#United States Copyright Office

[richdadpoor]

Fully AI-Made Art Can't Be Copyrighted, Rules US Judge

For those in the entertainment industry (and creative fields more generally), AI has been an extremely divisive topic. As various websites like ArtStation have decided to basically let art created by the controversial technology persist on their platforms—either freely or with specific guidelines—Hollywood writers and actors are striking in part because they fear how studios could easily use the…

[kashishipr]

We see people grooving to famous songs the moment we enter a club. Without such songs, every party or event seems incomplete. However, are you aware that before playing the famous songs publicly, you need to have all the permissions in place from the makers of such songs? If you fail to do so, you shall end up finding yourself in big trouble like Copyright Infringement. Here in this article, we shall be thoroughly discussing Copyright Protection in the Indian music industry. We shall answer a few questions, including:

How is copyright protection applicable to the music industry?

How can you save yourself from receiving a copyright claim?

Are there provisions in the Indian Copyright Act allowing remixing an old song to a new song?

The term ‘copyright’ combines two words, copy and right; therefore, we can also say that copyright refers to the legitimate and exclusive rights of the individual or entity owning the creative Intellectual Property (IP) assets.

Ian Richard Hargreaves CBE, Emeritus Professor at Cardiff University, Wales, the United Kingdom, has stated that the copyright system can’t be considered appropriate for the present digital age as millions of individuals infringe upon the creative works of others on an everyday basis by simply switching video or audio files from one device to another.

Copyright protection in the music industry gives the producers exclusive legal ownership of creative musical works and recordings. It also includes the exclusive right to distribute, reproduce, and license the copyrighted work to obtain royalties. Kindly note that when lyrics and music are recorded, written on paper, or otherwise placed in a document, the copyright in the creative work is automatically created. The United States Copyright Office has mentioned that once a sound is captured, implying that it must be recorded on a medium that could be sensed, copied, or otherwise transmitted, the master recording is copyright protected in digital tracks, tapes, optical disks, or any other format. However, it is highly advisable to go ahead with copyright registration of your song or musical work. To do the same, you need to ensure that it is tangible, fill out the required copyright application form at the copyright office, and pay the prescribed fee.

Musical Works under the Indian Copyright Act of 1957

Under Section 2(P) of the Indian Copyright Act of 1957 (referred to as Act further in this article), a musical work is defined and is said to include works composed of music containing graphic symbols. An original song is formalized, decorated, modified, and transferred to the original work’s category. You can use sounds to create new musical works by mixing, adding, and deleting some specific aspects of the original song. In India, Bollywood movie songs are loved by everyone. We have listened to the legendary 90s Dheere Dheere Se Meri Zindagi Mein Aana, featuring Rahul Roy and Anu Agarwal, and its remake by Yo Yo Honey Singh. The question that now arises is whether it is legitimate to exploit an artist’s original creative work in this way? In this scenario, the new music or remix is created using audio mixing and adding and subtracting some aspects of the original song.

As per Section 52(1)(j) of the Act, certain uses and modifications of creative works, including sound recordings and music, require obtaining the owner’s consent. It talks about obtaining a legal license to use a copyrighted work in a specific way, provided that the individual or entity (i.e., the licensee) pays the required fee and complies well with the law.

In the case of Gramophone Co v. Super Cassettes, the court held that obtaining the permission of the original owner to use a piece of his creative musical work is necessary. However, in Gramophone Co v. Mars, the court had the opposite opinion. It held that as long as the requirements of Section 52(1)(j) are followed, there might be no instance of copyright infringement and no necessity to obtain the owner’s consent (consent requirement is only for the first recording).

The whole world of music copyright law is undoubtedly complicated; however, it is not that tough to safeguard a piece of musical work and obtain royalties for it. You only need to register your copyright, join the necessary debt collection agency, and pick a distributor. Don’t forget that registering your copyright shall protect your creative work and prevent theft, misuse, and infringement. ✅ For more visit: https://www.kashishipr.com/

[worldipday]

WOMEN TRAILBLAZERS CREATING SUCCESS THROUGH COPYRIGHT.

The Copyright Alliance, in collaboration with the U.S. Copyright Office, the Copyright Society, the Global Innovation Policy Center (GIPC), the U.S. Intellectual Property Alliance, and numerous Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (VLA) organizations across the country, will host a World Intellectual Property Day (WIPD) 2023 event titled Women Trailblazers Creating Success Through Copyright on Wednesday, April 26 from 2-3:30 p.m. ET. This virtual panel is in keeping with the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) 2023 theme, Women and IP: Accelerating Innovation and Creativity. Join us to hear from inspiring women who will discuss how copyright has helped them to advance their careers and protect and distribute their and others’ creative works. Attendees will also learn the steps they can take to forge their own career path by protecting their creativities as well as their livelihoods. Our panel moderator is Karyn A. Temple, Former Register of Copyrights and SEVP & Global General Counsel at the Motion Picture Association; and our panelists are Jayda Imanlihen, Founder of the Black Girl Film School; Alicia Calzada, Deputy General Counsel for the National Press Photographers Association; Tristen Norman, Director, Creative Insights, Getty Images; and Miriam Lord, Associate Register of Copyrights and Director of Public Information and Education at the U.S. Copyright Office. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to gain insights and advice from leading women in the creative and copyright industries. VLA Cohosts: California Lawyers for the Arts Carolina Lawyers for the Arts & Entertainment Chicago Lawyers for the Creative Arts Colorado Attorneys for the Arts Georgia Lawyers for the Arts Maryland Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts New York Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts Oregon Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts The Ella Project Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts.

[reasonsforhope]

"A federal judge has ruled that artwork created solely by artificial intelligence cannot be copyrighted because “human authorship is an essential part of a valid copyright claim.”

The decision, issued by Judge Beryl Howell, stemmed from computer scientist Stephen Thaler’s efforts to copyright an image he said was created by an AI model, identified as Creativity Machine. Thaler claimed that as the owner of Creativity Machine, he was entitled to the copyright. The Copyright Office rejected that application on the grounds that human authorship is necessary to secure a copyright, prompting Thaler to sue. 

Howell ultimately upheld the Copyright Office’s decision, citing long-standing precedent about human authorship. “The act of human creation — and how to best encourage human individuals to engage in that creation, and thereby promote science and the useful arts — was thus central to American copyright from its very inception,” Howell wrote. “Non-human actors need no incentivization with the promise of exclusive rights under United States law, and copyright was therefore not designed to reach them.” ...

Howell’s opinion did nod to the drastically shifting landscape of copyright law in the AI era. She even acknowledged Thaller’s own argument about the malleability of copyright law to account for changes in technology. But again, Howell noted that human authorship remained key."

-via Rolling Stone, August 18, 2023

[heavenlybackside]

This Day In History May 8 1886 American pharmacist John S. Pemberton developed Coca-Cola, a drink he originally billed as a cure-all tonic.

On May 8, 1886, Dr. John Stith Pemberton invented Coca-Cola, forever changing the history of eating habits around the world. The drink’s name refers to two of its original ingredients: coca leaves and kola nuts (a source of caffeine). Since he was a pharmacist from Atlanta he had access to a variety of chemicals and natural ingredients. One day, he prepared a dark coloured liquid and decided to take it to his shop, Jacobs' Pharmacy, to mix it with carbonated water. At this point, a test was needed. So he had the customers of the pharmacy taste it, who greatly appreciated the delicious and refreshing drink. From that day Pemberton put the forerunner of the current Coca-Cola on sale at five cents a glass as a takeaway drink.

