MPAA/RIAA still have huge levels of power and influence. While everyone may look at the defeats of SOPA/PIPA/ACTA and think "The People: 3 RIAA/MPAA: 0" the reality is "The People: 3 RIAA/MPAA: 100".
While they still have power and, we will have to continuously defend such attacks on internet freedom. Though their redundant business models will lead to their undoing sooner-or-later, SOPA/PIPA/ACTA/TPP show how much damage they can do in the meantime.
What is needed is a summer-long boycott of MPAA/RIAA/ESA media. Hit their hip pocket, show them we are numerous, we mean business, and we won't let these chumps get away with their attempts on our freedoms made over the last half-a-century anymore.
Activities like this will chill innovation and entrepreneurship in the US. Why locate here or even setup under a .com if the US government might kill your business with no explanation at any moment?
A very good point. If my job ends up even slightly threatened because of this...
"If they create a rape task force, are you going to argue that the DOJ is acting as a private police force for women? Are you going to say that the cops out arresting car thieves are a private police force for car owners?"
Seeing as rape and car theft are both criminal offenses, and that women and car owners are both citizens, that's reasonable. It's nothing like what's happening here: having law enforcement enforce civil law. And cut your "1% own cars" bullshit, please. Where I live, 70% of people drive cars as a matter of course in their day-to-day lives, and close to 99% own one.
"The fact is that the content creators pay a huge amount of taxes in this country"
They'd be paying a lot more tax if Congress closed the many, many loopholes they use to pay as little tax as possible. And with their failure to pass the draconian SOPA/PIPA bills, I can't see Congress and the President doing that and pissing of their Hollywood paymasters more.
"At the end of the day, the folks in government are going to side with the folks who pay taxes and act like good citizens."
Above point aside, the Government did it's job properly when the majority of the people who contacted them about SOPA/PIPA were NOT in favor. After all, this is a democratic nation, correct? It's only sad that the threat of losing votes was required to make them stop, rather then them simply stopping it because it's appalling public policy. And the people would still pay more tax than Hollywood even if they were being 100% honest with their taxes.
The biggest complaint people had in relation to SOPA was how it could have sites shut down or their finances cut off on a mere accusation. Would you like it if SOPA/PIPA gave corporations the ability to declare you are a terrorist and whisk you off to a secret prison indefinitely without trial to be tortured (oh wait, the government already has the power to do this under the PATRIOT act).
If I stole a CD from a store (unless at gunpoint) I would be facing less severe penalties than if I downloaded 1 track from the CD illegally. As far as the MAFIAA is concerned, what's the difference?
Is Reddit going to do anything about this? If it passes here it'll create an international precedent that will allow other western countries to follow in their tracks.
"1) Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.
2) Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author."
This is S.27b of the UN's charter for human rights. While copyright can help with the rights granted in paragraph 2, at the moment this often comes at the cost of the right granted in paragraph 1. When copyright law was originally introduced, the rights in paragraph 2 were roughly balanced with the rights in paragraph 1. But because of the endless expansion of it by the usual suspects over the last 40 years it's no longer the case.
Most importantly, NOWHERE in there does it grant copyright as a human right. As I said, copyright can be used as a tool to help grant paragraph 2's rights, but it's not the only way that could be done.
Sorry to sound so cold Endtimer, but if I had to choose between:
A. An America without copyright, where you would not releasing the work, or
B. An America with extensive and Orwellian copyright legislation (like SOPA/PIPA) where you do release the work.
Every reaming sponsor of the bills should no longer have a seat post next election. Especially Smith and Leahy. Show them the public has not forgotten what they did, and make an example of them to all future political candidates.
Problem lies between keyboard and chair, not with the technology.
My rule no.1 for the use of sites like FaceBook: Don't post anything on it that you wouldn't be prepared to put on a sandwich board and stroll through a local shopping mall wearing it.
Worst comes to worst, ban European IPs from posting. Yeah they can use proxies, but then the comment will have the appearance of originating somewhere other than Europe so you could plead ignorance.
I agree to the basic idea here, but no, what you're asking them to do wouldn't be easy at all. Remember who they'd be up against if they start trying to roll back copyright and the alarming influence they have on governments locally and abroad.
On the post: Will The Failures Of SOPA & ACTA Highlight The End Of The MPAA & RIAA's Disproportionate Influence On Policy?
Down with the MPAA/RIAA
MPAA/RIAA still have huge levels of power and influence. While everyone may look at the defeats of SOPA/PIPA/ACTA and think "The People: 3 RIAA/MPAA: 0" the reality is "The People: 3 RIAA/MPAA: 100".
While they still have power and, we will have to continuously defend such attacks on internet freedom. Though their redundant business models will lead to their undoing sooner-or-later, SOPA/PIPA/ACTA/TPP show how much damage they can do in the meantime.
