UPDATE 6:15pm ET: Charles Harder, Ayyadurai's attorney, e-mailed Ars a statement on behalf of his client, saying that Ayyadurai would be appealing the ruling.
It takes mere dishonesty to claim other peoples' inventions as your own. But it takes a special blend of stupidity, self-denial, dishonesty and arrogance to do it for an invention whose real development is well documented, AND to keep doing it for years after your lies are publicly shot down.
That special blend makes for lucrative clients for dishonest attorneys to loot.
As contempt of court is illegal, the court has an obligation to not invite contempt. Someone needs to remind Judge Gilstrap that this implies rulings which are above contempt, not beneath it.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: So where was the moderation with Geigner:
Still, using the spam filter to stop him from seeing certain stories seems to have been worth the effort.
Today's "This Week In Techdirt History" discussion is off to a good start. Your first post there was excellent. The discussion in last week's Prenda/hillary connection story remained downright civil.
Just so. Often a so-called "fix" isn't good enough.
My company once bought four D-Link switches for our network. One quickly failed, was sent in for repair, and a replacement arrived a few weeks later.
Then another failed. And another. And another. And another. Including the replacements. The D-Link forum for the switches showed that everyone else with the same model was having the same problem. The switches were >100% failure rate garbage.
D-Link's response was... nothing. Just keep sending them in, waiting weeks for them to come back, and always have a couple spares on hand. There would be no replacement with a reliable model. There would be no acknowledgement from D-Link that there was an ongoing problem.
They did temporary repairs, but they didn't fix the problem.
I went to my first computer conference at the New York Hilton about [decades] ago. When somebody there predicted the market for microprocessors would eventually be in the millions, someone else said, "Where are they all going to go? It's not like you need a computer in every doorknob!"
Years later, I went back to the same hotel. I noticed the room keys had been replaced by electronic cards you slide into slots in the doors. There was a computer in every doorknob.
Danny Hillis
And now we know how this anecdote would be handled by The Twilight Zone or Black Mirror.
The difference is that the Rs keep following through on plans to militarize he police. The D's don't make any plans to disarm the citizens, let alone follow through on them.
For all the endless claims Republican made about Obama taking away everyone's guns, he never made any such attempt. Instead he signed an order that allows the carrying of firearms in national parks, reversing an order by Ronald Reagan that guns had to be kept in locked glove compartments. He signed an order allowing guns to be carried in checked luggage on Amtrak, reversing a ban that went into effect after 9/11. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence has given Obama an âFâ on every issue on which it graded him.
The few vague noises and gestures he made about background checks and keeping guns away from felons and the mentally ill merely duplicated what even the head of the NRA - and Bush II, McCain and Reagan - had called for in the past.
It was the same for Clinton. Constant screaming that he was going to take everyone's guns away Any Second Now. The closest that came to reality was the assault weapons ban, but even former Republican presidents Ford and Reagan called for it. Future President Trump too. And those who already had them could keep them.
It makes no difference who the next Democratic candidate is or what their policies are. Republicans will keep conning gullible inbreds with the same claims.
Interesting fact: Regular dish soap would actually be quite effective against those fire ant rafts. The soap will break the surface tension of the water and the raft will sink.
Palm Olive will do the same and be soft on their tiny little hands.
Of course, the victim hasn't won anything other than the right to try his case. He'll need a jury to decide against the cops as well. And even if he wins, his kids will never be able to unsee watching their dad being arrested for no reason.
But at least now he'll be safe from any wrongdoing by his home-town police.
The next time he sees them in his rear-view mirror, they probably just want his autograph.
In November, the Pentagon rejected a Freedom of Information Act request by a reporter to see an internal training video, claiming that the law allowed it to be withheld. The video is the 22-minute "Freedom of Information Act / The People's Right to Know," which is utilized to teach Pentagon employees how to carry out the maximum-disclosure purpose of the act.
