Adobe +Premiere and other video related software with a H.264 distribution +license need a license agreement with MPEG LA to use such tools for +anything non-private or commercial, while it is OK to set up a +Youtube-like service as long as no-one pays to get access to the +content. I still have no clear idea how this applies to Norway, where +none of the patents MPEG LA is licensing are valid. Will the +copyright terms take precedence or can those terms be ignored because +the patents are not valid in Norway?</p> + + + New laptop - some more clues and ideas based on feedback http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/New_laptop___some_more_clues_and_ideas_based_on_feedback.html @@ -93,6 +593,10 @@ deteriorated since X41.</p> seem sensible to me? Are there better services around to search the set of available laptops for features? Please send me an email if you have suggestions.</p> + +<p>Update 2015-07-23: I got a suggestion to check out the FSF +<a href="http://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/endorsement/respects-your-freedom">list +of endorsed hardware</a>, which is useful background information.</p> @@ -293,666 +797,5 @@ innholdet.</p> - - Graphing the Norwegian company ownership structure - http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Graphing_the_Norwegian_company_ownership_structure.html - http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Graphing_the_Norwegian_company_ownership_structure.html - Mon, 15 Jun 2015 14:00:00 +0200 - <p>It is a bit work to figure out the ownership structure of companies -in Norway. The information is publicly available, but one need to -recursively look up ownership for all owners to figure out the complete -ownership graph of a given set of companies. To save me the work in -the future, I wrote a script to do this automatically, outputting the -ownership structure using the Graphviz/dotty format. The data source -is web scraping from <a href="http://www.proff.no/">Proff</a>, because -I failed to find a useful source directly from the official keepers of -the ownership data, <a href="http://www.brreg.no/">Brønnøysundsregistrene</a>.</p> - -<p>To get an ownership graph for a set of companies, fetch -<a href="https://github.com/petterreinholdtsen/brreg-norway-ownership-graph">the code from git</a> and run it using the organisation number. I'm -using the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet as an example here, as its -ownership structure is very simple:</p> - -<pre> -% time ./bin/eierskap-dotty 958033540 > dagbladet.dot - -real 0m2.841s -user 0m0.184s -sys 0m0.036s -% -</pre> - -<p>The script accept several organisation numbers on the command line, -allowing a cluster of companies to be graphed in the same image. The -resulting dot file for the example above look like this. The edges -are labeled with the ownership percentage, and the nodes uses the -organisation number as their name and the name as the label:</p> - -<pre> -digraph ownership { -rankdir = LR; -"Aller Holding A/s" -> "910119877" [label="100%"] -"910119877" -> "998689015" [label="100%"] -"998689015" -> "958033540" [label="99%"] -"974530600" -> "958033540" [label="1%"] -"958033540" [label="AS DAGBLADET"] -"998689015" [label="Berner Media Holding AS"] -"974530600" [label="Dagbladets Stiftelse"] -"910119877" [label="Aller Media AS"] -} -</pre> - -<p>To view the ownership graph, run "<tt>dotty dagbladet.dot</tt>" or -convert it to a PNG using "<tt>dot -T png dagbladet.dot > -dagbladet.png</tt>". The result can be seen below:</p> - -<img src="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/images/2015-06-15-ownership-graphs-norway-dagbladet.png" width="80%"> - -<p>Note that I suspect the "Aller Holding A/S" entry to be incorrect -data in the official ownership register, as that name is not -registered in the official company register for Norway. The ownership -register is sensitive to typos and there seem to be no strict checking -of the ownership links.</p> - -<p>Let me know if you improve the script or find better data sources. -The code is licensed according to GPL 2 or newer.</p> - -<p>Update 2015-06-15: Since the initial post I've been told that -"<a href="http://www.proff.dk/firma/carl-allers-etablissement-aktieselskab/københavn-v/hovedkontorer/13624518-3/">Aller -Holding A/S</a>" is a Danish company, which explain why it did not -have a Norwegian organisation number. I've also been told that there -is a <a href="http://www.brreg.no/automatiske/webservices/">web -services API available</a> from Brønnøysundsregistrene, for those -willing to accept the terms or pay the price.