So the OccupyWallStreet protesters are all unemployed, leaderless, whiney twenty-something malcontents?
Hmm. I wonder which (old) movie this group of protesters at OWS took a break from downloading -- was it Airplane or Airport?
The AC posting above would have us believe that this protest pits the lazy nonproductive socialist protesters versus productive capitalism. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Wall Street is being run by people who have used their unseemly and improper influence on government to secure for themselves a huge dollop our tax money at my expense and your expense.
That's a government hand-out.
If this was pure capitalism, the folks who took inappropriate risks would have been allowed to go bankrupt.
Instead we got welfare for banks.
Well, I'm productive, and as a result, I pay a lot of taxes, and I'm still ticked about the handout of my money. I'm just surprised it took so long for a protest to finally begin.
Obviously since these C-suite crooks want the rest of us to forget about our dearly departed tax dollars, the best strategy for them right now is to smear and lie about those who are protesting their behavior.
Disgusting...
Yes, the elite power brokers in the Chinese Communist Party have a very lucrative line of work, and they'd prefer to keep it that way.
China gave up on Marxism/Maoism ideology long ago.
It's just as much about money in China as it is in the US.
why does the MPAA have such a disproportionate influence?
Because unlike the MPAA, the Pet Supplies Industry sees no need to hire people like Stephen E. Siwek. He is the DC consultant at Economists Incorporated who authored the report which spews these nonsense numbers. His webpage boasts that he's authored 12 such reports over the years. As a bonus he will offer testimony as an expert witness before regulatory bodies and courts on IP issues. If you appreciate his work you can let him know at siwek.s@ei.com.The sad part is, people like this have years of their life invested in creating malarky. They can never admit that what they've been serving up just doesn't bear close inspection, because to do so would be like throwing out the last 2 decades of their career. No doubt this guy's livelihood has been dependent for a long time on the ability to keep coming up with more claptrap.
When dealing with the government the media lobby should stick with 69 as their best number. Certainly, we know they can twist "congress" around to suit their needs.
Trademarks are defended this way because it is profitable for the lawyers, and because corporate managers aren't always as smart as the lawyers who are taking advantage of them (while they are taking advantage of the opportunity to generate billable hours.)
The "bankrupt" hyperbole was over the top, but on the other hand, maybe that's not so beyond the pale if they have spied on each and every one of us. Will we all be found to have a claim?
Re: YES! "regulatory scrutiny, and this patent bubble will pop"!
"Even Google recognizes that REGULATION is the answer to many problems that corporatized grifters and lawyers make. -- Of course, it may be that was said because Google has close ties to gov't and doesn't expect regulation to affect them."
The very essence of patent law is government intervention in the marketplace. Patents do not exist without government regulation and restriction of market behavior, any more than rain exists without clouds.
... parroting anti-copyright sites like Torrent Freak...
I wouldn't know if you are correct about this or not. I've never read Torrent Freak in my life.
I happen to think it more interesting (and alarming) to watch the media apologists here blithely promote any new proposal which makes copyright more onerous and rigid regardless of what the consequences are for civil liberties in this country.
Constitution...schmonstitution seems to be the attitude.
The perfect case in point is Mr. Dark Gray Snowflake above in this thread.
If you happen to know anything about the circumstances which brought our country into existence, and if you know anything about the circumstances through which other countries who have had freedom lost theirs, you just can't help but be concerned by the 'damn the consequences' attitudes displayed by media company defenders here. The restrictions of freedom that are being proposed may have consequences that could extend far beyond the sphere of the media in years to come. Remember the proposals being made aren't just theoretical. They involve laws and establish precedents that would give government the legal right to do things which it has never had either the right nor the technical capability to do in the past.
'..."followers of Mike". You are supposed to just say Moo and follow the herd. '
You apparently, and quite foolishly, appear to believe that Mike simply tells his readers what to think.
--->You don't happen to work in the old-media Broadcast business do you?
There are many people who have opinions similar to Mike, and they choose to express themselves in the comment sections here. In case you haven't noticed, they also express themselves in the comment sections of many major newspapers around the country. Mike's ideas are not rare or unusual. Unfortunately editors around the country don't seem to be paying much attention.
