"Does the town really want to discourage people from calling in the event of an emergency?"
That's exactly what I was thinking. Why would I ever do the right thing and call 911 if I knew I was going to get charged for it?
So I assumed that the person needing the emergency assistance would be the one charged. But that doesn't make sense either. Someone could call 911 and say that Joe Blow needs an ambulance, when he does not need an ambulance, and put Joe Blow on the hook big-time.
Playboy Enterprises, Inc. v. Welles, 279 F.3d 796, C.A.9 (Cal.),2002 No trademark infringement for use of the trademarked phrase "playmate of the year" where the use was factually accurate.
My favorite part was that the judge had his computer up on his bench so the lawyers could hear the new emails continually coming in during the hearing.
Heck, this would be like me suing you for all the injuries I receive from the face-palming I do when I read this site. it's not your fault I'm injured from face-palming. You're just reporting this crap. It's the fault of the idiots like the Philly officials who actually do this crap.
Think about people and businesses that make tons of quick money without actually doing anything beneficial. E.g., Malware, spammers, Wall Streeters shuffling money around...
In such circumstances the activities the businesses are doing might not be illegal. But it's a very strong clue to me that it probably should be illegal.
The fact that patent trolls can make ridiculous amounts of money without contributing anything of value to society is very strong evidence to me that the system is broken.
"the court saying it didn't matter whether or not anyone in the UK had actually seen the content -- which seems a bit odd"
It's not that odd. Think of it as child porn. Child pornography is illegal regardless of whether it is published. It's the content itself which is illegal, not the dissemination. Although the dissemination can be illegal too.
I've had a PC connected to a TV in my living room since the late 90s. Back then it was a 27" CRT based TV.
Nowadays it's easier since most TVs have HDMI/DVI and D-sub connections. There are so many people trying to get MKV files played on their TV. There are no hardware hacks with a PC. You just play 'em. When some new format comes out, you don't wait for firmware update, you just play 'em.
I'm surprised more people aren't doing this. It's certainly not the noise, my Xbox 360 is louder than any PC I've ever had. It sounds like a fricken vacuum!
"It all just makes me sad, and I feel there is nothing I can do about it."
Reading stories here can get pretty depressing at times. You're absolutely right, the vast majority of people in this country do not give a frick about these very important issues and the copyright industry will get whatever it wants, just like it always has.
However, maybe you can find some solace in making fun of the Anti-Mike. That always cheers me up.
On the post: Calling 911? That'll Be $300
Re:
On the post: Calling 911? That'll Be $300
That's exactly what I was thinking. Why would I ever do the right thing and call 911 if I knew I was going to get charged for it?
So I assumed that the person needing the emergency assistance would be the one charged. But that doesn't make sense either. Someone could call 911 and say that Joe Blow needs an ambulance, when he does not need an ambulance, and put Joe Blow on the hook big-time.
On the post: IOC Threatens Ski Gear Company For Mentioning That Gold Medal Winner Wears Its Stuff
Re: Re: Re:
They signed some form somewhere. Any athlete who would not sign would not be allowed to play. The Olympics is about money, not about athleticism.
On the post: IOC Threatens Ski Gear Company For Mentioning That Gold Medal Winner Wears Its Stuff
Re: Re:
"Accurately reporting that an Olympian wore your gear seems like it would fall under a perfectly legitimate fair use claim."
You can use trademarks if it is factually accurate. So a former playmate of the year can state on her website that she was a playmate of the year.
Ford can use the Chevrolet trademark in an advertisement where it compares its vehicle to GM's vehicle.
And factually pointing out that an Olympic athlete wore your clothing is completely legal.
On the post: IOC Threatens Ski Gear Company For Mentioning That Gold Medal Winner Wears Its Stuff
On the post: It's Probably Not A Good Idea To Ask People To Spam The Judge Hearing Your Case With Support Emails
On the post: Philly City Council Members Want To Sue Facebook And Twitter Over Flash Mob Snowball Fight
On the post: Nathan Myhrvold's Intellectual Ventures Using Over 1,000 Shell Companies To Hide Patent Shakedown
In such circumstances the activities the businesses are doing might not be illegal. But it's a very strong clue to me that it probably should be illegal.
The fact that patent trolls can make ridiculous amounts of money without contributing anything of value to society is very strong evidence to me that the system is broken.
On the post: Why Can't All These Ideas For Content On The iPad/Tablets Also Work On The Web?
Re: Re: Re: Micropayments?
On the post: Why Can't All These Ideas For Content On The iPad/Tablets Also Work On The Web?
Re: Micropayments?
On the post: NBC's Delayed Telecasts Show A Company Living In The Last Century
Google could stream every single event in real-time. Plus, you'd be able to watch any event when it's convenient for you.
Within a couple of years more devices will stream YouTube natively. Of course Google could sell a cheap YouTube set-top devices for those who don't.
On the post: UK Court Says It Has Jurisdiction Over Racist Material Stored On California Server... If Content Created In The UK
It's not that odd. Think of it as child porn. Child pornography is illegal regardless of whether it is published. It's the content itself which is illegal, not the dissemination. Although the dissemination can be illegal too.
On the post: YouTube Joins Hulu In Letting Content Holders Block Access For TV-Connected Devices
Re: Re:
Nowadays it's easier since most TVs have HDMI/DVI and D-sub connections. There are so many people trying to get MKV files played on their TV. There are no hardware hacks with a PC. You just play 'em. When some new format comes out, you don't wait for firmware update, you just play 'em.
I'm surprised more people aren't doing this. It's certainly not the noise, my Xbox 360 is louder than any PC I've ever had. It sounds like a fricken vacuum!
On the post: NY Times Execs Think People Will Pay $20 To $30 Per Month For The iPad Edition Of The NY Times
You're not taking into account that the NY Times on an iPad would be shiny and prettier.
On the post: Disney's Takedown Of Roger Ebert's Tribute To Gene Siskel
Re: Re: Re: sigh
On the post: Disney's Takedown Of Roger Ebert's Tribute To Gene Siskel
Re: Why Disney Did it
The reason the new guys are not using the "thumbs" is because Ebert has trademarked the "thumbs up/thumbs down" system.
On the post: Disney's Takedown Of Roger Ebert's Tribute To Gene Siskel
Re: Re:
On the post: Disney's Takedown Of Roger Ebert's Tribute To Gene Siskel
Re: Re: sigh
Well, you could always rent blu-rays, then rip and convert them to h.264/MKV. They look just as nice without the DRM.
On the post: Disney's Takedown Of Roger Ebert's Tribute To Gene Siskel
Re: Re: sigh
Now that's irony.
On the post: Disney's Takedown Of Roger Ebert's Tribute To Gene Siskel
Re: sigh
Reading stories here can get pretty depressing at times. You're absolutely right, the vast majority of people in this country do not give a frick about these very important issues and the copyright industry will get whatever it wants, just like it always has.
However, maybe you can find some solace in making fun of the Anti-Mike. That always cheers me up.
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