</p> - - - - - Measuring and adjusting the loudness of a TV channel using bs1770gain - http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Measuring_and_adjusting_the_loudness_of_a_TV_channel_using_bs1770gain.html - http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Measuring_and_adjusting_the_loudness_of_a_TV_channel_using_bs1770gain.html - Thu, 11 Jun 2015 13:40:00 +0200 - <p>Television loudness is the source of frustration for viewers -everywhere. Some channels are very load, others are less loud, and -ads tend to shout very high to get the attention of the viewers, and -the viewers do not like this. This fact is well known to the TV -channels. See for example the BBC white paper -"<a href="http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rd/pubs/whp/whp-pdf-files/WHP202.pdf">Terminology -for loudness and level dBTP, LU, and all that</a>" from 2011 for a -summary of the problem domain. To better address the need for even -loadness, the TV channels got together several years ago to agree on a -new way to measure loudness in digital files as one step in -standardizing loudness. From this came the ITU-R standard BS.1770, -"<a href="http://www.itu.int/rec/R-REC-BS.1770/en">Algorithms to -measure audio programme loudness and true-peak audio level</a>".</p> - -<p>The ITU-R BS.1770 specification describe an algorithm to measure -loadness in LUFS (Loudness Units, referenced to Full Scale). But -having a way to measure is not enough. To get the same loudness -across TV channels, one also need to decide which value to standardize -on. For European TV channels, this was done in the EBU Recommondaton -R128, "<a href="https://tech.ebu.ch/docs/r/r128.pdf">Loudness -normalisation and permitted maximum level of audio signals</a>", which -specifies a recommended level of -23 LUFS. In Norway, I have been -told that NRK, TV2, MTG and SBS have decided among themselves to -follow the R128 recommondation for playout from 2016-03-01.</p> - -<p>There are free software available to measure and adjust the loudness -level using the LUFS. In Debian, I am aware of a library named -<a href="https://tracker.debian.org/pkg/libebur128">libebur128</a> -able to measure the loudness and since yesterday morning a new binary -named <a href="http://bs1770gain.sourceforge.net">bs1770gain</a> -capable of both measuring and adjusting was uploaded and is waiting -for NEW processing. I plan to maintain the latter in Debian under the -<a href="https://qa.debian.org/developer.php?email=pkg-multimedia-maintainers%40lists.alioth.debian.org">Debian -multimedia</a> umbrella.</p> - -<p>The free software based TV channel I am involved in, -<a href="http://www.frikanalen.no/">Frikanalen</a>, plan to follow the -R128 recommondation ourself as soon as we can adjust the software to -do so, and the bs1770gain tool seem like a good fit for that part of -the puzzle to measure loudness on new video uploaded to Frikanalen. -Personally, I plan to use bs1770gain to adjust the loudness of videos -I upload to Frikanalen on behalf of <a href="http://www.nuug.no/">the -NUUG member organisation</a>. The program seem to be able to measure -the LUFS value of any media file handled by ffmpeg, but I've only -successfully adjusted the LUFS value of WAV files. I suspect it -should be able to adjust it for all the formats handled by ffmpeg.</p> - - - - - Hva gjør at NRK kan distribuere H.264-video uten patentavtale med MPEG LA? - http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Hva_gj_r_at_NRK_kan_distribuere_H_264_video_uten_patentavtale_med_MPEG_LA_.html - http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Hva_gj_r_at_NRK_kan_distribuere_H_264_video_uten_patentavtale_med_MPEG_LA_.html - Wed, 10 Jun 2015 15:20:00 +0200 - <p>Helt siden jeg i 2012 fikk beskjed fra MPEG LA om at -<a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/MPEG_LA_mener_NRK_m__ha_avtale_med_dem_for___kringkaste_og_publisere_H_264_video.html">NRK -trengte patentavtale med dem</a> hvis de distribuerte H.264-video til -sluttbrukere, har jeg lurt på hva som gjør at NRK ikke har slik -avtale. For noen dager siden fikk jeg endelig gjort noe med min -undring, og sendte 2015-05-28 følgende epost til info (at) nrk.no med -tittel "Hva gjør at NRK kan distribuere H.264-video uten patentavtale -med MPEG LA?":</p> - -<p><blockquote> -<p>Jeg lurer på en ting rundt NRKs bruk av H.264-video på sine -websider samt distribusjon via RiksTV og kabel-TV. Har NRK vurdert om -det er behov for en patentavtale med -<a href="http://www.mpegla.com/">MPEG LA</a> slik det står i -programvarelisensene til blant annet Apple Final Cut Studio, Adobe -Premiere Pro, Avid og Apples Final Cut Pro X?