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Re:Want to code? by BobSutan · 2014-06-20 07:28 · Score: 1 · on Girls Take All In $50 Million Google Learn-to-Code Initiative

It's getting close at 57-60%, which is where it's at last time I checked. 66% is what they're predicting by 2020. One analyst quipped that if trends continue the last American male will graduate with a college degree in 2067:

http://www.eagleforum.org/educ...

"Tom Mortenson, senior scholar at the Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education, warned that if statistical trends were to continue at their current rate there would be no men graduating from college after 2067."

More info:
http://www.aei-ideas.org/2013/...

Utah Legislature by ludd1t3-2009 · 2009-03-16 08:39 · Score: 1 · on Utah Senate, House Pass Jack Thompson's Game Sales Bill

The Utah legislature is driven by a well organized grass roots organization called The Eagle Form. Because the state legislature is not politically balanced (somewhere 80% Republican), there are no moderates. At times it seems as though elected representative are fighting to be more conservative than each other. So despite lack of collaborating evidence and being generally uninformed, a minority of ultra conservatives push the legislative agenda. Valuable time is wasted voting on issues such as this.

The sad thing is, the control of the State legislature to regulate the purchase of video games is moving beyond their control. Online purchases and distribution are moving the ability to legislate issues like this into a gray area of law that isn't well defined.

Re:Sadly... by operagost · 2007-05-07 08:34 · Score: 1, Troll · on Massachusetts Joins the Real ID Fight

Emperor Clinton signed supporting legislation into law in 1996. Coincidentally, Sen. Clinton also went on record in 2003 as supporting national ID. I have no idea whether she has changed her stance based on public opinion.

Re:The US Ambassador is a TROLL by chris_eineke · 2007-03-06 06:42 · Score: 1 · on U.S. Senators Pressure Canada on Canadian DMCA

What ever happened to The North American Union?

Re:What happened??!??!? by Anonymous Coward · 2007-02-09 22:50 · Score: 0 · on Some States Say National ID Cards 'Make Life Easier'

...unless the government wants to put checkpoints on every crossing. which would never happen.

I wonder if the california "ag" checkpoints started to try to intimidate depression era "Okies" from entering the state?
To expand on the parent and respond to the gp: Yeah, never except when the NAU highway splits the country down the middle and no roads pass across it - they are talking a transit way 100+ yards wide
Oh look, an internal choke point bisecting the country with high security (cameras, license plate scanners, checkpoints, etc) at all cross roads to, you know, "protect the transit corridor from terrorists". Its a authoritarian wet dream - no one could cross the country without passing through a state of the art checkpoint... http://www.freedom.org/naugreen2/nau-2-text.htm
http://www.eagleforum.org/topics/NAU/
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=16189
This is one of the things that the left and right wing "nuts" agree is a bad thing - its weird that it has never been mentioned in the MSM.

Re:Would be a great move. by Anonymous Coward · 2006-01-20 13:06 · Score: 0 · on Steve Jobs to Sell Pixar and Join Disney Board?

Mickey's use as a mascot is protected as it's a Disney trademark (and will be for as long as they keep filing the appropriate periodic notices with the feds). Which is why their action to extend copyright so long is so inane.

Value of "Steamboat Willie": $50,000
Buying off Congress: $149,612 (http://www.eagleforum.org/column/1998/nov98/98-11 -25.html)
Completely ruining the US copyright system: Priceless

Hatch watch? by also+aswell · 2005-03-20 02:45 · Score: 2, Interesting · on Orrin Hatch to Lead Senate Panel on Copyright, Patents

Maybe Sen. Hatch should watch the tech companies that are using techs to train their replacments so they can send the jobs overseas if he wants to protect American innovation and economic growth.

In a statement, Hatch declared that the panel would have an "aggressive agenda" and highlighted the issue of patent reform, saying, "We need strong patent protection to give incentives for innovation and economic growth."

Senator Hatch Introduces Bill to Burn People's Eyes Out Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) today introduced legislation authorizing the use of high-powered microwave lasers to burn out the eyes of non-paying viewers of copyrighted material. "If we could develop technology which just burned out the parts of their brains where the illegal memories are stored, that'd be fine with me--but we can burn their eyes out right now!" said Hatch, while introducing the Hatch/Hollywood Eyeball Evisceration Act.

