Not an Electronic Rodent (profile), 18 Dec 2013 @ 3:10pm
Or...
that the programs have been approved by all three branches of government, but at that point, hopefully people will remind them that, even if that was true (and it was already misleading), all three branches of government appear to have changed their minds about it.
To be slightly fair to the NSA (and at this point I see no reason for it, but hey-ho), it's not totally impossible that all 3 branches of government did approve these programs and the mind-change represents rats leaving the sinking ship. Are the bits of the US government that would approve this stuff that much less corrupt and over-reaching than the NSA?
Not an Electronic Rodent (profile), 18 Dec 2013 @ 8:46am
wait..what?
Just three months after Glazier put this language into the bill, which everyone admits was suggested to him by the RIAA, he was hired by the RIAA to a job with a half a million dollar salary. He remains at the RIAA to this day,
So... if bribery is illegal in sports and, well, every other walk of life, how come it never seems to be illegal when it's labelled "politics"? This guy should be in jail not in a job.
Not an Electronic Rodent (profile), 14 Dec 2013 @ 8:30am
Yikes!
GEN. ALEXANDER: I do. I think people have to be held accountable for their actions. ... Because what we don't want is the next person to do the same thing,
Another reason (if one were needed) to keep well away from the US: The sheer duplicity and lack of self awareness in that statement must surely have created a major rip in the fabric of reality (none to strong in the Washington area at the best of times) creating a serious paradox black hole in the area...
Not an Electronic Rodent (profile), 13 Dec 2013 @ 3:47pm
Re: Re: Re: Re:
As long as you realise that it's the content providers at fault for not allowing Netflix to stream the content you desire, not an inherent problem with Netflix's business model,
That was my point, I should probably have said "up to date" instead. How the hell that's not unfair competitive practices is beyond me... but then I'm neither a lawyer nor a stinking rich corporation...
Not an Electronic Rodent (profile), 13 Dec 2013 @ 3:43pm
Re: Re: Re: Re:
Decent content is subjective.
A fair point, that was the wrong term to use. What I meant was that in order to replace TV, a service like Netflix has to have at the very least the same access to content as every other TV provider... ie the latest TV shows and the same access to released films. You're right, much of this new stuff isn't necessarily "decent content" and many won't miss it, or are prepared to wait until Netflix are allowed to make it available, but the content companies hamstringing services like Netflix doesn't allow them to compete on a level playing field.
Not an Electronic Rodent (profile), 13 Dec 2013 @ 9:41am
Re:
the customers are 100% legally entitled to their Vitas.
Well, What Consumer seem to agree with you:
British customer rights website What Consumer says "if you've been sent unsolicited goods, you are entitled to treat them as an unconditional gift and do with them as you choose."
Which, if true, possibly offers an interestingly ironic comeback to the legal threats... If the wrongly shipped item is considered a "gift", the customers have yet to receive the items they did order and presumably paid for up front. Were I them, in the face of a threat like that without teeth, I might be tempted to demand they fulfil the contract of sale or offer a refund just to rub salt into the wound...
Not an Electronic Rodent (profile), 13 Dec 2013 @ 9:34am
Re: Re: Every fanboy lusts for the unearned. But common law requires return.
The USPS page doesn't cite the actual law, but the applicable US Code title and section is:
Unless I'm missing something in the article, neither actually seem terribly relevant. I know the UK government pretty much does anything the USG says, but I don't think US laws or industry regulations apply to UK shopping yet...
Not an Electronic Rodent (profile), 13 Dec 2013 @ 9:23am
Alternatively
Why? Because.
Well there's always the good old reason; Because political grandstanding is way more likely to "put UK citizens in danger" than anything a journalist might say...
Not an Electronic Rodent (profile), 12 Dec 2013 @ 9:27am
Re:
Thus, I believe it is a mistake to tell one who certainly has such information in hand that he/she if just plain wrong if I do not have such information so that we both talk using the same baseline of information.
