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Chinese government rules in favour of Alpa in counterfeit cameras case

18 Apr

Swiss camera manufacturer Alpa has won a case in the Chinese courts against a company that was making and distributing cameras and accessories copied from its own models. Chinese brand GuoZh has been told to pay damages to Alpa over its FY-2015 camera which is a direct copy of Alpa’s A12 series models. The company had copied the camera, backs and accessories and was selling under its own name, and had even started camera clubs for users of its copied products.

Copied Alpa camera and accessories shown on the GuoZh website

Some of the products produced by GuoZh were branded Alpa and sold as convincing counterfeits to Alpa users, while others were branded with the GouZh name and sold in China to potential Alpa users at a much lower price.

It looked at one stage as though Alpa would not win its case as it hadn’t applied for protection under China’s complicated copyright law, but in the end the company was able to file a claim that Alpa cameras come under China’s ‘applied art’ rules that state that everyday objects can be seen as art.

Genuine (left) and fake (right) Mamiya roll film backs

According to an article on the case by Swiss newspaper NZZ GuoZh owner Guo Zhonggen was nonchalant during the final hearing and tried to give the impression that he owned the intellectual property, which helped move the judge to rule against him. At the end of the final of three hearings he was ordered to pay ‘six-figure damages’ and to apologise on his website, as well as to cease producing Alpa cameras and copies of them. At the time of writing though GouZh is planning an appeal and is still adverting it’s products on its website.

Andre OIdani, Head of Products at Alpa, is quoted as saying “It’s a good feeling that you’re not powerless in the giant system of China after all,” according to NZZ.

The case will give some hope to other photographic manufacturers that feel their products are being copied and sold cheaply by Chinese companies. The report in NZZ says that the Chinese courts are becoming more interested in copyright claims as China’s own products improve and become subject to copies themselves. Journalist Matthias Kamp also says that judges now have better training and are being paid better salaries, but none of the judges is independent as a communist party committee can always step in to have the last word in any case.

For more information on Alpa cameras see the Alpa website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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ACLU files First Amendment lawsuit against US government on behalf of 5 photojournalists

27 Nov

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has sued the United States government on the behalf of five photojournalists who allege their rights were violated ‘on multiple separate occasions’ while reporting on conditions at the US-Mexico border. According to the ACLU, the Department of Homeland Security made a database of journalists and photojournalists who were reporting on US-Mexico border conditions and used this database to target, detain, and interrogate them.

The lawsuit was filed on the behalf of Bing Guan, Go Nakamura, Mark Abramson, Kitra Cahana and Ariana Drehsler, all of whom are professional photojournalists and U.S. citizens, according to the ACLU. The lawsuit alleges these individuals were among the journalists included in Homeland Security’s secret database.

The database allegedly contained the photojournalists’ names, birth dates, headshots, and information about whether they’d been interrogated. An ‘X’ was allegedly used to cross out the individuals who had already been interrogated, indicating that the ‘random’ secondary screenings and interrogations they were subjected to weren’t actually random.

Bing Guan said in a statement to the ACLU:

‘I was being targeted by my own government for reporting on conditions at the border.‘

The ACLU explains that photojournalists were detained when they attempted to reenter the United States, at which point they were allegedly interrogated about various matters ranging from their observations of the condition of the border and shelters to whether they could identify people from a series of headshots. Multiple photojournalists claim they were forced to reveal the images they had taken and that at least one officer had used a phone to snap images of the photos.

Forcing the photojournalists to disclose details about their sources and observations was a violation of the First Amendment, according to the ACLU, which calls the ‘disturbing actions’ a potential deterrent that may prevent other journalists from pursuing similar work.

The ACLU said in its announcement of the lawsuit:

‘That the government’s actions occurred at the border makes them no less unlawful … When the government tries to circumvent constitutional protections, we must hold it accountable. No journalist should have to fear government interference for having the persistence, courage, and commitment to expose the truth.’

The lawsuit can be read in full on the ACLU’s website. Plaintiffs seek an official declaration that their First Amendment rights were violated; they also want the records related to their interrogations to be expunged and more.

Via: ACLU

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Adobe gets license from US government to continue offering Creative Cloud in Venezuela

29 Oct

Earlier this month, Adobe made the controversial announcement that its customers in Venezuela were going to lose access to Creative Cloud services as a result of an Executive Order in the United States. In an update on the matter shared on Monday, the company’s Customer Experience VP Chris Hall revealed that Adobe has been granted a license that will allow it to continue offering its services and products in Venezuela.

Customers in Venezuela who already lost access to the services they paid for will see that access restored ‘within a week,’ according to Adobe, which will do so free of charge. Adobe will give these reactivated users 90 days of access to the same products and services for which they previously received a refund.