Bookburning on the Internet If you say "If you must smoke marijuana, filter the smoke with a water pipe and don't even think of driving afterwards." or "...don't use dirty needles. Clean them with bleach or find a syringe exchange program."

I think these statements are good advice. But if U.S. Senators Orrin Hatch and Dianne Feinstein have their way, it will soon be a felony to publish these statements in any book, newspaper, magazine, web site, or even to utter them or link to a web site containing them. The Hatch/Feinstein Methamphetamine Anti-Proliferation Act of 1999 makes these statements illegal because they "pertain" to an act that violates federal controlled-substance laws

Nobel Laureates Denounce Hatch's Patent Bill

Orrin Hatch's Glass House Has Bin Laden's Name on It Indeed, to this day, those involved in the decision to give the Afghan rebels access to a fortune in covert funding and top-level combat weaponry continue to defend that move in the context of the Cold War. Sen. Orrin Hatch told Robert Windrem that he would make the same call again today even knowing what bin Laden would do subsequently. It was worth it, he said.

Hatch support for converting our interstate highways into toll roads.

Collections of Information Antipiracy Act This bill makes it legal to get the goods on you.
American database providers render an invaluable service by collecting, organizing, and disseminating billions of bits of information from myriad sources of every possible sector of our economy.

I could do a bit more research on the good Senator, but then I'd be post 387 and no one would ever read this.

Does Leahy work for Eisner? by wytcld · 2004-05-02 10:25 · Score: 3, Interesting · on Making The Justice Dept. A Copyright Busybody

Eisner's family owns a large estate in SE Vermont for many years.

So, see how Eisner has rewarded Leahy for his work on the Mickey Mouse copyright extension and other acts of kindness.

Re:More [biased] info... by Mablung · 2004-03-03 10:46 · Score: 5, Insightful · on Do You Have A License For Those Facts?

While the links at the site mentioned are all biased against this legislation, and many of those links provide only knee-jerk, "the sky is falling", "keep your hands off my facts" reactions (e.g. Phyllis Schlafly's) so typical to slashdot responses found here, there is at least one lucid presentation of the situation. Anyone really interested in this topic should at least read William A. Wulf's testimony. He summarizes the problem well. Here's my summary of the problem (not the testimony).

1. NOBODY is trying to COPYRIGHT ANYTHING! NOBODY is trying to OWN FACTS! (Please repeat this to yourself three times before continuing to read anything anywhere)
2. Big database companies (like West) are worried that other companies can slurp up large parts of their data and turn around and sell it. Everyone agrees this is unfair and shouldn't be allowed.
3. Big companies now KNOW that COPYRIGHT DOES NOT PROTECT THEM from situation 2 above because of Feist. (Google it with copyright).
4. Big companies want some law to point to when situation 2 actually happens.

The real problem(s):

a. Situation 2 may not be a real problem. No one has shown that this is actually happening.
b. Big companies (like West) like to sue honest competitors to gain any advantage they can. That's their job. (Google West and Lexis)
c. The new legislation may be addressing a non-problem while facilitating expensive, unnecessary lawsuits designed to harass competition.
d. (The big one for me) The new legislation may chill the activities of companies like Google who might inadvertently become liable.

Hey man, can I bum a sig?

Re:"the Copy Left" by bytepuncher · 2004-01-24 22:24 · Score: 1 · on The Tyranny of Copyright?

Do any of you know who Phyllis Schlaffly is? She is a conservative constitutional attorney that is opposed to the current copyright scheme. You can find information about her views on copyrights here. She claims the founders only allowed for copyrights and patents so that a person may have a limited period of time to profit from their work, not a nearly permanent monopoly over their work as is now the case. Furthermore, if a person should choose to use their copyright or patent to allow others to benefit, this also is their choice. Indeed, Benjamin Franklin refused to patent his own inventions so that all may benefit from his work. So, even though the "copyleft" may be painted as a "leftist" idea, many true conservative constitutionalists will readily agree with the right of the authors to determine how their work is used during the period that they hold the copyright. Even further, they will agree that the copyright should be held only for a very limited time. It all ties in with that freedom and liberty thing that was so big back in the late 18th century and is, in fact, the very embodiment of a true conservative's political beliefs.

Re:Magic Vs. Technology by Glock27 · 2003-09-08 14:39 · Score: 1 · on Spider Robinson And The State Of Science Fiction

OK, I did your Google searching for you

Here is more.