The logo as we know it today was invented and designed by Frank M. Robinson, Dr. Pemberton's accountant, who thought that the two Cs would have made a nice advertising logo. The Coca-Cola brand - written in its famous italics font - was born with a first advertising campaign dedicated to the drink appeared in the newspaper The Atlanta Journal, inviting citizens to try this "popular new take-out drink". The advertising campaign for the product launch appeared on the first awnings of the shops, on which the words "Drink Coca-Cola" stood out. But the beginnings were not exciting: in the first year they sold just about nine glasses a day.

In 1887 John Pemberton registered the copyright of Coca-Cola Syrup and Extract with the US Patent Office. A year later, disheartened by the lack of success of his invention and never fully convinced - and aware - of the drink's potential, he gradually sold the company's shares to various partners. Shortly before his death, he sold the rest of Coca-Cola to Asa G. Candler who bought back the shares of other holders until he acquired complete control of the company.

Together with his brother - John S. Candler - Frank Robinson - John Pemberton's former partner - and two other partners, Mr. Candler opened The Coca-Cola Company, with a start-up capital of $100,000. They invested a lot in marketing with free coupons, promotions, souvenir fans, calendars, clocks, cup holders and so on. He did everything to advertise the brand and make it famous. In 1894 the first factory was born, in Dallas, Texas and a year later Candler made a famous announcement: "Today Coca-Cola is drunk in every state and territory of the United States". Under Candler’s leadership, sales rose from about 9,000 gallons of syrup in 1890 to 370,877 gallons in 1900.

[katy-l-wood]

We love to see it!

[brucesterling]

US National Priorities for Artificial Intelligence, please help

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/OSTP-Request-for-Information-National-Priorities-for-Artificial-Intelligence.pdf

Request for Information National Priorities for Artificial Intelligence

AGENCY: Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). ACTION: Notice of Request for Information.

[3270-F1]

SUMMARY: The Biden-Harris Administration is developing a National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy that will chart a path for the United States to harness the benefits and mitigate the risks of AI. This strategy will build on the actions that the Federal Government has already taken to responsibly advance the development and use of AI. To inform this strategy, OSTP requests public comments to help update U.S. national priorities and future actions on AI.

DATES: Interested individuals and organizations are invited to submit comments by 5:00 p.m. ET on July 7, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Comments must be submitted via the Federal eRulemaking Portal at regulations.gov. However, if you require an accommodation or cannot otherwise submit your comments via regulations.gov, please contact the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. OSTP will not accept comments by fax or by email, or comments submitted after the comment period closes. To ensure that OSTP does not receive duplicate copies, please submit your comments only once. Additionally, please include the Docket ID at the top of your comments.

Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to www.regulations.gov to submit your comments electronically. Information on how to use www.regulations.gov, including instructions for accessing agency documents, submitting comments, and viewing the docket, is available on the site under “FAQ” (https://www.regulations.gov/faq).

Privacy Note: OSTP’s policy is to make all comments received from members of the public available for public viewing in their entirety on the Federal eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov. Therefore, commenters should be careful to include in their comments only information that they wish to make publicly available. OSTP requests that no proprietary information, copyrighted information, or personally identifiable information be submitted in response to this Request for Information (RFI).

Instructions: Response to this RFI is voluntary. Each responding entity (individual or organization) is requested to submit only one response.

Responses may address one or more topics, as desired, from the enumerated list provided in this RFI. Responders should note the corresponding topic number(s) in their response. Submissions must not exceed 10 pages (exclusive of cover page and references) in 11-point or larger font. Responses should include the name of the person(s) or organization(s) filing the comment, as well as the respondent type (e.g., academic institution, advocacy group, professional society, community-based organization, industry, member of the public, government, other). Comments referencing materials that are not widely published should include copies or electronic links of the referenced materials. No business proprietary information, copyrighted information, or personally identifiable information (aside from that requested above) should be submitted in response to this RFI. Comments submitted in response to this RFI may be posted online or otherwise released publicly.

In accordance with Federal Acquisitions Regulations Systems 15.202(3), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Federal Government to form a binding contract. Additionally, those submitting responses are solely responsible for all expenses associated with response preparation.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information, please direct questions to Nik Marda at AI-Strategy@ostp.eop.gov or 202-456-6121.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background: AI has been part of American life for years, and it is one of the most powerful technologies of our generation. The pace of AI innovation is accelerating rapidly, which is creating new applications for AI across society. This presents extraordinary opportunities to improve the lives of the American people and solve some of the toughest global challenges. However, it also poses serious risks to democracy, the economy, national security, civil rights, and society at large. To fully harness the benefits of AI, the United States must mitigate AI’s risks.

The Biden-Harris Administration has already taken significant steps to advance responsible innovation, protect the American people’s rights and safety, and ensure all Americans benefit from AI. The Federal Government funds significant amounts of responsible research in AI, has issued an updated National AI R&D Strategic Plan, and developed a plan to build a National AI Research Resource to ensure that more researchers have access to tools to leverage AI. The Biden-Harris Administration has protected national security and maintained global competitiveness, including by banning exports to the People’s Republic of China of high-end computer chips used to build AI and by developing a strategy for responsible AI in defense. It has laid out a Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights, an AI Risk Management Framework, provisions across multiple executive orders, and many actions across the Federal Government to promote responsible AI innovation, manage the risks associated with AI, and ensure AI systems are trustworthy and equitable. The Administration has also worked with like-minded partners around the world to assess AI’s implications for the workforce, to advance collaborative AI research and development, and to ensure technology works for democracy.

The Biden-Harris Administration is undertaking a process to ensure a cohesive and comprehensive approach to AI-related risks and opportunities. By developing a National AI Strategy, the Federal Government will provide a whole-of-society approach to AI. The strategy will pay particular attention to recent and projected advances in AI, to make sure that the United States is responsive to the latest opportunities and challenges posed by AI, as well as the global changes that will arrive in the coming years. Through this RFI, OSTP and its National AI Initiative Office seeks information about AI and associated actions related to AI that could inform the development of a National AI Strategy.

OSTP will also draw on public input from ongoing and recent RFIs, including:

OSTP’s RFI to the Update of the National Artificial Intelligence Research and

Development Strategic Plan;

The National Telecommunication and Information Administration’s Request for Comment on AI Accountability Policy;

OSTP’s and the National Science Foundation’s RFI on Implementing Initial Findings and Recommendations of the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource Task Force;

OSTP’s RFI on Automated Worker Surveillance and Management; and

OSTP’s RFI on Public and Private Sector Uses of Biometric Technologies. If you have already responded to one or more of these RFIs, your prior input will be considered

in the context of developing the National AI Strategy.

Scope: OSTP invites input from any interested stakeholders. OSTP will consider each comment, whether it contains a personal narrative, experiences with AI systems, or technical legal, research, policy, or scientific materials, or other content that meets the instructions for submissions to this RFI.

Information Requested: Respondents may provide information for one or more of the questions listed below, as desired. Note that the list below does not cover some AI topics as completely, such as AI research and development, given ongoing or recent RFIs on those topics.

Protecting rights, safety, and national security:

What specific measures – such as standards, regulations, investments, and improved trust and safety practices – are needed to ensure that AI systems are designed, developed, and deployed in a manner that protects people’s rights and safety? Which specific entities should develop and implement these measures?

How can the principles and practices for identifying and mitigating risks from AI, as outlined in the Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights and the AI Risk Management Framework, be leveraged most effectively to tackle harms posed by the development and use of specific types of AI systems, such as large language models?

Are there forms of voluntary or mandatory oversight of AI systems that would help mitigate risk? Can inspiration be drawn from analogous or instructive models of risk management in other sectors, such as laws and policies that promote oversight through registration, incentives, certification, or licensing?

