I've seen this conclusion several times, and I'm disappointed every avenue ignored the white elephant in the room: the phrase "as long as you continue to respect our brand".
No. Unacceptable.
A company has no (legal) right to demand how anyone should address their "brand".
"Wheeler was eventually convinced to go in a different direction." This isn't accurate and it's a blatant misrepresentation of the facts. Please give me confidence Techdirt isn't going the route of Fox News.
Wheeler's premise has *ALWAYS* been to establish rules so all businesses have the same access to communications regardless of size.
Verizon's success as the first reclassification gave Wheeler *NO CHOICE* but to try with Title II. I wouldn't be surprised one bit if this wasn't by design.
Regardless of the final outcome, the white elephant still exists: Paid priority. Even Wheeler himself admitted this was a "wait and see" approach, and we all know how well this is turning out to be.
What's the point of "fighting" for a reclassification if the white elephant isn't shot and dead? Small business are *STILL* screwed with the current Title II classification.
It's extremely disappointing to see Techdirt admonish its reader base, basically calling us foolish for not wasting our time.
So with that, allow me to explain why this letter writing campaign is futile.
First and foremost: WHY THE HELL ARE YOU PEOPLE CLAMORING FOR A NEARLY CENTURY OLD CLASSIFICATION?
Title II isn't capable of supporting the technological advances of communication. It never has been. Title II only ensures the FCC has jurisdiction so that no one company can own all the communication platforms (even though AT&T did have a government sanctioned monopoly doing just that).
The *ONLY* time Title II has ever been enforced was, ironically, due to AT&T's breakup, which the FCC reminded AT&T they had to share their lines whether they liked it or not.
Title II was put together only to give the FCC regulatory control, not to actually prevent companies from charging what they wanted over those lines.
Furthermore, to say these comments may be helpful for Congress begs the question: WHY THE HELL ARE YOU WASTING TIME WITH THE FCC INSTEAD OF SENDING THESE LETTERS TO THAT VERY CONGRESS?
Imagine what an impact 16 million comments to *EVERY* Congressperson would have done three years ago, and what the additional 8 million (and growing) would do *NOW*.
Instead, you rely on Pai, notoriously against reclassification three years ago, to change his mind?
You'd have to be a damned fool to believe this.
If anything, it's time to put Title II to rest and have Congress enact NEW LAWS which govern how our communications plaform exists TODAY, not what was around nearly a century ago.
This means crafting laws making it illegal to throttle or price control (no paid access) any and all communication platforms today.
This means adding price control and clear disclosure of the fees and prices set by ISPs (or OSPs, for that matter).
This means getting the laws to represent 2017, not 1917.
But go ahead and waste your time. It's your business.
Just don't make the rest of us feel ashamed just because we know you're wasting your damn time on a pointless crusade.
Unfortunately, the report doesn't say what happened to this employee.
Nothing from her employer, but now that the IRS is involved, it's Al Capone time.
The reason the ISPs are so bad is they have you over a barrel and there's nothing you can do about it other than complain to the FCC...
Bullshit.
You get people together and pick a day, say the day the FCC is set to make another vote, and declare this day that "If the FCC passes to dismantle Title II, we, the public, refuse to pay our ISP bills until the change is reverted."
To get this to work, everyone needs to follow up with it.
Businesses. People. The local Net Cafe. The Library.
E.V.E.R.Y.O.N.E.
If ISPs are combining their resources to attack the public, fight fire with fire.
*And while you might be inclined to think that your thoughts on this policy decision don't matter, these comments will come in handy in the inevitable looming legal fight to come.*
No, they won't. Just as I said over two years ago, I'll say it again here: Votes won't matter because the fight isn't in the correct arena.
While it was entertaining to see Title II pass, the only people upset by today's news are those who thought they had won.
Here's a tip: instead of running to the government, isn't it about time to grow up and take the fight directly to the ISPs?
Too bad it's a running joke now, the boycott.
Alas, it's like watching people fight against DRM while giving the very entities responsible for it concurrent record-breaking years.
