You don't give the Nanny governments enough credit.
"We have to protect the {stupid} people from doing stuff online that might upset them."
Whatever happened to personal responsibility and having a backbone? If you sent a scammer money, well I hope you learned your lesson. If a troll hurts your feelings, get over it, they don't know you, you don't know them, fuck'm.
We don't need laws protecting peoples feelings and there are already laws in place for the scams. People just need to pay attention to what they are doing.
Addtionally, to this point I think Big Media wants to have an a specific enemy they can vilify. If it's The People, it makes it a lot more difficult for them to state a claim of wrong doing.
Oh sure they call us pirates, but most people understand that sharing a movie of song isn't that big of a deal and probably 99% of the people in the US have done it in the past. So Big Media is only going to be able to go so far with vilifying The People.
But Google, oooo, they are rich, they are used by millions, everyone knows who they are. They are the perfect patsy, but only if Big Media can convince the powers that be, that Google is the real problem, not The People.
I love the quality of Blu-Ray but the constant firmware updates, slow load times and some disks simply not working in my player is part of what is preventing me from moving over to Blu-Ray.
I don't have a huge collection of DVDs, but the thought of purchasing all the Blu-Ray versions just isn't appealing enough.
That said, downloading BR quality movies is a time consuming process and as Netflix streaming has proven, not everyone feels the need to have the best AV experience available.
So people will stick to DVDs and streaming, it's good enough.
That is a good point, cracking the packets collected on their network is one thing, but cracking the Google account itself is not legal, regardless of where the emails were written.
it does appear that these scientists were accessing their personal Gmail accounts from work computers
As a former network admin I had to deal with this fine line quite a bit, but I also believe there is a fair amount of precedent stating that the company owns the network and thus can 'snoop' on any traffic on that network.
Additionally it would be good to get a look at the employee policy manual. Many companies explicitly state that employees have not expectation of privacy while using company computers/networks. Maybe that won't stand up in court, but that alone could thwart them.
I support what these whistle-blowers are doing, but they should have used their personal computers/mobile devices, not work computers.
Uhoh, I better make sure I don't have the windows open in my house when listening to music loud. Wonder if they'll go after the people with really loud car stereos too? (please!)
Maybe they really don't want anyone to actually listen to the music, just buy it.
More industry shills in the comments telling us we are all pirates or pirate apologists and we don't know what we are talking about? Oh that'll be awesome!
If you don't like a companies DRM practices don't buy their goods. Eventually the company goes under, the company realizes the mistake, or the good developers go to a company where their work can be appreciated by consumers.
Why buy something that could be rendered useless with a couple mistakes. Even Microsoft will work with you, to a degree, if your Windows/Office activation is having problems.
How about stuff without artificial region/time restrictions?
Eight days before I can watch a TV episode online? Our friends in Canada or else where in the world are unable to use some of those same services. Oh I can't BUY that song because it's not available in my country?
The Internet does not recognize the same geographical boundaries because they make no sense. I bet you'd see a lot less piracy if that issue alone was resolved. How many episodes of TopGear are torrented every year because fans in the US don't want to wait weeks/months to see them, edited, on BBC America?
The legal services, many of which I pay for and use regularly have their limitations, not because of technology, but because of artificial restrictions put in place by rights-holders. Consumers don't care what those reasons are, they just want the content. If the legal means are available, they'll seek out the less legal ones.
I think you all are missing the point on the whole Anti-Google thing. I really suspect that some of these ignoramuses believe that Google IS the Internet, like how many people thought being on AOL was being on the Internet.
They are simply assuming that any backlash from the Internet = Google. They are using Google like Kleenex for tissues.
I think you mean the cat is out of the bag, but I agree with your point. Production cost vs. Marketing and Distribution has shifted dramatically, especially in music. The middle-men made their money in the marketing and distribution side. Now that side has crumbled to the point that the margins are razor thin, and there isn't a lot of money to be made in production alone, using the traditional models.
The thing is the media companies still do have some value that people are willing to pay for, but it will be less than they made traditionally, there is no question there.
It's perfectly reasonable for them to try to put off the change in their business as long as possible, but they are getting desperate and dangerous now.
The media companies will have to change, the question is will it be on their terms or ours? I believe the solution is going to come from us, the consumers. We are going to stop spending money on their products, and consume LEGAL alternatives, spending our weakening dollars on more important things.
I don't have a big issue with disallowing photography, especially flash photography, but what is the problem with sketches? They certainly are not reproductions of the original, at least not as much as photograph.
They may be a problem with sketchers, but as a private facility they can be asked to leave. I believe this is simply a nuclear solution to a few problem sketchers. A few sketchers doing things they shouldn't have banned sketching for all, even those who would not have been a problem. Really it's too bad and in my opinion lazy of the museum.