What are the national security benefits associated with AI? What can be done to maximize those benefits?

How can AI, including large language models, be used to generate and maintain more secure software and hardware, including software code incorporating best practices in design, coding and post deployment vulnerabilities?

How can AI rapidly identify cyber vulnerabilities in existing critical infrastructure systems and accelerate addressing them?

What are the national security risks associated with AI? What can be done to mitigate these risks?

How does AI affect the United States’ commitment to cut greenhouse gases by 50-52% by 2030, and the Administration’s objective of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions no later than 2050? How does it affect other aspects of environmental quality?

Advancing equity and strengthening civil rights:

What are the opportunities for AI to enhance equity and how can these be fostered? For example, what are the potential benefits for AI in enabling broadened prosperity, expanding economic and educational opportunity, increasing access to services, and advancing civil rights?

What are the unique considerations for understanding the impacts of AI systems on underserved communities and particular groups, such as minors and people with disabilities? Are there additional considerations and safeguards that are important for preventing barriers to using these systems and protecting the rights and safety of these groups?

How can the United States work with international partners, including low- and middle- income countries, to ensure that AI advances democratic values and to ensure that potential harms from AI do not disproportionately fall on global populations that have been historically underserved?

What additional considerations or measures are needed to assure that AI mitigates algorithmic discrimination, advances equal opportunity, and promotes positive outcomes for all, especially when developed and used in specific domains (e.g., in health and human services, in hiring and employment practices, in transportation)?

How might existing laws and policies be updated to account for inequitable impacts from AI systems? For example, how might existing laws and policies be updated to account for the use of generative AI to create and disseminate non-consensual, sexualized content?

Bolstering democracy and civic participation:

How can AI be used to strengthen civic engagement and improve interactions between people and their government?

What are the key challenges posed to democracy by AI systems? How should the United States address the challenges that AI-generated content poses to the information ecosystem, education, electoral process, participatory policymaking, and other key aspects of democracy?

What steps can the United States take to ensure that all individuals are equipped to interact with AI systems in their professional, personal, and civic lives?

Promoting economic growth and good jobs:

What will the principal benefits of AI be for the people of the United States? How can the United States best capture the benefits of AI across the economy, in domains such as education, health, and transportation? How can AI be harnessed to improve consumer access to and reduce costs associated with products and services? How can AI be used to increase competition and lower barriers to entry across the economy?

How can the United States harness AI to improve the productivity and capabilities of American workers, while mitigating harmful impacts on workers?

What specific measures – such as sector-specific policies, standards, and regulations – are needed to promote innovation, economic growth, competition, job creation, and a beneficial integration of advanced AI systems into everyday life for all Americans? Which specific entities should develop and implement these measures?

What are potential harms and tradeoffs that might come from leveraging AI across the economy? How can the United States promote quality of jobs, protect workers, and prepare for labor market disruptions that might arise from the broader deployment of AI in the economy?

What are the global labor force implications of AI across economies, and what role can the United States play in ensuring workforce stability in other nations, including low- and middle-income countries?

What new job opportunities will AI create? What measures should be taken to strengthen the AI workforce, to ensure that Americans from all backgrounds and regions have opportunities to pursue careers in AI, and otherwise to prepare American workers for jobs augmented or affected by AI?

How can the United States ensure adequate competition in the marketplace for advanced AI systems?

Innovating in public services:

How can the Federal Government effectively and responsibly leverage AI to improve Federal services and missions? What are the highest priority and most cost-effective ways to do so?

How can Federal agencies use shared pools of resources, expertise, and lessons learned to better leverage AI in government?

How can the Federal Government work with the private sector to ensure that procured AI systems include protections to safeguard people’s rights and safety?

What unique opportunities and risks would be presented by integrating recent advances in generative AI into Federal Government services and operations?

What can state, Tribal, local, and territorial governments do to effectively and responsibly leverage AI to improve their public services, and what can the Federal Government do to support this work?

Additional input:

29. Do you have any other comments that you would like to provide to inform the National AI Strategy that are not covered by the questions above?

Dated: May 23, 2023 Stacy Murphy, Operations Manager.

[fromthedust]

John Margolies (American, 1940-2016)

John Samuel Margolies was an architectural critic, photographer, and author who was noted for celebrating vernacular and novelty architecture in the United States, particularly those designed as roadside attractions. For almost forty years, he documented the most remarkable examples he found, publishing some of his discoveries in books and consigning the rest to an archive, which has now been purchased by the Library of Congress who, in a wonderfully gracious move, have lifted all copyright restrictions on the photographs. (see link below)

Gatorland Zoo alligator statue - Route 1, St. Augustine, Florida - 1979

Deschwanden's Shoe Repair (The Big Shoe) - 10th & Chester, Bakersfield, California - 1977

Wigwam Village #2 - office teepee and several teepee cabins - Route 31W, Cave City, Kentucky - 1979

Wigwam Village #6 - Route 66, Holbrook, Arizona - 1979

Jantzen sign - Stamie's Beachwear - Ocean Avenue, Daytona Beach, Florida - 1990

7-Up Bottling Company (two views) - NE 14 & Sandy Boulevard, Portland, Oregon - 1980

Coca Cola Bottling Company (two views) - 14th & Central Avenue, Los Angeles, California - 1977

Coca Cola Bottling Company (detail view of door) - 14th & Central Avenue, Los Angeles, California - 1977

It'll Do Motel (office) - Jonesborough, Tennessee - 1987

Joy Theater marquee - San Antonio, Texas - 1982

White Castle - Reading Road, Cincinnati, Ohio - 1980

Mammy's Cupboard (two views) - Route 61, Natchez, Mississippi - 1979

Dependable Used Cars sign - Division Street, Grand Rapids, Michigan - 1982

Stan The Tire Man statue - Broadway, Mount Vernon, Illinois - 1988

Bomber gas station - Route 99 E., Milwaukie, Oregon - 1980

World's Largest Redwood Tree Service Station (1936) - Route 101, Ukiah, California - 1991

Peach water tower - Frontage Road, Gaffney, South Carolina - 1988

Christie's Restaurant sign (cowboy shrimp) - Houston, Texas - 1983

Roadside flamingo statue - Frog City, Route 41, Florida - 1980

www.publicdomainreview.org/collection/john-margolies-photographs-of-roadside-america/

addendum: seen (not photographed) in a 2007 trip to Garibaldi/Nehalem/Manzanita Oregon — The Wheeler Inn with a wheelbarrow on the roof with a clothed female mannequin loaded into it . . .

[mostlysignssomeportents]

This day in history

On June 20, I'm keynoting the LOCUS AWARDS in OAKLAND.