</p> - -<p>Hvis dere har vurdert dette, hva var utfallet av en slik vurdering?</p> - -<p>Hvis dere ikke har vurdert dette, har NRK planer om å vurdere behovet -for patentavtale?</p> - -<p>I følge en artikkel på -<a href="https://nrkbeta.no/2012/02/01/siste-kutt-for-final-cut/">NRK -Beta i 2012</a> har NRK brukt eller testet både Apple Final Cut -Studio, Adobe Premiere Pro, Avid og Apples Final Cut Pro X til bruk -for å redigere video før sending. Alle disse har bruksvilkår -understøttet av opphavsretten som sier at de kun kan brukes til å lage -filmer til personlig og ikke-kommersiell bruk - med mindre en har en -lisensavtale med MPEG LA om bruk av patenter utstedt i USA for H.264. -Se f.eks. <a href="http://www.avid.com/static/resources/common/documents/corporate/LICENSE.pdf">bruksvilkårene for Avid</a>, <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-20000101-264.html">Adobe Premiere</a> og <a href="http://images.apple.com/legal/sla/docs/finalcutstudio2.pdf">Apple Final -Cut Studio</a> og søk etter "MPEG LA".</p> - -<p>Dette får meg til å lure på om det er brudd på opphavsretten å bruke -disse verktøyene i strid med bruksvilkårene uten patentavtale med MPEG -LA. Men NRK bruker jo tilsynelatende disse verktøyene uten patentavtale -med MPEG LA.</p> - -<p>I følge forfatteren av Open Broadcast Encoder finnes det to typer -H.264-relaterte avtaler en kan få med MPEG LA. Det er én for å lage -programvare og utstyr som produserer H.264-video, og en annen for å -kringkaste video som bruker H.264. Dette forteller meg at selv om -produsentene av utstyr og programvare som NRK bruker har en slik avtale -med MPEG LA, så trenges det en egen avtale for å kringkaste video på det -formatet.</p> - -<p>I følge Ryan Rodriguez hos MPEG LA, da jeg spurte ham på epost i -juni 2012, har NRK ikke en slik avtale med MPEG LA. Han sa videre at -NRK trenger en slik avtale hvis NRK tilbyr H.264-kodet video til -sluttbrukere. Jeg sjekket listen med -<a href="http://www.mpegla.com/main/programs/AVC/Pages/Licensees.aspx">organisasjoner -med avtale med MPEG LA</a> og NRK står fortsatt ikke der.</p> - -<p>Jeg lurer dermed på hva som gjør at NRK kan bruke de overnevnte -videoredigeringsverktøyene, som tilsynelatende har krav om avtale med -MPEG LA for å kunne brukes slik NRK bruker dem, til å lage videofiler -for distribusjon uten å ha en avtale med MPEG LA om distribusjon av -H.264-video? Dette er spesielt interessant å vite for oss andre som -også vurderer å spre H.264-video etter å ha redigert dem med disse mye -brukte videoredigeringsverktøyene.</p> -</blockquote></p> - -<p>Samme dag fikk jeg automatisk svar om at min henvendelse hadde fått -saksid 1294699. Jeg fikk deretter følgende respons fra NRK -2015-06-09:</p> - -<p><blockquote> -<p>Hei, beklager lang svartid, men det tok litt tid å finne ut hvem som kunne -svare på dette.</p> - -<p>For selskaper som leverer h.264 til sluttbrukere på nett (f.eks -NRKs nett- tv utgaver som bruker h.264) - og som leverer slike -tjenester uten betaling fra forbrukere – er det heller ikke påkrevd -noen patentavtale.</p> - -<p><a href="http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100825006629/en/MPEG-LA%E2%80%99s-AVC-License-Charge-Royalties-Internet#.VWb2ws_774Y">http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100825006629/en/MPEG-LA%E2%80%99s-AVC-License-Charge-Royalties-Internet#.VWb2ws_774Y</a></p> - -<p>Med vennlig hilsen -<br>Gunn Helen Berg -<br>Informasjonskonsulent, Publikumsservice</p> - -<p>NRK -<br>Strategidivisjonen -<Br>Sentralbord: +47 23 04 70 00 -<br>Post: NRK Publikumsservice, 8608 Mo i Rana -<br>nrk.no / info (at) nrk.no</p> -</blockquote></p> - -Da dette ikke helt var svar på det jeg lurte på, sendte jeg samme dag -oppfølgerepost tilbake: - -<p><blockquote> -<p>[Gunn Helen Berg] -<br>> Hei, beklager lang svartid, men det tok litt tid å finne ut hvem som -<br>> kunne svare på dette.</p> - -<p>Takk for svar. Men det besvarte ikke helt det jeg spurte om.