I believe there is a shift being displayed. Like the SOPA protests, I believe more politicians are realizing the world over that the people just aren't liking politics as usual. I hope that this brings some change, regardless to whether or not it is the current politicians or the ones that replace them that bring about this change. Money cannot be an excuse to forget the will of their constituents.
Ruud is right. All it is is an anti-establishment vote in a political atmosphere of crisis and chaos in Europe.
Wait a second, did you just equate the pirate party with extreme right wing racist agenda? Sure, it may be anti-establishment (as in anti-entertainment industry) but I have seen nothing to make me believe that it is either extremely right-wing or racist in its agenda.
Yeah, those are crimes that the rich do. We just execute people for being poor.
I certainly won't disagree with that, though I think it is more global than that. I think we tend to lock up more people for being poor too. We have a lot of people in jail on petty drug charges, which certainly could be handled better through other methods; and a lot of folks who use drugs but are too rich/connected to get caught doing the same. It's still the high-court/low-court thing, and it certainly isn't right, no matter what country it is in.
I would love to see the pirate party appear here in the US, because, as was noted before on Techdirt, they appear to provide far more competition in reason than what we have now, which is almost nil due to a monopoly.
If an artist can't connect with their audience than why are they even bothering making art?
+1. Just standard excuses from the regular critic who failed as a musician to connect with their fans and now spends their time on Techdirt bemoaning successful musicians. Probably shilling because they still owe the industry millions of dollars from an unconscionable contract.
Connecting with fans isn't a concept, it is reality, and has been reality for a lot longer than the Statue of Anne gave musicians limited (and ever expanding) monopoly powers over the common good. If you can't connect with your fans and give them a reason to buy, you have failed. Mike is just pointing to ways to do so.
*The one country in the world with more people in jail (numerically, per capita, & percentage; take your pick) than any other country on the planet--including China.
I guess that begs the question, how many executions occur in both countries? That may explain why China has less in prison, but I really don't know. According to wikipedia, China executes more people than any other country (but that is not the most per capita since China has more people.) The actual number is a state secret. They execute folks for fraud and other white collar crimes, which the US does not do.
You can't get something for nothing. That's economics.
And that is why you fail. People get something for nothing all the time, you just can't let go of your incessant greed and need to control others. Once you grow up and realize that the world often works even when people are getting stuff for free, you'll fit in a lot better in civilization.
As I have said before, I don't download music or movies unless I am licensed to do so... But I understand why others are less inclined to do so, and until you understand why and work to fix it, you will continue to fail. And at some point, the rest of the world will move on while you hopelessly tilt at windmills. Didn't work so well for Don Quixote either...
I, for one, definitely DO NOT WANT Chris Dodd exposing himself.
Well, it could be interesting in a Chris Lee sort of way. I wonder if he'd have to resign? There are quite a few Senators and Representatives who've had to resign lately for exposing themselves...a retroactive resignation might work (and at least it would get people to stop referring to him as Senator, even though we all know he is still the esteemed senator from MPAA.)
Oh you wanted to watch X-Men: First Class but couldn't download it legally? Boo-hoo, buy a disc.
What if they don't sell the disc where you live? Does that mean I have to travel to where they do and buy it, and then risk illegally importing it into my own country because they aren't selling it yet?
That doesn't give you the right to be unethical, and yes it is unethical to not recompense someone for something they spent money on.
There is absolutely nothing unethical about sharing. And just because you spent money on something doesn't mean that you should be paid back eventually. I purchase insurance. I spend a hell of a lot of money on insurance. Yet, thankfully, I haven't had to collect on that insurance. Am I somehow owed that insurance that I didn't collect?
Would you go to a furniture store and attempt to walk out with a $500 recliner without paying for it?
If I could copy that recliner using a 3D printer, would that make a difference? Since we are talking about digital, infinite goods, wouldn't it be better to use the same analogy?
Nobody owes you content and when there is content nobody owes you what you consider a reasonable price.
And nobody owes you a paycheck. Please go back to school and learn some economics, it will make things easier for you in the future.
It seems to me the more relevant question is whether or not TPB made any attempt to intervene in the matter.
I think a more relevant question would be whether TPB knew what was happening in another state (England,) and whether they knew they had the option to attempt to intervene. Did the justices make any attempt to contact TPB and let them know that there was even a trial?