When I hit the Netflix page, I can "log in". No problem. However, when I try to access anything listed, I get the message: "We've detected a proxy or VPN service in use. Please disable the service to access the show."
None of the VPN addresses I use are outside the US.
* Their lawyers are obviously looking in every crack and crevasse for every petty little thing to keep themselves busy(as in paid).* No. Bethesda's lawyers are complete idiots when it comes to both trademark and copyright law.
This is the same company who tells its mod makers to wrongfully file DMCA notices against other modders if they're "stealing" their work.
When I sent out notice to Bethesda their advice could get modders in trouble since they legally don't own the works nor the copyright, I was told "our lawyers stated using the DMCA in this manner is legal".
What's worse is Bethesda's own ToS is so across the board, it's impossible to know who really owns the rights to mods (something Bethesda indicated they're working on to remove all confusion).
It's extremely unlikely Bethesda lawyers know what they're doing, which is precisely why I will never create mods using their games.
I am not putting myself into the crosshairs of this idiocy, as MxR found himself recently by another modder over the illegal use of the DMCA.
Pete Hines is, sadly, a product of what happens when people twist the law to falsely represent what it's really doing.
I can't blame Pete, but I sure as hell can his idiotic lawyers.
"Phi Sigma Sigma (PSS) secretly stands for Philanthropic Social Society." "Pretty Stupid Sorority" is more accurate for not using a Non-Disclosure Agreement rather than the DMCA.
"There is no way they have any research that says consumers will pay $30 to $50 to rent a movie at home." This is the same industry which also believed consumer would shell out $100+ for a movie when they launched on VHS, nearly 12 years after the Betamax loss.
When they realize customers aren't going to pay this atrocious amount (falsely believing everyone still groups on the family couch to watch shows), they'll either whine to Congress we didn't "want" it or they'll reduce the price.
You are the one who misses the point. Jefferson gave you two distinct points, which you promptly ignored: 1) The use of the word "could" in the very title of the article.
2) He talks about the *future* of paid services, using the "now" only as an example.
Jefferson is right. Maybe not today, but it *will* happen: we'll be subscribing to sites, rather than bundles.
Why? Because distributors will always be the problem. ABC (read: Disney) is going to pull out of Hulu. Not only are they launching ESPN as a sub (which this site mentioned), they're also bundling their ABC networks into a service as well.
One company. _TWO_ services. Choices? Sure, we "have" them, but only if YOU and only YOU don't want either or neither. For those who DO want them: that's probably going to cost them $30-40/mo, piled onto their other subscriptions, such as gaming, movies, and music.
The point of your article makes sense, but you never bother to ask cord-cutters the white elephant in the room: "What did you have to give up to save money?"
*Every* cord cutter I've spoken to has mentioned they miss a program or two, but just live without (and there are no other options, otherwise, unless they wait a season or two to "show up on Netflix").
That's not choice. That's a problem, one in which Jefferson makes regarding trying to get "what we want".
I currently have 6 subscriptions. The total monthly cost ($8.99 + $11.99 + $11.99 + $19.99 + $14.99 + $9.99) for content _I_ want is $77.94.
There used to be a $50/yr subscription (about $4/mo) to this site, but I had to make choices of letting Techdirt and Ars subs lapse. Yes, Techdirt lost out because my wife wants to watch movies on disk.
I can't wait until distributors split their content, yet again, to push out another streaming service, *exactly the point Jefferson was making*.
Nice try on "debunking" the article, but your assessment isn't accurate and it removes the biggest problem of these streaming services.
Netflix and Amazon are two which are successful because they bundle as much as they can for a single price tag.
Well, not Neflix. To rent physical media that's not in their streaming service requires one of the payments above, which is overall still cheaper than "renting" a movie online since finding these movies anywhere else is impossible if we don't pirate them.
So maybe you should take off your rose-colored glasses about "cord cutting" and see the world for what it really is.
