Funniest/Most Insightful Comments Of The Week At Techdirt

from the sticks-and-stones dept

This week, after we took a look at the latest assault on the public domain (this time coming from CBS), TheResidentSkeptic won the vote for most insightful comment of the week with his definition of the public domain:

The Public Domain exists for content industries to pull stories, characters, and inspiration FROM.

It does NOT exist for their stuff to go TO. Ever.

/ well.. that's what *they* believe, anyway /

Meanwhile, there was also an attack on fair use underway, this time from a short-sighted newspaper association. One anonymous commenter won second place for insightful by responding to the idea that "fair use should be reoriented toward its original meaning":

Ok. Just as soon as "Copyright" is reoriented towards it's original meaning. Stowe vs. Thomas seems like a good starting point.

For editor's choice on the insightful side, we start out with an anonymous comment summing up many of the failings of the FBI:

The FBI have become witch hinters, and like all witch hunters they never make a mistake when they accuse someone of being a witch.

Next, while we have no plans to expand comment voting at the moment, we can at least use the editor's choice to highlight the occasional suggestion, such as this anonymous response to a comment bemoaning the ever-growing length of copyright:

It always bugs me that insightful and funny are our only two positive options. Your comment is both of those, but also depressingly accurate. We need a sadface of some sort. Not for shit we disagree with, but for shit we wished we didn't.

Over on the funny side, both our top comments come in response to the FBI's investigation of a journalist over an obvious joke. That One Guy won first place with an on-point movie reference:

M.I.B. said it best

'No Ma'm, we at the FBI do not have a sense of humor we're aware of.'

In second place, it's Baron von Robber being inspired by the stupidity on display:

Think I'll have to update my Nigerian Prince emails..

TO:Alt-right distro;FBI.gov

For editor's choice on the funny side, we've got a pair of responses to the attempts by the Pirate Party to form a new government in Iceland. First, one anonymous commenter offered a prediction that actually probably belongs on the insightful side, since it's hardly unrealistic:

And next year the country of Iceland will be slapped on the USTR special 301 report for being a pirate haven!

And finally, we've got Niall asking what people really want to know:

But where do they stand on important issues: frozen food retailers vs plucky small countries?

That's all for this week, folks!

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