There is no balance; there never was a balance. Have you ever read any of the copyright "agreements" offered to artists and writers? There are for _all_ rights. That means, if you're a musician, and you sell a song to a record label, you _must_ pay for playing your song every time you do so. Yes, even though you created it, you can't play it without paying. If you are a writer and sell a story, you can't write a sequel, prequel, or or work using the any of the characters or settings without giving (that's correct, giving) it to the publisher. And in the US, you can be sued if you don't.
Copyright was never about balance. It's about creating a monopoly for the copyright holders, the big money companies. And by monopoly, it means that big money can force the creators to accept whatever pittance they're willing to give to the creators. Creators do _NOT_ benefit from copyright, only big money.
And people wonder why I'm against all forms of copyright. There is no way to fix[1] copyright to prevent insanity like this from happening. Copyright: Just Say No.
The problem with patents is that they're relatively easy to get and difficult to get rid of. It is this simple fact that allows them to grow and encroach on areas that the legislators could not envision when they created the laws. Resetting patent law back to what it should be will not stop this behaviour. It will just come back sooner or later (most likely sooner). The only way to stop patents from stifling innovation is to get rid of it completely. Patents: just say no.
"It mostly involves user submissions of pictures of women, along with generally mean commentary from the user -- and then maybe a short comment from the site's owner."
The site's owner is responsible for his comments and they are not exempt under section 230.
True but if ratified, big content will use it as an excuse to reintroduce SOPA/PIPA-like legislation, claiming it is absolutely necessary to be compliant with ACTA.
With all the American sites protesting SOPA/PIPA, there are few which have figured out what they actually mean. If they get passed, then the US will be isolated from the rest of the internet. And for some strange reason, they think this will be a hardship for the rest of the world. Stop living in the 20th century. Since the crash of '08, the rest of the world has been trying to make up its mind whether the US is that important anymore. And most are thinking it's not. It would be ashamed if they were passed but if they are, say hello to backwater USA.
There is nothing wrong with DMCA. Currently it allows anyone in the US to remove any content from the web just by posting a notice, exactly what the big-content companies want. Well, not completely. It is still too reasonable priced; it allows little companies to take down big-content sites too but, don't worry, they going to change that soon. ;)
Putting the internet under the control of a small group just makes it easier for the 1% to get their greedy hands on it. The internet will better serve the People if it remains the way it is, distributed.
There are plenty on DRM-free music and videos available on the internet to fit any tastes (and some are exceeding tasteless for those who like bland :)). I haven't listen to music from the record labels in years. There is plenty of other selection.
Baen Free Library has been doing this for years. Jim Baen firmly believed offering free ebook downloads of popular books increased sales of real books.
How can the US government be so stupid about the internet. At one time, DNS resided on servers because they were the only things big enough for it. But today, even a MP3 play has enough capacity to host DNS. There is nothing to stop everyone from downloading and running a personal DNS, with multiple sources from anywhere in the world. All this censorship does is put more power in the hands of the people.
On the post: Resetting The Balance To Save Copyright (Part III)
Just Say No
Copyright was never about balance. It's about creating a monopoly for the copyright holders, the big money companies. And by monopoly, it means that big money can force the creators to accept whatever pittance they're willing to give to the creators. Creators do _NOT_ benefit from copyright, only big money.
Copyright: just say no.
On the post: TV Networks File Legal Claims Saying Skipping Commercials Is Copyright Infringement
No More Copyright
[1] Unless by fix, you mean neutered.
On the post: Want More Jobs? Get Rid Of The Patent Trolls
Want More Jobs...
Both patents and copyright create artificial monopolies and stifle any improvements. The sooner we are rid of them, the better off we'll all be.
On the post: EU Commissioner Kroes: 'We Are Now Likely To Be In A World Without SOPA And Without ACTA'
Yay!
On the post: Can CISPA Be Fixed?
On the post: It's Time To Re-Establish That If A Patent Blocks Progress, It's Unconstitutional
Just Say No
On the post: IP Throwdown: Patent Lawyers Sued For... Copyright Infringement
Re: Re: Re: In the crapper!
On the post: Apparently, If Your Domain Has 'Dirt' In The Name, Section 230 Safe Harbors Don't Apply (Uh Oh...)
The site's owner is responsible for his comments and they are not exempt under section 230.
On the post: What Is ACTA And Why Is It A Problem?
Re: Re: The Tip of the Iceberg
On the post: An Updated Analysis: Why SOPA & PIPA Are A Bad Idea, Dangerous & Unnecessary
Goodbye USA
On the post: Congressional Research Service Shows Hollywood Is Thriving
So the content providers can control the internet.
On the post: As We Complain About SOPA & PIPA, Don't Forget The DMCA Already Has Significant Problems
On the post: India Wants UN Body To Run The Internet: Would That Be Such A Bad Thing?
Of Course It's a Bad Thing
On the post: Ding Dong: Another DRM Is Dead... And With It All The Files You Thought You Bought
Just Say No
DRM: just say no.
On the post: Righthaven Asks Court To Speed Up Ruling Against It So It Doesn't Have To Pay For A Trial
On the post: BSA Wants To Export Insane Statutory Damages For Copyright Infringement To Other Countries
Stop Software Piracy; Use Only FLOSS
On the post: No Surprise: Scammers Focus On Tricking The French With False Three Strikes Infringement Notices
On the post: Publishers Realizing There's Revenue In Selling Ebooks Of Old Content... Even If It's Available For Free
See http://www.baen.com/library/
On the post: As Expected, Alternative DNS Systems Sprouting Up To Ignore US Censorship
On the post: Counterintuitive: How Netflix Letting You Keep Movies Longer Decreases The Number Of DVDs It Needs
Re: Lies, Damn Lies, Statistics, and Economic Theory
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