It's just the last dying breath of an old institution.
Anybody remember Lotus 123, they sued everyone in the early 80's for the pull down menu. Look at them now. The mighty fall HARD.
What's the problem? Our history is full of one borrowing from another and making something out of it. Apple stole / borrowed the Graphics Interface and Pointer (Mouse) code from Xerox to create a Mac. Microsoft borrowed / stole from Apple to create Windows. Cisco borrowed / stole the design and code for Routers from Stanford and never paid them a dime until 10 years after they stole it.
It's nothing new and it not only affects Copyrights, it has bled over into Patents. Examining the patent for Second Life, which was a unique one of a kind program. I found that it was forced to rely on 17 other patents in order to be realized. Patents as obscure as the type of screen you viewed it on. It looked like a joke.
You can't create anything original anymore without someone holding a Copyright or Patent for part of your idea. It has literally made any creative endeavor for the normal person almost impossible to protect themselves. When you do have a good idea you wind up paying royalties to a bunch of companies that had nothing to do with your idea. But this is called competition and is healthy?
I am a songwriter and performer and have written and co-written several albums of music. But because I am indie and privately (self) published I get no protection from the RIAA or any other agency. I have copyrights and because I am not with the big 3 the RIAA could care less about me. But the Radio Stations my music is played on pays the royalties to ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. They collect the fees for my music but refuse to pay me unless I sue.
This system SUCKS WAZOO and is against the people. Any politician that supports this kind of tyranny deserves whatever the people do to them. The main problem is that the creative part of our society is very small and as such can be manipulated.
The Government is like the Police, they are only effective after the fact. The police do nothing to protect anyone except dignitaries. When the Government adds any new regulation they have to add new fees to support that regulation and it's bureaucracy. In the United States recently Social Security enacted a Drug Plan for Seniors. Before the plan I paid no co-pay for the 5 drugs my Doctor prescribed. The next year it was raised to 1 dollar for each drug, OK not too bad but it is already costing the poor money they don't have. But to make a long story short after 4 years in this drug plan I can only afford the the co-pay for 3 of the drugs instead of 5. 1 of the 2 prescriptions I can no longer afford had it's co-pay raised to $153.00. So how did Government regulation help me? IT DOES NOT HELP!!!! I am worse off today than I was before the Government messed with it.
If the Government Regulates (Censors) the internet then we will become like China and be forced to buy SSL Pipes with private ports to be able to do anything online. Sound like a new business opportunity.
I quote: 'The more you tighten your grip, the more Star Systems will slip through your fingers.'
Look at who is behind the MPAA and boycott all of their products. Simple! You don't need to buy Sony's crap anyway, it breaks as soon as the warranty is over. So screw them, they lose. I buy nothing from Sony and avoid Time Warner at all costs. These people understand NOTHING BUT CASH. If you stop giving them the cash they die.
I quote: 'The tighter your grip, the more Star Systems will slip through your fingers.'. I think that's copyrighted but appropriate. Bye bye business with Canada as they strangle what small creative force they have. Just like who needs Arizona? What do they provide that I need? Nada.
Sue them! The school board hates nothing more than a lawsuit. We did it because our son's math teacher, while being competent at math, could not speak English very well. My son's math grade plummeted because he couldn't understand her! When we talked to the school officials about it they would not move him or replace the teacher. So we sued and the school district settled out of court and the teacher moved to another school where people understood her language better.
The mighty United States justice system. $75.00 for filing fees and you have leverage. People are so afraid of getting screwed in the United States Justice System that they rush to settle out of court. Voila! Problem solved. But that is another article isn't it?
We already know from past experience that all governments will back the corporations rather than the people. They all repress and control their citizens and especially through the media. Anyone watching CNN or BBC News can see that immediately because of the repeat over and over of a few news items. We get very little actual news and then it is managed for our poor uneducated selves. It's a real joke.