Consider Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas a funny book with a lot of drug use. There's a scene in the book where Raoul Duke attends a police anti-narcotics conference and mocks the inaccuracies in the "expert" presentations.
The book isn't pro drugs; "Fear and Loathing" is in the title for a reason. Likewise the police weren't mocked because they were anti-drugs; they were mocked because they were clueless about the nature of the problem.
That's what you're seeing here. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein speaking at a Law Enforcement IP Crime Conference, demonstrating that he's clueless about the nature of the problem. But no doubt someone will dishonestly or stupidly misrepresent the Techdirt story as pro-piracy.
That book was published in 1971, the year the term "War on Drugs" was popularized by the media after Nixon's speech to Congress on Drug Abuse Prevention and Control. There are many other parallels with today's War on Piracy. Ridiculous penalties for minor infringers for example.
So while offering a standalone streaming platform was essential in evolutionary context, HBO consistently insisted it just couldn't make the economics work for such an option.
The worst part of all this is that what was on the map were NOT crosshairs of any sort - it was a compass rose
No. Not when the ad is accompanied with the text "We'll aim for these races and many others. This is just the first salvo in a fight..."
Giffords' election opponent didn't help by running ads like "Get on Target for Victory in November. Help remove Gabrielle Giffords from office. Shoot a fully automatic M16 with Jesse Kelly."
Aaaaannd lip-reading software means that your speech is stored as searchable text in a database. Linked to you via your purchases or through facial recognition.
Then sold to information brokers who will monetize it by using it to advise others on whether you should be granted a loan or a job.
On the post: Case Dismissed: Judge Throws Out Shiva Ayyadurai's Defamation Lawsuit Against Techdirt
Re: Re:
It takes mere dishonesty to claim other peoples' inventions as your own. But it takes a special blend of stupidity, self-denial, dishonesty and arrogance to do it for an invention whose real development is well documented, AND to keep doing it for years after your lies are publicly shot down.
That special blend makes for lucrative clients for dishonest attorneys to loot.
On the post: Case Dismissed: Judge Throws Out Shiva Ayyadurai's Defamation Lawsuit Against Techdirt
On the post: Awful Court Decision Says Dr. Phil Producer's Video Not 'Fair Use'
Re: Severe incompetence
On the post: Al Jazeera Gives A 'Voice To The Voiceless' By Killing News Comments
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: So where was the moderation with Geigner:
Today's "This Week In Techdirt History" discussion is off to a good start. Your first post there was excellent. The discussion in last week's Prenda/hillary connection story remained downright civil.
On the post: AT&T Blatantly Lies, Claims Most Consumers Want Net Neutrality Killed
Now You Tell Me
On the post: The Epic Crime Spree Unleashed By Onity's Ambivalence To Its Easily Hacked Hotel Locks
Re: Re: Re: What really sticks out...
My company once bought four D-Link switches for our network. One quickly failed, was sent in for repair, and a replacement arrived a few weeks later.
Then another failed. And another. And another. And another. Including the replacements. The D-Link forum for the switches showed that everyone else with the same model was having the same problem. The switches were >100% failure rate garbage.
D-Link's response was... nothing. Just keep sending them in, waiting weeks for them to come back, and always have a couple spares on hand. There would be no replacement with a reliable model. There would be no acknowledgement from D-Link that there was an ongoing problem.
They did temporary repairs, but they didn't fix the problem.
On the post: The Epic Crime Spree Unleashed By Onity's Ambivalence To Its Easily Hacked Hotel Locks
And now we know how this anecdote would be handled by The Twilight Zone or Black Mirror.
On the post: Attorney General Jeff Sessions: Hurricane Harvey Is Proof We Need To Militarize Our Police Forces
Re:
For all the endless claims Republican made about Obama taking away everyone's guns, he never made any such attempt. Instead he signed an order that allows the carrying of firearms in national parks, reversing an order by Ronald Reagan that guns had to be kept in locked glove compartments. He signed an order allowing guns to be carried in checked luggage on Amtrak, reversing a ban that went into effect after 9/11. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence has given Obama an âFâ on every issue on which it graded him.