#15yrsago Student challenges prof, wins right to post source code he wrote for course https://memex.craphound.com/2009/06/10/student-challenges-prof-wins-right-to-post-source-code-he-wrote-for-course/

#15yrsago France’s three-strikes copyright rule is unconstitutional and hence dead https://www.laquadrature.net/en/2009/06/10/hadopi-is-dead-three-strikes-killed-by-highest-court/

#15yrsago The Brain that Changes Itself: hopeful book on the science of neuroplasticity https://memex.craphound.com/2009/06/10/the-brain-that-changes-itself-hopeful-book-on-the-science-of-neuroplasticity/

#10yrsago National anti-censorship orgs protest cancellation of Little Brother summer reading program https://ncac.org/incident/little-brother-pensacola

#10yrsago Piketty’s inherited-wealth dystopia: private capital millionaires multiply https://www.bbc.com/news/business-27774753

#10yrsago How Heinlein went from socialist to right-wing libertarian https://newrepublic.com/article/118048/william-pattersons-robert-heinlein-biography-hagiography

#10yrsago Whistleblower org says it will go to jail rather than turning over its keys https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/06/to-defeat-encryption-feds-deploy-the-subpoena/

#10yrsago Texas school bans sunscreen because a child might drink it https://web.archive.org/web/20140608074518/http://www.keyetv.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/san-antonioarea-school-district-do-not-bring-sunscreen-school-18590.shtml

#10yrsago Small town sheriff buys tank: “the United States of America has become a war zone” https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2014/06/07/police-officer-safety-surplus-zeal-military-equipment-spurs-debate-mrap-military-vehicle/10170225/

#5yrsago A grandmother is suing the TSA for strip searching her to get a look at her panty liner, on Mother’s Day https://professional-troublemaker.com/2019/06/06/tsa-strip-searches-grandmother-on-mothers-day-for-over-feminine-hygiene-product-gets-sued/

#5yrsago A trove of leaks show that Brazil’s “anti-corruption” task force was secretly trying to oust Lula and install a far-right strongman https://theintercept.com/2019/06/09/brazil-archive-operation-car-wash/

#5yrsago Americans are too poor to survive whether or not they’re working https://eand.co/half-of-americans-are-effectively-poor-now-what-the-c944c518db6a

#5yrsago Competition can fix Big Tech, but only if we don’t make “bigness” a legal requirement https://www.economist.com/open-future/2019/06/06/regulating-big-tech-makes-them-stronger-so-they-need-competition-instead?fsrc=gp_en?fsrc=scn/tw/te/bl/ed/regulatingbigtechmakesthemstrongersotheyneedcompetitioninsteadopenvoices

#5yrsago Weekend SIM-swapping blitz targets US cryptocurrency holders https://www.zdnet.com/article/wave-of-sim-swapping-attacks-hit-us-cryptocurrency-users/

#5yrsago The NRA begs gun nuts for donations, spends lavishly on its board of directors and execs https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/nra-money-flowed-to-board-members-amid-allegedly-lavish-spending-by-top-officials-and-vendors/2019/06/09/3eafe160-8186-11e9-9a67-a687ca99fb3d_story.html

#5yrsago On Grenfell’s second anniversary, 60,000 Britons are still living in firetraps clad in the same deadly, decorative materials https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/grenfell-tower-fire-material-high-rise-buildings-flat-block-a8946276.html

#1yrago Links, dumped https://pluralistic.net/2023/06/10/in-the-dumps-2/#do-the-humpty-dump

[xxscarletxrosexx]

I spent 6 grueling hours researching how to protect one's photos/scans so you wouldn't have to--And these are my findings:

As the title states, I spent 6 grueling hours researching how to protect one's photos/scans in case other collectors want to protect and/or receive credit for their photos.

Once more let me emphasize THEIR PHOTOS.

Backstory:

It's not a secret that I'm quite a big collector of official Spy x Family merchandise, specifically clear file folders, stationery, and acrylic stands. I own so much, in fact, I have a tendency to own a handful of duplicates and had the crazy idea to start a small business selling these duplicates via Ko-Fi. A thought came to me that since I had already invested in a light box and a scanner for selling my merch, why not also use them to share pictures of my collection for other fans to view and appreciate?

And that was when I had sought the opinions from my good friend, @yumeka-sxf. Yumeka has been kindly posting high-resolution scans of her SxF merch (clear files, pages, etc.) on Tumblr. She is someone I also deemed as an expert when it came to uploading merch on the internet. She gave me incredible advice with awesome foresight when it came to watermarking high-resolution pictures and scans. She easily predicted what disrespectful people would do if I hadn't moved my watermarks to certain (albeit not really appealing) spots. And, just like she said, someone did attempt to remove my watermark using AI. You can read about it here. @yumeka-sxf also provided her own insight to watermarking merch here--if ya'll are interested to read.

I won't go into too much detail, but essentially they're long posts meant to educate people on why fans, who own the official merch, put watermarks on their pictures. The bottom line is, we're claiming the picture for ownership, NOT the merch.

Second, did you know that people have found ways to remove watermarks?

That gives me enough incentive as to why I want to take it a step further to protect my photos/scans.

"If I take a picture of something do I own the picture that I took?":

Yes and no. Yes as in, the picture is yours. No, because depending on your subject, it falls under numerous jurisdictions of copyright. You can find all the details in this insightful post from veteran photographers.

But since we're focusing on the topic of photos and scans of merchandise, I'd like to provide these screenshots:

And so, to re-iterate, the only thing you'll get out of copyrighting your photo is just the right to the photo--which is all I want.

The Findings:

6 grueling hours of research for protecting one's picture led me to several insightful directions--one of them amusingly brought me down a rabbit hole of how to protect one's real estate pictures. They did have some wonderful tips if you guys would like to read them!

Unfortunately, I do not own Photoshop so I could not make any edits on the metadata or create a layer that will prevent downloading the content of the picture. Preventing screenshots/right-clicking is limited to control on a website and/or can easily be canceled by plug-ins. So that just leaves me with finding something creative solutions the only tool I have: Canva (more on this later).

I spent some more time reading more journals and visited USCO (United States Copyright Office) and, finally, Pixsy.

I'm gonna be honest, USCO is THE BEST way to protect your media (merchandise, art, etc.) IF you have the money to support it.

Not only do I not have the funding for this type of service, but my photos don't exactly meet "originality" especially when the subject of the photo is copyright-protected merchandise, which means there are severe punishments for those who pursue any commercial purposes (such as selling my photos to make money rather than directing people to purchase the official work from the licensing site). And at the end of the day, I just care about the photo, itself, and receiving credit and source.

It's ridiculously simple to just credit and source a picture, and yet, it'll surprise you how many people just can't do that. This is why, I must take these extra precautions to ensure credit and sourcing.

So, I opted for Pixsy for its free plan that includes 500 images being monitored.

There's no doubt that I'll most likely invest in a monthly subscription if ever I amass beyond 500 pictures for monitoring.

Currently, it has already done an impressive job of identifying pictures I've posted with my watermarks on Ko-Fi, Twitter, and Tumblr. It has even identified reblogs/retweets.

For some odd reason, it uploads my pictures horizontally when it's normally vertical ^^; but it still gets the job done. Interestingly, it hasn't picked up my pictures from Mercari yet. I assume that if I were to upgrade to the subscription plan, Pixsy might be able to find it by then.

Procedures:

I'm sharing my procedures for protecting one's photo (and content, if applicable of course).

Step 1: Register on Pixsy. As I've addressed earlier, it's free.

Step 2: Upload HIGH-RESOLUTION pictures (no watermark) to Pixsy's database. This is probably the most accurate way for Pixsy to identify pictures of the same (or similar) "blueprint". In the picture below, I provided a screenshot of my picture without the watermark (left) with a picture they found of my picture with my watermark on it from my ko-fi shop (right).

Step 3: If you plan to upload a photo/scan with or without watermark, it is recommended to upload your image at 550 pixel image and at 72 dpi. This makes it good for the internet (see first image below). But once you zoom in, you can tell the difference in quality (see second image below).

I mentioned before that I don't have photoshop, so I experimented with what I do have: Canva.

Since I have a premium membership (indicated by crown icons), I just use the following settings:

and it gets the job done.

I am planning to upload my photos without watermarks to the Spy x Family wiki quite soon, so I did all this research to prepare for possible theft and/or the lack of crediting and sourcing--just in case. A friend of mine told me that s/he can try to ensure crediting through the file name, which is a ridiculously kind gesture, but I'm not ignorant of people who change/completely ignore file names. That's unfortunately just the way it is on the internet.