I don't think there is anything illegal going on here, it's just the museum being short sited. They could pretty much prohibit whatever they wanted on their property, so long as it doesn't infringe on civil liberties.
I wonder if this could be a class issue? Perhaps some of the sketchers they were trying to remove were perhaps less desirable than the museum would prefer to have as guests.
Then again, this is the Art Institute of Chicago! In addition to the museum they have a school, full of aspiring artists, who SHOULD be using the museum to expand their minds from the techniques of past greats. Sketching and taking notes go hand in hand in art classes. I kept my art class notebooks from college because they are full of sketches taken during lectures.
It helps drive concepts of from and motion when you sketch the piece. And most sketches are just that. They are not accurate reproductions of the original. They typically are quickly done and made to convey a specific piece of info about the artwork or a very generalized concept.
It would be very nice to see a follow-up on this article, to know why the museum has adopted this policy. My guess is a few bad apples (and bad is subjective) ruined it for the bunch.
Even if the indictment is true, does it warrant shutting down the site indefinitely, hurting many innocent non-infringing users?
When someone at you bank is indited on fraud or other financial abuses, does the government come in and close the bank and leave all its customers without their money? Nope!
Sounds like the issue could be fixed fairly easily and bring the site within the scope of the DMCA. Perhaps the four that are being charged are out and new management needs to be brought in, but we all know that's not going to happen. By the time anything of Megaupload is returned to the Internet, it'll be a shell of itself and probably all of it's data scrubbed.
This most certainly will put a chill on cloud services.
True that it's a small percentage of the total population but don't forget the large number of people who don't use the Internet, or use it so infrequently as to not care about these things or be completely ignorant about them.
Additionally and unfortunately there is a lot of apathy regarding this issue. Wikipedia may have taken a controversial approach to educating people about SOPA/PIPA but for some people, unless you poke them with a stick, they aren't going to wake up and do what they should.
On the post: How Publishers Repeated The Same Mistake As Record Labels: DRM Obsession Gave Amazon Dominant Position
Re:
On the post: BBC Tracks Down And Confronts An Internet Troll
Re: Don't feed the troll
"We have to protect the {stupid} people from doing stuff online that might upset them."
Whatever happened to personal responsibility and having a backbone? If you sent a scammer money, well I hope you learned your lesson. If a troll hurts your feelings, get over it, they don't know you, you don't know them, fuck'm.
We don't need laws protecting peoples feelings and there are already laws in place for the scams. People just need to pay attention to what they are doing.
On the post: According To Lamar Smith, Data Or Criticism From Anyone Who Doesn't Like SOPA Isn't Valid
Re: La la la
On the post: People Realizing That It Wasn't Google Lobbying That Stopped PIPA/SOPA
Re: Willful blindmess?
Oh sure they call us pirates, but most people understand that sharing a movie of song isn't that big of a deal and probably 99% of the people in the US have done it in the past. So Big Media is only going to be able to go so far with vilifying The People.
But Google, oooo, they are rich, they are used by millions, everyone knows who they are. They are the perfect patsy, but only if Big Media can convince the powers that be, that Google is the real problem, not The People.
On the post: People Realizing That It Wasn't Google Lobbying That Stopped PIPA/SOPA
Re: Yes, it was Google-- and the people Google pays....
On the post: NY Times: RIAA & MPAA Exaggerate Piracy Impact Stats... But We're Going To Assume They're True Anyway
Re:
On the post: Hollywood Wants To Kill Piracy? No Problem: Just Offer Something Better
Re: Re: Re: Re:
I don't have a huge collection of DVDs, but the thought of purchasing all the Blu-Ray versions just isn't appealing enough.
That said, downloading BR quality movies is a time consuming process and as Netflix streaming has proven, not everyone feels the need to have the best AV experience available.
So people will stick to DVDs and streaming, it's good enough.
On the post: Whistle-blowing Scientists (Trying To Prevent Dangerous Products From Reaching The Market) Sue FDA For Snooping On Their Personal Email Accounts
Re: Re:
On the post: Whistle-blowing Scientists (Trying To Prevent Dangerous Products From Reaching The Market) Sue FDA For Snooping On Their Personal Email Accounts
As a former network admin I had to deal with this fine line quite a bit, but I also believe there is a fair amount of precedent stating that the company owns the network and thus can 'snoop' on any traffic on that network.
Additionally it would be good to get a look at the employee policy manual. Many companies explicitly state that employees have not expectation of privacy while using company computers/networks. Maybe that won't stand up in court, but that alone could thwart them.