This sounds more like a kangaroo court than anything AC has said Techdirt has done in the past...since this is actually a court that is capable of handing down penalties than Techdirt will ever be able to accomplish.
If you make a gun, you have a moral obligation to take some reasonable steps that they aren't getting into the wrong hands.
You may have a moral obligation, but in many states, you don't have a legal obligation. Unfortunately, that isn't true in my state, which requires gun-locks and safes, but the funny thing is that even with following those requirements, the bad guys still get the guns (sometimes because the government is handing it to them.)
Every internet user has to register their internet usage. That way if they are convicted, or accused, of doing something the MPAA doesn't support (or TechDirt does support) they can be perma-banned from the net. Just like criminals can't legally get guns.
And yet the criminals still have them. And the only people who can't get them are the honest citizens interested in protecting themselves. Perma-bans are only going to effect the innocent because the guilty know how to bypass the locks or use other's access to get access to what they want.
Finally, after we ban guns and make America a more reasonable country, we can move on and tackle the next problem of banning the internet. This will lead to an increase of drive in movies which will lead to an increase of car sales which will recover the economy.
Keep hoping. If the movies have taught me anything, it is that if you hope long enough and hard enough, eventually you'll get what you want.
I don't believe it, but if it makes your world work better, go for it.
Basically, every increase in speed of connectivity has lead to an increase in all activities, INCLUDING illegal ones. To deny it is to deny the very history of the internet web thingie.
As a BBS operator during the time, I assure you that 300k was fine for uploading pictures, because that is all there was. Sure, it took 5 minutes, but that was plenty of time to run off an use the bathroom or grab a cup of coffee. Most pictures weren't that big; nobody uploaded a picture that was 1920x1080, much less 5 or 10 megapixel. I ran a programming BBS, and there was no porn on the BBS that I know of, but there was "copyright infringement" occurring even though it wasn't done by me. People would copy other's copyrighted code and upload it on a regular basis. For the most part, it was legal because the code was GPL/BSD licensed, but sometimes people would upload stuff that wasn't legal.
I agree that speed leads to an increase, but I don't agree that people didn't do it back then. I don't know of too many people who spend all day uploading/downloading...most people that I know who do this either stream or the go grab what they want and move on. And in many cases, the folks who stream or grab what they want can't find it through legitimate methods. A friend downloaded all the new Dr. Who episodes because they are available in England long before they are available in the US. If Dr. Who was available in both places at the same time, he wouldn't do it. He has purchased copies of Dr. Who whenever they become legally available. I just wait until they become legally available, but in my case, I try my hardest not to be around him until they become legally available because he tends to spoil them.
The "writers" here all act like children who refuse to grow up and instead want to spend all their energy bitching about authority.
At least they allow you to comment. Can't have any of that with the blogs run by the Copyright Maximalists and your bosses. With them it's "you'll like what we say or you'll go away." Good luck with debating with them since they don't even offer you a chance to speak.
I would like to see Libraries turned into Fab Labs.
This will scare the sociopaths more than anything else in the world. I welcome it. Those in the world who seek to lock down everything are just going to have to lock themselves in to the rollercoaster of life for once. However, I suspect we will soon see new bills introduced in congress to prohibit libraries from doing this, just as they have railed against libraries renting ebooks, music, and movies.
Pretty much what I was wondering the whole time I read the article was "unless it's a porn video, what exactly is the problem here?"
What is wrong with porn? It is what made the internet what it is today. If the internet was to disappear today, hundreds of thousands of people would once again have to go to the local 7-eleven to pick up a porn magazine. Maybe that is the reason why so many folks want the internet to disappear? If she is in Los Angeles filming porn for YouTube, good for her.
Unfortunately, they do care. A lot of people were pushing for Microsoft to make Windows 3.1 open source because what the heck is MS going to with a 15-year old operating system?
I absolutely agree with you on that. They care, but it is exactly the psychotic/sociopathic reason you said...we don't want you to be able to profit from something we aren't profiting from. Its my toy and I can take it home with me even though I gave it to you to do whatever I wanted you to do with it.
For Windows 3.1, I figure they believe that if someone has the source code to Windows 3.1, they can somehow make a better version of Windows 8 (which would actually be quite easy) and then people wouldn't go to Microsoft for it. Sad, since there is already a better version of Windows 8, called Linux and the folks that write Linux allow anyone to look at the source code.