Bottom Line: We can expect no freedom from any of our governments because they are controlled by corporations. Revolution is not the answer. The new masters would be worse than the old ones. Only sanctions against the corporations you hate will eventually have any meaning. Stop buying their products and services and they will eventually go away. If the corporation you dislike has a monopoly in your area then complain to your representatives and demand a breakup. There's nothing worse to a corporation than a forced breakup. Email all representatives about any monopoly you find.
Absolutely!! I Google every new contact and glean all of the info about the perp, (oops I mean contact) I can find. It only makes sense to be informed.
Who owns NBC now? Comcast and they don't like interference. It's kinda like biting the hand that feeds you. Doesn't this idiot know who he works for? Funny as hell, pushing restrictions on your own boss. You would think they would brief him better. Just proves what an idiot he really is. Wazoos!
Really. I remember back in the 1990's, the software industry persuaded the US Government to allow mass immigration from India to help us poor under educated programmers here in the US make better software. What that accomplished is the loss of high-paying jobs ($80,000 a year and more) to Indians willing to work for $40,000 a year. I still don't see the logic in allowing more immigration to help offset Social Security. If the US Government would pay back the large amounts they borrowed from the Social Security fund back in the 1980's, the fund would be flush. They borrowed Hundreds of Billions of dollars from a fund that was flush with over a Trillion dollars in cash. I remember my outrage over the theft put forward by the Reagan Republicans. I remember being totally pissed off that the government could just borrow my retirement without my permission.
Send this link to your Senators, Congresspeople and all other public representatives. They all need a history lesson. Of course in America the individual no longer counts. A thing has no value to the society at large unless a corporation has control of the thing. At least that seems to be the thinking of our leaders in the United States and the reports I'm hearing from other countries on this issue shows the majority of support for the corporation rather than the individual. So who cares about your copyright unless you were published by a major corporation? If you try to self-publish, the powers that be (ASCAP, BMI and SESAC, etc) reject you and you never get the so-called protection unless you have deep pockets and can sue everyone on your own. This sort of system stifles creativity enormously and will eventually make creative endeavors simply a software program.
Canned pablum!
That's what you get when you let the Copyright Office in the US be beholden to none. Almost every person on the Copyright Office board used to be an RIAA Executive. Don't believe me? Follow the money! Get the names of the board members and do a search on them. I won't give you the names because it's probably breaking the new laws.
Put your head down and wear your hoody, the shit is coming down and the battle is about to begin. We know from history that you can only push around the peasants for so long and then they use their farm implements (work tools) for weapons.
What's the big deal? If they were stupid enough to worry about an email instead of an actual delivered subpoena to appear in court, then they deserve what they got. How stupid!! Worrying about an email. I get tons of stupid emails saying I won the lottery and some Attorney in the UK is holding my money. In my case I am somewhat known in programming circles and as a result I constantly get emails saying some engineer name Klaus or something like that worked on a project with me and in appreciation of my friendship has left me million of pounds. All of these emails come from the UK and recently started coming from Nigeria. Stupid people to even respond to an email like that.
Just about everything you code anymore, if it is a procedure, has been patented by someone. That patent also probably relies on 20 other patents to be legal. It's turning into a bunch of bull.
Another one bites the dust. Craigslist was a great service. But you know the history of computers is if you sue you eventually will die. Look at Lotus (remember them) sued over their dropdown menus and voila no more Lotus and lots of dropdown menus. Maybe Craigslist wants to be owned by IBM like Lotus is.
On the post: Hollywood Gets Injunction Against Pirate Bay Bandwidth Provider?
Gasping the last breath
Anybody remember Lotus 123, they sued everyone in the early 80's for the pull down menu. Look at them now. The mighty fall HARD.
On the post: Funny How A Little Public Pressure Makes Artist's Estate Back Down
Isn't this the way business is done?
It's nothing new and it not only affects Copyrights, it has bled over into Patents. Examining the patent for Second Life, which was a unique one of a kind program. I found that it was forced to rely on 17 other patents in order to be realized. Patents as obscure as the type of screen you viewed it on. It looked like a joke.