If that wasn't enough, let me know...there is plenty more disgusting evidence out there.

Re:HATCH and the DMCA by eclectro · 2003-06-17 12:56 · Score: 4, Informative · on Sen Hatch Would Like To Destroy Filetraders' PCs

Yes, Hatch is 0wn3d by special interests;

He was co author of the DMCA, and also responsible for the Copyright Term Extension Act, or CTEA.

He also was responsible for a bill that would have extended the term of the patent for Claritin, as he use Schering-Plough's corporate jet when he was running for president.

He is also a backer of the patriot act, legislation that made it easier for the FBI to use Carnivore, and other legislation that erodes our civil rights. I could go on and on.

He doesn't even bother talking out of both sides of his mouth. He knows that when election time comes the sheeple will vote for him like they do everytime because he belongs "to the right party" (republican). I live in Utah and it makes me sick watching it. Republican leaders in the state legislature have said "you can't be a mormon and vote democrat." So nobody does, and Republicans hold 95% of major public offices in Utah.

Out of all of congress, he is the one most responsible for the infinite and perpetual copyrights we have today.

The greatest thing that could be done to advance our civil and online rights is to get Senator Hatch out of office.

Re:Salon killed themselves. by commodoresloat · 2003-02-23 20:19 · Score: 1 · on Salon Asks for Help

a lot of the crap they were slinging was along the lines of "conservatives are so stupid", something I'm not willing to pay for.

Yeah! Why pay for stupid conservatives when you can get that for free?

I don't see why not by LiftOp · 2003-02-19 09:08 · Score: 1 · on Internet-Created Free Audio Dramas?

Introducing young folks to the classics is as old as, well, Classic Comics.

Re:Am I the only one that's astounded... by bryanthompson · 2003-02-18 15:51 · Score: 1 · on Web Browsers and Text-to-Speech Solutions?

It's sad, but it's all part of the dumbing down of our school system in the US.
It's a joke to think that you can honestly pass a class without being able to read and understand the material on your own, and an insult to those of us who actually try for standards.

Re:Preliminary report.. by prisoner-of-enigma · 2003-01-26 03:34 · Score: 1 · on Ants... In... Space

Actually, the students get private grants and such to fund their own experiments, and they pay NASA for payload space/mass. So your precious tax dollars are safe to be spent elsewhere, like for "art" like bisected pigs being suspended in formaldehyde and put on display. But hey, that's "freedom of expression", and this on only scientific research. Mustn't mess with our priorities here.

But on a less obtrusive note, the research data that we could get from this ant experiment is far from valueless. By observing how different species adapts to microgravity environments, we can better determine how human beings might better adapt to weightlessness. We can, and do, learn a lot from studying nature's inventions, and the hope is that we can learn from her and improve ourselves.

she's quite a smart lady. by zogger · 2002-12-31 07:28 · Score: 3, Interesting · on Schlafly on Copyright

--she's a smart lady. Reading the editorial she wrote, she's certainly not a "luddite" and her religious faith is her's, there's nothing in there that is trying to force it on anyone. I've listened to her a lot, she's pretty respectful of other's rights. And you'll also find that just plain old vanilla common sense and "decency" crosses political "party" lines. Our original Constitution was written for such a reason, to codify in "english" not lawyerese nonsense some "common sense". It's not a "republican" or "democrat" written document, either, thank goodness, if those guys tried to do it again today it would be FUBARed before they even set pen to paper.

Best advice I would have for anyone is to step away from the old paradigms of following any "party lines" rhetoric and even to cease getting sucked into the extremely limiting parameters of identifying one's self as "right" or "left" leaning and instead just differentiate "right" and "wrong". Makes things a lot easier to sort out.

I manage to catch her little two minute daily audio editorials listening to various net broadcasts carried on Genesis Communications, a pretty good collection of shows with a more traditional US constitutional (and common sense) "Independent" viewpoint as opposed to acting like most talk shows as pure propoganda arms of one or the other of the two dominant political for-profit gangs, err, I mean "partys", for example the two biggees of the "establishment" like Rush Limbeau and Larry King. I consider those shows to be more like political training wheels for people just starting to get any sort of political interest going, once you can get a balance and want to go further (which should take like one show apiece from those two gents to see it for what it is, establishment propoganda), the offerings from genesis are a lot more real and hardcore freedom-oriented, as are some of the other independent media outlets.