For customers whose subscriptions are still active, Adobe says they’ll be able to continue accessing both Creative Cloud and Document Cloud like usual. ‘As always,’ Hall said in the blog post, ‘we continue to be deeply committed to powering creativity for all, and we’re delighted to have the ability to continue to do so in Venezuela.’

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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US government warns of potential spying by Chinese drone companies

23 May

On Monday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (USDHS) sent out an alert that was first obtained by CNN. It states that drones manufactured in China are a ‘potential risk to an organization’s information.’ The products ‘contain components that can compromise your data and share your information on a server accessed beyond the company itself.’

‘The United States government has strong concerns about any technology product that takes American data into the territory of an authoritarian state that permits its intelligence services to have unfettered access to that data or otherwise abuses that access,’ the alert continues.

‘Those concerns apply with equal force to certain Chinese-made (unmanned aircraft systems)-connected devices capable of collecting and transferring potentially revealing data about their operations and the individuals and entities operating them, as China imposes unusually stringent obligations on its citizens to support national intelligence activities,’ the alert adds.

While the report doesn’t name a specific company, Shenzen-based DJI, which dominates the U.S. and Canadian drone markets with close to an 80% share, according to a market sector report from Skylogic Research, is of utmost interest.

While the report doesn’t name a specific company, Shenzen-based DJI, which dominates the U.S. and Canadian drone markets with close to an 80% share, according to a market sector report from Skylogic Research, is of utmost interest. The manufacturer’s drones were recently banned in the US Army several years back, despite no clear evidence of spying or data transfer from the aircraft being presented.

Still, concerns about hacking or the siphoning of data remain at the forefront. The USDHS alert follows an executive order, signed by President Donald Trump, prohibiting U.S. companies from using any telecommunications equipment from Chinese company Huawei. An escalating trade war between the two countries doesn’t help matters and also raises suspicion on the timing of this latest USDHS alert on drones.

The United States leads the world in the number of drone platforms being developed. China comes in a close second place. If the trade war continues to escalate, many upstarts and manufacturers in the U.S. are going to face unexpected challenges with their supply chain if they built their platforms around any Chinese components, as sUAS News points out.

DJI responded to the USDHS’ alert, the full statement is below:

‘At DJI, safety is at the core of everything we do, and the security of our technology has been independently verified by the U.S. government and leading U.S. businesses. DJI is leading the industry on this topic and our technology platform has enabled businesses and government agencies to establish best practices for managing their drone data. We give all customers full and complete control over how their data is collected, stored, and transmitted. For government and critical infrastructure customers that require additional assurances, we provide drones that do not transfer data to DJI or via the internet, and our customers can enable all the precautions DHS recommends. Every day, American businesses, first responders, and U.S. government agencies trust DJI drones to help save lives, promote worker safety, and support vital operations, and we take that responsibility very seriously. We are committed to continuously working with our customers and industry and government stakeholders to ensure our technology adheres to all of their requirements.’

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Leaked government memo claims DJI is spying on the US for China

01 Dec

Drone maker DJI’s security troubles continue to grow, as a newly leaked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) memo claims the company may be spying on the US on behalf of the Chinese government. Per the memo, DJI drones and mobile apps are possibly being used to gather data on critical US infrastructure, law enforcement, and more.

The ICE memo was issued on August 9, 2017, and is unclassified. In it, the memo claims that DJI is “likely” providing the aforementioned data to the Chinese government, an assertion that is “based on information derived from open source reporting and a reliable source within the unmanned aerial systems (UAS) industry with first and secondhand access.”

The claims aren’t a certainty, according to ICE, which says in the memo that Special Agent in Charge Intelligence Program (SIP) Los Angeles has “moderate confidence” that DJI is providing law enforcement and critical infrastructure data to China. However, the memo claims that SIP LA has “high confidence” that DJI is “selectively targeting government and privately owned entities within these sectors to expand its ability to collect and exploit sensitive U.S. data.”

SIP Los Angeles makes some alarming claims about the DJI GO and SkyPixel mobile apps, saying in part that they grab facial recognition data even if the feature is disabled. The collected data, which is said to include sensitive personal info like full names, images and videos, phone numbers, and computer credentials, are automatically uploaded to unspecified “cloud storage systems” in Hong Kong and Taiwan “to which the Chinese government most likely has access.”

The memo goes on to state that SIP LA has “high confidence [that] a foreign government with access to this information could easily coordinate physical or cyber attacks against critical sites.”

