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This article is replete with comments which assume that people who take items at gunpoint are desperate drug addicts of low intelligence. The association of force or the threat of force with paucity of wit is probably a manifestation of the poster's insecurity: a man stealing a laptop is likely the grunt input end of an organised fence->reburb->resell operation, just as the average programmer is the grunt input end of some business process.

Except that, as you imply, the highwayman is going to have to "become an expert pretty quickly" to avoid not just being caught, but the lethal force of retaliation; the worst a cubicle dweller has to fear is an embarrassing bug uncovered in testing. It's the kind of epic misunderstanding that leads to calling a suicide bomber "cowardly" - of all criticisms you could possibly bestow on a man who has decided that the best way to tackle some problem involves sacrificing his own life, cowardice is the least accurate.

Print up a flier explaining, in great detail, the MPAA's "accomplishments" in DRM enforcement, copyright extension, etc. under your distinguished guest's management. Paint as rosy a picture as possible, to the point of exageration if necessary. Get the more educated students so fed up at the line they're being fed that they take it upon themselves to protest.

Your job, I assume, is to educate the students, so educate them fully as to what the MPAA means to their rights. I'm sure you can find some great material here.

There's a reason I moved to Canada. Not that it is wildly better or all that different, or even free of major stupidity and scandal, but it seems to be largely (but not completely) free of retarded hatefilled shitbags. And while the gov't has a deeper hand on things here, one would expect boneheaded nanny state nonsense like the legislation in TFA from Canada, not from the USA. OH, how times have changed... The Rethugs want to blow up the planet and make everyone a classic Xian sexless mouthbreathing mallrat and the Dems want the corporations to own every piece of cultural artefacture in perpetuity, and make it all safe for the lowest and stupidest citizens and remove the responsibility that PARENTS SHOULD BE EXERCISING in favour of the nanny state.

As the Dukes of Stratosphear (XTC) crooned:

I'm the Mole in the Ministry
And you'll all bow down to me.
I'm the mole in the potting shed.
I'm the bad thoughts inside your head.
And you won't catch me...

As a little black girl once shouted into a bullhorn on the TV show "Wondershowzen":

RISE UP PEOPLE!!! RISE UP!!!

RS

So before you act all indignant-like better double-check the actions of your representatives.

I can't verify it now (damn firewall!), but I'm pretty sure this is the video explaining how to get Canadian legislation passed...

In the same year, DVD sales numbered 1.3247 billion (page 28) in the U.S. alone, at an average price of $22.40 each (page 33). That works out to $29.7 billion in DVD revenue in the U.S. U.S. theatrical sales by comparison were $9.49 billion (page 4). DVD sales in the U.S. alone exceed worlwide theatrical sales.

Per film released (yeah I know they're not the same films, but we're doing an annual tally here) that works out to $48.9 million per film, for the U.S. alone. If the sale ratio of theatrical vs. DVD sales in the U.S. holds for the rest of the world (unlikely, but let's just say), then global DVD sales would be $80.8 billion, or $133 million per flim.

So to recap for 2006:
# of releases: 607
US theatrical sales: $9.49 billion
Global theatrical sales: $25.82 billion
US DVD sales: $29.7 billion
Global DVD sales (hypothetical): $80.8 billion
Average cost to make each film: $65.8 million
Average theatrical sales per film released: $42.5 million
Average DVD sales per film released (hypothetical): $133 million

I think it's safe to say that DVD sales are the lion's share of their revenue. The theater side of the industry could disappear entirely and there's probably still plenty of room for profit. Draw what conclusions you will from this about the RIAA's pricing. (Also note that the $10 DVD is a myth - yes some are sold for $10, but the average price is about the same as a music CD.)

One final footnote. The MPAA only claims $6.1 billion in losses to piracy (PDF warning) in 2005. So they're claiming piracy only accounts for 6%-11% of their total sales (depending on what figure you use for DVD sales). The RIAA claims $4.5 billion in piracy losses in 2005 versus $12.3 billion in total retail music sales. A whopping 37%

In the same year, DVD sales numbered 1.3247 billion (page 28) in the U.S. alone, at an average price of $22.40 each (page 33). That works out to $29.7 billion in DVD revenue in the U.S. U.S. theatrical sales by comparison were $9.49 billion (page 4). DVD sales in the U.S. alone exceed worlwide theatrical sales.

Per film released (yeah I know they're not the same films, but we're doing an annual tally here) that works out to $48.9 million per film, for the U.S. alone. If the sale ratio of theatrical vs. DVD sales in the U.S. holds for the rest of the world (unlikely, but let's just say), then global DVD sales would be $80.8 billion, or $133 million per flim.