You can't create anything original anymore without someone holding a Copyright or Patent for part of your idea. It has literally made any creative endeavor for the normal person almost impossible to protect themselves. When you do have a good idea you wind up paying royalties to a bunch of companies that had nothing to do with your idea. But this is called competition and is healthy?
I am a songwriter and performer and have written and co-written several albums of music. But because I am indie and privately (self) published I get no protection from the RIAA or any other agency. I have copyrights and because I am not with the big 3 the RIAA could care less about me. But the Radio Stations my music is played on pays the royalties to ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. They collect the fees for my music but refuse to pay me unless I sue.
This system SUCKS WAZOO and is against the people. Any politician that supports this kind of tyranny deserves whatever the people do to them. The main problem is that the creative part of our society is very small and as such can be manipulated.
On the post: Can The Government Really Walk The Line Of Regulating The Internet Without Screwing It Up?
Can the Government?
If the Government Regulates (Censors) the internet then we will become like China and be forced to buy SSL Pipes with private ports to be able to do anything online. Sound like a new business opportunity.
I quote: 'The more you tighten your grip, the more Star Systems will slip through your fingers.'
On the post: FCC Gives Hollywood The Right To Break Your TV/DVR... Just 'Cause
Look beyond
On the post: Canadian Writers Guild Wants 'You Must Be A Criminal' Tax On Both Distribution And Storage Of Content
Stranglehold
On the post: Students Who Caught Gym Teacher Stealing Money From Lockers May Get Punished
Got Bad School Personnel
The mighty United States justice system. $75.00 for filing fees and you have leverage. People are so afraid of getting screwed in the United States Justice System that they rush to settle out of court. Voila! Problem solved. But that is another article isn't it?
On the post: It's Baaaaaack: Canadian DMCA Bill Expected Next Month
So What?
Bottom Line: We can expect no freedom from any of our governments because they are controlled by corporations. Revolution is not the answer. The new masters would be worse than the old ones. Only sanctions against the corporations you hate will eventually have any meaning. Stop buying their products and services and they will eventually go away. If the corporation you dislike has a monopoly in your area then complain to your representatives and demand a breakup. There's nothing worse to a corporation than a forced breakup. Email all representatives about any monopoly you find.
On the post: Should Doctors Google Patients?
Right On
On the post: Ohio Attorney General Says Google Not Protected By Section 230 In Antitrust Lawsuit
Ohio
On the post: Investment Bank Says Criticism Is Trademark Infringement; Gets Misplaced Injunction Against Web Forum
Trademark Infringement
On the post: Washington Post Fails To Ask NBC's Rick Cotton Any Tough Questions
Follow the money
On the post: Duh, Don't Leave A Thumb Drive With Child Porn Plugged Into A Shared Computer
Shared computer?
On the post: An Answer To The Impending Bankruptcy Of Social Security: An Immigration Brain Gain
Creates more jobs?
On the post: The Economist On Why Copyright Needs To Return To Its Roots
Tell your representative!
Canned pablum!
On the post: Does ACTA Kill Online Anonymity?
RIAA
Put your head down and wear your hoody, the shit is coming down and the battle is about to begin. We know from history that you can only push around the peasants for so long and then they use their farm implements (work tools) for weapons.
On the post: UK Shop Refuses To Make Prints Of Digital Photos Because They're 'Too Good' And Must Infringe
Get a grip
On the post: Scammers Using Mock Copyright Lawsuit Threats To Get People To Download Malware
Funny
On the post: DNS Screwup Accidentally Extends Great Firewall Of China To Chile And The US?
Control?
On the post: Why Real Programmers Don't Take The USPTO Seriously: Doubly-Linked List Patented
No more freedom
On the post: Is A Captcha DRM? Craigslist Wins Default Judgment Claiming Yes
Craigslist
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