</p> - -<p>> For selskaper som leverer h.264 til sluttbrukere på nett (f.eks NRKs -<br>> nett- tv utgaver som bruker h.264) - og som leverer slike tjenester -<br>> uten betaling fra forbrukere – er det heller ikke påkrevd noen -<br>> patentavtale. -<br>> -<br>> http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100825006629/en/MPEG-LA%E2%80%99s-AVC-License-Charge-Royalties-Internet#.VWb2ws_774Y</p> - -<p>Spørsmålet er ikke kun om MPEG LA krever patentavtale eller ikke -(hvilket ikke helt besvares av pressemeldingen omtalt over, gitt at -pressemeldingen kom i 2010, to år før MPEG LA ansvarlige for -internasjonal lisensiering egen Ryan Rodriguez fortalte meg på epost -at NRK trenger en lisens.</p> - -<p>Det er uklart fra pressemeldingen hva "Internet Broadcast AVC -Video" konkret betyr, men i følge en -<a href="http://www.mpegla.com/main/programs/avc/Documents/avcweb.pdf">presentasjon -fra MPEG LA med tema "AVC PAtent Portfoli License Briefing" datert -2015-05-15</a> gjelder "Internet Broadcast AVC Video" kun kringkasting -på Internet som ikke tilbyr valg av enkeltinnslag ("not -title-by-title"), hvilket jo NRK gjør på sine nettsider. I tillegg -kringkaster jo NRK H.264-video også utenom Internet (RiksTV, kabel, -satelitt), hvilket helt klart ikke er dekket av vilkårene omtalt i -pressemeldingen.</p> - -<p>Spørsmålet mitt er hvordan NRK kan bruke verktøy med bruksvilkår -som krever avtale med MPEG LA for det NRK bruker dem til, når NRK ikke -har avtale med MPEG LA. Hvis jeg forsto spørsmålet riktig, så mener -NRK at dere ikke trenger avtale med MPEG LA, men uten slik avtale kan -dere vel ikke bruke hverken Apple Final Cut Studio, Adobe Premiere -Pro, Avid eller Apples Final Cut Pro X for å redigere video før -sending?</p> - -<p>Mine konkrete spørsmål var altså:</p> - -<ul> - -<li>Hvis NRK har vurdert om det er behov for en patentavtale med MPEG LA - slik det er krav om i programvarelisensene til blant annet Apple - Final Cut Studio, Adobe Premiere Pro, Avid og Apples Final Cut Pro X, - hva var utfallet av en slik vurdering? Kan jeg få kopi av vurderingen - hvis den er gjort skriftlig?</li> - -<li>Hvis NRK ikke har vurdert dette, har NRK planer om å vurdere behovet - for patentavtale?</li> - -<li>Hva slags saksnummer fikk min henvendelse i NRKs offentlige - postjournal? Jeg ser at postjournalen ikke er publisert for den - aktuelle perioden ennå, så jeg fikk ikke sjekket selv.</li> - -</ul> -</blockquote></p> - -<p>Det hjelper å ha funnet rette vedkommende i NRK, for denne gangen -fikk jeg svar tilbake dagen etter (2015-06-10), fra Geir Børdalen i -NRK:</p> - -<p><blockquote> -<p>Hei Petter Reinholdtsen</p> - -<p>Jeg har sjekket saken med distribusjonssjef for tv, Arild Hellgren -(som var teknologidirektør da bakkenettet ble satt opp). NRK v/ -Hellgren hadde møte med MPEG LA sammen med den europeiske -kringkastingsunionen EBU før bakkenettet for TV ble satt opp -(igangsatt høsten 2007). I dette møtet ble det avklart at NRK/EBU ikke -trengte noen patentavtale for h.264 i forbindelse med oppsett av -bakkenettet eller bruk av MPEG4 h.264 som kompresjonsalgoritme fordi -tjenesten «in full»(nor: helt) var betalt av utsendelseselskapene og -ikke av forbrukerne.</p> - -<p><a href="http://www.nrk.no/oppdrag/digitalt-bakkenett-1.3214555">http://www.nrk.no/oppdrag/digitalt-bakkenett-1.3214555</a></p> - -<p>Det er også klart slått fast at selskaper som leverer video basert -på MPEG4 h.264 til sluttbrukere på nett, heller ikke påkrevd noen -patentavtale – så lenge de leverer slike tjenester uten betaling fra -sluttbrukere.</p> - -<a href="http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100825006629/en/MPEG-LA%E2%80%99s-AVC-License-Charge-Royalties-Internet#.VWb2ws_774Y">http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100825006629/en/MPEG-LA%E2%80%99s-AVC-License-Charge-Royalties-Internet#.VWb2ws_774Y</a> - -<p>“MPEG LA announced today that its AVC Patent Portfolio License will -continue not to charge royalties for Internet Video that is free to -end users (known as “Internet Broadcast AVC Video”) during the entire -life of this License. MPEG LA previously announced it would not charge -royalties for such video through December 31, 2015 (see -<a href="http://www.mpegla.com/Lists/MPEG%20LA%20News%20List/Attachments/226/n-10-02-02.pdf">http://www.mpegla.com/Lists/MPEG%20LA%20News%20List/Attachments/226/n-10-02-02.pdf</a>), -and today’s announcement makes clear that royalties will continue not -to be charged for such video beyond that time. Products and services -other than Internet Broadcast AVC Video continue to be -royalty-bearing.”