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Drafting Bono To Fight Copy Protection?

Too Much Free Time

from the seems-like-a-stretch dept

Thu, Jun 29th 2006 9:12pm — Mike Masnick
Whether you like U2 frontman Bono or not, he definitely has access to various influential leaders around the world. Combined with his rockstar position, that's why one group seems to think he'd make the perfect pitchman in the fight against overly aggressive copy protection schemes by the recording industry. This seems like a huge stretch. With a number of musicians coming to that conclusion on their own, it seems pointless to push for Bono to join them. Let him focus on the causes he wants to focus on, and let the musicians who really do care about these issues fight for them.
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31 Comments

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  • identicon
    Chris, 30 Jun 2006 @ 12:17am

    Why Bono?

    They should chose someone whom people actually would _willingly_ listen to their music to talk about music downloading...

    *shutters at U2*

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Spike, 30 Jun 2006 @ 6:02am

      Re: Why Bono?

      Yea, because you know, the millions of albums U2 sells is irrelevant to the fact that you don't like them. Obviously no one willingly listens because you don't. Genius.

      I have to concur with the majority here, though. No one that devotes time to charity should be 'drafted' to do so. If they do devote time to charity, it should be of THEIR choice. Not requested.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 9 Mar 2007 @ 1:58pm

      Re: Why Bono?

      Your an idiot!

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Sohrab, 30 Jun 2006 @ 12:44am

    I personally love U2 and their music. Regardless of liking or disliking their music, I think it cannot be denied how much the group or atleast Bono has done for charaties and much respect goes out to him.

    I also agree though, let the man focus on his fights for poverty and africa and not music copy right laws

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 30 Jun 2006 @ 6:36am

      Re:

      If Bono is so charitable then why isn't he living in a Winnebago with only enough money to pay for his basic needs, he's a hypocritical ass. At least I can say with a clear conscience, there's no way in hell I'm supporting anything he is.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Christopher, 30 Jun 2006 @ 7:06am

      Re:

      I think you missed the boat. If Bono is such a caring and compassionate person why is he based out or Ireland?

      TAX BREAKS! A man who encourages Governments to spend spend spend on poverty is doing everything he can to ensure his money stays in his pocket.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        garrett, 30 Jun 2006 @ 7:36am

        Re: Re:

        he's based out of Ireland because that's where he grew up.
        Taxes are not the reason.

        [ link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        CosmicDog, 30 Jun 2006 @ 7:43am

        Re: Based out of Ireland

        Re: by Christopher on Jun 30th, 2006 @ 7:06am
        I think you missed the boat. If Bono is such a caring and compassionate person why is he based out or Ireland?
        TAX BREAKS! A man who encourages Governments to spend spend spend on poverty is doing everything he can to ensure his money stays in his pocket.

        Dude, are you kidding? He is lives in Ireland because he is Irish! As far as the tax breaks, I couldn't tell you about tax breaks in the UK, but I do know that if you work in the USA (like Bono does most of the time), you have to pay taxes in the USA. Besides, Bono is smart enough to know that he can't solve poverty or pay for AIDS medications all by himself. These things cost Billions of dollars, which is why he petitions governments. He and his wife have made many trips to Africa to do what they can since the early 1980's. Your ignorance is appalling.

        [ link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 30 Jun 2006 @ 8:26am

        Re: Re:

        "Re: by Christopher on Jun 30th, 2006 @ 7:06am

        I think you missed the boat. If Bono is such a caring and compassionate person why is he based out or Ireland?

        TAX BREAKS! A man who encourages Governments to spend spend spend on poverty is doing everything he can to ensure his money stays in his pocket."

        Maybe because HE IS IRISH?!?!?!?!?!?!?

        [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Clair Ching, 30 Jun 2006 @ 12:49am

    Advocacy

    Some people still think that it's one influential person's move that could tip the scales. But I personally agree with you on this one. The musicians who actually care about this matter and will give time to it should be the ones doing so. Their collective voice will be heard.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    DV Henkel-Wallace, 30 Jun 2006 @ 4:20am

    Mike, it depends on who the audience is

    Your write-up appeared to assume that other musicians were the audience. But it's more likely the press, public and congress. In that context it's more likely that this guy could be a good "poster child."

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Jimmy Bear Pearson, 30 Jun 2006 @ 5:38am

    Indeed...

    I think Bono would probably have a strong impact if he lent time and effort to working towards efforts to make copy protection (at least) non-draconian.

    However, I must agree: Bono has had a positive influence on millions of lives (with his charitable works and other efforts). Let him do what he does best, and let him do that in which he believes.

    It has been my personal experience (as a musician and a mentor) that younger/new musicians are already fairly aware of what the industry is tending to do/not do. They're pretty darn smart, and get the big picture - they get it far better than for which many give them credit.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Cognsocenti, 30 Jun 2006 @ 6:07am

    A Standing Issue With Bono

    Bono's brought the industry to task many times on over-commoditization of music. His speech at U2's Hall of Fame induction ceremony is one example:

    "That's what I'd like you to take away from tonight. I would like to ask the music business to look at itself and ask itself some hard questions. Because there would be no U2 the way things are right now. That's a fact."

    Full transcript.

    All that said, however, I think Techdirt's point still stands. Regardless of how advocates see the potential of Bono's influence on the issue, or of how personally invested Bono himself feels on the increasingly draconian measures under consideration, the world has associated him with concerns far nobler and more humanitarian than mundane DRM. In a way, his presence in the debate pit would just make matters worse.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Mike, 30 Jun 2006 @ 6:49am

    Never going to happen!

    You think Apple would stand for this? On one hand, he's out there rallying against DRM, while on the other he's telling people to buy his band's branded we're-not-gonna-license-our-drm-to-noone music player? Sorry, Steve Jobs would force feed him his sunglasses if he tried to pull that one on him.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    garrett, 30 Jun 2006 @ 6:49am

    bono, love him or hate him...

