A company collecting royalties on behalf of Hollywood studios has illegally demanded payments from kindergartens in Ireland. The MPLC requested 10 Euros ($14.00) per child per annum, so that they can watch DVDs legally. However, by doing so they breached the 2000 Copyright Act since MPLC failed to register with the Patent Office.

After rumors surfaced on the Web a few months back that a new Kindle might be on the way, Amazon.com did its best to shoot them down, saying a new Kindle was not coming this year. Well, Boy Genius Report has gotten ahold of some photos that appear to be the Kindle 2, so we’re curious what Amazon has to say now.

From the looks of the new device, Amazon has tried to address some of the criticisms of the Kindle, most of which revolve around its somewhat homely design and a few poorly placed buttons. The shape has been modified to make the new Kindle more attractive, but it appears Amazon is sticking with the same off-white color scheme–for better or worse.

The Boy Genius Report’s mole or “ninja,” has some comments about the new Kindle. First, ninja says the device is basically the same size as the older model, but is thinner and has “a slightly heavier feel, and it feels much sturdier.” The source indicates the new model uses the same cellular EV-DO network for downloads (it’s Sprint’s network in the current model) and a metal back is visible in some of the pictures. I particularly appreciated the look of the new leather carrying pouch for the device since I don’t like the existing Kindle’s protective case.