</p> - -<p>Vi har derfor ikke noe behov for å vurdere noen patentavtale med -MPEG LA.</p> - -<p>Understreker for øvrig at NRK ikke er låst til MPEG4 – h.264 som -utsendelsesformat – og at vi har brukt og bruker flere andre -alternativer i våre tjenester. Ulike «devicer» har ofte behov for -forskjellige løsninger – og NRK har forsøkt å levere med best mulig -kvalitet /økonomi /stabilitet avhengig av -plattform. Produksjonsformater i NRK spenner for øvrig over en rekke -forskjellige formater – hvor MPEG4 bare er en av disse. Når NRK kjøper -teknisk utstyr er betaling for kodekstøtte ofte en del av -anskaffelsesprisen for denne maskinvaren (enten dette er spesialiserte -enkodere eller forskjellige typer produksjonsutstyr).</p> - -<p>Vennlig hilsen -<br>Geir Børdalen</p> - -<p>________________________________________ -<br>Geir Børdalen -<br>Investeringsansvarlig NRK / Hovedprosjektleder - Origo -<br>Avdeling for utvikling, innovasjon, investering og eiendom -<br>NRK medietjenester -<br>Sentralbord: +47 23 04 70 00 -<br>Post: NRK, AUTV (RBM5), Pb. 8500 Majorstuen, 0340 Oslo -<br>nrk.no -</blockquote></p> - -<p>Et godt og grundig svar, som var informativt om hvordan NRK tenker -rundt patentavtale med MPEG LA, men heller ikke helt besvarte det jeg -lurte på, så jeg sendte epostoppfølging samme dag.</p> - -<p><blockquote> -<p>[Geir Børdalen] -<br>> Hei Petter Reinholdtsen</p> - -<p>Hei, og takk for raskt svar. Er min henvendelse journalført slik -at den dukker opp i NRKs postjournal?</p> - -<p>Svaret ditt var meget nyttig, og jeg forstår ut fra det du skriver -at avklaringen med MPEG LA rundt H.264-distribusjon via bakkenettet -gjelder alle TV-kanaler i Norge. Hvilke saksnummer fikk dokumenter -som ble opprettet i forbindelse med det omtalte møtet NRK v/Hellgren -og EBU hadde med MPEG LA (dvs. referater, avtaler, etc), -f.eks. dokumentet der formuleringen "in full" som du omtaler -finnes?<p> - -<p>Men det er et par ting jeg fortsatt ikke forstår. Det ene er -hvorfor NRKs forståelse av hva "Internet Broadcast AVC Video" dekker -ser ut til å avvike fra det som presenteres i -<a href="http://www.mpegla.com/main/programs/avc/Documents/avcweb.pdf">lysark -fra MPEG LA</a> i mai, der MPEG LA på lysark med overskriften -"AVC/H.264 License Terms Participation Fees" og undertittel "Where -remuneration is from other sources" skriver "Internet Broadcast AVC -Video (not title-by-title, not subscription) – no royalty for life of -the AVC Patent Portfolio License".</p> - -<p>Her leser jeg MPEG LA dithen at det kun er kringkasting uten -abonnement via Internet som er dekket at vilkårne omtalt i -pressemeldingen, mens jeg forstår deg dithen at NRK mener NRKs -nettsider som også har enkeltfilmer og innslag (som jeg forstår dekket -av formuleringen "title-by-title") dekkes av "Internet Broadcast AVC -Video" fra MPEG LA. Hva baserer dere denne tolkningen på? Jeg har -ikke sett noe skriftlig fra MPEG LA som støtter NRKs tolkning, og -lurer på om dere har andre kilder enn den pressemeldingen fra 5 år -tilbake, der NRKS forståelse av hva "Internet Broadcast AVC Video" -dekker er beskrevet?</p> - -<p>Det andre er at eposten din ikke nevnte spørsmålet mitt om -bruksvilkårene til videoredigeringsverktøyene som NRK bruker. Disse -har som tidligere nevnt krav om at de kun skal brukes til private og -ikke-kommersielle formål med mindre en har avtale med MPEG LA, og uten -avtale med MPEG LA kan det jo virke som om NRK bruker verktøyene i -strid med bruksvilkårene. Hva gjør at disse bruksvilkårene ikke -gjelder for NRK?</p> -</blockquote></p> - -<p>Noen minutter senere får jeg foreløpig siste svar i -føljetongen:</p> - -<p><blockquote> -<p>Hei igjen</p> - -<p>Vårt dokumentarkiv har fått en kopi (journalføringsnr kan jeg -dessverre ikke gi deg).<p> - -<p>> Svaret ditt var meget nyttig, og jeg forstår ut fra det du -<br>> skriver at avklaringen med MPEG LA rundt H.264-distribusjon via -<br>> bakkenettet gjelder alle TV-kanaler i Norge.</p> - -<p>Svar: Kan ikke svare for andre enn for NRK/EBU - og for bakkenettet -i Norge er det kun NRK som er et lisensbasert selskap. Kan ikke gi noe -svar på saksnr på dokumenter eller ytterligere informasjon da jeg selv -ikke var del i dette.</p> - -<p>> Men det er et par ting jeg fortsatt ikke forstår. ...