Quick little point about a single word in this story:
In the latest very frightening polls in the Toronto election, Rob Ford is likely to be re-elected. Thus, he remains disgraceful (as will the entire city if they actually re-elect him) but not disgraced.
I am convinced that the original photo is in the public domain. As such, Slater should not be trying to sue anyone. He should just license his cropped version of the public domain photo to anyone willing to pay him for it. Also, I think part of the "value" of the photo is his story about how it was created. His being an insufferable twit and threatening to sue Wikimedia is going to reduce the income potential for him accompanying the photo and relating its story.
I am part of the public. The work is in the public domain. Therefore, I choose option 1: I am the copyright owner. In other words, I have the right to copy this snippet of culture.
If the "permission culture" is so firmly entrenched, maybe we have to push back creatively against it.
With GTA V, Rockstar had a game launch day that was apparently unprecedented in the history of entertainment. They have connected with fans in a substantial way over many years and many titles. Some may say that Rockstar can afford to be so magnanimous about online cash packs because they made so much money on the game already. But I believe their overall attitude is what drives their success, not any one particular action.
It is bad for sure, but there may be some statements at odds here:
Glyn said:
"No doubt, many people might think phone companies should provide this kind of information, provided a properly executed court warrant is presented."
The article said:
"Wireless carriers are told they must be ready to hand over such data should police or intelligence agencies compel the release of the information through judicially authorized warrants."
I think we're a tiny bit better off in Canada because the warrants are not being authorized by a secret court. Of course, I may be naive.
As has been stated, Netflix is just an example, an illustration of how more convenience and better access can reduce piracy.
But in Canada, where Netflix is actually available, the selection is so hobbled by regional restrictions that, for me, it wasn't even worth subscribing. The selection was terrible about one year ago when I tried it; the service and selection may have improved since then, but I haven't heard such a thing.
Also, rumors are that the ISPs were de-prioritizing Netflix traffic. As the big ISPs in Canada are both content producers and traditional broadcasters/cablecasters, they view Netflix as a competitor.
So I'd love to see the numbers for Canada, but my guess is that Netflix might show up as a counter-example. Thus, such a study would be held up to "disprove" the US experience when in fact it bolsters the underlying point: better access and convenience really do combat piracy more effectively than enforcement.
A: Using the Incredible Shrinking Machine, both the senator and the sexually provocative intern can fit inside the light bulb. We're not high-tech techies, but we're told this is perfectly possible.
I read Frank Rich's article as an indictment of the passivity of the American public in letting this horrendous breach of privacy go almost unnoticed. I didn't get the impression that he was trying to say it was actually no big deal. While he may be wrong, he does present some little nuggets to prove his point: people and the media focused on Snowden and not his revelations. That's a point already made here on Techdirt. There's a good chance Frank Rich is annoyed with the public and media reaction just as much as we are.
The ones I found especially telling: those comments that describe firsthand how top heavy the wealth concentration is in Hollywood. Clinging to what they have and trying to get more is what drives the "leaders". In fact, they are not leading anywhere but down.
I would love to know more about the wealth and revenue distribution in Bollywood. My guess is that it is less lucrative on a per production basis, but more evenly distributed. Again a guess: since the pie is much bigger, smaller slices are just fine.
The last thing we need is the 911 call centers clogged up with even more "non-emergency" calls. It is already a real problem when people dial on purpose and want to complain about their neighbor's dog barking for the last three hours. Of course it's okay if the nature of the call is: "If that dog doesn't shut up I will kill myself and then the rest of the neighborhood. Or something."
Airport police are using Segways. They find them better than bikes or carts or motor scooters. But sure, not as indispensable or necessary as food and water.
It is not a paywall. It is a crowdpatron system. In the very old days, under patronage, one rich dude would pay an artist to produce works for him. With the Internet, individuals can pay a small amount to support their favorite artist, but add many individuals together and you potentially have an artist making a decent living via ongoing payment for production.
This is better than the current regime in several ways. Most importantly it funds FUTURE work of an ARTIST's own creation, and does not extort money out of people for the PAST work of OTHERS.
I notice one commenter is trying to be supportive. She says that to her "pornography is legalized prostitution". Wouldn't that make Duffy the pimp's thuggish enforcer?
You'd think the man would stop and parse his own statement, providing him with the ultimate Eureka! moment.
My imagination spins this out in a world where common sense prevails: "We, Hollywood, have to catch up and leverage this technology for our customers. What we learn from this catchup process should well-position us to take advantage of the NEXT technological evolution and actually beat the pirates to it."
Remember the guy who said recently that distribution of Academy award material should not be done digitally because they are all about "theatrical releases"? This is the kind of closed-end position that dooms Hollywood (or dooms the rest of us if the politicians continue to be nourished via Hollywood's teat).
It bothers me that a man can so succinctly describe his brief obsession with gore. I was especially disturbed by the fact that he gave up snacks while watching TV. This cannot stand.
The solution is of course to eliminate the mention of gore-related dietary choices from all media. I call for a ban on such frightening utterances!
On the post: Ferrari 'DRM:' Don't Screw With Our Logos And We'll Let You Know If It's OK To Sell Your Car
Disgraceful but not disgraced
In the latest very frightening polls in the Toronto election, Rob Ford is likely to be re-elected. Thus, he remains disgraceful (as will the entire city if they actually re-elect him) but not disgraced.