Hopefully, I've curated enough research to help protect photos/scans from possible theft (if reposting is not allowed by the owner).

I don't mind if my photos are used for reference AS LONG AS they credit me and link the source directly to the image itself (not one of those cut-corner kind of way and just link my Ko-Fi gallery). I won't tolerate laziness when it comes to sourcing considering I invested a lot of money to purchase merch and invested hours--even days--to get the best photo/scan + researched information on the merch for public access.

[literalgrill]

How A Monkey, PETA, And Wikipedia May Have Saved Us All From AI Art

See that glorious monkey right there? That is Naruto the macaque, the hero that might have saved us all. That photo comes from a man named David Slater, or more importantly, was taken by Naruto using his equipment. Recently, a comic using AI-generated art was determined intelligible for copyright protection. The reason why? Copyrighted works must be created by humans to gain official copyright protection. Wanna know the legal precedent for that? Read on!

This all comes from a lawsuit that David Slater filed trying to get Wikipedia to remove the pictures from its Wikimedia Commons image library because the picture was made by a non-human, incapable of holding copyright. Therefore, the picture was technically in the public domain. The United States Copyright Office confirmed this as true in 2014. Well, this is when PETA comes into play. They decided to sue to David Slater himself as he published the pictures in a book, stating that the monkies should be able to hold their own copyright of the work, they did take the pictures after all! The original case was dismissed, but PETA brought it up to an appeals court. Despite the two parties deciding some of the money should be donated to help the monkies that he made from his work, the court of appeals declined to dismiss the appeal and declined to vacate the lower court judgment.

So in April 2018, it was made clear that animals cannot hold copyrights. Essentially, non-humans cannot hold copyrights. While arguments were made way back when Wikipedia was tussling legally with David Slater that a significant amount of human influence on art could maybe count, like giving the monkies the camera, it seemed proven in court it didn't. So no, typing in prompts into a non-human AI isn't enough to actually be considered as creating something yourself, at least not legally. Sorry not sorry AI art fans!

[eucanthos]

Burritt's Constellation Atlas of the Northern hemisphere, 1856

Fasciculus: 1856 Burritt - Huntington Map of the Constellations of the Northern Hemisphere

Rare hand colored map engraved by W. G. Evans of New York for Burritt’s 1856 edition. Constellations are drawn in detail and include depictions of the Zodiacal figures the stars are said to represent. Chart is quartered by lines indicating the Solstitial and Equinoctial Colures and Includes Ursa Major (Great Bear or Big Dipper), Usra Minor (the Little Bear or Little Dipper), Draco (the Dragono), Cassiopeia (the W), Perseus, Camelopardalis, and Cepheus. .

Like all of Burritt’s charts, is based on the celestial cartographic work of Pardies and Doppelmayr. Dated and copyrighted: “Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1856 by F. J. Huntington in the Clerks Office of the District Court of the United States in the Southern District of N. York. Datum 1856

https://la.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasciculus:1856_Burritt_-Huntington_Map_of_the_Stars%5E_Constellations_of_the_Northern_Hemisphere_-Geographicus-_ConstNorth-burritt-1856.jpg

[xtruss]

Atomic Secrets: The Scientists Who Built The Atom Bomb 💣

Science and the military converged under a cloak of secrecy at Los Alamos National Laboratory. As part of the Manhattan Project, Los Alamos — both its very existence and the work that went on there — was hidden from Americans during World War II.

Many of the thousands of scientists on the project were not officially aware of what they were working on. Though they were not permitted to talk to anyone about their work, including each other, by 1945 some had figured out that they were in fact building an atomic bomb.

In 1943 J. Robert Oppenheimer was named the director of the Bomb Project at Los Alamos, a self-contained area protected -- and completely controlled -- by the U.S. Army. Special driver's licenses had no names on them, just ID numbers. Credit: Courtesy of the Los Alamos National Laboratory Archives

Robert Oppenheimer's wife Kitty was not above scrutiny. All who were affiliated with the project -- and their spouses -- were thoroughly screened and had a security file with the FBI. Credit: Courtesy of the F.B.I.

Less than a year after Oppenheimer proposed using the remote desert site for the laboratory, Los Alamos was already home to a thousand scientists, engineers, support staff… and their families. By the end of the war the population was over 6,000, and the compound included amenities like this barber shop. Credit: Time Life/Getty Images

Atomic Bomb Project employees having lunch at Los Alamos. Though food was often in scant supply, residents made the best of life in their isolated community by putting on plays and organizing Saturday night square dances. Some singles’ parties in the dormitories reportedly served a brew of lab alcohol and grapefruit juice, cooled with dry ice out of a 32-gallon GI can. Credit: Copyright Bettmann/CORBIS

Completely self-contained, the Los Alamos facility did not officially exist in its early years except as a post office box. Scientists’ families were mostly kept in the dark about the nature of the project, learning the truth only after the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Credit: Courtesy of the Los Alamos National Laboratory Archives

Credited with inventing the cyclotron, University of California-Berkeley physicist Ernest Lawrence (squatting, center) looks on as Robert Oppenheimer points out something on the 184” particle accelerator. Harvard University supplied the cyclotron that was used to develop the atomic bomb. Credit: Copyright CORBIS

The Trinity bomb was the first atomic bomb ever tested. It was detonated in the Jornada del Muerto (Dead Man’s Walk) Desert, near Alamogordo, New Mexico, on July 16, 1945. The test was a resounding success. The United States would drop similar bombs on Japan just three weeks later. Credit: Courtesy of the Los Alamos National Laboratory Archives

Oppenheimer and General Leslie Groves inspect the melted remnants of the 100-foot steel tower that held the Trinity bomb. Ensuring that the testing of a bomb with unknown strength would remain completely secret, the government chose a location that was so remote they had to import their water from over 150 miles away. Credit: Copyright CORBIS

Oppenheimer and General Leslie Groves stand in front of a map of Japan, just five days before the bombing of Hiroshima. Credit: Copyright CORBIS

Though there was no evidence that Oppenheimer had betrayed his country in any way, several officials called his loyalty into question in the Cold War environment of 1954. After being subjected to months of hearings, “the most famous physicist in the world” eventually lost his government security clearance. Credit: Reprinted courtesy of TIME Magazine

[kalashni-cola]

Lets go..

@Shithead... no that's not right, @usefulidiot? Eeeeeeh @jamielovesjam since I have to.

Where to start..

Age of majority

The age of majority refers to the age at which an individual will be legally considered an adult. It is the age at which one will be subject to the full legal rights and responsibilities of an adult, including the right to vote, the right to join the military or the right to sign a contract. After reaching the age of majority, one will become fully responsible for their own actions, contractual obligations and other undertakings. Parental duties of support will also cease.  It is important to note that the age of majority does not necessarily conflate with the drinking age, smoking age, driving age, voting age, age of sexual consent, marriageable age etc. These will also vary from state by state and country by country. United States: 18/19/21* Netherlands: 18 United Kingdom: 21 Austria: 19 Sweden: 18 Canada: 18/19* Australia: 18 Switzerland: 20 Germany: 18 Japan: 18 France: 21 Belgium: 18 (Countries based on stupid purple circle graph by the US. SG office) (**Alabama and Mississippi being weird and some Canadian territories) The age of majority is 18 years in almost all OECD countries (Table PF1.8 A). (That's a official pdf) https://www.oecd.org/ Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (Oh and yes I did spell that right. They can't get their copyright right yeesh)

General consensus among most people is that at 18 you are an adult, Uncle Sam says you're old enough to be drafted at 18. The World Health Organization is a United Nations political tool that does not have a great track record at all. The UN/WHO have no say in US politics or policies at the end of the day.

