Funniest/Most Insightful Comments Of The Week At Techdirt

from the grapevine dept

This week, our first place winner on the insightful side is Rico R., responding to an ultimately-unconvincing defense of the CASE act from a popular source:

As a regular Lawful Masses viewer (I even support Leonard on Patreon), I still strongly disagree with the CASE Act, regardless of whether or not there were changes made since then. (Based on the article, I'm inclined to say a little or nothing has changed, but that's not my point.) Here are some of my problems with the law as written:

  • In California (where a majority of Hollywood studios are), the maximum amount you can sue in regular small claims court is $10,000 for individuals and $5000 for businesses, with even lower limits if you file more than one case in a given calendar year. That's a far cry from the CASE Act's limit of $30,000, with no lowering of the limit if you file more than one case.
  • As affirmed by the Supreme Court and even copyright maximalist RBG (and I'm saying that as someone politically liberal), if you file in "big boy court", you are required to have registered the copyright on the work and wait for the certificate to come in the mail BEFORE you can sue. Yet, in the CASE Act, there is a mechanism that allows you to sue WITHOUT the work being properly registered. Meaning, cases can be brought under the CASE Act that would be dismissed in regular court for failure to state a claim (due to the work not being registered). If Congress wants to reverse course and allow you to bring claims without registration (which it shouldn't), it should modify the rules for regular court and not set up a new tribunal for those who don't meet the requirements to file a lawsuit.
  • Many people who support the CASE Act as an "Access to Justice issue" with regards to fair use and false DMCA takedowns are missing the point: The CASE Act sets up the tribunal at the US Copyright Office. If recent history indicates anything, the Copyright Office sees copyright owners as customers and cater to their needs. Every time Public Knowledge tries to push for a DMCA exception to allow format and space shift video content on DVDs and Blu-rays, it's denied for various reasons, despite the DRM-free equivalent in music CDs being considered fair use. When they asked for public comments and held hearings over the effectiveness of DMCA Safe Harbor laws, those hearings showed they were leaning towards the industry's demands and even considered notice-and-staydown procedures as opposed to the current notice-and-takedown procedure. And also, they have come against the right of digital first sale, despite the fact that consumers are only increasing the consumption of digital-only goods. Why would we trust the Copyright Office to handle fair use online well
  • Copyright law does need to be reformed, but THIS isn't how it should be reformed. Copyright trolling is going to increase if the CASE Act becomes law, and it's also going to result in worse consequences. Copyright law should be updated to curb the trend of copyright trolling. Other problems in copyright law need to be addressed as well.

The positive elements outlined by Lawful Masses are outweighed by the negatives. So, no, I'm not on board with the CASE Act.

In second place, we've got an anonymous commenter summing up the insanity of the war on Section 230:

No innovation will come from making platforms legally liable for all third-party content. Nothing good will come from making sure platforms for third-party speech either become cesspools of spam and bigotry and bullshit or cease to exist. CDA 230 is what allows Twitter, Facebook, Techdirt, YouTube, DeviantArt, and a whole bunch of other sites to keep on keepin' on. Get rid of 230, and you get rid of all those sites. How eager are you to return to an Internet before such platforms existed?

For editor's choice on the insightful side, we start out with Tanner Andrews discussing the point of trademark in response to McDonald's bullying a Canadian restaurant:

moron in a hurry

Trademark is, first and foremost, a consumer protection mechanism. If there is a real risk that the consumer will be confused as to the origin of the goods or services, then there is likely a problem with infringement.

On the facts presented, I doubt there was real risk of confusion. A customer at the restaurant already knows he came to a food establishment rather than Mickey's. He is likely to observe the Canadian flavor in the product name. And, assuming he is familiar with Mickey's at all, he knows that a name like Effing Fillet would never be found there.

So, assuming our moron is familiar enough with Mickey's for the trademark to register in his consciousness, he knows this is not it.

The problem, if anything, would have been the reverse. A Canadian wanting the Effing Fillet and asking for it by that name at Mickey's might be disappointed by what he got. Of course, he is free to walk outside and observe that he is not at Woodshed Burgers.

Next, we've got James Burkhardt with a real response to an apparently facetious question about the limits of FCC authority:

The FCC only has authority to regulate under the laws which govern the FCC. So the answer to your question is that the limits are defined by the myriad Telecommunications Acts passed over the years. Under 10th amendment jurisprudence, if the FCC doesn't have congressionally-granted authority to regulate a market, it also doesn't have the authority to preempt state authority.