</p> - -<p>Svar: Kan ikke gå ytterligere inn i dette fra min side og mitt -fagfelt som er produksjon/publisering og systemstrukturene bak -disse. For øvrig ligger det etter vår formening ingen begrensninger -for NRK i mulighetene til publisering mht til kodek i -produksjonssystemer. Som tidligere skrevet mener vi at NRK ikke -trenger noen avtale med MPEG LA og støtter oss til det vi allerede har -kommunisert i forrige epost.</p> - -<p>Mvh -<br>Geir Børdalen</p> -</blockquote></p> - -<p>Det syntes vanskelig å komme videre når NRK ikke ønsker å gå inn i -problemstillingen rundt bruksvilkårene til videoredigeringsverktøyene -NRK bruker, så jeg sendte takk for svarene og avsluttet utvekslingen -så langt:</p> - -<p><blockquote> -<p>Tusen takk for rask respons, og oppklarende forklaring om hvordan -NRK tenker rundt MPEG LA.</p> - -<p>Jeg vil høre med NRK-arkivet for å se om de kan spore opp de -omtalte dokumentene. Jeg setter pris på om du kan dele titler, dato -eller annen informasjon som kan gjøre det enklere for arkivet å finne -dem.</p> - -<p>Når det gjelder hvordan bruksvilkårene til -videoredigeringsverktøyene skal tolkes, så skal jeg høre med MPEG LA -og produsentene av verktøyene for å forsøke å få klarhet i hva de -mener er rikgig rettstilstand.</p> -</blockquote></p> - -<p>Jeg ble litt klokere, men fortsatt er det uklart for meg hva som er -grunnlaget til NRK for å se bort fra bruksvilkår i -videoredigeringsprogramvare som krever MPEG LA-avtale til alt annet -enn privat og ikke-kommersiell bruk.</p> - - - - - Blir det virkelig krav om fingeravtrykk i nasjonale ID-kort? - http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Blir_det_virkelig_krav_om_fingeravtrykk_i_nasjonale_ID_kort_.html - http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Blir_det_virkelig_krav_om_fingeravtrykk_i_nasjonale_ID_kort_.html - Tue, 12 May 2015 11:30:00 +0200 - <p>Noen finner det vanskelig å tro at Stortinget faktisk har vedtatt å -kreve at alle norske borgerne må avgi fingeravtrykk til politiet for å -fungere i samfunnet. Jeg er blitt spurt hva som er grunnlaget for -<a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Norwegian_citizens_now_required_by_law_to_give_their_fingerprint_to_the_police.html">min -påstand i forrige bloggpost</a> om at det nå blir krav om å avgi -fingeravtrykk til politiet for å fungere som borger i Norge. De som -spør klarer ikke lese det ut fra det som er vedtatt. Her er en liten -oppsummering om hva jeg baserer det på. Det sies ikke direkte i -hverken proposisjon, innstilling eller vedtak, men fremgår når en ser -på indirekte formuleringer.</p> - -<p>I -<a href="https://www.regjeringen.no/nb/dokumenter/prop.-66-l-2014-2015/id2399703/">stortingsproposisjon -66</a>, avsnitt 6.3.5 (Avgivelse av biometriske personopplysninger) -står det<p> - -<p><blockquote> - - <p>Departementet foreslår at både ansiktsfoto og fingeravtrykk skal - kunne opptas og lagres som identifikasjonsdata i de nasjonale - ID-kortene, på samme måte som i passene. Lovforslaget er derfor - utformet i tråd med passloven § 6 annet ledd, som fastslår at det - til bruk for senere verifisering eller kontroll av passinnehaverens - identitet kan innhentes og lagres i passet biometrisk - personinformasjon i form av ansiktsfoto og fingeravtrykk (to - fingre). Dagens ordning med lagring av ansiktsfoto og fingeravtrykk - i et kontaktløst smartkort i passet er basert på internasjonale - standarder. Fingeravtrykkene i nasjonalt ID-kort vil bli beskyttet - på samme måte som fingeravtrykkene i passene.</p> - - <p>[...]</p> - - <p>For norske forhold understreker departementet at innføring av - nasjonale ID-kort sammen med innføring av nye systemer for sikrere - utstedelse og kontroll av pass og relaterte dokumenter gir mulighet - til å utforme ordningen slik at den best mulig møter utfordringene - forbundet med identitetskriminalitet. Det tilsier at fingeravtrykk - opptas og lagres i alle nasjonale ID-kort.</p> -</blockquote></p> - -<p>Departementet sier altså at sin anbefaling er at fingeravtrykk skal -opptas og lagres i alle nasjonale ID-kort. Det skrives som om det -blir valgfritt, på samme måten som det skrives passloven, der det i -loven sier at det kan -«<a href="https://lovdata.no/dokument/NL/lov/1997-06-19-82#§6">innhentes -og lagres i passet biometrisk personinformasjon i form av ansiktsfoto -og fingeravtrykk (to fingre)</a>». Men på tross av bruken av «kan» i -passloven er det innført krav om å avgi fingeravtrykk for å få et pass -i Norge. Proposisjonen sier i tillegg i del 1 (Proposisjonens -hovedinnhold) at ID-kortene skal være like pålitelig som pass og ha -samme sikkerhetsnivå som pass. Departementet foreslår altså at -ID-kortene skal gis etter samme regler som for pass.