Sources of information (SOI) have informed officials, according to the document, that:

The Chinese government is using DJI UAS as an inexpensive, hard-to-trace method to collect on U.S. critical assets … directorates most likely receiving the data from DJI’s cloud are the offices responsible for defense, critical infrastructure, traffic controlling, and cyber offense…

This isn’t the first time DJI has been the source of security concerns. Earlier this year, the U.S. Army issued a memo, as pointed out in this most recently leaked document, that ordered its units to immediately cease use of DJI products over security concerns. Additionally, security researcher Kevin Finisterre recently claimed that DJI threatened him after he submitted a bug bounty report highlighting serious security issues he had discovered with the company’s system.

For its part, DJI has released an official statement on the leaked ICE memo, saying:

The bulletin is based on clearly false and misleading claims from an unidentified source. Through the law firm of McDermott Will & Emery, DJI provided ICE a detailed rebuttal of the report, explaining why the data behind its conclusions is deeply flawed.

As DJI explained to ICE, the allegations in the bulletin are so profoundly wrong as a factual matter that ICE should consider withdrawing it, or at least correcting its unsupportable assertions. DJI further urged ICE to consider whether the source of the allegations may have had a competitive or improper motive to interfere with DJI’s legitimate business by making false allegations about DJI.

The company states that some of the claims in the ICE memo can be “easily disproven,” including with “a simple internet search,” while other claims are said to be “unsupported by facts or technical analysis.”

That said, the ICE memo claims, “Much of the information collected [by DJI products] includes proprietary and sensitive critical infrastructure data, such as detailed imagery of power control panels, security measures for critical infrastructure sites, or materials used in bridge construction.”

DJI is allegedly “focused on targeting” the utility companies that provide drinking water in four big locations: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and New Jersey. The memo claims the drone maker is also focused on railway companies located in Los Angeles, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Omaha, the Milan Army Ammunition Plant in Fort Riley, Kansas, and it is allegedly also providing the Chinese government with data to help it determine which assets to acquire in the U.S.

The complete ICE memo can be found here.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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American government roots and reform 2011 pdf

07 Sep

The more numerous Jews who migrated from Eastern American government roots and reform 2011 pdf faced tension ‘downtown’ with Irish and German Catholic neighbors, jews who shared the same political leanings. And there are several notable communities where public life and business are carried out mainly in Russian, talking Back: Images of Jewish Women in […]
BooksChantcdCom

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Posted in Equipment

UK government will require drone users to register and take safety tests

25 Jul

The UK has announced new upcoming regulations that will require some drone owners to register their aircraft and to complete safety awareness tests related to drone operation.

The requirements will be implemented for all drones weighing a minimum of 250g / 8.8oz and registration will be possible both online and via apps, though the UK government says it is still exploring potential plans. The tests, meanwhile, will require drone operators to demonstrate knowledge of the UK’s various regulations related to drone usage, privacy, and safety.

The new requirements were detailed over the weekend by the UK government, which explained in a statement that these new measures will “improve accountability and encourage owners to act responsibly.” A recent safety research study is cited as one of the reasons for the planned regulations. In the study, various UK authorities found that drones weighing as little as 400g / 14oz can damage the windshields on helicopters.

Many details about the UK’s drone registration plans are still missing, including how much such registrations may cost, how long the registration is good for, the extent of identifying details the drone operator must provide, and more. The UK’s statement indicates that it is still developing its plans and hasn’t yet established these finer details.

The new regulations will follow the drone code established by the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority in 2016. That drone code establishes operational rules for drone owners, including requiring that the drone stay within sight of the operator, that it stay below 120m / 400ft, avoid all things related to airports and aircraft, and maintain acceptable distances from property and people.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Chinese government orders Nikon to stop selling D600

19 Mar

The Nikon D600 had a rocky introduction in 2012, with countless users noting that the camera often produces images with dust/oil spots. Nowhere though is the D600 having as rough a time as China, were the government has issued an order to Nikon to stop selling the D600 entirely following an investigative report on CCT (China Central Television) that captured dealers trying to avoid refunding money to angry customers. Learn more

News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Government Shutdown Effect – Yosemite National Park

07 Oct

Tioga Pass East Entrance with Sign – 2013 Federal Shutdown

Day 1 of the partial U.S. government shutdown just happened to fall on the day I left for my fall photography and new moon astro-landscape trip. My first stop was Yosemite National Park which was a high profile casualty of the shutdown. All highways were open to the park so as to drive through, but visitors were asked to refrain from stopping. Quite ironic that the public was and still is being advised to avoid using public land.

Tunnel View Signs – 2013 Federal Shutdown

Having traveled through Yosemite so many times it was incredibly sad and frustrating to not be able to enjoy the scenery as I might normally. I cannot emphasize how frustrating it was to have something of such beauty in reach, but yet deliberately taken away. Lucky for you though I’ve developed a set of images taken during my trip that just might evoke that frustration as I felt. Below are the amazing views of Yosemite as taken during my time in Yosemite during the first days of the U.S. government shutdown.