FWIW, here is Mrs. Schalfly's website, Eagle Forum.

The wolf in sheep's clothing... by MacAndrew · 2002-12-31 06:51 · Score: 3, Informative · on Schlafly on Copyright

...is still a wolf.

It is odd to see two sides of the ideological divide come together. But that doesn't mean they see eye-to-eye. I've been wondering what agenda might be wrapped up in an otherwise worthy attack on corporate profiteering. I thought, what's most closely associated with the Sonny Bono Act? Disney. Hmm. Schlafly spoke her mind on the Bono Act in 1998 (here at the bottom):

The new book Disney: The Mouse Betrayed by Peter & Rochelle Schweizer proves conclusively that Eisner's Disney Company is the enemy of all the family values which Republicans cherish. So, why did Judiciary Committee Republicans quietly put through legislation that hurts the public interest but is so immensely profitable to Disney?

So there's one theory. This anti-Disney thing is very very big with many "pro-family" partisans. She spends most of her essay attacking the stench of money given both parties to pass the Act, which is true, but what did she choose to come out so strongly on *this* crooked law? I can suggest a few more.

Take help wherever it's offered, but check what's in their other hand, too.

You are soo full of shit. by BadlandZ · 2002-08-16 14:11 · Score: 2 · on A Look Into National ID Cards

I've already adressed someone who has TRIED to make a case for what your TRYING to say, so I won't waste too much time.

But, given the fact that we all NEED a Social Security card to WORK, a Drivers Licence to DRIVE, a ID to buy Cigerettes and Beer, why not have ONE ID?

I am a long standing Libertarian (As in lp.org, not liberal), and I am very for the National ID. Your kidding yourself if you really think that the ID is the problem. The ever expanding government is the problem, not some piece of plastic that makes it hard to counterfit an easier on my wallet weight!

and for the record, I'm not a full Libertarian, ONLY because I am isolationist, very much a Jeffersonian, as our founding fathers intended. I think the government fell apart with "the great FDR" who made us the world's policeman ... which the LP's "open borders" doesn't transision well into given the world culture now days.

How the hell did THIS crap get moded to +5 on ./? I thought much better of the readers and mods....

( .hj by Anonymous Coward · 2002-07-31 18:56 · Score: -1, Offtopic · on Matchbox -- a Small Footprint Window Manager

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It's the damn pirates! It's the damn freeloaders! by Anonymous Coward · 2001-09-11 04:56 · Score: 0 · on U.S. Attack -- More Updates

...all US Disney parks shutdown...

Why's that? Do they think that the copyright opponents are responsible for the attacks, and that they will also punish Disney for their nefarious involvment in various copyright laws?

Re:they OWN congress! by eclectro · 2001-07-30 05:35 · Score: 1 · on Could Eminent Domain Break The RIAA Stranglehold?

Yeah, and Slashdot is owned by trolls posting as ACs. How it works more specifically.

Senator Hatch talks out of both sides of his mouth by eclectro · 2001-05-13 11:18 · Score: 2 · on Experiences w/ Tech-Savvy Politicians?

I really don't get it when people think that Senator Hatch is representing the public interest when it comes to tech issues. It's irrelevant whether Senator Hatch is tech savvy, because he sure is special interest savvy. The reality is he sides with special interests (including the RIAA) where it matters - legislation. But he blows a lot of worthless hot air at PR stunts (like when he invites Napster's Shawn Fanning to testify at hearings) to throw people off track and make it sound like he is doing a grand ol' job. Actions really do speaak louder than words though;

He is responsible for the copyright tem extionsion act or CTEA (written by Hatch). More here.

He co-authored the DMCA. More here.

He got caught trying to extend the patent on Claritin for the drug maker Schering-Plough, whose private jet he used when running for president.

He's also responsible for this juicy piece

This is not a Republican vs. Demoocrat issue either. What it is though is one congressman who has managed to single-handedly rape the public interest on tech issues. The public needs to be made aware of Senator Hatch's dismal record and he needs to be held accountable for his loathsome representation of the public interest.

Re:History of Strongarm Tactics by eclectro · 2001-03-16 07:58 · Score: 2 · on Scientologists Force Comment Off Slashdot

The problem with this is that Senator Hatch _is not_ representing the public interest in his dealings, but rather special interests _just like_ those of scientologists. In fact, when France was investigating scientologist's legal terroism tactics, he defended them.