The Title II debate was about the classification of broadband, and existed because a court decision ruled the FCC could not implement the first set of Net Neutrality rules under Title I.

Over on the funny side, our first place winner is That Anonymous Coward with a response to Ajit Pai's complaints about state-level net neutrality laws:

HOW DARE YOU MAKE ME LIE IN THE BED I MADE!!!!!

In second place, it's an anonymous take on the customer-surveillance efforts of Outback restaurants:

Don't give Outback such a hard time

Look, nothing about Outback is in any way Australian, so give them a break - at least they are trying in their own, small way to match the surveillance state the Aussie government is implementing.

For editor's choice on the funny side, we've got two more anonymous comments. First up, it's a response to our post suggesting it was "incredible" that a tabloid journalist would be hypocritical about free speech:

I think you mixed up "incredible" and "entirely predictable" in your analysis.

And finally, we've got a theory about the House's approval of the CASE Act:

Well, that's what happened to the Paul Hansmeier defense fund.

That's all for this week, folks!

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Reader Comments

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  1. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 27 Oct 2019 @ 12:43pm

    Ping Uriel-238

    Re: your convo w/ PaulT up thru last Thu.

    You around today?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
    identicon
    Uriel-238, 27 Oct 2019 @ 9:26pm

    Re: Ping Uriel-238

    Ping

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
    identicon
    PaulT, 27 Oct 2019 @ 9:31pm

    Re: Re: Ping Uriel-238

    You mean the conversation about overthrowing a duly elected president? (Treason!)

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 27 Oct 2019 @ 9:46pm

    Re: Re: Re: Ping Uriel-238

    it's actually insurrection. totally different

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 27 Oct 2019 @ 9:49pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Ping Uriel-238

    How so? Your opinion?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
    identicon
    Stephen T. Stone, 27 Oct 2019 @ 9:53pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Ping Uriel-238

    When your are SURE you’re right, no treasonable acts are actually treason, they’re cool and hip. Just ask Nancy.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 27 Oct 2019 @ 10:04pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Ping Uriel-238

    You know, we can see your gravatar, Blue Balls.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 27 Oct 2019 @ 10:05pm

    Re: Re: Re: Ping Uriel-238

    You mean like Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  9. This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
    identicon
    Wendy Cockroft, 27 Oct 2019 @ 10:07pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Ping Uriel-238

    What’s a gravatar? Is it a lesbian thing?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  10. identicon
    ryuugami, 27 Oct 2019 @ 10:09pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Ping Uriel-238

    IIRC, this type of masturbatory posting requires the following reply:

    "samefag".

    link to this | view in thread ]

  11. This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
    identicon
    Stephen T. Stone, 27 Oct 2019 @ 10:10pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Ping Uriel-238

    No I mean like my geat great grandpappy Benedict Arnold.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  12. This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
    identicon
    Mike Masnick, 27 Oct 2019 @ 10:11pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Ping Uriel-238

    Is that a gay thing? I’m not gay, and anyway, Chelsea is a lady now.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  13. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 27 Oct 2019 @ 11:40pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Ping Uriel-238

    It's the icon next to your name that gives away how you're spamming the comments with replies to yourself, Blue.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  14. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 27 Oct 2019 @ 11:41pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Ping Uriel-238

    We get it, you hate and possibly want to kill trans people. Damn, Blue, go shit up a TERF forum.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  15. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 27 Oct 2019 @ 11:42pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Ping Uriel-238

    Citation needed

    link to this | view in thread ]

  16. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 28 Oct 2019 @ 12:23am

    Hamilton's attempt to shit up a thread turns out to be completely shit, news at fucking eleven.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  17. identicon
    Den Corub, 28 Oct 2019 @ 5:38am

    Re: This comment has been flagged by the community

    Out_of_lube got triggered by mention of the destruction of Section 230, because that's the section of the supermarket that sells Bengay.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  18. icon
    bhull242 (profile), 28 Oct 2019 @ 7:44am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Ping Uriel-238

    For which part? The part where an impeachment inquiry has any similarity whatsoever to what Benedict Arnold did at all? Or the part where “Stephen T. Stone” claims to be descended from Benedict Arnold?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  19. icon
    bhull242 (profile), 28 Oct 2019 @ 7:50am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Ping Uriel-238

    First off, really clever with the name. /s

    Second, while I understand not knowing what a gravatar is, why would you think it’s a lesbian thing? I mean, you’re obviously trolling here, but I honestly don’t get this part.

