Mitch Stoltz’s Comments

• Apr 24th, 2018 @ 1:09pm

  With apologies to Aaron Sorkin and Jack Nicholson...

  on The FBI's War On Encryption Is Personal, According To Comey's New Book
  You can't handle the truth! Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with [subpoenas]. Who's gonna do it? You? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for [Apple users] and you curse the [FBI]. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know, that [access mandates], while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives! You don't want the truth, because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall. You need me on that wall. We use words like [“going dark,” “terrorism,” and “higher loyalty.”] We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it! I would rather you just said "thank you", and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a [badge], and [demand a backdoor]. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to!
• Apr 9th, 2018 @ 10:01am

  The writers of the Japanese constitution

  on Japanese Government Seeks To Circumvent Its Own Constitution To Censor 'Pirate' Sites
  Worth noting that the primary authors of the Japanese constitution were two American lawyers.
• Apr 4th, 2018 @ 2:25pm

  Wait a minute...

  on Yet Another Case Highlights Yet Another Constitutional Infirmity With The DMCA
  Selling a printed book through a website probably isn't covered under any of the DMCA safe harbors, and the safe harbors don't replace the application of traditional secondary liability. So the DMCA doesn't even seem relevant here. I hope this gets appealed.
• Oct 3rd, 2017 @ 10:13am

  Not this again (as Mitch)

  on Oracle Tells The White House: Stop Hiring Silicon Valley People & Ditch Open Source
  Casting meritless aspersions on open source in general sounds like the early '00s when software company/copyright troll SCO and various astroturf groups, likely funded in part by Microsoft, sought to discredit the concept. They failed.
• Sep 29th, 2017 @ 2:34pm

  Good on Nick Ranallo (as Mitch)

  on Copyright Troll Carl Crowell Ups The Ante: Now Demands Accused Pirates Hand Over Their Hard Drives
  He also represented many victims of the Prenda Law racket and was instrumental in helping take down Steele, Hansmeier et al.
• Jun 26th, 2015 @ 10:27am

  Actually it's 70 years, not life+70

  on Canada Saves Public From Public Domain, Extends Copyright On Sound Recordings Another 20 Years
  Totally agree with this article, but I think there's some confusion about the term that changed: the Canadian copyright term for sound recordings was 50 years from publication, not from the death of the author, and now it's 70 years from publication. I think other Canadian copyrights are tied to the life of the author, as in the US. 70 years from publication is still far beyond the point where all but the tiniest fraction of works has any commercial value.
• Feb 17th, 2014 @ 9:07am

  (untitled comment) (as MitchEFF)

  on Nielsen Backs Off Reporting Data On Cord Cutters Because The Cable Industry Prefers Fantasyland
  Ironically, the TV network plaintiffs in the Aereo and FilmOn cases keep saying that over-the-top video costs them advertising revenue because Neilsen doesn't measure Internet viewership.
• Apr 8th, 2013 @ 4:19pm

  Two networks colluding "over coffee" (as MitchEFF)

  on Hilarious And Ridiculous: Networks Threaten To Pull Channels Off The Air If Aereo & Dish Win Lawsuits
  Really, competing network executives talking "over coffee" about boycotting the airwaves? I would say that they're smart enough not to violate antitrust law and then talk about it, but it's happened before.