Do we have any information about the features of the Norwegian and Swedish streaming systems? Do they actually give users what they want, or are they also hamstrung by industry regulations and high fees the way the US systems are?
The media companies had locked up the message. Opposition became so strong that new methods for getting the message out had to be invented.
What really happened was analogous to screwing down the pressure release valve on a boiler. Eventually the pressure builds to a point where the steam finds its own way out. The results are usually not pretty.
Reddit, Techdirt, and other groups became the focus of protest because traditional media was controlled. I don't know the actual readership stats, but I am guessing that SOPA did wonders for viewership and discussion at the protest sites. Unfortunately for big media, some of that new readership will stick around.
Even sites like Facebook were lit up with anti-SOPA messages. The traditional media were not getting out the message, so people found other venues.
Now that the boiler has ruptured, the MPAA, RIAA, and other SOPA supporters are going to have a much harder time controlling the message in the future. Even media outlets who are friendly or subsidiary with SOPA supporters are being forced to provide more balanced coverage.
Media industry hubris is the ultimate cause of the problem.
>>You don't pass a new law -- you have businesses adapt and innovate. And in that way, everyone wins.
I don't think that is accurate. The traditional gatekeepers don't win. You might argue that a more vibrant economy is good for them but I doubt that people who have been brought up in the closed RIAA/MPAA ecosystems see it that way. They only see looming disaster as the system around them comes apart. Artists thriving without their guidance as gatekeepers is unthinkable. Western civilization continuing without them serving as gatekeepers is unthinkable.
You hit the nail on the head with one point. Dodd is thinking in terms of internet companies. In modern Washington DC the insiders just assume that it is companies who control the government and make compromises. Voters are nothing but things to be manipulated with massive ad campaigns.
So, SOPA/PIPA not only alienated US Congressional allies, it also agitated enough of the European countries to create some foreign backlash. ASCAP made European leaders look like lemmings that were content to follow the US off the cliff. Maybe those days are over.
Next, will appearing in a 301 report be seen as a badge of honor and indicate a willingness to stand up to pressure from the US media lobby?
Back when I was in college (1970's) there were a couple of club/bars in town that had equipment set up that let people make copies of tapes. They were very popular with a lot of the music crowd.
Bluetooth devices would not even require the club to provide any equipment. Clubs could get reputations as music sharing hotspots.
There are some points the music industry needs to learn here.
1) Nature always fills a vacuum. Draconian laws in one area don't eliminate music sharing, they just make it move elsewhere.
2) Underground systems for music sharing generally benefit independent (non-label) artists more than label artists. The more you do to encourage music sharing to go underground, the more you help artists that you don't control.
3) File sharing has been going on in some form ever since technology made it possible. Prohibition of alcohol got its own constitutional amendment, and it didn't work. Why do you persist in thinking that prohibiting file sharing will work any better?
Even if SOPA passed in its original form it would have not had the "desired result." It would not have forced people to buy more from RIAA and MPAA companies. It would not have solved infringement problems. It would not have saved the content industry from the very bad decisions they have made regarding their relationship with the Internet.
The best story I heard about was a high school teacher who yesterday announced they would have a test today, and the test would be like an open book test. However, instead of their books students could use anything they found on Wikipedia.
This is one reason we need a law that makes false claim of copyright illegal. There are too many situations where it is easy and cheap to file bogus claims that shift costs to innocent companies
You forget that you are dealing with someone from the industry here. In their alternate reality the protest sites are all small and they are falling apart because of the blackout. The ability to deny reality and live in a fantasy world is a prerequisite for MPAA/RIAA employment. If they give a link it probably won't work because the Internet does not yet connect to alternate universes.
Hollywood is generally not a forgiving place, at least on the business side of the operation. It is pretty clear that SOPA/PIPA is now officially a disaster for Hollywood. It might pass, but the cost has been extravagant. For the first time the IP industry has faced significant push back on a copyright bill. SOPA mobilized the opposition, and now that the techies have tasted blood I don't think they are going to be nearly so quiet in the future. Worse, they have created an environment where members of Congress no longer feel that embracing a pro-copyright proposal is safe. Dianne Feinstein is a prime example. She has always been an automatic YES!!! on copyright maximalist bills. If that has changed, it is one more hit to the MPAA that the whole SOPA debacle has caused.