Everywhere I go, I hear people of all economic positions are talking about the government's assault on civil liberties. The political parties had better watch out because this isn't a liberal thing, and it's not a conservative thing, it's a fed-up American thing. It's high time that both Repubs. and Dems. stopped telling us that meekly surrendering our liberty is the Patriotic thing to do.
Perhaps our disinhibited Blue AC "friend" had imbibed a few of those barrels he's been talking about before he sat down to try and find the keyboard tonight.
Perhaps our disinhibited Blue AC "friend" had imbibed a few of those barrels he's been talking about before he sat down to try and find the keyboard tonight.
So attention from the MSM is your measure of validity? So why are you here on Techdirt discussing issues that "aren't important" by your standard? Shouldn't you be at some other website commenting on those Schlong pictures that were just put out on Twitter? Lord knows the MSM covered that issue pretty well.
Oh that's right... I had forgotten you are paid to comment over here.
"IP is probably the most important economic contributor to growth in 1st world countries.
Really?
So... perhaps you can explain to us why those countries which have largely abandoned intrest in manufacturing and are pursuing an IP economy have trade deficits, while those countries which are aggressively pursuing manufacturing (and are usually more casual about enforcing IP ) are running trade surplusses?
"Like you actually care LOL. Most of the stuff you guys rip off is less than a couple years old."
You just cut and re-paste this retort every few days.
The fact is-- it's a crock.
I'm not sure who you're taking to be "you guys", but as has been made clear to you on multiple occasions, there are plenty of people who are opposed to both the current legislative proposals, and the general direction IP has taken in recent decades, on the basis of principle alone.
The length of copyright simply isn't sound economics. The current length provides a disincentive to heirs and subsequent right-holders to produce substantive new work, because current law provides ongoing income without work.
You've had many opportunities to provide a rational argument addressing this issue, but you only reply with vapid snark. Until you provide said argument, we'll have to assume you don't have one.
I used Evernote for a few months in free mode, and it became obvious that this is a really useful service. From there it was a no-brainer to move to the paid mode because I knew I would use it frequently. I've been a paying customer for 2 years now, and still think its great. I do have a few quibbles, but it remains an essential way for me to keep track of things.
On the post: US Government Refuses To Say Who's On The Intelligence Oversight Board
Re: Re:
Hmm. I wonder which (old) movie this group of protesters at OWS took a break from downloading -- was it Airplane or Airport?
The AC posting above would have us believe that this protest pits the lazy nonproductive socialist protesters versus productive capitalism. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Wall Street is being run by people who have used their unseemly and improper influence on government to secure for themselves a huge dollop our tax money at my expense and your expense.
That's a government hand-out.
If this was pure capitalism, the folks who took inappropriate risks would have been allowed to go bankrupt.
Instead we got welfare for banks.
Well, I'm productive, and as a result, I pay a lot of taxes, and I'm still ticked about the handout of my money. I'm just surprised it took so long for a protest to finally begin.
Obviously since these C-suite crooks want the rest of us to forget about our dearly departed tax dollars, the best strategy for them right now is to smear and lie about those who are protesting their behavior.
Disgusting...
On the post: Disney 'Analyst': My Lack Of Imagination Necessitates Passage Of PROTECT IP
Re: Re: Re: America != China
China gave up on Marxism/Maoism ideology long ago.
It's just as much about money in China as it is in the US.
On the post: Portlandia: We Satirize Portland, But If You Satirize Us, We'll Go Legal On You [Updated]
On the post: MPAA: Bad At Math & Bad At Economics
Re: Put it in perspective.
On the post: MPAA: Bad At Math & Bad At Economics
Re: Re: Any number?