Why are you still here? You believe you know what it is that Mike says here, but it is obvious to the rest of us that you don't, and you're so fundamentally dishonest about it.
I was trying to be subtle about it, but after reading it again, I may have been too subtle. It might help anonymous coward out to read the byline on the article before he puts words into Mike's mouth, since Mike didn't even write the article to begin with.
What's really sad, Mike, is how you always defend the pirates--yet you pretend that you're neither pro-piracy nor a piracy apologist.
What is really sad, Anonymous Coward, is that you always come here and defend the industries who abuse their artists and their customers alike, yet you pretend you are just some concerned citizen who isn't paid by the industry to spew FUD.
Why do you lie to your readers so? Why are you so fundamentally dishonest?
Why are you still here? You believe you know what it is that Mike says here, but it is obvious to the rest of us that you don't, and you're so fundamentally dishonest about it.
While many people do mod consoles for illegitimate purposes, there are many people who mod them for perfectly legal purposes.
I have three modded XBOXs (original, not 360.) I don't use them to play games, though I do own a number of XBOX games that I sometimes play with those XBOXs. I modded them for one purpose, XBMC, so they could be settop boxes since I didn't want to attach a computer to each TV in my house. While they are being replaced with BD-players (from LG, not Sony,) they still are used primarily for that purpose, and in at least one case, that purpose alone.
I bought all three used, from a well known vendor, well after Microsoft stopped selling and supporting them. If Microsoft isn't even supporting them any more, and no new games have been released in years, what do they care what I do with them?
And all of the geniuses on this site blame the FBI. Only in America!
Techdirt is available worldwide, and many of the folks here aren't from the United States, or even from America (US, Mexico, and Canada, are all part of North America.)
On the post: Pirate Party Wins Again In Germany
Re: Re: Re: Re:
Thanks for the clarification.
I believe there is a shift being displayed. Like the SOPA protests, I believe more politicians are realizing the world over that the people just aren't liking politics as usual. I hope that this brings some change, regardless to whether or not it is the current politicians or the ones that replace them that bring about this change. Money cannot be an excuse to forget the will of their constituents.
On the post: Pirate Party Wins Again In Germany
Re: Re:
Wait a second, did you just equate the pirate party with extreme right wing racist agenda? Sure, it may be anti-establishment (as in anti-entertainment industry) but I have seen nothing to make me believe that it is either extremely right-wing or racist in its agenda.
On the post: Pirate Party Wins Again In Germany
Re: Re: Re: If only...
I certainly won't disagree with that, though I think it is more global than that. I think we tend to lock up more people for being poor too. We have a lot of people in jail on petty drug charges, which certainly could be handled better through other methods; and a lot of folks who use drugs but are too rich/connected to get caught doing the same. It's still the high-court/low-court thing, and it certainly isn't right, no matter what country it is in.
I would love to see the pirate party appear here in the US, because, as was noted before on Techdirt, they appear to provide far more competition in reason than what we have now, which is almost nil due to a monopoly.
On the post: Crowdfunding Projects: It Helps To Let Your Personality Shine Through
Re: Re: Wait
+1. Just standard excuses from the regular critic who failed as a musician to connect with their fans and now spends their time on Techdirt bemoaning successful musicians. Probably shilling because they still owe the industry millions of dollars from an unconscionable contract.
Connecting with fans isn't a concept, it is reality, and has been reality for a lot longer than the Statue of Anne gave musicians limited (and ever expanding) monopoly powers over the common good. If you can't connect with your fans and give them a reason to buy, you have failed. Mike is just pointing to ways to do so.
On the post: Pirate Party Wins Again In Germany
Re: If only...
I guess that begs the question, how many executions occur in both countries? That may explain why China has less in prison, but I really don't know. According to wikipedia, China executes more people than any other country (but that is not the most per capita since China has more people.) The actual number is a state secret. They execute folks for fraud and other white collar crimes, which the US does not do.
On the post: Google's Fiber Makes MPAA Skittish. Why Does Hollywood See All Technology In Terms Of Piracy?
Re: Re: Re: two cents
And that is why you fail. People get something for nothing all the time, you just can't let go of your incessant greed and need to control others. Once you grow up and realize that the world often works even when people are getting stuff for free, you'll fit in a lot better in civilization.