I may be conflating two separate issues in my post, but this troubling more for Google, but to those who use Google services who have been booted for "copyright infringement".
What's missing from the Td article is how much of these bogus claims go against users, doing nothing more than providing videos (mostly under Fair Use).
Even if this assessment conflates two separate issues, the reality is bogus DMCA takedowns affect everyone, at some point.
In 1990, when I was first introduce to the ramifications of copyright and software, I tried my best to voice my opposition at the vague threats issued by the entertainment industry, but could do nothing but what the knee-jerk protectionism of our government pass a bad bill into law.
I now fully understand why it's called "Checks" and balances.
I hope every state passes a similar, but tougher, bill of right to repair.
The last time I tried to change the air filter, the car slammed down the hood, locked itself, and the onboard computer said, in a nice female voice, "You can look, but cannot touch. For repairs, contact your local dealer. Have a nice day."
On the post: Olive Garden Apologizes To Allofgarden.com, Blames IP Enforcement Bot For Legal Threat
No. Unacceptable.
A company has no (legal) right to demand how anyone should address their "brand".
At least he's not going to court.
On the post: Senator Wyden To FCC Chair Pai: Hey, Stop Lying About What I Said To Undermine Net Neutrality
Please.
For the sake of this country.
On the post: Our Net Neutrality Comments To The FCC: We Changed Our Mind, You Can Too
This isn't accurate and it's a blatant misrepresentation of the facts. Please give me confidence Techdirt isn't going the route of Fox News.
Wheeler's premise has *ALWAYS* been to establish rules so all businesses have the same access to communications regardless of size.
Verizon's success as the first reclassification gave Wheeler *NO CHOICE* but to try with Title II. I wouldn't be surprised one bit if this wasn't by design.
Regardless of the final outcome, the white elephant still exists: Paid priority. Even Wheeler himself admitted this was a "wait and see" approach, and we all know how well this is turning out to be.
What's the point of "fighting" for a reclassification if the white elephant isn't shot and dead? Small business are *STILL* screwed with the current Title II classification.
It's extremely disappointing to see Techdirt admonish its reader base, basically calling us foolish for not wasting our time.
So with that, allow me to explain why this letter writing campaign is futile.
First and foremost: WHY THE HELL ARE YOU PEOPLE CLAMORING FOR A NEARLY CENTURY OLD CLASSIFICATION?
Title II isn't capable of supporting the technological advances of communication. It never has been. Title II only ensures the FCC has jurisdiction so that no one company can own all the communication platforms (even though AT&T did have a government sanctioned monopoly doing just that).
The *ONLY* time Title II has ever been enforced was, ironically, due to AT&T's breakup, which the FCC reminded AT&T they had to share their lines whether they liked it or not.
Title II was put together only to give the FCC regulatory control, not to actually prevent companies from charging what they wanted over those lines.
Furthermore, to say these comments may be helpful for Congress begs the question: WHY THE HELL ARE YOU WASTING TIME WITH THE FCC INSTEAD OF SENDING THESE LETTERS TO THAT VERY CONGRESS?
Imagine what an impact 16 million comments to *EVERY* Congressperson would have done three years ago, and what the additional 8 million (and growing) would do *NOW*.
Instead, you rely on Pai, notoriously against reclassification three years ago, to change his mind?
You'd have to be a damned fool to believe this.
If anything, it's time to put Title II to rest and have Congress enact NEW LAWS which govern how our communications plaform exists TODAY, not what was around nearly a century ago.
This means crafting laws making it illegal to throttle or price control (no paid access) any and all communication platforms today.
This means adding price control and clear disclosure of the fees and prices set by ISPs (or OSPs, for that matter).
This means getting the laws to represent 2017, not 1917.
But go ahead and waste your time. It's your business.
Just don't make the rest of us feel ashamed just because we know you're wasting your damn time on a pointless crusade.
Are there windmills in California?
On the post: National Security Work Leaves Plenty Of Time For Games, Outside Employment, And Sexual Misconduct
Unfortunately, the report doesn't say what happened to this employee. Nothing from her employer, but now that the IRS is involved, it's Al Capone time.