He is responsible for the CTEA (written by Hatch). More here.

He co-authored the DMCA that's making slashdot fold. More here.

He's also responsible for this juicy piece

You can count on only one thing from this politician.

Re:Two comments by ElrondHubbard · 2001-03-11 01:46 · Score: 1 · on 15 Minutes

I propose an amendment to your first paragraph: you watch FOX news to get the permissible conservative viewpoint, then switch to CNN for the permissible liberal one. After all, there are standards; whether you identify yourself with the left or the right, there are certain things it just wouldn't do to say on the air, if you want to stay on the air.

For example: by prevailing international standards, Nightline mainstay Henry Kissinger is a war criminal (see Christopher Hitchens' articles in the two most recent issues of Harper's).

Or: based on similar standards, the Sudanese government has as much of a case to extradite and prosecute Bill Clinton (for the bombing of a pharmaceutical plant there) as Spain did for attempting to extradite and prosecute Augusto Pinochet.

Or: the full truth of the deaths of dozens Branch Davidians at the hands of the FBI has been laundered, and is likely to stay that way.

I could go on, but you get the idea.

Senator Hatch listens to money by eclectro · 2001-02-16 08:04 · Score: 5 · on Interview With Bill Joy

I live in Utah, and every time I hear "fair use" come out of Hatch's mouth I hurl the technicolor yawn (excuse me, puke)

He is responsible for the CTEA (written by Hatch), in which we all ironically know about today. More here.

http://www.eagleforum.org/column/1998/nov98/98-1 1- 25.html

He co-authored the DMCA that's gonna throw a lot of slashdotters in jail for wearing the DeCSS t-shirt. More here.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/1/14179.htm l

He's also responsible for this juicy piece

Do actions speak louder than words?? I think so. The difference between a whore on the street corner and Senator Hatch is at least the whore is honest about what she does.

I would invite other's in Utah to go have a beer with me where we can talk about Senator Hatch, but I'm the only one who drinks beer here and who didn't vote for Hatch.

Re:Why no "book licenses"? by eclectro · 2001-01-31 00:11 · Score: 2 · on Lawrence Lessig On Hollywood's Attack On Fair Use

The licenses we see today on software are ludicrous, dishonest, and there is no excuse for a society to put up with "contracts that aren't negotiated"

Copyright owners have always tried to take more than what was given to them under law. If you look at old 78's on the label you would think that you were reading a software license (later defeated in court - I don't have time to look up the cases).

Why is it that we have a legal system that is willing to break up monopolies, but when it comes to "copyright monopolies" it looks the other way?? Why does copyright terms need to last longer than patent terms?? (And don't give me the half ass "because the copyright owner deserves it" I don't blame people for pirating stuff left and right. With copyright terms extending to infinity (the DMCA now makes that a reality, not that the century and a half now possible with the CTEA isn't like infinity), the public domain is not getting is due.

Scholars in the know (Patterson - GA univeristy) have reached the conclusion that copyright has reached the point that it needs to be defined in the political arena not legal. Which means that we sit our politicians down before an election and ask specifically 'Where do you stand on copyright issues?" Chances are they don't know themselves, or they'll let campaign contributors decide for them.

The mere thought of book licenses should be abhorred unconditionally. With the advent of electronic books on the horizon, the scenario of Richard Stallman's right to read becomes a very real possibility.

Every generation has it battles, and I'm convinced this is ours.

Re:Copyrights and patents are a necessary evil by eclectro · 2001-01-27 03:14 · Score: 2 · on (Well Written) Essay Against Copyright

What's more, this is the first time in history of our country that works are not entering the public domain, due to the egregious nature of the Copyright Term Extension Act (CTEA).

Not only has no movies been entering the public domain, but what recorded music has?? Maybe 78 records that didn't have the copyright notice stamped on them?? What abnout Winnie the Pooh?? Tolkien?? Robert Frost?? T.S Eliot??

It's really hard to listen to the MPAA and RIAA scream no fair! no fair! when they don't give the public their due. Of course they want copyrights to last forever, and they lobbied heavily for the CTEA.

The cries of the MPAA and RIAA ring very false to me too.