Well call me a rebel if you must, but I prefer to believe the real, if anecdotal, evidence of everyone I know who has cable or satellite TV saying "Why the hell do I have to pay for 200 channels of crap to get the 20 I want to watch?" over the assumed and possibly entirely imaginary "evidence" of someone with a vested interest in selling me the 200 channels of crap...
Not an Electronic Rodent (profile), 12 Dec 2013 @ 9:17am
Re: Re:
If you look at Netflix etc., they act like a VOD-channel with some specialized content for the internet and some bought licenses for TV-shows.
Indeed, Netflix would be an pretty good model, were it not for the total lack of decent content.
I think it's pretty dishonest for companies like fox to hamstring services like this by refusing content or "offering" it at obviously infeasible rates and then claim there's no market for it.
Not an Electronic Rodent (profile), 12 Dec 2013 @ 8:35am
Re:
Giving the option of building a custom channel list while giving a bottomline (ie: minimum 20 channels maybe?) would be GREATLY appreciated.
Well it'd certainly be a welcome start... Of course the real consumer option is to have 1 big "channel" with á la carte shows, where you can sample to see if you like it then sign up for a season at a time for example.
If only there were some mechanism that would allow for TV shows to be accessed like that... Wait a moment! How about that "inter-tubes" thing with..um... "earcommerce" or something?
Not an Electronic Rodent (profile), 12 Dec 2013 @ 1:09am
One can hope...
It would be fantastic if this went the distance, but given what a weasel David Cameron is and the UK government's penchant for toadying to the US, what's the likelihood the court gets pressured into declaring this kind of thing exempt from the DPA by reason of national security or something?
Not an Electronic Rodent (profile), 11 Dec 2013 @ 12:36pm
Re:
Even if something should happen with all the signatures, I'm not stupid as to believe our government is going to cease with the action.
Mostly I'm with you on the cynicism. I think you're completely right in that nothing productive or good will happen no matter how many signatures it gets.
On the other hand I assume it doesn't take long to fill in and look at it the other way. It may be that nothing good happens with a gazillion signatures, but at probably nothing worse happens either. If enough people feel as you do and the petition flops, can you see the government not using it as justification to say "See? No-one really cares about this stuff, we can crank the ratchet of invasion up another notch."?
Not an Electronic Rodent (profile), 10 Dec 2013 @ 7:38am
Re: Re: Re: Fabricated Histories
I don't think the problem is copyright. I think the problem is giant American corporations.
I don't think those 2 problems are mutually exclusive...
It demonstrates the commercial value of secret intelligence.
Indeed, I don't think there's ever been any doubt as to the commercial value of a monopoly however obtained for the holder of the monopoly. (Theoretically)Democratic governments, however, are supposed to encourage practices that are good for society as a whole and, while I make no claims to be an economist of any type, it seems clear that monopolies rarely, if ever, do well in that sphere.
Not an Electronic Rodent (profile), 10 Dec 2013 @ 3:57am
Re: Fabricated Histories
The Portugese were not the originators of maps of the world.
Well possibly not, I'll take your word for it. But the point is not the origin, it's the monopoly that they had over navigation and the changes that happened when the monopoly was broken. Did that bit not happen either?
Actually, on thinking about it, if you're right then it sort of works as a metaphor for copyright too with big incumbent players locking up previously public domain content...
Not an Electronic Rodent (profile), 10 Dec 2013 @ 1:20am
A nice dream...
An enterprising Ugandan company could look up the instructions for Monsanto's seeds in the patent literature, and build them tomorrow, without breaking the law, Jefferson said.
Anyone taking bets as to how long after this happens it will be before Monsanto "lobbies" the US government and it mysteriously "agrees" (read - bullies) another trade treaty with the Ugandan's that happens to make this illegal?
Not an Electronic Rodent (profile), 7 Dec 2013 @ 6:44am
Re: Re: By the way, I'm NOT prejudiced! I've SEEN what Megaupload hosted!
So you admit to being a grifting MU user?
No, read again. In fact he(?) seems to be claiming to be either DoJ or part of the copyright industry to which the "evidence" was disseminated as he(?)'s claiming to have personally seen "petabytes of data" and must therefore have had direct access to the captured servers... Of course the other possibility is that it's total bollocks as usual...
