I agree. I think that we should have a "copyright-marking" penalty that is similar to patent-marking. It would be abused, but it would shift the balance back toward the consumer. Right now there really is no penalty.
One big downside of putting in penalties for excessive copyright claims is that we would never know when a ballgame is over. We all know that it is time to mentally turn off a game when we hear that all descriptions and accounts of the game are covered by copyright, and that would have to go away.
I can see why he would want to put on strong prohibitions against copying. The thing sells for $129, and appears to be nothing but a non-functioning plastic kit. You have to assemble and paint it yourself. If you want electronics you can get the "hollow" version and add your own. If it was an interesting kit to assemble I can see how that might be attractive. However, it looks like something that was intended to be assembled in a factory, but in the end they decided it would be cheaper to print instructions and let the consumer do the work.
I figure the profit margin on this kit has got to be enormous. There is nothing wrong with that in itself, but it does create a huge incentive to copy it.
It makes sense to me that the RIAA would want opt-in copyright. The current system is obviously causing problems that have to be fixed. Some of them are caused by the Berne-style system. Eliminating that set of problems would not hurt RIAA members, and changing that part of the law would let them claim that we had engaged in "copyright reform" and therefore no other changes should be made.
Disallowing Berne style copyrights has potential to benefit the RIAA. Suppose an unsigned artist writes a song but doesn't bother to register it. If a contract artist covers the song right now, the original author could register the song and sue under some circumstances. RIAA might get in trouble over it. If we do away with Berne copyrights, RIAA artists could cover the song with no threat of legal action.
The Union of Professional Satirists has recently advised its members to stop making fun of Glen Beck. Their professional rules of conduct prohibit shooting fish in a barrel, carrying coals to Newcastle, or making fun of the the criminally insane. Apparently, making fun of Glen Beck violates all three guidelines.
I don't think it matters if the only two signers end up being the US and Singapore. The IP industry will still insist that we need to meet our international obligations and pass draconian laws.
True competition would solve most of the problems with mobile phone service in the US. This proposal would only fix one of many problems.
With AT&T being the largest campaign contributor in the US, it is hard to imagine even this modest proposal going anywhere. True competition would be an even worse nightmare for the industry, so I fully expect to keep paying outrageous prices for tiered service.
Being extreme and not cost effective would not be a barrier. There are few examples of existing DRM that are cost effective. Most are not as effective as the rights holder hoped, so the vender of the DRM convinces them that a stronger and more extreme version will work. In the end all DRM systems tend to become extreme and expensive.
I can see the law of unintended consequences kicking in the first week these things get delivered. I was going to say the first day, but I assume that there will be pointy hair bosses who first try to program the copiers themselves, make a mess of it, and then have to find some intern to do it for them.
There are plenty of point-haired bosses out there who are going to think this is the greatest invention since sliced bread. The good news is that when they try to come up with words to block, they will mainly think of words that they use all the time, and so they will be most likely to inconvenience themselves.
It's interesting that you asked about "CD's" instead of "music." Despite what the RIAA would have us think, CD's are only part of the music industry, so I'll address how I vote across the industry: I don't buy CD's. Based on CD sales, I would say that lots of people are voting with me. I have gone to two concerts in the past year, both for bands that provide free downloads of their music. The tickets cost more than several CD's, so I guess I cast some affirmative votes there.
Games: The only games I bought in recent years are from GOG.com. They are old (but fun) games that re DRM free and under $10 each. They shut down for a while, but seem to be back.
Movies: I go to a small number of movies in theaters. I generally skip the $30 recent releases. I'll wait the 28 days and get them on Netflix or Redbox. Otherwise it is whatever strikes my fancy in the $5 - $10 movie bins.
There are lots of inexpensive and free ebooks available. Some need a bit of polishing by an editor, but some are very good.
I would much rather discover that I don't like a $2.95 book rather than a $29.95 one.
If you shop at the right places you can get nicely edited and packaged books for $3 or $4. Free books often need the touch of an editor, but sometimes it is kind of fun reading a book that is in raw form.
Let the major publishers set whatever price they want. I will vote with my dollars. If enough people do that, prices will drop.
When you have near-monopoly power and enough people locked into long term contracts you don't need to worry about having a pricing system that makes sense.
XP service pack 3 fixed the problem. So if you see a Free Public Wifi or hp printserver in an airport it probably means the system is missing a bunch of security updates. This situation effectively advertises that the computer is at risk. You might as well hang out a sign that says, "Please hack into this computer. It is sitting wide open."
XP service pack 3 fixed the problem. So if you see a Free Public Wifi or hp printserver in an airport it probably means the system is missing a bunch of security updates. This situation effectively advertises that the computer is at risk. You might as well hang out a sign that says, "Please hack into this computer. It is sitting wide open."
Entrepreneurial thinking atrophies when a business runs in a cartel environment. You only have to worry about competition from fellow cartel members who don't have any more incentive to think outside the box than you do.
If the cartel itself is threatened, the only defense it can think of involves killing off the outsiders before they get too strong to actually threaten the cartel.