It makes me sick too by eclectro · 2001-01-22 03:51 · Score: 2 · on What's Wrong With Content Protection?

Senator Hatch was sponsor of the Copyright Term Extension Act (CTEA). The history of this twenty year extension is mentioned in this London Times article

So Senator Hatch used "international harmonization" as the reason for the CTEA.

They say that a man has two reasons for doing something. A good one, and then the real one. Hatch is also responsible for the DMCA, proposed patent extensions (Claritin), and this lovely little piece of legislation

It makes me seeth when political whoring such as this is so obvious. But it shows you just how stupid the people of Utah (my state) are for re-electing the jerk. And if anybody is believing any of the "fair-use" nonsense he has been spouting off lately about online music only needs to look at his record and stop being fooled.

While I do not think that the original 28 term will be returned to, I would settle for life plus 28 years. At least then we would see the work of or great grandfathers enter the public domain. International treaty is pre-empted by our constitution that says copyright is for "limited times," and for the author only. Let international treaty "harmonize" with our constitution for a change.

If you are in Salt Lake and want to organize against bad Copyright Law/Senator Hatch - email me kphil@hotmail.com

The following is a test of the flame moderation by eclectro · 2000-10-15 05:17 · Score: 2 · on How Will Law Continue to Affect Technology?

system. /test on>

Actually, a better question to ask is "how are "whore" politicians going to affect technology??".

When the MPAA and a few pals roll into politicians are only too willing to roll over and support their cause after a few "donations". The conservative "Eagle Forum" explains how Disney has clout with the republican congress.

Or maybe a senator can be bought off by letting him ride around in a corporate jet when running for office. In return you can get your patent extended.

Or maybe you can get a congressional staffer to help you in changing the law by adding a couple of words, and giving him a job once he leaves town.

So if I wanted to see a bunch of prostitutes, I wouldn't go to the street corner, I'd just head to the brothel "capitol hill".

Yes, this has been a flame. If this had actually been an all out fire, politicians would be finding themselves hosed. Your revolutionary leader would have then given you instructions on how to proceed.

/test off>

Re:Term of copyright by eclectro · 2000-10-09 03:12 · Score: 2 · on Time Warner To Change DVD Region Coding System?

Look at the constitution;

Article I section 8 of the constitution states that the purpose of copyright is "To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors exclusive right to their respective Writings...."
(bold mine)

This is clear. It says that the copyright should go to the author. It does not say that it goes to the author's children, grandchilderen, distant relatives, or corporate interest. When congress originally passed the first extension to the copyright law in 1831 (upon renewal for a total term of 28years) none of the original framers of the constitution were even in the congress to vote on it, and only one (Madison) was alive.

Retroactive changes to the length of a term of copyright are wrong, in my opinion. I would have no problem with Disney lobbying for longer and longer copyright terms .

The problem is that "ex post facto" is Disney's middle name. See here. So it's ok for big money to argue for retroactive changes, but if the public does, then screw them??? The thing is that if the public ever does, they don't have the money "to grease the wheels" to move legislation through. There are no glamerous movie stars, no expensive parties, no expensive lobbyists to take congress out to dinner. That's they way it has been for the last tenty-five years until now you have David Corwin, senior counsel for the Motion Picture Association of America, saying that the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is "near and dear to our heart." See here.

The fact of the matter is that anybody who studies this issue even just a little bit realize that the public's interest has aalways been nothing more than an afterthought. Indeed, the author of this analysis noted that with the task force on the DMCA;

The message of these recommendations seems to be that the Task Force will see what rights are left over for the public once the rights of the authors have been firmly established.

And this was before the passage of the Sonny Bonno Copyright Term Extension Act!

So we have reached the point now that the only rights left to take away are constitutional ones, such as freedom of speech, fair use, the right of first sale, and the established right to reverse engineer and have interoperability. So now copyright holders are taking those too!

What really has been "ex post facto" has been the endless retroactive copyright terms over the last 40 years.

with Disney lobbying for longer and longer copyright terms if the longer terms only affected new works

For the first time in our history, nothing is falling into the public domain due to the CTEA. So, as a citizen, why should I support some government granted monopoly if I get nothing in return??? Where is the Quid Pro Quo???? These same companies that are suing Napster are the ones who lobbyied and effectively "paid" congress for the CTEA, not to mention the DMCA. Look at it, what is this story and thread about?? Companies who do not want us to use Napster or DVDs on linux, but at the same time are taking our fundamental rights as citizens away, not to mention the old (and I mean old) works that were supposed to enter the public domain?

