Jeffrey Nonken's Favorite Techdirt Posts Of The Week
from the my-neurosis-and-I dept
When Mike asked me to do the Favorites Posts my first reaction (after feeling flattered) was to put it off for another time, with all kinds of excuses why I was too busy. After sleeping on it I realized that was just my neuroses talking and immediately accepted. Of course it turned out I'd taken too long to reply so I got to put it off for a week anyway.
I'm going to consider anything after last Friday's submission deadline free game. Without further ado my neuroses and I present to you:
My Favorite Techdirt Posts Of The Week
What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
Apparently trademark infringement is in a name, or part of a name, or a single word. The good news? We gamers aren't idiots and can tell the difference between products. Go us!
The Biter Bit.
It's been a great week for IP trolls with Evan Stone grasping at straws and Righthaven tap-dancing on a landmine while being soundly beaten with a clue-by-four. Oops, what was that ominous click? Meanwhile James White can't get his mojo on, if his victims insist on playing fair.
Hail, hail Freedonia, land of the brave and free!
France is in the lead for the Wacky IP Races in Europe this week. First we're seeing scammers
finding a way to take advantage of HADOPI, and the government censoring evidence of police misconduct. I bet they won't be so fast to protect their citizens as they were to protect their own asses. Any takers? ...Didn't think so. The UK comes in a close second: London is signing away the public's rights in order to suck up to big advertisers; Parliament assumes that everybody is a clean-cut, upright, honest citizen if they're using their own name, but that anonymity instantly turns them into hardened criminals, and then figures they'll be stopped cold by blaming innocent bystanders. (Our own state of Louisiana has legislated against using cash for much the same reason.) Spain comes in third by making hyperlinks illegal. Yeah, our government hasn't gotten beyond the "plug it in and stuff happens" understanding of the Internet, either.
It's not just the governments who are failing by the numbers. Scientists are failing to learn from history, and one British historian is failing scientific method. He insists that porn turns people into slavering monsters and only a totalitarian government can stop it. Yeah. Well, we USians are well on our way; our government also can't stand its citizens knowing laws or rulings that apply to them, or having any knowledge or say in their making. And we now have a VIPR in our midst: Tennessee has come up with their own clever way to fight against freedom. The partnership with the TSA should ensure rape and pillaging to protect the public. I feel safer already.
Meantime we're working on making copyright violation a felony. And if falsely accused of a crime by the US government it's damned near impossible to prove your innocence without spending the GNP of a small country on legal fees. (All so some schmuck could cheat on his wife.) I bet this is exactly what the founding fathers were thinking when they wrote the Constitution.
And while China is trying to convince the world that black is white, up is down and censorship is freedom, the Jamaican government has confused corporate profits with the public weal and is getting ready to keep its cultural heritage out of the public domain.
Everybody's crazy but me and thee, and sometimes I wonder about thee.
Heading in the other direction are ABC in Australia, who ran an article pointing out how copyright holders may be shooting their own feet, and the Canadian Supreme Court, who decided that hyperlinks shouldn't be illegal after all. And went out of their way to explain why in loving detail. Maybe Spain could take notes. The EU Parliament's legal service is frowning mightily at ACTA, saying that it may or may not be legal -- depending on how you interpret it.
Back in the US, Ron Wyden is doing his usual good job speaking out against PROTECT IP AGAINST PUBLIC INTEREST (oh sorry, a bit of editorializing there). But in a surprise move Michele Bachmann has been expressing doubts as well. With so many sides arrayed against it, maybe the darned thing will be stillborn.
You've got a nice army base 'ere, Colonel. We wouldn't want anything to 'appen to it.
Not content with beating up kids for their lunch money and beating up grannies for their welfare checks (we're not sure what they were beating up printers for -- their toner?), the MAFIAA and their ilk are now beating up indie artists for royalty checks and beating up pubs for beer money. (Yeah, I had to stretch a bit for that one.) BMI has learned to multiply, but forgotten how to subtract. Not to be left out, over here at Marvin Gardens, Microsoft is also collecting rent on other peoples' properties. Wow. Must be nice work if you can get it.
That's all, folks!
There was more, but I was scared it would just turn into a summary of the
entire week. So I tried to stick to the stuff that fit into the theme and that I
could think of smartass remarks for. :) Enjoy the weekend!