Relative frequencies are often used to inform the general population instead of experts and they have some advantages for this use case:

relative frequencies always allow for integers instead of fractions, which is useful if the variable of interest only makes sense in integer format (e.g. 0.5 out of 100 humans or 0.3 out of 100 births is not helpful). If the occurrence is very low (say 1 in a million), percentages are also not pretty (0.0001%)

relative frequencies might be easier to visualize: 1 in 10 may make us think of 10 people we know; 10% is rather abstract. As Greg Snow pointed out, relative frequencies have a relation to the real world. If 100 000 people live in my city, 85/100 000 is easier to grasp.

there is actually also scientific theory about this, the "frequency format hypothesis": "The frequency format hypothesis is the idea that the brain understands and processes information better when presented in frequency formats rather than a numerical or probability format." (from Wikipedia)

and, finally, percentages are sometimes given without a reference class (% of what?)

So when you proclaim 36.4 per 1m with your purple graph, that's 0.00364% chance of death between your chosen demographic.

0.00364%* 1 in 15,300 people has a better chance of getting hit by lighting. (according to News Nation) That's 0.00653%**

See, pretty interesting how its not much of a difference in percentages but the numbers are widely different.

(I'll add the source of that 36.4 per 1m here (at least the Office of the USSG spelled the organization correctly, I'll give them that.)

I mean there is also the whole PDF by them.. You know so people can read the whole thing on which this data pieced from. before we dig into that PDF, lets go to the Unified Crime Report (UCR) from the FBI, our favorite Table 8.

I want to you look at these numbers carefully. Total homicides for 2019, 13,927 - The FBI include suicides in these statistics for the UCR, as suicide is typically recorded as a homicide/murder. Lets go over to the mess I like to call the "Crime Data Explorer", this is the new administration trying to be edgy for no reason with their data. Data set to the same year 2019.

That's 6,618 uses of weapons in a homicide. A little different than the 13,927 from the UCR. Lets go over to Table 9 You might like this because of the age brackets. Important to note we're still at 13,927 victims.

669 victims of homicide under the age of 18, and if you want to be semantic, 1,462 deaths of 19 and under. Some would think "Wow that's a big leap!" 17-19 account for a massive jump from 270 to 1,042. Most can and would attribute that to gang violence. Now lets jump to the new CDE.

1,048 victims 19 and below. Pretty close but no cigar to the UCR this time. Wondering where I'm going with this ey? Well there hasn't been a new UCR out since 2019. And quiet frankly the CDE is horrible to interact with and considering the variables I've found in it, I'd find them not very accurate. But if I would..

If we believe the CDE trend wise homicide is down, minus since 2020 its spiked a really shitty border might be a reason for that but I digress. (that means gun violence is as well by the way but otherwise down.) And if we want to look at 2022;

That's one hell of a jump if you ask me but also closer to the old UCR data though mildly increased. So in comparison the CDE does not have a good breakdown of their data into tables like the UCR. So all in all, I'd love to know where "48,204 total people died from firearm‑related injuries, including suicides, homicides, and unintentional deaths." As the PDF graphs you've give me to read. (Their number 2 source doesn't give the data they used for that quote btw) Because if they're trying to include suicides say from AFSP the say there were 27,032 suicides by firearms in 2022, but that doesn't stack well when there are suicides reported with homicide numbers in the UCR. So be it as it may. I see your PDF and I would trash it, even if it had some interesting tidbits like this;

I'd say Gang related or socioeconomic conditions may have something to do with this in urban centers and it's not necessarily a firearm issue. But anyways. Your tags are lame and there is no "etiquette of tags" on Tumblr reblogs. I tag things when they have relevance so I can find them later, or an initial post. Suck on my tags as they say.

[clonerightsagenda]

Going by Mr. Hope's logic if I write "I am the president of the United States" and pay like $50 to get it registered by the copyright office I'm the president now.

[braveclementine]

Berlin

Warnings: 18+readersonly, somewhat sexual flirting

Copyright: I do not own any Marvel characters or locations. However, I do own my OC Elizabeth Lightwood. I do not condone any copying of this.

Elizabeth had made a show of breaking her handcuffs and had pretty much fought all of them until they had allowed her to ride in the car with Bucky. They had put him in some sort of container that pissed her off, but you didn't see it as you were put into a different car with Steve, Sam, and T'Challa- who was the cat man.

"So you like cats?" Sam asked next to you, T'Challa and Steve being in the middle.

"Sam." Steve sighed.

"What? Dude shows up dressed like a cat, you don't wanna know more?" Sam hissed.

"Your suit. . . it's vibranium?" Steve asked.

He looked at Steve and for a moment you thought he wasn't even going to answer but then he said, "The Black Panther has been the protector of Wakanda for generations. A mantle, passed from warrior to warrior. And now, because your friend murdered my father, I also wear the mantle of a King."

"He didn't." You said softly. "I have been looking. . . we have been looking for Bucky for years. My friend, she comes from a planet called Asgard who has a man there by the name of Heimdall who can see the future. She brought me to Bucharest and we found him. We have been with him for a week. I do not know who blew up the UN or why Bucky was blamed, but he hasn't left the apartment."

No one else spoke, but you hoped they had listened.

🎃 :::::  🧡  ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━  🧡  ::::: 🎃

As you got out of the car, you saw the box they had put Bucky in. It was a huge container and your heart immediately went out to him. Elizabeth looked furious, standing by the box, a hand on the glass. They were trying to get her to move away from him, move to where you, Steve, Sam, and T'Challa were, but she wasn't budging.

Afraid that she was going to pull a Loki and stab someone, you called for her. She softened and looked at Bucky. She pressed her hand completely to the glass, said something to him, and then joined you.

"What's going to happen to him?" Steve and Elizabeth asked at the same time.

"Same thing that ought to happen to you. Psychological evaluation and extradition."

"This is Everett Ross, Deputy Task Force Commander."

"What about a lawyer?" Steve asked.

"Lawyer. That's funny."

"As a citizen of the United States and under the fifth amendment, he has every right to a lawyer." Elizabeth said, crossing her arms over her chest. "You might think he's guilty but because of the process, he's innocent until proven guilty. You're in the Government, you should know that."

"Funny, coming from someone whose soulmate is also a murderer." Ross said, sneering. "See their weapons are placed in lockup."

"You might not want to touch my weapons." Elizabeth smirked, "Some magic might. . . well let's not spoil the fun, shall we?"

"We'll write you a receipt."

"I better not look out the window and see anybody flying around in that." Sam threatened.

"You'll be provided with an office instead of a cell." Everett continued as they walked through the Berlin campus. "Now, do me a favour, stay in it?"

"I don't intend on going anywhere." T'Challa said.

"For the record," Natasha who apparently came out of nowhere said, joining Steve on his other side, "This is what making things worse looks like."

"He's alive." Steve said.

"He's innocent." Elizabeth said.

"No. Romania was not Accords-sanctioned." You heard Tony's voice up ahead and wondered if things could get worse. Or possibly better. "Colonel Rhodes is supervising cleanup."

"Try not to break anything while we fix this." Nat said over her shoulder.

"Consequences? You bet there will be consequences." Tony said into the phone, staring straight at you as he stood up and started to make his way towards the rest of you. "Obviously you can quote me on that, because I just said it. Anything else? Thank you, sir." He hung up.

"Consequences?" Steve asked.

"Secretary Ross wants the four of you prosecuted." Tony said. "Had to give him something."

"I'm not getting that shield back, am I?" Steve asked.

"Technically, it's the Government's property." Nat said. "Wings too."