    Bono has always used his position and notoriety to accomplish good things. Who cares about his motivation for doing it? Does a child dying of starvation in Africa care why Bono is helping to persuade the world’s powers to contribute more to the Global fund? Do they care why he’s developed the ONE Campaign to fight extreme poverty around the world? No, they only care that they have food, or clean water. Bono is making a difference in a place that most people have found more convenient to just ignore. I'll take one Bono over ten other rock stars that spend their time and money getting drunk and stoned.
    I listen to people say how annoying Bono is, or how much they hate his soap box speeches at U2 concerts. Well guess what dude, you know who his name and you probably know his message. Half of what he was trying to accomplish has been achieved. While writing this I was trying to think of one stoner or drunken rock star that has come outa rehab recently and I couldn’t. But I know Bono's name and I know what he stands for. He’s met the Pope and he was named person of the year by Time magazine. People that are just looking for a little publicity don’t receive those honors.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    JoeyPoey, 30 Jun 2006 @ 7:10am

    C'mon...

    I would hope that Bono (and any other respectable sane person) would have better things to do than help out these chumps.

    They have plenty of help already; a Murder of Lawyers, a handful of pet musicians, and all the sennators and congressmen on their payrolls.

    They don't need Bono.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    brad, 30 Jun 2006 @ 7:13am

    get a life

    seriously are you going to try to justify hating a man who has saved millions of lives because he lives in (surprise) the same country he is from?

    GET A LIFE

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    BIG s, 30 Jun 2006 @ 7:38am

    Reply to "why bono is based out of Ireland."

    While there is the chance that he chooses to base himself out of Ireland for certain tax benefits, but it is possible that he bases himself out of ireland BECAUSE HE'S IRISH!

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    ehrichweiss, 30 Jun 2006 @ 8:13am

    I guess nobody ever heard about Negativland

    Do some research about U2's role in suing the living hell out of the band Negativland and you might come to a different conclusion about those jerks. The essence of the story is, Negativland used soundbites of Casey Kasem and U2's Still Haven't Found What I'm Suckin...err, Looking For, and U2 decided that instead of simply giving a cease-and-desist, they served them with a 110 page lawsuit within 2 weeks of the album being released. The lawsuit was dismissed but Negativland had to pay for U2's attorneys which damn near bankrupted them(think 6 digits) and definitely put SST Records in the hole.

    U2 attempted to deny this was them and placed blame on Island Records BUT as luck would have it, you can't bury the truth no matter how much bullshit you pile on top of it and the truth was brought out a couple years ago when one of the members of Negativland was giving a lecture at Harvard on music and copyrights. Through some research and logic he deduced that it would have had to have been someone incredibly close to U2 in order to get them aware of it and a lawsuit filed and he narrowed it down to a store in Georgia and figured out it was REM's manager(maybe it was their road manager, I forget now). Anyway, he confronted the guy about it during the lecture and the guy admitted it was him and he forwarded it to U2 directly and that he, the manager, just found the album pretty funny and thought they'd get a kick out of it. U2 apparently didn't think it that funny. You can see this on video on Harvard's intellectual property website where you can then verify everything I've said.

    So... FU2!!!!!!!!!!!! You can go to Negativland's website http://www.negativland.com and find the songs I'm referring to as they were somehow able to still distribute them without the album cover.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      CosmicDog, 30 Jun 2006 @ 1:44pm

      Re: I guess nobody ever heard about Negativland

      Just because so and so forwarded something to U2 doesn't mean they were the ones to take action. Try to get a hold of the lawsuit and see who's named as the plaintiff's. Chances are, it won't be U2. The legal issue at heart mechanical reproduction rights (i.e. sampling, recording, ect), which are not, usually, held by the artists, but by the recording label. In other words, whoever paid for the original recording owns the rights to those recordings and is entitled to legal recourse if those recordings are used without their permission. U2 would only be entitled to sue if the lyrics were reproduced without their permission on paper or online, or if the songs were performed publicly or recorded by another band/artist, without their permission.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    a smart @$$, 30 Jun 2006 @ 8:35am

    Drafting Bono To Fight Copy Protection?

    I've been using P2P networks for years in order to find the perfect song, but I still haven't found what I'm looking for.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    windpunk, 30 Jun 2006 @ 8:51am

    BONO.. WHo?

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    windpunk, 30 Jun 2006 @ 8:54am

    BONO.. WHo?

    Even if my favorite musician told me not to download music i dont think i would listen to what he says. Theres a difference between listening to their music and listening to them talk. Why dont they sing about not downloading music

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    mike, 30 Jun 2006 @ 9:11am

    have a lil respect

    i think u2 deserves abit of respect, they used to be one of the greatest bands. While i think its a bit much to try to get Bono to back this whole copy rights protection scheme, i do regretfully say the music business wouldnt resort to this if it wasnt for declining sales due to all the free downloading of filles. I'm no saint myself on that matter. I also think anonymous sounds like jerry springer trailer trash with the same IQ as my dog. You become a rockstar for many reasons money is one of them, don't hate the musician just because you cant afford to gas up your winnebago.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    anonymous coward, 30 Jun 2006 @ 10:09am

    bono should stick to solvable problems, like third world debt...

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 30 Jun 2006 @ 10:15am

    Pearl Jam?

    I'd think Pearl Jam (or Eddie Vedder if you need a face) would be a better choice. They've already taken on the FCC and Ticketmaster, so I think DRM would be closer to their pet causes.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 30 Jun 2006 @ 3:56pm

      Re: Pearl Jam?

      I like that idea way more than U2, they're old, overrated, and have some of the worst lyrics ever.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]


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