(untitled comment)
"Florida is appealing..."
Not to me. I have no interest in going there ever.
/div>(untitled comment)
Nothing is impossible to the person who doesn't have to do it.
/div>(untitled comment)
"Ballentine" was the name of SWAT commander Lt. Howard Hunter's second in command starting season 2 of Hill Street Blues. Howard took him for granted and treated him like an automation to the point that Ballentine snapped and was referred to psychiatric care. Eventually he convinced Howard that he was fit for duty, but when he reported it turns out he was convinced he was an actual ninja and had to be re-admitted.
This dog was named after a violently insane and delusional fictional SWAT officer. Well done.
/div>Re:
I don't think going over your allotment forces reversion to 3G, it triggers bandwidth limits to 3G speeds. Or 2G or whatever.
The question really is what to do with all these old phones. Normally they'd be given away to various groups as emergency devices, such as abused women's organizations, but if the network doesn't exist, free 911 calls are kind of useless.
And the roadside emergency assistance system in my 2014 car is also useless. Alas, Lexus is not interested in providing an upgrade, even though as a technical challenge it's laughable. Throwing a whole car away just to get that feature seems a bit extreme, at least to a working grunt like me.
/div>Re: 'What do you mean theyre talking even more now?!'
Barbra Streisand is alive and well and living in Malibu. We have pictures.
/div>(untitled comment)
"National security issue..."
I'm surprised the Chinese government is self-aware enough to realize and admit they're a bunch of insecure little children who can't stand being criticized.
Uh, what? Oh.
...Never mind.
/div>(untitled comment)
"never convicted of a crime...”
Well, as somebody who dislikes most artificial scents, I'm sure that cologne was guilty of SOMETHING.
/div>(untitled comment)
So... She wants to throw the baby out and keep the bathwater. How clever of her.
/div>Re: Re: Re: Re:
My first YouTube video.
I guess I'm one of those older folks. Though my increased vulnerability isn't the ONLY reason I support masks and vaccines. Unlike some, I actually care about other people.
P.S. My wearing a mask reduces the chance of spread if I'm infected. I wear a mask to protect YOU, not so much me.
/div>(untitled comment)
The best time to eat crow is when it is young and tender.
/div>(untitled comment)
Alas, the original comic no longer renders properly. Fortunately there's the Wayback Machine.
/div>(untitled comment)
This trend will stop as soon as the millennials start reproducing.
Wait for it... Any time now... Aaaaaaaany time...
/div>Re:
Strawman argument is man made of straw. Red herring is smelly fish. Please start over and try again.
/div>(untitled comment)
I've been dinged for copyright twice on Twitch. Once was for some kind of match with the ambiance background (birds chirping, basically). I found this thread while searching for the artist's name. Apparently he's done this crap before.
The other time was for playing the Borderlands 2 intro music. Well, yeah. I was playing the game, and since I was starting a new character, I played the intro too. I suppose I didn't HAVE to, but it seemed relevant? Especially as an intro to the game for somebody new?
I note with annoyance that there was no option to claim that the match system was wrong; options ranged from "it's my music" to "it's fair use" and a promise to take it to court. Total horseshit. In the second case, yeah, it was a fair use claim; but in the case of the ambiance crap, it was similar to matching white noise. "You got it wrong" wasn't an option. Because they're never wrong, and the customer is always wrong.
I haven't broadcast on Twitch in months. Got tired of their bullshit.
/div>(untitled comment)
And if it hasn't already collapsed in on itself before then, those of us who loved Ting Mobile will lose that, too.
/div>Re:
Ok yes, not a problem. All we have to do is put up some statues.
/div>Re:
"A realist is just a pessimist who's fooling himself."
/div>Re: Technically legal does not equate to morally correct.
Whose morals? Yours? Morals are not absolute, regardless of what you've been taught.
Law vs. morality: a false dichotomy.
/div>Re: Hey, what is your solution to problem you bring up?
Did you mean "kvetching?"
Asking for a friend. One who actually speaks Yiddish.
/div>Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: innocuous leader
Indeed. But one is a typo, the other is poor literacy.
/div>More comments from Jeffrey Nonken >>
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