"That's cold." Sam muttered.

"Technically, it never was." Elizabeth muttered and then paused, "On the shield anyway. Howard was never Government and the Government never gave Steve the shield but ya know, make up the rules as you go along so no one else can play. Fuck everyone here."

"Okay." Steve said, turning on you, "What the hell happened to 'I would never go look for your soulmate without you Steve'?"

"You were in London for Peggy. Someone had to go." You muttered.

"I wanted to make sure he was mentally sound before you went." Elizabeth sighed. "Give him someone that wasn't biased. You're biased Steve and I needed open minds."

"Tony seems colder than usual." Sam sighed.

"Er- I may have. . ." You looked over at Elizabeth and she rolled her eyes. "Damn, you really told him over the phone?"

"Look, in my defense I didn't want to wait." You protested.

"What?" Sam and Steve asked together.

You sighed, "Bucky. . . no, the Winter Soldier killed Tony's parents."

T'Challa snorted.

Elizabeth turned on the black panther and fired up immediately. "First off, I'll have you know that Bucky wasn't even there to kill your father, which I'm sorry for your loss. And for a second thing, I would love to see you try and fight mind manipulation when someone is forcing you to do something. Oh, that's right, you can't. Even Gods can be taken over so don't act all high and mighty like you could do better if they stuck you in a mind wiping machine and turned you into a monster."

She stormed up onto the platform.

"So. . ." Sam said awkwardly. "I'm guessing her and Barnes got along wonderfully?"

"Yeah." You said. "They. . ." You laughed a little. "they connected so easily, it was amazing. She's been helping bring his memories back slowly. He's been remembering his mom, his sister, teachers, you Steve, Peggy, some of the other members on his battalion. . . stuff like that. Doing memory games with him, introducing him to people he doesn't know and quizzing him on them. He's improved so much. . ."

"Hey, you wanna see something cool." Tony said. "I pulled something from dad's archives." Tony said, holding something up between his fingers. "Felt timely." Steve sat down in a chair. Since Tony seemed to be only talking to Steve, you and Sam stayed silent. "FDR signed the Lend-Lease bill with these in 1941. Provided support the allies when they need it the most."

Great Tony, fantastic. You thought. Show him something nearly as old as him, telling him that FDR used them to help Steve's side win the war. Perfect.

"Some would say it brought our country closer to war." Steve said.

"See? If not for these, you wouldn't be here. I'm trying to. . . what do you call it? That's an olive branch. Is that what you call it?"

"I'd call it blackmail or bribery, one of the two." Elizabeth called over her shoulder, staring at the TV screen that had Bucky on it.

The two of them muttered a bit and Tony stood up, "You know Dad was a pain in the ass, but he and mom made it work."

"You know, I'm glad Howard got married. I only knew him when he was young and single." Steve said.

"Oh, really. You two knew each other?" Tony asked sarcastically. "He never mentioned that. Maybe only a thousand times. God, I hated you."

"I don't mean to make things difficult." Steve sighed.

"I know, because you're a very polite person unlike cheetah cub over there," Tony jerked his finger at Elizabeth. T'Challa looked at her and she bared her teeth like fangs at Tony and hissed. You and Sam tried not to laugh.

"If I see a situation pointed south, I can't ignore it. Sometimes I wish I could."

"No you don't." Tony muttered.

Steve smiled. "No, I don't."

"Which is a good thing." Elizabeth said, "Means someone on the team has a moral compass."

"Hey, you know I took you in." Tony shouted back at her.

"Sometimes. . ."

"Sometimes I want to punch you in your perfect teeth." Tony sighed. "But I don't wanna see you gone. We need you, Cap. So far, nothing's happened that can't be undone, if you sign. We can make the last twenty-four hours legit. Barnes gets transferred to an American psych-Centre instead of a Wakandan prison."

You watched, shocked as Steve picked up one of the fountain pens. He stood up, twirling it in his hands. "I'm not saying it's impossible, but there would have to be safeguards."

"Sure. Once we put out the PR fire, those documents can be amended. I'd file a motion to have you and Wanda reinstated"

"Wanda? What about Wanda?" Steve asked. Sam and T'Challa had wandered off, perhaps bored of the conversation. Elizabeth had turned from the cameras though, staring at Steve like she didn't know who he was.

"She's fine. She's confined to the compound, currently. Vision is keeping her company."

"Oh, God, Tony. Every time I think you see things the right way- "

"It's one hundred acres with a lap pool!" Tony raised his voice to interrupt. "It's got a screening room. There's worse ways to protect people."

"Protection?" Steve asked. "Is that how you see this? This is protection? It's internment, Tony."

"She's not a U.S. Citizen!"

"Oh, come on, Tony."

Actually, Tony had a point. She wasn't a U.S. citizen, there were worst things that could've happened to her on that front.

"And they don't grant visas to weapons of mass destruction!"

"She's a kid!"

"Give me a break!" Tony shouted. "I'm doing what has to be done. To stave off something worse."

Steve nodded, "You keep telling yourself that." Steve held up the pen and placed it back with the other, "Hate to break up the set." And he walked out.

You sighed, walking up and sitting down next to Tony. "I'm sorry. This isn't. . . it's not your fault."

Tony reached out and you took his hand. He looked at you. "Barnes really is innocent?"

"Elizabeth never left his side." You whispered. "Especially after she found out he sleeps better when someone he trusts is next to him. He never left."

Tony nodded, "Elizabeth will have to stay on Earth a little longer as a key witness."

You nodded and then asked, "Where's Everleigh?"

"Fury and Hill are watching her. She's safe, you don't have to worry." Tony sighed.

It was silent and then you said, "Elizabeth's pregnant again. Triplets this time."

"Damn Loki has some good sp-"

"Stop." You slapped his shoulder playfully. "I don't need to hear about Loki like that."

Tony smiled a little and you sighed. "Tony. . .if I could have told you that terrible news face to face, I would have. But I didn't. . . I didn't want to bring Bucky back and-"

"I know." Tony said and he sighed. "I. . . I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around it, trying to understand. He killed my parents. . . but he didn't. It's just. . . I can't hurt anyone."

"Sometimes, we can't." You whispered. "Sometimes, we just have to know that we did what we could."

Tony leaned forward and kissed your forehead. "I love you."

"I love you too." You smiled.

"Who is that?" Elizabeth asked suddenly.

You and Tony broke apart and looked to see she was jabbing her thumb at a man who had joined the room Bucky was in.

"That's Barnes therapist." Tony explained.

"Hello Mr. Branes. I've been sent by the United Nations to evaluate you. Do you mind if I sit?"

Bucky didn't answer and the man pulled out the chair and sat down at the table. Elizabeth started to pace restlessly while you stood with Nat and Tony.

"Your first name is James?"

He didn't answer.

"I'm not here to judge you. I just want to ask you a few questions. Do you know where you are, James?"

He didn't answer.

"I can't help you if you don't talk to me, James."

"He hates being called James!" Elizabeth snapped at the screen. Steve looked at her in surprise.

"My name is Bucky." Bucky said and you smiled, biting your lower lip with your teeth. Good old Elizabeth.

"Why would the task force release this photo to begin with?" You heard Steve ask behind you and you saw Elizabeth tilt her head and knew she was listening too.

It was strange. Why had they released the photo? That didn't seem like something they should want to do at all, because then it would make said person hide even more.

"Get the word out, involve as many eyes as we can?" Sharon offered.

"Right. It's a good way to flush a guy out of hiding, especially if he didn't do the crime." Steve muttered. "Set off a bomb, get your picture taken, Get seven billion people looking for the Winter Soldier."