On the post: NSA Defenders Claim 'All 3 Branches' Of Gov't Have Approved Its Programs -- But All 3 Are Now Demanding Reforms
Or...
Are the bits of the US government that would approve this stuff that much less corrupt and over-reaching than the NSA?
On the post: Hidden Within The TPP: The RIAA's Secret Plan To Screw Musicians Out Of Their Rights
wait..what?
This guy should be in jail not in a job.
On the post: Some NSA Officials Favor Giving Snowden Limited Amnesty For All The Wrong Reasons
Yikes!
The sheer duplicity and lack of self awareness in that statement must surely have created a major rip in the fabric of reality (none to strong in the Washington area at the best of times) creating a serious paradox black hole in the area...
On the post: CEO Of 21st Century Fox Thinks People Aren't Really Asking For A La Carte TV Channels
Re: Re: Re: Re:
On the post: CEO Of 21st Century Fox Thinks People Aren't Really Asking For A La Carte TV Channels
Re: Re: Re: Re:
You're right, much of this new stuff isn't necessarily "decent content" and many won't miss it, or are prepared to wait until Netflix are allowed to make it available, but the content companies hamstringing services like Netflix doesn't allow them to compete on a level playing field.
On the post: UK Retailer Goes Legal After Shipping PS Vitas To Customers Who Just Bought A Game
Re:
Were I them, in the face of a threat like that without teeth, I might be tempted to demand they fulfil the contract of sale or offer a refund just to rub salt into the wound...
On the post: UK Retailer Goes Legal After Shipping PS Vitas To Customers Who Just Bought A Game
Re: Re: Every fanboy lusts for the unearned. But common law requires return.
On the post: Committee That Grilled Guardian Editor Over Snowden Documents Won't Get To Question Intelligence Boss
Alternatively
On the post: CEO Of 21st Century Fox Thinks People Aren't Really Asking For A La Carte TV Channels
Re:
On the post: CEO Of 21st Century Fox Thinks People Aren't Really Asking For A La Carte TV Channels
Re: Re:
I think it's pretty dishonest for companies like fox to hamstring services like this by refusing content or "offering" it at obviously infeasible rates and then claim there's no market for it.
On the post: CEO Of 21st Century Fox Thinks People Aren't Really Asking For A La Carte TV Channels
Re:
If only there were some mechanism that would allow for TV shows to be accessed like that... Wait a moment! How about that "inter-tubes" thing with..um... "earcommerce" or something?
On the post: Legal Challenges To Spying Mount In UK
One can hope...
On the post: If You're An American Who Believes In The 4th Amendment, You Have No Excuse Not To Sign This Petition
Re:
On the other hand I assume it doesn't take long to fill in and look at it the other way. It may be that nothing good happens with a gazillion signatures, but at probably nothing worse happens either. If enough people feel as you do and the petition flops, can you see the government not using it as justification to say "See? No-one really cares about this stuff, we can crank the ratchet of invasion up another notch."?
On the post: Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood Thinks Google Is To Blame For Infringement On The Web
wait..what?
On the post: Bringing Transparency Back To The Patent System With 'Innovation Cartography'
Re: Re: Re: Fabricated Histories
On the post: Bringing Transparency Back To The Patent System With 'Innovation Cartography'
Re: Fabricated Histories
Actually, on thinking about it, if you're right then it sort of works as a metaphor for copyright too with big incumbent players locking up previously public domain content...
On the post: Bringing Transparency Back To The Patent System With 'Innovation Cartography'
A nice dream...
On the post: US Court Secretly Lets Government Share Megaupload Evidence With Copyright Industry
Re: Re: By the way, I'm NOT prejudiced! I've SEEN what Megaupload hosted!
Of course the other possibility is that it's total bollocks as usual...
On the post: Holy See (The Pope) Criticizes TPP And TAFTA/TTIP In WTO Speech
Re: Re: Re: Re:
On the post: US Spy Satellite Logo Not At All Subtle: Octopus Enveloping The Earth
Re: Re:
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