As I have said before, I don't download music or movies unless I am licensed to do so... But I understand why others are less inclined to do so, and until you understand why and work to fix it, you will continue to fail. And at some point, the rest of the world will move on while you hopelessly tilt at windmills. Didn't work so well for Don Quixote either...
On the post: Chris Dodd Rewrites Hollywood's History To Pretend That It Came About Because Of IP Laws
Re: Re: Re: Chris Dodd...
Well, it could be interesting in a Chris Lee sort of way. I wonder if he'd have to resign? There are quite a few Senators and Representatives who've had to resign lately for exposing themselves...a retroactive resignation might work (and at least it would get people to stop referring to him as Senator, even though we all know he is still the esteemed senator from MPAA.)
On the post: Google's Fiber Makes MPAA Skittish. Why Does Hollywood See All Technology In Terms Of Piracy?
Re: two cents
What if they don't sell the disc where you live? Does that mean I have to travel to where they do and buy it, and then risk illegally importing it into my own country because they aren't selling it yet?
That doesn't give you the right to be unethical, and yes it is unethical to not recompense someone for something they spent money on.
There is absolutely nothing unethical about sharing. And just because you spent money on something doesn't mean that you should be paid back eventually. I purchase insurance. I spend a hell of a lot of money on insurance. Yet, thankfully, I haven't had to collect on that insurance. Am I somehow owed that insurance that I didn't collect?
Would you go to a furniture store and attempt to walk out with a $500 recliner without paying for it?
If I could copy that recliner using a 3D printer, would that make a difference? Since we are talking about digital, infinite goods, wouldn't it be better to use the same analogy?
Nobody owes you content and when there is content nobody owes you what you consider a reasonable price.
And nobody owes you a paycheck. Please go back to school and learn some economics, it will make things easier for you in the future.
On the post: Google's Fiber Makes MPAA Skittish. Why Does Hollywood See All Technology In Terms Of Piracy?
Re: Re:
Yup. I got trolled. I figured it was fishy when he said that we should ban guns and then the internet...but I went for it.
On the post: Can Someone Explain When The Pirate Bay Was Actually Put On Trial In The UK?
Re: Re: Re:
I think a more relevant question would be whether TPB knew what was happening in another state (England,) and whether they knew they had the option to attempt to intervene. Did the justices make any attempt to contact TPB and let them know that there was even a trial?
This sounds more like a kangaroo court than anything AC has said Techdirt has done in the past...since this is actually a court that is capable of handing down penalties than Techdirt will ever be able to accomplish.
On the post: Google's Fiber Makes MPAA Skittish. Why Does Hollywood See All Technology In Terms Of Piracy?
Re:
You may have a moral obligation, but in many states, you don't have a legal obligation. Unfortunately, that isn't true in my state, which requires gun-locks and safes, but the funny thing is that even with following those requirements, the bad guys still get the guns (sometimes because the government is handing it to them.)
Every internet user has to register their internet usage. That way if they are convicted, or accused, of doing something the MPAA doesn't support (or TechDirt does support) they can be perma-banned from the net. Just like criminals can't legally get guns.
And yet the criminals still have them. And the only people who can't get them are the honest citizens interested in protecting themselves. Perma-bans are only going to effect the innocent because the guilty know how to bypass the locks or use other's access to get access to what they want.
Finally, after we ban guns and make America a more reasonable country, we can move on and tackle the next problem of banning the internet. This will lead to an increase of drive in movies which will lead to an increase of car sales which will recover the economy.
Keep hoping. If the movies have taught me anything, it is that if you hope long enough and hard enough, eventually you'll get what you want.
I don't believe it, but if it makes your world work better, go for it.
On the post: Google's Fiber Makes MPAA Skittish. Why Does Hollywood See All Technology In Terms Of Piracy?
Re:
As a BBS operator during the time, I assure you that 300k was fine for uploading pictures, because that is all there was. Sure, it took 5 minutes, but that was plenty of time to run off an use the bathroom or grab a cup of coffee. Most pictures weren't that big; nobody uploaded a picture that was 1920x1080, much less 5 or 10 megapixel. I ran a programming BBS, and there was no porn on the BBS that I know of, but there was "copyright infringement" occurring even though it wasn't done by me. People would copy other's copyrighted code and upload it on a regular basis. For the most part, it was legal because the code was GPL/BSD licensed, but sometimes people would upload stuff that wasn't legal.