    Third, you do realize that a) we can see that the little icon by the name is clearly the same in these posts, and b) we can tell the difference between an actual user and an AC using their name, right?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  20. icon
    bhull242 (profile), 28 Oct 2019 @ 7:52am

    Re: Ping Uriel-238

    Which convo are you talking about? The one about guns and mental health?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  21. This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 28 Oct 2019 @ 7:57am

    Re: Re: Ping Uriel-238

    Yes. Probably.

    But I was asking yesterday. And the answer obviously was not round. Today, maybe I could ask whether bull242 is square, or triangular? But I won't. I'll desist.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  22. icon
    bhull242 (profile), 28 Oct 2019 @ 8:00am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Ping Uriel-238

    FTR, according to the OED, insurrection means “a violent uprising against an authority or government.”

    As for treason, according to the Constitution, it is "levying War against [the United States], or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort," while the OED defines it as “the crime of betraying one's country, especially by attempting to kill the sovereign or overthrow the government.”

    I am curious as to what exactly is this thing that is an insurrection but not treason.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  23. icon
    bhull242 (profile), 28 Oct 2019 @ 8:02am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Ping Uriel-238

    You think he’d be popular with radical feminists?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  24. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 28 Oct 2019 @ 8:15am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Ping Uriel-238

    You can overthrow a government without war. The minimum amount of violence needed would probably be locking members of the old government up in a room so they can't do their jobs.

    When it comes to civil conflict who is and is not the "enemy" is also largely based on the viewpoint and the interpretation of the winner also. In an international conflict the expected sides are more obvious.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  25. icon
    Toom1275 (profile), 28 Oct 2019 @ 8:37am

    Do you really think I am fake? Do I sound fake? Do I use a fake name? Do I have a fake profile? Do I sound insincere?

    🙄

    link to this | view in thread ]

  26. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 28 Oct 2019 @ 8:43am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Ping Uriel-238

    TERFs are neither radical nor feminist. If anything, they're exactly what the alternate acronym for them says they are: Feminism-Appropriating Reactionary Transphobes.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  27. icon
    bhull242 (profile), 28 Oct 2019 @ 10:08am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Ping Uriel-238

    Well, I mean, isn’t being a reactionary transphobe a radical position? Plus, my point is that they aren’t going to be accepting of a man.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  28. icon
    bhull242 (profile), 28 Oct 2019 @ 10:10am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Ping Uriel-238

    You can overthrow a government without war. The minimum amount of violence needed would probably be locking members of the old government up in a room so they can't do their jobs.

    Well, sure. However, that’s not exactly an insurrection either, as there’s no real violence involved.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  29. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 28 Oct 2019 @ 11:52am

    Re: Shiva StilLostToAFakeIndian

    Or was it Samual Adams? Or are you from Texas today? Or are you still a Masshole. What’s that bro can’t keep your lies straight anymore?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  30. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 28 Oct 2019 @ 11:54am

    Re:

    What’s funny is Hamilton is so stupid that he’s just now, after years of being on this website, figured out how to change his name.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  31. identicon
    Den Corub, 28 Oct 2019 @ 2:05pm

    Re: Am I talkin' to ME???

    Well I don't see anyone else here.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  32. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 28 Oct 2019 @ 5:28pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Ping Uriel-238

    I disagree.

    I think it takes a minimal amount of violence to throw someone in a room and hold them there without their consent.

    Anyway, I'm not up for a long argument for exactly how much non-consensual force it takes to amount to violence. I'll let the english grad students and other more interested parties argue about that one.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  33. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 28 Oct 2019 @ 5:43pm

    Re: Re:

    I don't think it's so much he figured out how to change his name as opposed to he realized that the name field exists...

    link to this | view in thread ]

  34. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 28 Oct 2019 @ 6:10pm

    Vi et armis [was Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Ping Uriel-238]

    I'll let the english grad students and other more interested parties argue about that one.

    That question might wind up being a highly interesting one of interpretation and construction.

    The old technical phrase “vi et armis” (and I know not whether that phrase be quite proper Latin or merely bastard Law-French) has a very antient and contended history. Extremely controversial.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  35. icon
    bhull242 (profile), 31 Oct 2019 @ 1:01pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Ping Uriel-238

    FTR, I think I recall a case in Britain where the king fled before any violence occurred.

    link to this | view in thread ]


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