I wonder if she has a vault.
On the post: FCC Ignores The Will Of The Public, Votes To Begin Dismantling Net Neutrality
Re: Re:
The reason the ISPs are so bad is they have you over a barrel and there's nothing you can do about it other than complain to the FCC...
Bullshit.
You get people together and pick a day, say the day the FCC is set to make another vote, and declare this day that "If the FCC passes to dismantle Title II, we, the public, refuse to pay our ISP bills until the change is reverted."
To get this to work, everyone needs to follow up with it.
Businesses. People. The local Net Cafe. The Library.
E.V.E.R.Y.O.N.E.
If ISPs are combining their resources to attack the public, fight fire with fire.
On the post: FCC Ignores The Will Of The Public, Votes To Begin Dismantling Net Neutrality
No, they won't. Just as I said over two years ago, I'll say it again here: Votes won't matter because the fight isn't in the correct arena.
While it was entertaining to see Title II pass, the only people upset by today's news are those who thought they had won.
Here's a tip: instead of running to the government, isn't it about time to grow up and take the fight directly to the ISPs?
Too bad it's a running joke now, the boycott.
Alas, it's like watching people fight against DRM while giving the very entities responsible for it concurrent record-breaking years.
On the post: New Netflix DRM Blocks Rooted Phone Owners From Downloading The Netflix App
Re: Re: Re:
When I hit the Netflix page, I can "log in". No problem. However, when I try to access anything listed, I get the message:
"We've detected a proxy or VPN service in use. Please disable the service to access the show."
None of the VPN addresses I use are outside the US.
On the post: New Netflix DRM Blocks Rooted Phone Owners From Downloading The Netflix App
Their excuse was "we can't match the billing data with the account login".
They treat me as if this is my problem for wanting to protect my online privacy.
Thankfully, Amazon Prime doesn't have any issues with my VPN services that's on every device we use.
On the post: Bethesda's Pete Hines Shrugs His Shoulders About Trademark Dispute With No Matter Studios
Re:
No. Bethesda's lawyers are complete idiots when it comes to both trademark and copyright law.
This is the same company who tells its mod makers to wrongfully file DMCA notices against other modders if they're "stealing" their work.
When I sent out notice to Bethesda their advice could get modders in trouble since they legally don't own the works nor the copyright, I was told "our lawyers stated using the DMCA in this manner is legal".
What's worse is Bethesda's own ToS is so across the board, it's impossible to know who really owns the rights to mods (something Bethesda indicated they're working on to remove all confusion).
It's extremely unlikely Bethesda lawyers know what they're doing, which is precisely why I will never create mods using their games.
I am not putting myself into the crosshairs of this idiocy, as MxR found himself recently by another modder over the illegal use of the DMCA.
Pete Hines is, sadly, a product of what happens when people twist the law to falsely represent what it's really doing.
I can't blame Pete, but I sure as hell can his idiotic lawyers.
On the post: Trump Fires FBI Director Comey
But that doesn't mean that whoever replaces him won't be even worse. We'll know almost immediately.
If the candidate has an orange nose, brace for the worst.
On the post: Microsoft Follows Valve Down The Road Of Refunds On Digital Game Purchases
"It's Microsoft, so of course it would have to be more complicated than it should be, but this is still a good and important step."
We could have had this three years ago, when Microsoft announced it at their E3 event.
Granted, the event wasn't going to win Best In Show, but Microsoft stated:
All ruined because gamers screamed "DRM" and ran to Sony due to the misconception of "always online".
This news is about as "good and important" as is "better late than never".
On the post: Secret Sorority Handshakes, Questionable Lawsuits, Free Speech, The Right To Be Forgotten And Section 230
Matter of interpretation
"Pretty Stupid Sorority" is more accurate for not using a Non-Disclosure Agreement rather than the DMCA.