I wonder who made the call that now was the time to push SOPA/PIPA through Congress? It will be interesting to see how many people end up leaving the MPAA and the lobbying groups over the SOPA mess.
Actually, the rebuffs and criticisms are just intended to be instructional to other parties trying to pass legislation. All is going according to the standard Righthaven model for self destruction.
It is quite possible that having SOPA/PIPA go down in flame is the best thing that could happen to the RIAA and MPAA. SOPA and PIPA themselves have become politically toxic. Politicians are probably going to start looking a lot harder at industry demands for more copyright protections.
I am hoping the rejection of PIPA and SOPA wake up people in the industry to the realities they face. Bluntly, piracy is not the biggest problem they face. It has been an excuse and distraction from their real problems. The sooner they face that the sooner they can start to take corrective actions.
Denial is the first stage of grieving. Often the most ridiculous denials come right at the end of the grieving stage. Perhaps the latest statement is the first step in recovery.
This reminds me of the situation where the Belgian newspapers sued Google to have them removed from its aggregation. Google obliged. Then the newspapers were upset because Google was no longer driving business to them.
If AP wants bloggers and others to pay up, then the bloggers and others will probably just ignore AP. There are plenty of other news sites.
I wonder how long it will take AP to start suing people for ignoring them. Or, how long it will be before bloggers and other news sources expect AP to pay up on the same terms that AP is demanding.
This is scary. It seems like Obama has done nothing except give Hollywood what they want and stack the Justice Department and random other legal positions with MPAA/RIAA attorneys.
My only hope is that the reason he is worried about his relationship with Hollywood is that he plans to dump Biden.
When he was running I donated to his campaign, but this time around I have not and will not donate a penny. ICE seizures and other actions of his department mean that I will be looking seriously at third party candidates this year. I know third parties are a wasted effort, but at this point I don't see any reason to give Obama my vote (although in honesty, the Republicans seem to have several good reasons to vote for Obama, but we will have to see which of their reasons gets the nomination).
I think Lamar Smith has allowed himself to be captured by his staff. From things that he said in the SOPA hearings it sounded like he rarely if ever goes online himself. Therefore he is probably relying entirely on his staff to tell him what he needs to know. Of course, several members of that same staff probably already have promises of cushy jobs at various SOPA supporters companies to be awarded the moment that SOPA passes.
The problem up until now is that there are organized industries (and therefore highly organized lobbying groups) who support stronger and stronger copyright, but the negative impacts of stronger copyright are scattered and diffuse. No one industry or lobby saw enough benefit to reasonable copyright law to the extent it was willing to commit political resources to fight for reasonable copyright reform.
SOPA might have changed that. It has certainly brought together a lot of forces that favor reform and it has taught them to organize politically.
If we are going to have copyright, then the following reforms would be a good starting point in my opinion. I am also assuming that we are not going to immediately withdraw from the Brene convention:
1) False claim of copyright has statutory penalties equal to the current levels for copyright infringement. There should be treble penalties if the claim was used to suppress free speech, criticism, or competition in areas other than the copyright itself.
2)Explicit recognition and definition of fair use as an affirmative defense. Failure to recognize fair use would constitute a false claim of copyright.
3)Dismantling of the various federal "reports" that are nothing but industry propaganda used to bully other nations.
4)Reduction of copyright terms to the minimum required by the Berne Convention.
5)If we are going to have an IP Czar, then the position should be redefined according to the constitutional rational for IP laws. That means that the IP Czar's job should be to promote the movement of ideas and art into the public domain.
SOPA may turn out to be a watershed in American government no matter how it turns out.
Special interest groups have taken over the US government. Most people simply accept that as a given. Any pretense that Congress represents the people is gone.
If SOPA passes it establishes that special interests officially own the government. Schools might as well stop wasting time teaching about things like the Bill of Rights because they can be subverted at the whim of special interests. The schools can use the time they used to use to talk about freedom to implement MPAA/RIAA sponsored curriculum for the next few years, then move on to whatever special interest takes over after them.
On the other hand if SOPA is defeated it shows that there is still some hope. The anti-SOPA effort has awaken some sleeping giants, and just defeating SOPA/PIPA may not be the end of the story.
If nothing else, I hope that a lot of businesses have learned a hard lesson in signing generic letters of support on issues. Organizations that found their names on the SOPA supporters list have learned that signing generic letters of support can be as foolish as signing blank checks.
