Greece Stares Into the Abyss; Meanwhile, Local Music And Audiovisual Collecting Society Gets Court Order To Block Web Sites

from the question-of-priorities dept

As you may have heard, Greece is having a spot of bother at the moment. Its economy shrank by 6.2% in the last three months alone, and the austerity measures imposed in return for international loans to keep the country running have contributed to a 40% jump in the suicide rate.

But the Greek music and audiovisual collecting society hasn't let a little thing like a national meltdown prevent it from tackling the really serious problems in life -- like stopping people sharing files online (Greek original):

The Court of First Instance Court in Athens accepted the request of the collecting society for music and audiovisual works to order, among other things, that the Greek ISPs should take technical measures to make it impossible for their subscribers to access Web sites through which illegal posting and exchange of works can take place.

Amidst the deepening Greek tragedy, it's good to see someone offering a little comedy.

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Filed Under: collection society, file sharing, greece


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  1. icon
    PaulT (profile), 25 May 2012 @ 12:11am

    "Greek ISPs should take technical measures to make it impossible"

    Nice to see they want the impossible to be achieved themselves...

    "Web sites through which illegal posting and exchange of works can take place."

    a.k.a. the entire web. Yeah, this will work and is not in any way a waste of time and resources...

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    Prisoner 201, 25 May 2012 @ 12:20am

    Re:

    Yeah.. anywhere you could host a file or post a magnet link will have to go.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    Digitari, 25 May 2012 @ 12:21am

    Re:

    of course it is possible, like when pigs fly, hell freezes and honest politicians get elected...........

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. icon
    drew (profile), 25 May 2012 @ 12:34am

    Re: Re:

    Or when Greece's collapse completes to the point where they can no longer pay their power bills and they loose the internet...

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. icon
    Josef Anvil (profile), 25 May 2012 @ 12:52am

    ???

    "Greek ISPs should take technical measures to make it impossible for their subscribers to access Web sites through which illegal posting and exchange of works can take place."

    Ummm... so a Greek court is ordering the cutting off of all internet access????

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 25 May 2012 @ 1:00am

    Re: Re:

    this is really getting scary! governments all around the globe are starting to block websites engaged in illegal, unethical and exploitative business practices... I'm starting to lose my grip... who will be next? by xmas we could all be CHINESE!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 25 May 2012 @ 1:00am

    like stated, nothing more important than file sharing and copyright infringement. with sentences now up to life imprisonment for participating in this despicable act, murder is falling down the list of 'serious crimes'.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 25 May 2012 @ 1:25am

    Everything should be free.

    Please come clean my house for free. Thanks.

    Oh wait, you can't because cleaning can't be digitized?

    So what?

    /sarc

    You've chosen to live in a society. Deal with it.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  9. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 25 May 2012 @ 1:41am

    Re:

    Glad to see you're finally learning about the laws of physics.
    A few more years, and you'll be able to dress yourself.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  10. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 25 May 2012 @ 1:49am

    Re:

    What kind of society prioritises intellectual property over national debt and negative trends such as suicide? The lunatics' society?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  11. icon
    drew (profile), 25 May 2012 @ 2:02am

    Re: Re: Re:

    Surely even you recognise the sheer idiocy of this statement "that the Greek ISPs should take technical measures to make it impossible for their subscribers to access Web sites through which illegal posting and exchange of works can take place."?
    Impossible to access any websites through which illegal exchange of works can take place also eliminates the sites that allow exchange of legal works.
    Surely, surely, you can see that this is an over-reaching and detrimental step?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  12. identicon
    acslawarecrooks, 25 May 2012 @ 2:02am

    Greek Tragedy

    If this wasn't so serious it would be funny!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  13. icon
    drew (profile), 25 May 2012 @ 2:07am

    Re:

    I'm assuming that this is an anti-freetard rant? It's a bit confused, but I'll approach it in that regard.
    So, one step at a time:
    "Everything should be free."
    Right, let's find the people who are saying that please?

    "Please come clean my house for free. Thanks."
    That would be a service that is discrete, as opposed to a product that is near-infinitely abundant.

    "Oh wait, you can't because cleaning can't be digitized?"
    This is progress. You now recognise that analogue scarcities don't translate to digital abundances.


    "You've chosen to live in a society. Deal with it."
    Umm, we are, we're not the ones trying to throttle the communication mechanisms of that society. That, last time i looked, would be the legacy industries discovering that they are unable to deal with society.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  14. icon
    The eejit (profile), 25 May 2012 @ 2:31am

    Re: Re:

    The Altar of Asylum just outside the Capitol, upon which the creative ventures sacrifice the free-will and liberty for short-term gains.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  15. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 25 May 2012 @ 2:50am

    Greek people living in real poverty, having to hoke through bins just to find food and they are more worried about illegal file sharing?

    If the whole Eurozone don't get their priorities right we are looking at decades of hardship for anyone not born with a silver spoon.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  16. icon
    Titania Bonham-Smythe (profile), 25 May 2012 @ 3:33am

    Maybe, introducing an Internet lockdown to repress freedom of speech is what the Greek government needs right now, to stem a mechanism of civil unrest. Maybe they are just using illegal filesharing as the excuse. Hey, call me a conspiracy theorist.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  17. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 25 May 2012 @ 4:17am

    Re: Re:

    You now recognise that analogue scarcities don't translate to digital abundances.

    Snore.