On the post: Movie Studios Considering Tightening Release Windows When They Should Be Eliminating Them
Re: #FakeProgress
This is the same industry which also believed consumer would shell out $100+ for a movie when they launched on VHS, nearly 12 years after the Betamax loss.
When they realize customers aren't going to pay this atrocious amount (falsely believing everyone still groups on the family couch to watch shows), they'll either whine to Congress we didn't "want" it or they'll reduce the price.
Money does stupid things to people.
On the post: USAToday Latest News Outlet To Completely Miss The Point Of Cord Cutting
You are the one who misses the point. Jefferson gave you two distinct points, which you promptly ignored:
1) The use of the word "could" in the very title of the article.
2) He talks about the *future* of paid services, using the "now" only as an example.
Jefferson is right. Maybe not today, but it *will* happen: we'll be subscribing to sites, rather than bundles.
Why? Because distributors will always be the problem. ABC (read: Disney) is going to pull out of Hulu. Not only are they launching ESPN as a sub (which this site mentioned), they're also bundling their ABC networks into a service as well.
One company. _TWO_ services. Choices? Sure, we "have" them, but only if YOU and only YOU don't want either or neither. For those who DO want them: that's probably going to cost them $30-40/mo, piled onto their other subscriptions, such as gaming, movies, and music.
The point of your article makes sense, but you never bother to ask cord-cutters the white elephant in the room: "What did you have to give up to save money?"
*Every* cord cutter I've spoken to has mentioned they miss a program or two, but just live without (and there are no other options, otherwise, unless they wait a season or two to "show up on Netflix").
That's not choice. That's a problem, one in which Jefferson makes regarding trying to get "what we want".
I currently have 6 subscriptions. The total monthly cost ($8.99 + $11.99 + $11.99 + $19.99 + $14.99 + $9.99) for content _I_ want is $77.94.
There used to be a $50/yr subscription (about $4/mo) to this site, but I had to make choices of letting Techdirt and Ars subs lapse. Yes, Techdirt lost out because my wife wants to watch movies on disk.
I can't wait until distributors split their content, yet again, to push out another streaming service, *exactly the point Jefferson was making*.
Nice try on "debunking" the article, but your assessment isn't accurate and it removes the biggest problem of these streaming services.
Netflix and Amazon are two which are successful because they bundle as much as they can for a single price tag.
Well, not Neflix. To rent physical media that's not in their streaming service requires one of the payments above, which is overall still cheaper than "renting" a movie online since finding these movies anywhere else is impossible if we don't pirate them.
So maybe you should take off your rose-colored glasses about "cord cutting" and see the world for what it really is.
On the post: Google Report: 99.95 Percent Of DMCA Takedown Notices Are Bot-Generated Bullshit Buckshot
What's missing from the Td article is how much of these bogus claims go against users, doing nothing more than providing videos (mostly under Fair Use).
Even if this assessment conflates two separate issues, the reality is bogus DMCA takedowns affect everyone, at some point.
In 1990, when I was first introduce to the ramifications of copyright and software, I tried my best to voice my opposition at the vague threats issued by the entertainment industry, but could do nothing but what the knee-jerk protectionism of our government pass a bad bill into law.
I now fully understand why it's called "Checks" and balances.
On the post: Mashable Says You Shouldn't Own What You Buy Because You Might Hurt Yourself
You forgot the word "fake".
On the post: Apple Says Nebraska Will Become A 'Mecca For Hackers' If Right To Repair Bill Passes
The last time I tried to change the air filter, the car slammed down the hood, locked itself, and the onboard computer said, in a nice female voice, "You can look, but cannot touch. For repairs, contact your local dealer. Have a nice day."
On the post: Nation's Police Chiefs Disagree With Trump's New Tough On Crime Executive Orders
Re: Re:
On the post: Nation's Police Chiefs Disagree With Trump's New Tough On Crime Executive Orders
We may even get to see new writers, because it's looking awfully difficult to keep up with Trump.
On the post: T-Mobile Not So Subtly Hints That It Wants To Disrupt The Cable TV Industry
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