What is needed is a summer-long boycott of MPAA/RIAA/ESA media. Hit their hip pocket, show them we are numerous, we mean business, and we won't let these chumps get away with their attempts on our freedoms made over the last half-a-century anymore.
On the post: Economist Notices That The US Is Getting Buried Under Costly, Useless Over-Regulation
Bit slow there.
On the post: US Government 'Suspends' JotForm.com Over User Generated Forms; Censorship Regime Expands
Appalling.
A very good point. If my job ends up even slightly threatened because of this...
On the post: Elected Officials Asked To Return Hollywood Money Following Dodd's Threats
Alas, one can only dream.
On the post: Justice Department Wants $5 Million To Bolster Its Efforts As Hollywood's Private Police Force
Re: Hey, everyone is entitled to policing.
Seeing as rape and car theft are both criminal offenses, and that women and car owners are both citizens, that's reasonable. It's nothing like what's happening here: having law enforcement enforce civil law. And cut your "1% own cars" bullshit, please. Where I live, 70% of people drive cars as a matter of course in their day-to-day lives, and close to 99% own one.
They'd be paying a lot more tax if Congress closed the many, many loopholes they use to pay as little tax as possible. And with their failure to pass the draconian SOPA/PIPA bills, I can't see Congress and the President doing that and pissing of their Hollywood paymasters more.
Above point aside, the Government did it's job properly when the majority of the people who contacted them about SOPA/PIPA were NOT in favor. After all, this is a democratic nation, correct? It's only sad that the threat of losing votes was required to make them stop, rather then them simply stopping it because it's appalling public policy. And the people would still pay more tax than Hollywood even if they were being 100% honest with their taxes.
The biggest complaint people had in relation to SOPA was how it could have sites shut down or their finances cut off on a mere accusation. Would you like it if SOPA/PIPA gave corporations the ability to declare you are a terrorist and whisk you off to a secret prison indefinitely without trial to be tortured (oh wait, the government already has the power to do this under the PATRIOT act).
Next shill post...
On the post: Big News: Germany Says It Won't Sign ACTA [Update: ... Yet]
Re:
On the post: How Does The Penalty For 'Content Theft' Match Up With Similar 'Crimes'?
Inconsistancies...
Just food for thought...
On the post: Canadian Politician: You're Either In Favor Of Letting The Gov't Spy On Your Internet Usage... Or You're For Child Pornography
If not, they'd better get right on it ASAP.
On the post: Mass Protests Against ACTA All Across Europe
Chris from Poland and others, Ignore him.
Posts like this have been popping up all over the place ever since the SOPA protests.
On the post: RIAA Totally Out Of Touch: Lashes Out At Google, Wikipedia And Everyone Who Protested SOPA/PIPA
Re:
Industry shill methinks.
On the post: RIAA Totally Out Of Touch: Lashes Out At Google, Wikipedia And Everyone Who Protested SOPA/PIPA
Re: Senate Protect IP Hearing
This is S.27b of the UN's charter for human rights. While copyright can help with the rights granted in paragraph 2, at the moment this often comes at the cost of the right granted in paragraph 1. When copyright law was originally introduced, the rights in paragraph 2 were roughly balanced with the rights in paragraph 1. But because of the endless expansion of it by the usual suspects over the last 40 years it's no longer the case.
Most importantly, NOWHERE in there does it grant copyright as a human right. As I said, copyright can be used as a tool to help grant paragraph 2's rights, but it's not the only way that could be done.
On the post: RIAA Totally Out Of Touch: Lashes Out At Google, Wikipedia And Everyone Who Protested SOPA/PIPA
Re: Re: Re:
A. An America without copyright, where you would not releasing the work, or
B. An America with extensive and Orwellian copyright legislation (like SOPA/PIPA) where you do release the work.
Then I'm gonna pick A. Everytime. Sorry.
On the post: Lamar Smith: Enemy Of The Internet? Defends Internet Snooping Bill
Re:
On the post: Lamar Smith: Enemy Of The Internet? Defends Internet Snooping Bill
Re:
Please for the love of god and all that is holy do not let this happen. He could do a lot more dam,age than Dodd.
On the post: Who's Still Backing SOPA/PIPA... And Why?
Get rid of them
On the post: Angry Birds CEO Explains How The Company Embraces Piracy
But I think both the music AND film industries could learn heaps more from you.
On the post: Copying Is Not Theft, But Censorship Is
Re: Re:
On the post: Why Can't Europe Just Forget The Ridiculous Idea Of A 'Right To Be Forgotten'
Problem lies between keyboard and chair, not with the technology.
Worst comes to worst, ban European IPs from posting. Yeah they can use proxies, but then the comment will have the appearance of originating somewhere other than Europe so you could plead ignorance.
On the post: Warner Bros. Just Keeps Pushing People To Piracy; New Deal Also Delays Queuing
On the post: Can Reddit Write Legislation, Too? Proposes The 'Free Internet Act'
Re:
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