I had the stream running most of the day, and it was enough to drive any thought of ever running for office from my mind. The half-hour discussion about whether the word "offensive" was offensive was a definite low point. They even had to take a pause to discuss it with a parliamentarian.
Smith himself was a major low point. First, he kept insisting that he had tried to work with the tech industry for months, but they wouldn't do anything. I assume that he meant that the tech industry would not agree to everything his MPAA bosses were telling him they needed. He also kept insisting that they would pass the bill today which showed how far out of touch with reality that he was.
Near the end of the day yesterday I came back to my office and was shocked to see that the meeting was still going on. I assumed that they must be replaying the hearing for people who missed part of it when it was live. They were going over the same arguments that I had heard several hours earlier, but I finally realized that it was still indeed going on and they were just recycling arguments.
On the post: New Market Research: Music Streaming Services Halve Illegal Downloads
On the post: Major Media Owning SOPA/PIPA Supporters Whine That They Had No Way To Have Their Message Heard
What really happened was analogous to screwing down the pressure release valve on a boiler. Eventually the pressure builds to a point where the steam finds its own way out. The results are usually not pretty.
Reddit, Techdirt, and other groups became the focus of protest because traditional media was controlled. I don't know the actual readership stats, but I am guessing that SOPA did wonders for viewership and discussion at the protest sites. Unfortunately for big media, some of that new readership will stick around.
Even sites like Facebook were lit up with anti-SOPA messages. The traditional media were not getting out the message, so people found other venues.
Now that the boiler has ruptured, the MPAA, RIAA, and other SOPA supporters are going to have a much harder time controlling the message in the future. Even media outlets who are friendly or subsidiary with SOPA supporters are being forced to provide more balanced coverage.
Media industry hubris is the ultimate cause of the problem.
On the post: Patrick Leahy Still Doesn't Get It; Says Stopping PIPA Is A Victory For Thieves
I don't think that is accurate. The traditional gatekeepers don't win. You might argue that a more vibrant economy is good for them but I doubt that people who have been brought up in the closed RIAA/MPAA ecosystems see it that way. They only see looming disaster as the system around them comes apart. Artists thriving without their guidance as gatekeepers is unthinkable. Western civilization continuing without them serving as gatekeepers is unthinkable.
On the post: Why Chris Dodd Failed With His SOPA/PIPA Strategy
On the post: EU Politicians Send Letter To US Congress Warning Of 'Extraterritorial Effects' Of SOPA And PIPA
Lemmings Anonymous
Next, will appearing in a 301 report be seen as a badge of honor and indicate a willingness to stand up to pressure from the US media lobby?
On the post: The Internet Strikes Back: Anonymous Takes Down DOJ.gov, RIAA, MPAA Sites To Protest Megaupload Seizure
Re: Re: Re: Horrible change of events
That is true, but Grand Juries are not supposed to hand down penalties, just indictments. Taking a business offline is effectively a death sentence.
On the post: File Sharing Without The Internet: The Saharan Bluetooth Experience
Bluetooth devices would not even require the club to provide any equipment. Clubs could get reputations as music sharing hotspots.
There are some points the music industry needs to learn here.
1) Nature always fills a vacuum. Draconian laws in one area don't eliminate music sharing, they just make it move elsewhere.
2) Underground systems for music sharing generally benefit independent (non-label) artists more than label artists. The more you do to encourage music sharing to go underground, the more you help artists that you don't control.
3) File sharing has been going on in some form ever since technology made it possible. Prohibition of alcohol got its own constitutional amendment, and it didn't work. Why do you persist in thinking that prohibiting file sharing will work any better?
On the post: 8 Million People Looked Up Their Elected Officials' Contact Info During Wikipedia Blackout
Re: Hopefully may not work
On the post: A Gallery Of The SOPA Blackout Protest Screens.
On the post: Don't Think The 'Costs' To US Businesses From Bogus Claims Is Real? Read This
On the post: Disney Refused Invitation From Senator Feinstein To Meet With Tech Companies Over PIPA/SOPA
Re: Re:
On the post: Disney Refused Invitation From Senator Feinstein To Meet With Tech Companies Over PIPA/SOPA
Will heads roll?
I wonder who made the call that now was the time to push SOPA/PIPA through Congress? It will be interesting to see how many people end up leaving the MPAA and the lobbying groups over the SOPA mess.