The few vague noises and gestures he made about background checks and keeping guns away from felons and the mentally ill merely duplicated what even the head of the NRA - and Bush II, McCain and Reagan - had called for in the past.
It was the same for Clinton. Constant screaming that he was going to take everyone's guns away Any Second Now. The closest that came to reality was the assault weapons ban, but even former Republican presidents Ford and Reagan called for it. Future President Trump too. And those who already had them could keep them.
It makes no difference who the next Democratic candidate is or what their policies are. Republicans will keep conning gullible inbreds with the same claims.
On the post: Attorney General Jeff Sessions: Hurricane Harvey Is Proof We Need To Militarize Our Police Forces
Re: Re: What about the fire ants?
Palm Olive will do the same and be soft on their tiny little hands.
On the post: Sega Releases 'Sonic Mania' Without Informing PC Customers Of Denuvo Inclusion And Always Online Requirements
Reporter: "How long do you think it'll take for Sega to just drop Denuvo altogether?"
Gamer: "Ten..."
On the post: No Immunity For Cops Who Arrested Man Recording Them For Obstruction
Re: Re:
But at least now he'll be safe from any wrongdoing by his home-town police.
The next time he sees them in his rear-view mirror, they probably just want his autograph.
On the post: Gov't Must Pay Legal Fees In Court Battle Over 'Secret' Drone Docs Gov't Couldn't Stop Talking About
Re:
On the post: Deputy Attorney General Trots Out All Sorts Of Silly Analogies About 'Intellectual Property'
Consider Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas a funny book with a lot of drug use. There's a scene in the book where Raoul Duke attends a police anti-narcotics conference and mocks the inaccuracies in the "expert" presentations.
The book isn't pro drugs; "Fear and Loathing" is in the title for a reason. Likewise the police weren't mocked because they were anti-drugs; they were mocked because they were clueless about the nature of the problem.
That's what you're seeing here. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein speaking at a Law Enforcement IP Crime Conference, demonstrating that he's clueless about the nature of the problem. But no doubt someone will dishonestly or stupidly misrepresent the Techdirt story as pro-piracy.
That book was published in 1971, the year the term "War on Drugs" was popularized by the media after Nixon's speech to Congress on Drug Abuse Prevention and Control. There are many other parallels with today's War on Piracy. Ridiculous penalties for minor infringers for example.
On the post: After Previously Claiming the Economics Would Never Work, HBO Streaming Now A Major Windfall
Well, of course. The Sarah Palin Channel only lasted a year before folding.
On the post: Judge Tosses Sarah Palin's Defamation Suit Against The New York Times, Says No Actual Malice
Re: Re: Re: Stylised Crosshairs ?
You're the only one seeing unicorns.
On the post: Judge Tosses Sarah Palin's Defamation Suit Against The New York Times, Says No Actual Malice
Re: Stylised Crosshairs ?
No. Not when the ad is accompanied with the text "We'll aim for these races and many others. This is just the first salvo in a fight..."
Giffords' election opponent didn't help by running ads like "Get on Target for Victory in November. Help remove Gabrielle Giffords from office. Shoot a fully automatic M16 with Jesse Kelly."
On the post: CCTV + Lip-Reading Software = Even Less Privacy, Even More Surveillance
Re: Re: We'll have to name the system.
On the post: CCTV + Lip-Reading Software = Even Less Privacy, Even More Surveillance
Then sold to information brokers who will monetize it by using it to advise others on whether you should be granted a loan or a job.
On the post: IOT Devices Provide Comcast A Wonderful New Opportunity To Spy On You
Re: Depends on the setup, doesn't it?
Is there anything to stop an IoT device - or OS - from running its own VPN to send your personal data to be monetized?
On the post: IOT Devices Provide Comcast A Wonderful New Opportunity To Spy On You
Give me liberty or give me something of equal or lesser value from your glossy 32 page catalog.
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