On the post: The Washington Declaration On Intellectual Property And The Public Interest... Which Politicians Will Ignore
Re:
The Washington Declaration on Intellectual Property and the Public Interest
On the post: Kellogg's Stakes Claim To Toucans, Mayan Imagery; Issues Cease-and-Desist To Guatemalan Non-Profit
Re:
On the post: Record Label Execs Suddenly Upset That False Copyright Claims Can Take Down Videos
Re: Re: Re: The real precedent
On the post: Feds Insist That As Long As They Break The Law In A 'Classified' Way, They Can Never Be Sued
On the post: Google Being More Aggressive About Bad Patents; But Should It Go Even Further?
Re: YES! "regulatory scrutiny, and this patent bubble will pop"!
On the post: So The FBI Can Just Take A Copy Of All Instapaper User Data With No Recourse?
Re: Re: Re: Re:
I happen to think it more interesting (and alarming) to watch the media apologists here blithely promote any new proposal which makes copyright more onerous and rigid regardless of what the consequences are for civil liberties in this country.
Constitution...schmonstitution seems to be the attitude.
The perfect case in point is Mr. Dark Gray Snowflake above in this thread.
If you happen to know anything about the circumstances which brought our country into existence, and if you know anything about the circumstances through which other countries who have had freedom lost theirs, you just can't help but be concerned by the 'damn the consequences' attitudes displayed by media company defenders here. The restrictions of freedom that are being proposed may have consequences that could extend far beyond the sphere of the media in years to come. Remember the proposals being made aren't just theoretical. They involve laws and establish precedents that would give government the legal right to do things which it has never had either the right nor the technical capability to do in the past.
On the post: So The FBI Can Just Take A Copy Of All Instapaper User Data With No Recourse?
Re: Re:
You apparently, and quite foolishly, appear to believe that Mike simply tells his readers what to think.
--->You don't happen to work in the old-media Broadcast business do you?
There are many people who have opinions similar to Mike, and they choose to express themselves in the comment sections here. In case you haven't noticed, they also express themselves in the comment sections of many major newspapers around the country. Mike's ideas are not rare or unusual. Unfortunately editors around the country don't seem to be paying much attention.
Everywhere I go, I hear people of all economic positions are talking about the government's assault on civil liberties. The political parties had better watch out because this isn't a liberal thing, and it's not a conservative thing, it's a fed-up American thing. It's high time that both Repubs. and Dems. stopped telling us that meekly surrendering our liberty is the Patriotic thing to do.
On the post: So The FBI Can Just Take A Copy Of All Instapaper User Data With No Recourse?
Re: Tell me
On the post: Giant Breweries Get Laws Passed In Wisconsin To Make Life Hard For Small Breweries [Updated]
Re: Re:
On the post: Giant Breweries Get Laws Passed In Wisconsin To Make Life Hard For Small Breweries [Updated]
Re: Re:
On the post: Talking About Why The PROTECT IP Act Is Bad News...
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
Oh that's right... I had forgotten you are paid to comment over here.
On the post: Full Text Of The PROTECT IP Act Released: The Good, The Bad And The Horribly Ugly
Re: Re:
So... perhaps you can explain to us why those countries which have largely abandoned intrest in manufacturing and are pursuing an IP economy have trade deficits, while those countries which are aggressively pursuing manufacturing (and are usually more casual about enforcing IP ) are running trade surplusses?
On the post: Son Of COICA: PROTECT IP Act Will Allow For Broad Censorship Powers, Even Granted To Copyright Holders
Re: Re:
The fact is-- it's a crock.
I'm not sure who you're taking to be "you guys", but as has been made clear to you on multiple occasions, there are plenty of people who are opposed to both the current legislative proposals, and the general direction IP has taken in recent decades, on the basis of principle alone.
The length of copyright simply isn't sound economics. The current length provides a disincentive to heirs and subsequent right-holders to produce substantive new work, because current law provides ongoing income without work.
You've had many opportunities to provide a rational argument addressing this issue, but you only reply with vapid snark. Until you provide said argument, we'll have to assume you don't have one.
On the post: Son Of COICA: PROTECT IP Act Will Allow For Broad Censorship Powers, Even Granted To Copyright Holders
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
On the post: Once Again, Freemium Often Isn't A Good Model, But That Doesn't Mean 'Free' Doesn't Work
Evernote got it right
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