"You're saying someone framed him to find him?" Sharon asked.

"Steve, we looked for the guy for two years. Sam said. "and found nothing."

"We didn't bomb the UN. That turns a lot of heads."

"Yeah, but that doesn't guarantee that whoever framed him would get him. It guarantees that we would."

Your blood ran cold.

"Yeah." Steve muttered.

Elizabeth didn't even hesitate, slipping through the shadows, and running from the room. You continued to watch the screen now.

"Tell me Bucky, you've seen a great deal, haven't you?"

"I don't wanna talk about it."

"You fear that if you open your mouth, the horrors might never stop. Don't worry. We only have to talk about one."

Suddenly, the power went out.

"Sub level five. East wing." Sharon rattled off quickly. You, Sam, and Steve raced out of there.

🎃 :::::  🧡  ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━  🧡  ::::: 🎃

Elizabeth couldn't get the door open and she was panicking. She had tried unjamming it with anything she could find near the door, but it was locked. She breathed in deeply, trying not to cry. She could hear Bucky begging on the other side of the door for the man to stop while he used Bucky's trigger words.

"BUCKY!" She screamed. Maybe if she could be loud enough, maybe if she could cover up the words, maybe he wouldn't hear them. Maybe he wouldn't be triggered. "BUCKY!"

Bucky suddenly screamed on the other side of the door.

Magic.

She slammed the door open with turquoise whisps and looked around. The man was standing on the other side of the box. She ran for him as he spoke another word and went to tackle him.

She knocked him to the ground as Bucky slammed the entire door open and then punched him across the face. He froze, looking only for Bucky, and Elizabeth got to her feet quickly.

"Soldat?" He whispered.

Bucky said a single line in Russian and Elizabeth's heart fell out of her chest.

"Mission Report. December 16, 1991." Then Zemo looked over at Elizabeth, "Mission report and then snap her neck."

🎃 :::::  🧡  ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━  🧡  ::::: 🎃

Steve came storming into the room, grabbing the man off the floor, slamming him against the wall. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"To see an empire fall."

Sam entered the room too and Steve heard grunting. You turned to see Bucky there, fighting Sam. Elizabeth was unconscious, slung over Bucky's shoulder as Bucky grabbed Sam's chin and flung him at the cage they'd kept him in. Steve ducked as Bucky threw his fist at him.

It was surprising, the agility and skill that Bucky could still fight with Elizabeth on his shoulder. But Steve didn't really have time to be impressed as Bucky's fist whirred up and then shoved him down an elevator shaft.

Steve quickly used the elevator line to start getting himself out of the elevator shaft, tossing his jacket off and leaving it there.

🎃 :::::  🧡  ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━  🧡  ::::: 🎃

You ran through the building, looking over the balcony to see Bucky fighting everyone, an unconscious Elizabeth on his shoulder.

You didn't have time to wonder over the perplexity of it all. You had no idea what you could do. He was in soldier mode, which meant that he didn't know you.

But he knew Elizabeth well enough to. . . what was he even doing with her? Had he been the one to knock her unconscious? But if so, why was he carrying her? Was he trying to escape with her? But Elizabeth would have been more than willing to fight by his side. So. . .

You watched as Tony hit him with a sound wave, then a light wave. The two of them fought until Bucky tried shooting him, Tony's own metal hand blocking the bullet. Tony pulled the gun casing off and then Bucky kicked him into a chair. Said chair skidded through the other tables and such with Tony in it.

"Bucky!" You shouted down at him.

Sharon and Natasha started to fight him and he dropped Elizabeth. You hopped over the balcony as Bucky slammed Nat into a table. T'Challa kicked him in the shoulder.

You tapped Elizabeth's cheek but she was out cold.

Bucky managed to kick T'Challa away, then shoved you into T'Challa so that the two of you got tangled with each other. When T'Challa got off of of you, you saw Bucky with Elizabeth in his arms, already up the staircase.

"What the hell does he want with her?" You groaned, staggering to your feet and cracking your back.

T'Challa pulled some really crazy cat moves and then they tumbled down some stairs. And then, Bucky and Elizabeth were gone.

🎃 :::::  🧡  ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━  🧡  ::::: 🎃

You had met up with Sam and the two of you had met up with Steve who had dragged Bucky and Elizabeth out of a crashed helicopter that happened to end up in the water. You all went to a warehouse.

You texted Tony so he knew you were okay and said it would take some time for you to get to him. Then you tossed your phone.

It took some time to bring Elizabeth around. She explained that Zemo had ordered him to snap her neck, but he resisted somehow and only knocked her out.

"Hey Cap!" Sam yelled. You and Steve joined Sam and Elizabeth in the room Bucky was in. They had winched his metal arm in a machine, much to Elizabeth's displeasure.

"Steve." Bucky croaked. "Elizabeth."

"Which Bucky am I talking to?" Steve asked while Elizabeth hesitantly knelt by his side.

"Your mom's name was Sarah." He chuckled, "You used to wear newspapers in your shoes."

"Can't read that in a museum." Steve said, a faint smile on his lips.

"Just like that, we're supposed to be cool?" Sam asked.

"What did I do?" Bucky asked.

"Enough." Steve said.

"Oh, God, I knew this would happen." Bucky groaned. "Everything HYDRA put inside me is still there. All he had to do was say the goddamn words."

Suddenly, there was a brilliant flash of rainbow light and you all looked over in surprise.

"Loki!" Elizabeth jumped to her feet, going over and embracing the black haired man. You all just stared in shock.

"Hello pet." Loki purred, kissing the top of her head.

"Loki." Steve greeted him with confusion.

"I'm not staying." Loki wrinkled his nose. "I just came to give you these."

He handed Elizabeth a small container. She kissed him on the lips and he smiled. "Just stay safe pet, okay? You've got three little kittens inside of you that you need to take care of."

Steve and Bucky raised an eyebrow before exchanging a meaningful look, and Sam gaged, "I'm going to be sick."

You couldn't wait to tell Tony.

Loki glared at Steve. "You better protect her Rogers or I'll cut off your head and do it like the Romans. Or whatever the saying is."

Elizabeth giggled again, kissing Loki passionately again.

"Heimdall get me off this accursed planet." Loki shouted at the sky and then he was gone again.

"That was interesting." Sam muttered.

Steve looked back at Bucky. "Who was he? The man that used the words."

"I don't know."

"People are dead. The bombing, the setup, the doctor did all that just to get ten minutes with you." Steve said.

"He asked for a missions report." Elizabeth said, paying attention to the box Loki had given her, the green-blue whisps going into it. "For December. . . was it 16 of 1991?"

"He wanted to know about Siberia." Bucky sighed. "Where I was kept. He wanted to know exactly where."

"Why would he need to know that?" Steve demanded.

"Because I'm not the only Winter Soldier."

"Dun dun dun!" Elizabeth muttered.

Steve glared at her but Bucky smiled a little.

"Who were they?" Steve asked.

"You're no fun." Elizabeth muttered.

"Their most elite death squad. More kills than anyone in HYDRA history. And that was before the serum."

"They all turn out like you?" Sam asked.

"Worse."

"The doctor, could he control them?"

"Enough."

"Said he wanted to see an empire fall." Steve sighed.

"With these guys, he could do it." Bucky said. "They speak thirty languages, can hide in plain sight, infiltrate, assassinate, destabilize. They can take a whole country down in one night, you'd never see them coming."

"This would have been a lot better a week ago." Sam muttered.

"If we call Tony-"

"He won't believe us."

"Even if he did-"

"Who knows if the Accords would let us help." Sam finished.

"We're on our own." Steve sighed.

Sam shrugged, "Maybe not. I know a guy."