On the post: SOPA/PIPA Supporters Pretend White House Statement Means We Can Rush Through SOPA/PIPA
Re: Re: Ratchet effect
On the post: SOPA/PIPA Supporters Pretend White House Statement Means We Can Rush Through SOPA/PIPA
I am hoping the rejection of PIPA and SOPA wake up people in the industry to the realities they face. Bluntly, piracy is not the biggest problem they face. It has been an excuse and distraction from their real problems. The sooner they face that the sooner they can start to take corrective actions.
Denial is the first stage of grieving. Often the most ridiculous denials come right at the end of the grieving stage. Perhaps the latest statement is the first step in recovery.
On the post: AP Finally Launches NewsRight... And It's Righthaven Lite?
If AP wants bloggers and others to pay up, then the bloggers and others will probably just ignore AP. There are plenty of other news sites.
I wonder how long it will take AP to start suing people for ignoring them. Or, how long it will be before bloggers and other news sources expect AP to pay up on the same terms that AP is demanding.
On the post: Obama Working To 'Fix' His Relationship With Hollywood
My only hope is that the reason he is worried about his relationship with Hollywood is that he plans to dump Biden.
When he was running I donated to his campaign, but this time around I have not and will not donate a penny. ICE seizures and other actions of his department mean that I will be looking seriously at third party candidates this year. I know third parties are a wasted effort, but at this point I don't see any reason to give Obama my vote (although in honesty, the Republicans seem to have several good reasons to vote for Obama, but we will have to see which of their reasons gets the nomination).
On the post: Rep. Lamar Smith Decides Lying About, Insulting And Dismissing Opposition To SOPA Is A Winning Strategy
On the post: It Is Time To Stop Pretending To Endorse The Copyright Monopoly
SOPA might have changed that. It has certainly brought together a lot of forces that favor reform and it has taught them to organize politically.
If we are going to have copyright, then the following reforms would be a good starting point in my opinion. I am also assuming that we are not going to immediately withdraw from the Brene convention:
1) False claim of copyright has statutory penalties equal to the current levels for copyright infringement. There should be treble penalties if the claim was used to suppress free speech, criticism, or competition in areas other than the copyright itself.
2)Explicit recognition and definition of fair use as an affirmative defense. Failure to recognize fair use would constitute a false claim of copyright.
3)Dismantling of the various federal "reports" that are nothing but industry propaganda used to bully other nations.
4)Reduction of copyright terms to the minimum required by the Berne Convention.
5)If we are going to have an IP Czar, then the position should be redefined according to the constitutional rational for IP laws. That means that the IP Czar's job should be to promote the movement of ideas and art into the public domain.
On the post: Prominent Rightwing Blogger Promises To Work Hard To Defeat Any Rightwing SOPA Supporters In Congress
Special interest groups have taken over the US government. Most people simply accept that as a given. Any pretense that Congress represents the people is gone.
If SOPA passes it establishes that special interests officially own the government. Schools might as well stop wasting time teaching about things like the Bill of Rights because they can be subverted at the whim of special interests. The schools can use the time they used to use to talk about freedom to implement MPAA/RIAA sponsored curriculum for the next few years, then move on to whatever special interest takes over after them.
On the other hand if SOPA is defeated it shows that there is still some hope. The anti-SOPA effort has awaken some sleeping giants, and just defeating SOPA/PIPA may not be the end of the story.
If nothing else, I hope that a lot of businesses have learned a hard lesson in signing generic letters of support on issues. Organizations that found their names on the SOPA supporters list have learned that signing generic letters of support can be as foolish as signing blank checks.
On the post: SOPA Markup Day 1: We Don't Understand This Bill, It Might Do Terrible Things, But Dammit, We're Passing It Now
Smith himself was a major low point. First, he kept insisting that he had tried to work with the tech industry for months, but they wouldn't do anything. I assume that he meant that the tech industry would not agree to everything his MPAA bosses were telling him they needed. He also kept insisting that they would pass the bill today which showed how far out of touch with reality that he was.
Near the end of the day yesterday I came back to my office and was shocked to see that the meeting was still going on. I assumed that they must be replaying the hearing for people who missed part of it when it was live. They were going over the same arguments that I had heard several hours earlier, but I finally realized that it was still indeed going on and they were just recycling arguments.
Next >>