Mike often talks about how the recording industry should have embraced Napster instead of destroying it and having several even worse things take its place. Perhaps they should have embraced it, but they could not. They could only think about preserving the cartel and the way they always did business. They could not even conceive of a business model that operated in a way that did not involve selling high priced media pressed into cheap plastic and promoted almost entirely by free radio plays.
On the post: Irony: Eugene Roddenberry Might Sue You For Using A Replicator To Create Your Own Star Trek Prop
Re: Re: $129
One big downside of putting in penalties for excessive copyright claims is that we would never know when a ballgame is over. We all know that it is time to mentally turn off a game when we hear that all descriptions and accounts of the game are covered by copyright, and that would have to go away.
On the post: Irony: Eugene Roddenberry Might Sue You For Using A Replicator To Create Your Own Star Trek Prop
$129
I figure the profit margin on this kit has got to be enormous. There is nothing wrong with that in itself, but it does create a huge incentive to copy it.
On the post: Did The RIAA Really Just Come Out In Support Of 'Opt-In' Copyright? [Updated]
Makes sense
Disallowing Berne style copyrights has potential to benefit the RIAA. Suppose an unsigned artist writes a song but doesn't bother to register it. If a contract artist covers the song right now, the original author could register the song and sue under some circumstances. RIAA might get in trouble over it. If we do away with Berne copyrights, RIAA artists could cover the song with no threat of legal action.
On the post: Glenn Beck Not A Fan Of Fair Use; Claims US Gov't Paying Remixers To Create Anti-Beck Propaganda
Satirist's Union
/sarcasm
On the post: Would US Officials Really Decide Not To Sign ACTA?
Obama's conundrum
On the post: More Countries React To ACTA; Brazil Says ACTA Is Illegitimate
Doesn't matter
On the post: Telco Opposition To Anti-Bill Shock Plans Doesn't Pass The Laugh Test
What is really needed is competition
With AT&T being the largest campaign contributor in the US, it is hard to imagine even this modest proposal going anywhere. True competition would be an even worse nightmare for the industry, so I fully expect to keep paying outrageous prices for tiered service.
On the post: Canon Creates Keyword-Based DRM For Copy Machines?
Re: Re: DRM?
On the post: Canon Creates Keyword-Based DRM For Copy Machines?
unintended consequences
There are plenty of point-haired bosses out there who are going to think this is the greatest invention since sliced bread. The good news is that when they try to come up with words to block, they will mainly think of words that they use all the time, and so they will be most likely to inconvenience themselves.
On the post: Transportation Secretary Wants To Ban All Driver Talking (Except To Other Passengers)
Re: What about signing along to the radio?
On the post: Transportation Secretary Wants To Ban All Driver Talking (Except To Other Passengers)
Re: What about signing along to the radio?
On the post: Transportation Secretary Wants To Ban All Driver Talking (Except To Other Passengers)
Google Car
On the post: Ebook Publishers Never Learned: DRM & Ridiculous Prices
Re: Re: Lots of legally free ebooks out there
Games: The only games I bought in recent years are from GOG.com. They are old (but fun) games that re DRM free and under $10 each. They shut down for a while, but seem to be back.
Movies: I go to a small number of movies in theaters. I generally skip the $30 recent releases. I'll wait the 28 days and get them on Netflix or Redbox. Otherwise it is whatever strikes my fancy in the $5 - $10 movie bins.
On the post: Ebook Publishers Never Learned: DRM & Ridiculous Prices
Lots of legally free ebooks out there
I would much rather discover that I don't like a $2.95 book rather than a $29.95 one.
If you shop at the right places you can get nicely edited and packaged books for $3 or $4. Free books often need the touch of an editor, but sometimes it is kind of fun reading a book that is in raw form.
Let the major publishers set whatever price they want. I will vote with my dollars. If enough people do that, prices will drop.
On the post: Verizon Wireless Math Strikes Again: Pay Much More For Less!
Monopoly pricing
On the post: The History Of The (Fake) 'Free Public WiFi' You Always See At Airports
sp3
On the post: The History Of The (Fake) 'Free Public WiFi' You Always See At Airports
sp3
On the post: The Boy Who Mistook An iPhone For His Mother
It could be worse
On the post: Why The Major Labels Continually Fail To Adapt: They Can't Take The Risk
Atrophy
If the cartel itself is threatened, the only defense it can think of involves killing off the outsiders before they get too strong to actually threaten the cartel.
Mike often talks about how the recording industry should have embraced Napster instead of destroying it and having several even worse things take its place. Perhaps they should have embraced it, but they could not. They could only think about preserving the cartel and the way they always did business. They could not even conceive of a business model that operated in a way that did not involve selling high priced media pressed into cheap plastic and promoted almost entirely by free radio plays.
On the post: Guy Finds FBI Tracking Device On Car, Posts Pics Online... FBI Shows Up Demanding It Back
Re: Too bad
Note: Not recommended if the found device is a bomb.
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