</p> - -<p>Formuleringene fra hovedinnholdet i proposisjonen er videreført i -<a href="https://www.stortinget.no/no/Saker-og-publikasjoner/Publikasjoner/Innstillinger/Stortinget/2014-2015/inns-201415-243/?lvl=0">innstillingen -fra stortingskomiteen</a>, der det konkret står «De foreslåtte reglene -vil gi befolkningen tilbud om et offentlig utstedt identitetsbevis som -vil være like pålitelig som passet, og mer praktisk å bruke som -legitimasjon» og «Det nasjonale ID-kortet skal også holde samme -sikkerhetsnivå som passet». Komiteen har altså ingen kommentarer -eller innsigelser til dette forslaget, og gjorde i debatten da saken -ble vedtatt det klart at dette var en god sak og at en enstemmig -komité var glad for resultatet. Stortinget har dermed stilt seg helt -og fullt bak departementets forslag.</p> - -<p>For meg er det åpenbart når en leser proposisjonen at «like -pålitelig» og «samme sikkerhetsnivå» vil bli tolket av departementet -som «med samme biometrisk informasjon som i passene», og departementet -forklarer i tillegg i proposisjonen at de har tenkt at -fingeravtrykkene «vil bli beskyttet på samme måte som fingeravtrykkene -i passene». Jeg ser det dermed som åpenbart at den samme -tvangsinnhentingen av fingeravtrykk som gjelder for pass vil bli -viderført til de nasjonale ID-kortene.</p> - -<p>Det eneste som kan endre dette er massive protester fra -befolkningen på at folk som ikke er mistenkt for noe kriminelt skal -tvinges til å gi fingeravtrykket til politiet for å f.eks. kunne få -bankkonto eller stemme ved valg. Det kunne få departementet til å -snu. Det tror jeg ikke vil skje.</p> - - - - - Norwegian citizens now required by law to give their fingerprint to the police - http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Norwegian_citizens_now_required_by_law_to_give_their_fingerprint_to_the_police.html - http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Norwegian_citizens_now_required_by_law_to_give_their_fingerprint_to_the_police.html - Sun, 10 May 2015 16:00:00 +0200 - <p>5 days ago, the Norwegian Parliament decided, unanimously, that all -citizens of Norway, no matter if they are suspected of something -criminal or not, are -<a href="https://www.holderdeord.no/votes/1430838871e">required to -give fingerprints to the police</a> (vote details from Holder de -ord). The law make it sound like it will be optional, but in a few -years there will be no option any more. The ID will be required to -vote, to get a bank account, a bank card, to change address on the -post office, to receive an electronic ID or to get a drivers license -and many other tasks required to function in Norway. The banks plan -to stop providing their own ID on the bank cards when this new -national ID is introduced, and the national road authorities plan to -change the drivers license to no longer be usable as identity cards. -In effect, to function as a citizen in Norway a national ID card will -be required, and to get it one need to provide the fingerprints to -the police.</p> - -<p>In addition to handing the fingerprint to the police (which -promised to not make a copy of the fingerprint image at that point in -time, but say nothing about doing it later), a picture of the -fingerprint will be stored on the RFID chip, along with a picture of -the face and other information about the person. Some of the -information will be encrypted, but the encryption will be the same -system as currently used in the passports. The codes to decrypt will -be available to a lot of government offices and their suppliers around -the globe, but for those that do not know anyone in those circles it -is good to know that -<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2006/nov/17/news.homeaffairs">the -encryption is already broken</a>. And they -<a href="http://www.networkworld.com/article/2215057/wireless/bad-guys-could-read-rfid-passports-at-217-feet--maybe-a-lot-more.html">can -be read from 70 meters away</a>. This can be mitigated a bit by -keeping it in a Faraday cage (metal box or metal wire container), but -one will be required to take it out of there often enough to expose -ones private and personal information to a lot of people that have no -business getting access to that information.