I agree that speed leads to an increase, but I don't agree that people didn't do it back then. I don't know of too many people who spend all day uploading/downloading...most people that I know who do this either stream or the go grab what they want and move on. And in many cases, the folks who stream or grab what they want can't find it through legitimate methods. A friend downloaded all the new Dr. Who episodes because they are available in England long before they are available in the US. If Dr. Who was available in both places at the same time, he wouldn't do it. He has purchased copies of Dr. Who whenever they become legally available. I just wait until they become legally available, but in my case, I try my hardest not to be around him until they become legally available because he tends to spoil them.
On the post: Google's Fiber Makes MPAA Skittish. Why Does Hollywood See All Technology In Terms Of Piracy?
Re:
At least they allow you to comment. Can't have any of that with the blogs run by the Copyright Maximalists and your bosses. With them it's "you'll like what we say or you'll go away." Good luck with debating with them since they don't even offer you a chance to speak.
On the post: Re-Inventing Public Libraries For The Digital Age
Re:
This will scare the sociopaths more than anything else in the world. I welcome it. Those in the world who seek to lock down everything are just going to have to lock themselves in to the rollercoaster of life for once. However, I suspect we will soon see new bills introduced in congress to prohibit libraries from doing this, just as they have railed against libraries renting ebooks, music, and movies.
On the post: Blog Fight Devolves Into Legal Nastygrams
Re: Re:
What is wrong with porn? It is what made the internet what it is today. If the internet was to disappear today, hundreds of thousands of people would once again have to go to the local 7-eleven to pick up a porn magazine. Maybe that is the reason why so many folks want the internet to disappear? If she is in Los Angeles filming porn for YouTube, good for her.
On the post: After Four Years Feds Finally Get Around To Prosecuting Ten Mod Chip Sellers
Re: Re: Re:
I absolutely agree with you on that. They care, but it is exactly the psychotic/sociopathic reason you said...we don't want you to be able to profit from something we aren't profiting from. Its my toy and I can take it home with me even though I gave it to you to do whatever I wanted you to do with it.
For Windows 3.1, I figure they believe that if someone has the source code to Windows 3.1, they can somehow make a better version of Windows 8 (which would actually be quite easy) and then people wouldn't go to Microsoft for it. Sad, since there is already a better version of Windows 8, called Linux and the folks that write Linux allow anyone to look at the source code.
On the post: After Four Years Feds Finally Get Around To Prosecuting Ten Mod Chip Sellers
Re: Re:
I was trying to be subtle about it, but after reading it again, I may have been too subtle. It might help anonymous coward out to read the byline on the article before he puts words into Mike's mouth, since Mike didn't even write the article to begin with.
On the post: After Four Years Feds Finally Get Around To Prosecuting Ten Mod Chip Sellers
Re:
What is really sad, Anonymous Coward, is that you always come here and defend the industries who abuse their artists and their customers alike, yet you pretend you are just some concerned citizen who isn't paid by the industry to spew FUD.
Why do you lie to your readers so? Why are you so fundamentally dishonest?
Why are you still here? You believe you know what it is that Mike says here, but it is obvious to the rest of us that you don't, and you're so fundamentally dishonest about it.
On the post: After Four Years Feds Finally Get Around To Prosecuting Ten Mod Chip Sellers
Re:
I have three modded XBOXs (original, not 360.) I don't use them to play games, though I do own a number of XBOX games that I sometimes play with those XBOXs. I modded them for one purpose, XBMC, so they could be settop boxes since I didn't want to attach a computer to each TV in my house. While they are being replaced with BD-players (from LG, not Sony,) they still are used primarily for that purpose, and in at least one case, that purpose alone.
I bought all three used, from a well known vendor, well after Microsoft stopped selling and supporting them. If Microsoft isn't even supporting them any more, and no new games have been released in years, what do they care what I do with them?
On the post: FBI Stops Yet Another (Yes Another) Of Its Own Terrorist Plots; This Time: Anarchists!
Re:
Techdirt is available worldwide, and many of the folks here aren't from the United States, or even from America (US, Mexico, and Canada, are all part of North America.)
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