    People breaking the law with new technology is seriously the OLDEST STORY IN THE WORLD.

    Good lord.

    as opposed to a product that is near-infinitely abundant.

    aaand why do you describe the situation as "near-infinitely abundant"?

    Ignoring of course, the rather dystopian wishful thinking on your part.

    And I'd have a few album requests for you, if that was actually true...

    link to this | view in thread ]

  18. identicon
    DUMBASS POLITICIANS, 25 May 2012 @ 4:19am

    30000 dollar gold toilet

    sell your gold toilet first

    link to this | view in thread ]

  19. identicon
    Anonymous Coward With A Unique Writing Style, 25 May 2012 @ 4:40am

    Re: Re: Re:

    Well, since this is an obvious troll type post I know I shouldn't respond to it, but I'm going to to point out the stupidity of it anyway.

    In a country that is barely keeping afloat and where the suicide rate has jumped 40% due to the failing economy, it stands to reason that there are WAY MORE IMPORTANT ISSUES to focus on solving than whether or not people are downloading a song or movie.

    But yet again, people like you show their true colors. "Oh, you can't pay your bills or feed yourself because the economy is in the sh*tter and nearly half your family has committed suicide? F*ck you, pay me." That's essentially the gist of this kind of thing. And it's always amusing to see your type complain about exploiting others, yet you don't see the irony in going to court to force others to do your work for you. It's no one else's problem, well not usually unless a court ruling goes your way, to fix your f*ck ups. If you aren't able to beat piracy through the obvious methods (like I don't know... OFFERING THE CONTENT GLOBALLY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND AT REASONABLE PRICES WITH NO STRINGS ATTACHED) then it's no one's job to find a solution for you.

    Also, it's amusing you used the phrase "illegal, unethical and exploitative business practices" when we all know what website or two you're specifically referring too. "HOW MUCH DOES THE PIRATE BAY GIVE ARTISTS?!" That'd be you right? You don't have to answer, those of us who can read recognize your writing and your usual favorite words. The Pirate Bay, as has been repeatedly explained, is not a business. It is NOT a label. It is NOT hosting any content. And so on and so forth. I know you'll still keep repeating the same stupidity, so I honestly don't know why I bother.

    But speaking of, what do you call a business that withholds royalty payments from artists? And also tries to have someone sneak interesting tidbits about removing artists rights to take back their work if it's been X amount of years, like a thief in the night, into a bill that's in progress? Is that ethical? Is that not exploitative? Isn't that illegal? Oh, but it's the labels doing that, so it's okay. [palm meet face]

    "I'm starting to lose my grip..."

    You don't have to state the obvious. We all realized that some time ago. But I guess the first step on the road to recovery is admitting you have a problem, so way to go.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  20. identicon
    Digitari, 25 May 2012 @ 4:59am

    Re:

    ..Just because you are paranoid, doesn't mean that they aren't watching you............

    link to this | view in thread ]

  21. icon
    Ninja (profile), 25 May 2012 @ 5:01am

    That's how our current system works. It has no sympathy for any1 except money. Greeks are not at fault for the current situation. The Govt is along with the EU. They should default and every1 involved should pay the price, the austerity measures requested by the bail out idiots are not human. Just like the system isn't human.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  22. icon
    Marcel de Jong (profile), 25 May 2012 @ 5:28am

    Re:

    And even the silver spoons will be silverplated at best.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  23. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 25 May 2012 @ 5:43am

    Re: Greek Tragedy

    Quick, quick: Go to the Oracle of Delphi and download a plan for the future!

    Oh, snap, apparently the Oracle has to be killed by the gods for knowing too much.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  24. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 25 May 2012 @ 6:09am

    They're just fiddling around.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  25. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 25 May 2012 @ 6:10am

    Re: Re: Re:

    U mad bro?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  26. icon
    Anonymous Monkey (profile), 25 May 2012 @ 6:58am

    Re: Re:

    Or hosting ANY content. Since the browser you use to view the web page you're on now has to FIRST download it to your computer, then READ it, and then DOWNLOAD any pictures/video referenced in the webpage. So all the internet MUST be put to a stop so we can stop all sharing of infringing content....

    The internet is a massive digital replicator. Everything is a copy. Otherwise it wouldn't be able to work as well as it does.

    It's just sad.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  27. icon
    DanZee (profile), 25 May 2012 @ 7:20am

    Not Greece

    Well, it's probably not the Greek government pushing for this but rather the RIAA, MPAA and their European cousins.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  28. icon
    drew (profile), 27 May 2012 @ 1:20pm

    Re: Re: Re:

    "You now recognise that analogue scarcities don't translate to digital abundances.
    Snore."
    Well, ok, you can ignore that if you like, I wouldn't recommend it.

    "People breaking the law with new technology is seriously the OLDEST STORY IN THE WORLD."
    Yep, about 5 minutes older than legacy industries whining to their representative.

    "aaand why do you describe the situation as "near-infinitely abundant"?"
    Because once you have a digitised file that's what it is! Limited only by global storage space that is, as close as is relevant, to infinite.

    "Ignoring of course, the rather dystopian wishful thinking on your part."
    I would argue that this distopian vision is the one that is framed by the idea of regressive legislation every time a new technology comes to market.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  29. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 28 May 2012 @ 4:18am

    Someone in US is giving some gifts to someone in Greece.
    Funny thing is when the young greeks will start to burn records and movies shops.

    link to this | view in thread ]


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