A key fact that is left out of the TechDirt post is that the UBC researchers instructed participants on how to manipulate the toss. Therefore, it is misleading to simply say, "if you ask people to try flip a coin and get more heads than tails, they will." Simply "trying" is not enough.
I'm an organizer of Alchemy, a Burning Man regional burn in Georgia. Here's what we did with our IP:
http://alchemyfestival.com/about/terms.html
In the interest of giving as much ownership of the event as possible to the participants in the event, we waive all copyright and IP rights to the Alchemy Logo. This means that you are free to use the Alchemy Logo, pictured to the left, in whatever way you want, including ways that we personally might disagree with, such as for personal profit. This also means that it is up to you to use the logo responsibly and to decide whether or not you want to reward others who might use the logo in ways that are not consistent with the Principles around which the event is organized. It's your (intellectual) property; please take good care of it.
Although we waive all rights to the logo, we retain all rights and trademarks to the phrase, "Alchemy: The Georgia Burn." If you would like to use this term, please contact us at board@alchemyfestival.com to request permission. Blanket permission is granted to use this term on any item or in any performance that is distributed for free and exclusively at an Alchemy-sponsored event. In other words, if you're making schwag to give away at the event, or if you're planning a performance at the event, you are free to use the event's title. If you're not sure, email us to ask for permission, and we'll probably give it to you.
Currently, Alchemy LLC sponsors only two events: The Alchemy Festival itself and the Alchemy Art Fundraiser that occurs in the summer. If you see any other events using the Alchemy logo to promote themselves, you are welcome to contact board@alchemyfestival.com to determine whether they are actually associated with Alchemy or not.
[CC0 LOGO]
To the extent possible under law, Alchemy Festival, LLC has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to The Alchemy Logo. This work is published from United States.
If you look at the bottom of your registration when you check in, you will often (always?) see text like the following: "Please call the front desk to refuse delivery of USA Today. If refused, a credit of $0.75 will be applied to your bill."
My point is that the hotels may not "save a lot of money" because they are already passing the cost of the paper on to you. What I think will happen is that the system will shift from an opt-out to an opt-in model.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1697475
If a human flips a coin starting on heads, it tends to come up heads.
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2009/12/07/tech-coin-toss.html
A key fact that is left out of the TechDirt post is that the UBC researchers instructed participants on how to manipulate the toss. Therefore, it is misleading to simply say, "if you ask people to try flip a coin and get more heads than tails, they will." Simply "trying" is not enough.
http://robert.accettura.com/blog/2009/08/24/coin-tosses-not-totally-random/
Finally, coins themselves are not inherently fair.