RIAA's New War: Shutting Down The Equivalent Of Internet VCRs
from the the-virtual-boston-strangler dept
The entertainment industry just won't quit trying to kill perfectly legal technologies with substantial non-infringing uses. Back during the big legal fight over Grokster, the RIAA insisted that it had absolutely no interest in stopping technologies people used to record things. In fact, Consumer Electronics Association CEO Gary Shapiro reminded them of this promise after the RIAA went after XM Radio's device to record broadcasts. It appears that the RIAA has no problem continuing to go against its word. Its latest move is to send a letter to CNET, asking it to remove tools from Download.com that can be used to record videos from YouTube. Of course, there a tons of legitimate uses for such tools. Just as you can legally record shows off of TV (thank you Supreme Court), you should be able to record stuff on YouTube (related: shame on Google for blocking such tools as well).Of course, from the parts of the RIAA's request that have been made public by Greg Sandoval at CNET, it sounds like the RIAA isn't directly making a legal threat (which would be tough, given CNET's role as a fourth party service provider for third party tools which might be used to infringe), but rather appealing to its parent company, CBS, arguing that because such tools and their substantial non-infringing uses might also be used to record CBS content (again, just like the VCR), that they should want to put an end to them.. Thankfully, it sounds like CNET has no interest in complying.
However, given the RIAA's promises during the Grokster case that it had no interest in blocking such technologies, it seems that, once again, the RIAA has been shown as liars who have no compunction about blocking perfectly legal technologies, just because they haven't figured out how to adapt to modern times.
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Filed Under: gary shapiro, recording, supreme court
Companies: cbs, cnet, google, grokster, riaa, youtube
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See you guys...
No sooner had I finished the last note then a team of leather clad RIAA ninjas broke down my front door and handcuffed me on the spot. My neighbors and their newborn were brought out at gunpoint for the audacity of broadcasting my performance over a Skype conversation with their relatives.
Needless to say, I've quite my freetard ways. We're all in a re-education camp and have learned to leave music to the professionals, and that listening without permission is tantamount to stealing.
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$3.2 million down the toilet
The remaining $3 million should go into a fund to help artists who've been screwed over by the RIAA. Not the labels via bad contracts, I mean the artist whom had legitimate use of many products and services the RIAA has succeeded in shutting down.
It may not be much when split across the large number of artists who've been hurt by the RIAA antics, but it's better than nothing (or ASCAP or SOCAN).
Then take Barry Sookman's salary, cut that to $80k and give the rest to a fund to help those who have been wrongfully sued (don't ask for it if you were really sharing files only, if you were not).
Finally, make it illegal to lobby government for laws via any financial means, direct or indirect. Any attempt to destroy products that have both good and bad uses (knives are OK, they are used to kill people or cut food - but they are not banned) as an attempt to maintain monopolistic control should result in extradition to Antarctica.
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You want to propose some subsitute language? Instead of:
Perhaps it should be amended to read, �Congress shall be empowered to prohibit people from suggesting legislation. Anybody who really annoys Congress with inopportune petitioning may be thrown in jail.�
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Re: Well to be fair...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_Home_Recording_Act
"The RIAA and music publishers, concerned that consumers' ability to make perfect digital copies of music would destroy the market for audio recordings..."
They were 100% correct. Consumers' ability to acquire perfect digital copies of music did destroy the market for audio recordings.
And the world did not fall into chaos.
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The tipping point is nigh.
The tipping point is nigh.
The RIAA and its ilk are like Hosni Mubarak (always much-hated and now on their way out with only crooked pseudo-government and expensive life-support keeps them from flat-lining completely).
And like in Mubarak's case, everyone will celebrate by dancing on their graves when they're finally gone for good.
And not a moment too soon at that.
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Your reading of Sony is a bit of wishful thinking. It's not that simple. Even Prof. Goldman in the linked-to article says it's murky. I'll take his analysis over yours on that point.
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Since its legal to record what's on TV, and Youtube is being shown on my TV...
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me: thats not what she said!
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It's Google's API, so I suppose they could block it if the reason is legit (eg overuse). If they are blocking because the RIAA said so, then yes, shame on them.
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I think it would be better for them if they let everyone in your family download your niece's recital, as it would free up resources, but I think they should be allowed to disallow downloads.
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Additionally, service providers and software makers who provide a means of bypassing technological measures designed to prevent unauthorized copying (streaming tech is likely such a measure) may be liable under DMCA section 1201(b) for $200 to $2,500 "per act of circumvention, device, product, component, offer, or performance of service."
To the extent that the RIAA had a hand in crafting the DMCA and litigating cases which support these interpretations of U.S. copyright law, Google could be said to be blocking downloads because the RIAA said so.
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Anyway,
Mike Masnick gets described as a pig here by the interviewer:
http://www.theawl.com/2012/06/david-lowery-chat
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http://oi50.tinypic.com/20ssxa9.jpg
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Still, you're right, it's just ad hominem and hyperbole. Yes, we're "lying down in front of the piratical bulldozers" because we're "like cows". Yawn.
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Correct.
Whatever the public demands can be had. It will require some work to ensure that our cultural commons isn't ruined by the circumstances in which we find ourselves. We need copyright reform, and we need better and fairer venues that will deny monopolies to Google and Amazon, and that will provide fair compensation to artists, musicians and authors.
I apologize to Mr. Masnick for the harsh characterization. It just steams me that someone in a position to advocate for fairness, as he is, should instead lend his support to the corpocrats who are getting rich off other peoples' work and not sharing the proceeds with artists, just because (for the moment) they can get away with that. We don't have to accept the status quo.
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riaa
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