So what reason do I have to support their so called "copyright" when they are effectively taking all my "rights" away????

Time for a little counterpoint, don't you think?

If the term length is set by legislation (I am not certain if it is or not), then in what way is this not ex post facto?

If you read the constitution, the "right to copy" was originally intended to go to the author only for limited times. So the only "ex post facto" here is the endless copyright term extensions??

It's so ludicrously bad now, that you have the government arguing that extending copyright is a national tradition This statement (in their brief to the appelant court, see openlaw) is so outrageously absurd that it defies description. So by their reasonong, congress twenty years ago had planned on retroactively extending copyright terms now, and in another twenty years they are going to do it again, ad infinitum???

Why didn't congress back in 1976 just extend copyright law for another 100 years? Or is congress just trying to "circumvent" the "limited times" clause of the constitution???? What's "ex post facto" about saying that is wrong??

So, what congress is doing is whoring themselves to special corporate interests by defrauding the public of their due. There is no nicer way to put it.

Please forgive me if this post seems like a flame. But your statement illustrates perfectly why many of us over at openlaw shake our heads. On the surface it seems very logically and correct, but in reality it could not be further from what is right. I'm really glad you made your post, because it illustrates beautifully the widespread ignorance of how the publics' rights are being ripped off by a prostituted congress. I do not say this lightly.

So I invite you to become familiar with the openlaw site, and I hope to see you on the discussion boards there. Some of the people their are extremely smart, and when I open my mouth I get it slapped!!!

More about Senator Orrin Hatch for those that by eclectro · 2000-09-26 08:31 · Score: 4 · on Slashback: Verstecken, Poe, Roundtable

don't know. I have posted this rant to a mail list already, so those that have seen it please close your eyes.

> "The government's view of the law is not monolithic, however. Senator
> Orrin Hatch, Republican of Utah and chairman of the Senate Judiciary
> Committee, recently wrote a letter to the Court of Appeals stating that
> the government's brief does not necessarily express the views of the
> Congress in the matter. "

I live in Utah where Senator Hatch is up for re-election. As someone who once knew Senator Hatch, I'm really sorry to say that he _is not_ your fair use friend.

As head of the Judiciary Committee he was one of the principal authors of the DMCA. Also, he was the one that sponsered the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act (CTEA).

When the MPAA and a few pals roll into town he is only too willing to roll over and support their cause after a few "donations". The conservative "Eagle Forum" explains how Disney has clout with the republican congress.

He was the one who put forth from "anonymous" a bill attached to unrelated legislation to extend the term for drug patents. (ala the "as a work for hire" fiasco that took song rights from musicians). It's the least he could do after riding around in Schering-Plough's corporate jet, the ones who have the patent for Claritin that is about to expire. Too bad seniors (AARP) noticed because they have enough of a hard time as it is paying for prescriptions. It sort of makes the republican's plan for a prescription drug benifit ring hollow.

If he really cared about "fair use", he would have delineated it by now in the DMCA. Or at least given half a thought about the "anti-crcumvention" monster that he created.

My guess is that he wanted to blow some hot air in the sails of the Good Ship Lollipop before she goes down, knowing full well that "fair use" has already been tossed in a lockbox and thrown overboard to the unattainable deep.

Sure he looks good for supporting Napster and "fair use". Just too bad that he really smells.

Definition of "Patent Flooding" by Paul+Crowley · 1999-09-22 16:14 · Score: 5 · on Oracle's policy statement on software patents

I didn't know what this term meant, so I did a Google search which turned up these definitions:

[...] "patent flooding," the practice of filing large numbers of patents with narrow claims and utility models to "surround" a rival's basic patent on a core technology. ( BRIE Working Paper 89)

In Japan, filing would expose them to patent piracy of their technology through "patent flooding," i.e., inundating the Japanese Patent Office with hundreds of unworthy patent applications using minuscule modifications of the American invention, followed by bullying tactics to get cross-licensing agreements. ( The Patent Fight Gets Ugly)

and this extended article: Technology Transfers to Japan: Legal and Cultural Frameworks (search for "flooding").

Just Another Patent System Stupidity, it seems.
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