I support what these whistle-blowers are doing, but they should have used their personal computers/mobile devices, not work computers.
On the post: Bar Fight! Sony Sues Karaoke Distributor For Infringement; Gets Sued Right Back For 'Copyright Misuse'
Re:
Maybe they really don't want anyone to actually listen to the music, just buy it.
On the post: MPAA Exec Admits: 'We're Not Comfortable With The Internet'
Does this mean...
On the post: Tales From Ubisoft DRM: Latest DRM Goes From Horrible To Slightly Less Horrible
It's simple
Why buy something that could be rendered useless with a couple mistakes. Even Microsoft will work with you, to a degree, if your Windows/Office activation is having problems.
On the post: The Tech Industry Has Already Given Hollywood The Answer To Piracy; If Only It Would Listen
Re: Re: Re: Re:
Eight days before I can watch a TV episode online? Our friends in Canada or else where in the world are unable to use some of those same services. Oh I can't BUY that song because it's not available in my country?
The Internet does not recognize the same geographical boundaries because they make no sense. I bet you'd see a lot less piracy if that issue alone was resolved. How many episodes of TopGear are torrented every year because fans in the US don't want to wait weeks/months to see them, edited, on BBC America?
The legal services, many of which I pay for and use regularly have their limitations, not because of technology, but because of artificial restrictions put in place by rights-holders. Consumers don't care what those reasons are, they just want the content. If the legal means are available, they'll seek out the less legal ones.
On the post: Movie Theaters' Top Lobbyist Resorts To Making Up Facts Concerning SOPA/PIPA
Re: Re: Hollyweird
They are simply assuming that any backlash from the Internet = Google. They are using Google like Kleenex for tissues.
On the post: Do Pirate Sites Really Make That Much Money? Um... No
Re: This makes another, important point
The thing is the media companies still do have some value that people are willing to pay for, but it will be less than they made traditionally, there is no question there.
It's perfectly reasonable for them to try to put off the change in their business as long as possible, but they are getting desperate and dangerous now.
The media companies will have to change, the question is will it be on their terms or ours? I believe the solution is going to come from us, the consumers. We are going to stop spending money on their products, and consume LEGAL alternatives, spending our weakening dollars on more important things.
On the post: Ownership Mentality: Art Gallery Prohibits Sketching
Re: Ouch... you're wrong this time...
They may be a problem with sketchers, but as a private facility they can be asked to leave. I believe this is simply a nuclear solution to a few problem sketchers. A few sketchers doing things they shouldn't have banned sketching for all, even those who would not have been a problem. Really it's too bad and in my opinion lazy of the museum.
On the post: Ownership Mentality: Art Gallery Prohibits Sketching
Re: Fair use & derivative work
I wonder if this could be a class issue? Perhaps some of the sketchers they were trying to remove were perhaps less desirable than the museum would prefer to have as guests.
Then again, this is the Art Institute of Chicago! In addition to the museum they have a school, full of aspiring artists, who SHOULD be using the museum to expand their minds from the techniques of past greats. Sketching and taking notes go hand in hand in art classes. I kept my art class notebooks from college because they are full of sketches taken during lectures.
It helps drive concepts of from and motion when you sketch the piece. And most sketches are just that. They are not accurate reproductions of the original. They typically are quickly done and made to convey a specific piece of info about the artwork or a very generalized concept.
It would be very nice to see a follow-up on this article, to know why the museum has adopted this policy. My guess is a few bad apples (and bad is subjective) ruined it for the bunch.
On the post: Patrick Leahy Still Doesn't Get It; Says Stopping PIPA Is A Victory For Thieves
Wait...what?
I thought all the pirates were sharing files at file lockers and on Bit Torrent. Who the hell BUYS pirated media on the Internet?
On the post: DOJ Gives Its Opinion On SOPA By Unilaterally Shutting Down 'Foreign Rogue Site' Megaupload... Without SOPA/PIPA
Databanks
When someone at you bank is indited on fraud or other financial abuses, does the government come in and close the bank and leave all its customers without their money? Nope!
Sounds like the issue could be fixed fairly easily and bring the site within the scope of the DMCA. Perhaps the four that are being charged are out and new management needs to be brought in, but we all know that's not going to happen. By the time anything of Megaupload is returned to the Internet, it'll be a shell of itself and probably all of it's data scrubbed.
This most certainly will put a chill on cloud services.
On the post: 8 Million People Looked Up Their Elected Officials' Contact Info During Wikipedia Blackout
Re: A good start?
Additionally and unfortunately there is a lot of apathy regarding this issue. Wikipedia may have taken a controversial approach to educating people about SOPA/PIPA but for some people, unless you poke them with a stick, they aren't going to wake up and do what they should.
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