</p> - -<p>The new Norwegian national IDs are a vehicle for identity theft, -and I feel sorry for us all having politicians accepting such invasion -of privacy without any objections. So are the Norwegian passports, -but it has been possible to function in Norway without those so far. -That option is going away with the passing of the new law. In this, I -envy the Germans, because for them it is optional how much biometric -information is stored in their national ID.</p> - -<p>And if forced collection of fingerprints was not bad enough, the -information collected in the national ID card register can be handed -over to foreign intelligence services and police authorities, "when -extradition is not considered disproportionate".</p> - -<p>Update 2015-05-12: For those unable to believe that the Parliament -really could make such decision, I wrote -<a href="http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Blir_det_virkelig_krav_om_fingeravtrykk_i_nasjonale_ID_kort_.html">a -summary of the sources I have</a> for concluding the way I do -(Norwegian Only, as the sources are all in Norwegian).</p> - - - - - What would it cost to store all phone calls in Norway? - http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/What_would_it_cost_to_store_all_phone_calls_in_Norway_.html - http://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/What_would_it_cost_to_store_all_phone_calls_in_Norway_.html - Fri, 1 May 2015 19:30:00 +0200 - <p>Many years ago, a friend of mine calculated how much it would cost -to store the sound of all phone calls in Norway, and came up with the -cost of around 20 million NOK (2.4 mill EUR) for all the calls in a -year. I got curious and wondered what the same calculation would look -like today. To do so one need an idea of how much data storage is -needed for each minute of sound, how many minutes all the calls in -Norway sums up to, and the cost of data storage.</p> - -<p>The 2005 numbers are from -<a href="http://www.digi.no/analyser/2005/10/04/vi-prater-stadig-mindre-i-roret">digi.no</a>, -the 2012 numbers are from -<a href="http://www.nkom.no/aktuelt/nyheter/fortsatt-vekst-i-det-norske-ekommarkedet">a -NKOM report</a>, and I got the 2013 numbers after asking NKOM via -email. I was told the numbers for 2014 will be presented May 20th, -and decided not to wait for those, as I doubt they will be very -different from the numbers from 2013.</p> - -<p>The amount of data storage per minute sound depend on the wanted -quality, and for phone calls it is generally believed that 8 Kbit/s is -enough. See for example a -<a href="http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/voice/voice-quality/7934-bwidth-consume.html#topic1">summary -on voice quality from Cisco</a> for some alternatives. 8 Kbit/s is 60 -Kbytes/min, and this can be multiplied with the number of call minutes -to get the storage requirements.</p> - -<p>Storage prices varies a lot, depending on speed, backup strategies, -availability requirements etc. But a simple way to calculate can be -to use the price of a TiB-disk (around 1000 NOK / 120 EUR) and double -it to take space, power and redundancy into account. It could be much -higher with high speed and good redundancy requirements.</p> - -<p>But back to the question, What would it cost to store all phone -calls in Norway? Not much. Here is a small table showing the -estimated cost, which is within the budget constraint of most medium -and large organisations:</p> - -<table border="1"> -<tr><th>Year</th><th>Call minutes</th><th>Size</th><th>Price in NOK / EUR</th></tr> -<tr><td>2005</td><td align="right">24 000 000 000</td><td align="right">1.3 PiB</td><td align="right">3 mill / 358 000</td></tr> -<tr><td>2012</td><td align="right">18 000 000 000</td><td align="right">1.0 PiB</td><td align="right">2.2 mill / 262 000</td></tr> -<tr><td>2013</td><td align="right">17 000 000 000</td><td align="right">950 TiB</td><td align="right">2.1 mill / 250 000</td></tr> -</table> - -<p>This is the cost of buying the storage. Maintenance need to be -taken into account too, but calculating that is left as an exercise -for the reader. But it is obvious to me from those numbers that -recording the sound of all phone calls in Norway is not going to be -stopped because it is too expensive. I wonder if someone already is -collecting the data?</p> - - -