On the post: How That Monkey Selfie Reveals The Dangerous Belief That Every Bit Of Culture Must Be 'Owned'
Slater's Income
On the post: UN Report Says Mass Surveillance May Violate International Law
UN Legitimacy
Also, echoing That One Guy about the wrong quote we noticed.
On the post: Houston, We Have A Copyright Problem
Valid Reasons to Dispute a Claim
If the "permission culture" is so firmly entrenched, maybe we have to push back creatively against it.
On the post: Law Enforcement Is Not About Generating Revenue: Speed Trap And Booking Fee Edition
Re: Re: Devil's advocate
On the post: Two Bad Launches: Why Rockstar Is Succeeding Where EA Failed
Attitude Breeds Success
On the post: Twenty-Year-Old Requirement For 'Real-time, Full-time' Eavesdropping On Canadian Mobiles Revealed
Glyn said:
"No doubt, many people might think phone companies should provide this kind of information, provided a properly executed court warrant is presented."
The article said:
"Wireless carriers are told they must be ready to hand over such data should police or intelligence agencies compel the release of the information through judicially authorized warrants."
I think we're a tiny bit better off in Canada because the warrants are not being authorized by a secret court. Of course, I may be naive.
On the post: NBC Universal Funded Study Shows, Yet Again, How Infringement Is Hollywood's Own Damn Fault
Re: Netflix
But in Canada, where Netflix is actually available, the selection is so hobbled by regional restrictions that, for me, it wasn't even worth subscribing. The selection was terrible about one year ago when I tried it; the service and selection may have improved since then, but I haven't heard such a thing.
Also, rumors are that the ISPs were de-prioritizing Netflix traffic. As the big ISPs in Canada are both content producers and traditional broadcasters/cablecasters, they view Netflix as a competitor.
So I'd love to see the numbers for Canada, but my guess is that Netflix might show up as a counter-example. Thus, such a study would be held up to "disprove" the US experience when in fact it bolsters the underlying point: better access and convenience really do combat piracy more effectively than enforcement.
On the post: Congressional Oversight? Dianne Feinstein Says She's 'Not A High-Tech Techie' But Knows NSA Can't Abuse Surveillance
Re: Re: Re:
On the post: Because Some People Share A Lot Of Info On Facebook, We Should Admit We've Given Up All Privacy Rights?
Tone of the Article?
On the post: The Value Of Kickstarter: Connecting With Fans On-The-Fly
Massive Chalice looks like a unique game. We need new ideas in the FPS dominated video game world.
Also, we're finally getting Kickstarter for Canadian projects: http://www.kickstarter.com/canada
On the post: US Chamber Of Commerce: Bollywood Is So Successful Without Strong Copyrights That It Will Fail Unless India Strengthens Its Copyrights
The ones I found especially telling: those comments that describe firsthand how top heavy the wealth concentration is in Hollywood. Clinging to what they have and trying to get more is what drives the "leaders". In fact, they are not leading anywhere but down.
I would love to know more about the wealth and revenue distribution in Bollywood. My guess is that it is less lucrative on a per production basis, but more evenly distributed. Again a guess: since the pie is much bigger, smaller slices are just fine.
On the post: Man Butt Dials 911 While Discussing Murder Plot
On the post: Cool New Platform For Supporting Artists: Patreon, From Jack Conte
Re: Re: Re: Necessity is the mother of invention
On the post: Cool New Platform For Supporting Artists: Patreon, From Jack Conte
Re: Re: Re: paywall
This is better than the current regime in several ways. Most importantly it funds FUTURE work of an ARTIST's own creation, and does not extort money out of people for the PAST work of OTHERS.
On the post: Congress Grandstanding Over Google Glass 'Privacy' Concerns; Next Up: Privacy Concerns Over Your Eyes
Placing surveillance capabilities back into the hands of the people is just another way to democratize information gathering and dissemination.
Still, putting a bit of "level" on the playing field doesn't mean that pervasive surveillance is not a big concern.
On the post: Did Paul Duffy's Wife Admit That He Was Engaged In Interstate Extortion On Facebook?
On the post: Motion Picture Association: The Cloud Is A Threat To Us And The Best Response Is Censorship
Re:
My imagination spins this out in a world where common sense prevails: "We, Hollywood, have to catch up and leverage this technology for our customers. What we learn from this catchup process should well-position us to take advantage of the NEXT technological evolution and actually beat the pirates to it."
Remember the guy who said recently that distribution of Academy award material should not be done digitally because they are all about "theatrical releases"? This is the kind of closed-end position that dooms Hollywood (or dooms the rest of us if the politicians continue to be nourished via Hollywood's teat).
On the post: How Hollywood's Own Pirates Must Inform The Future Of Copyright
Even their piracy is archaic
After all, burning physical copies for "speed and convenience" barely resembles most of today's fully digital online options.
On the post: Newspaper Publisher Disturbed By His Own Reaction To Walking Dead; Thinks Censorship Might Be The Answer
The solution is of course to eliminate the mention of gore-related dietary choices from all media. I call for a ban on such frightening utterances!
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