So to recap for 2006:
# of releases: 607
US theatrical sales: $9.49 billion
Global theatrical sales: $25.82 billion
US DVD sales: $29.7 billion
Global DVD sales (hypothetical): $80.8 billion
Average cost to make each film: $65.8 million
Average theatrical sales per film released: $42.5 million
Average DVD sales per film released (hypothetical): $133 million

I think it's safe to say that DVD sales are the lion's share of their revenue. The theater side of the industry could disappear entirely and there's probably still plenty of room for profit. Draw what conclusions you will from this about the RIAA's pricing. (Also note that the $10 DVD is a myth - yes some are sold for $10, but the average price is about the same as a music CD.)

One final footnote. The MPAA only claims $6.1 billion in losses to piracy (PDF warning) in 2005. So they're claiming piracy only accounts for 6%-11% of their total sales (depending on what figure you use for DVD sales). The RIAA claims $4.5 billion in piracy losses in 2005 versus $12.3 billion in total retail music sales. A whopping 37%

In the same year, DVD sales numbered 1.3247 billion (page 28) in the U.S. alone, at an average price of $22.40 each (page 33). That works out to $29.7 billion in DVD revenue in the U.S. U.S. theatrical sales by comparison were $9.49 billion (page 4). DVD sales in the U.S. alone exceed worlwide theatrical sales.

Per film released (yeah I know they're not the same films, but we're doing an annual tally here) that works out to $48.9 million per film, for the U.S. alone. If the sale ratio of theatrical vs. DVD sales in the U.S. holds for the rest of the world (unlikely, but let's just say), then global DVD sales would be $80.8 billion, or $133 million per flim.

So to recap for 2006:
# of releases: 607
US theatrical sales: $9.49 billion
Global theatrical sales: $25.82 billion
US DVD sales: $29.7 billion
Global DVD sales (hypothetical): $80.8 billion
Average cost to make each film: $65.8 million
Average theatrical sales per film released: $42.5 million
Average DVD sales per film released (hypothetical): $133 million

I think it's safe to say that DVD sales are the lion's share of their revenue. The theater side of the industry could disappear entirely and there's probably still plenty of room for profit. Draw what conclusions you will from this about the RIAA's pricing. (Also note that the $10 DVD is a myth - yes some are sold for $10, but the average price is about the same as a music CD.)

One final footnote. The MPAA only claims $6.1 billion in losses to piracy (PDF warning) in 2005. So they're claiming piracy only accounts for 6%-11% of their total sales (depending on what figure you use for DVD sales). The RIAA claims $4.5 billion in piracy losses in 2005 versus $12.3 billion in total retail music sales. A whopping 37%

Some of those random 128-bit numbers are random 128 bit numbers like 20 22 93 19 66, 81 89 95 66 00. Even the crudest search shows the MPAA is broadcasting those top secret encryption keys all over the world - such as on their contact us web page - under the flimsy pretense that they're phone numbers. The true owners of those numbers should use DMCA takedown notices to shut down the MPAA's web sites. And their members' web sites. And their lawyers' web sites. And their offices. And demand they redact all those publications. And all that media. Oh, the humanity! And the business cards. Won't someone think of the business cards?

Want the MPAA to hear you? Go to their website and vote for your favorite "movie" in their poll. Like that one movie, you know, "09f911029d74e35bd84156c5635688c0". And then they want to know your email address. informationwantstobefree@mpaa.org sounds about right.

I encourage you to do the same and let your voice be heard. Or something.

Even easier.

http://www.mpaa.org/?09F911029D74E35BD84156C563568 8C0

Will show up in the apache.log

. . . then do what I did: visit mpaa.org :D

Visit this page in particular: http://www.mpaa.org/piracy_OptDisk.asp

Jack is Dead

Rating the Jack Valenti Obits
from Gawker

The nation has now had a weekend to mourn the passing of Jack Valenti, man who made possible the groundbreaking cultural artifact known as the special unrated DVD version of Turistas . Yet, beyond such obvious accomplishments, there's still so much more to know about the MPAA chief/L.B.J. confidante/ Napster destroyer. Happily, on a dreary Sunday evening like this, there's no better family activity than reading the week's obituaries! But how do we know which ones will be appropriate for the kids? Alphanumeric codes, obviously! The following obits have been submitted for review to the Gawker Weekend Rating Board; out of respect, we are following the brilliant, equivocally definite guidelines set forth on the M.P.A.A. website.

—

New York Times:
Jack Valenti, 85, Confidant of a President and Stars, Dies

• Key Concerns:

  Mr. Valenti, a bantam 5-foot-7 who forever looked up to the towering Johnson, picked fights with critical Johnson biographers like Robert Caro and Robert Dallek.

  So he banned screeners altogether. A storm of protest ensued -- loudest of all from the major studios' own specialty divisions, which rely heavily on awards attention to publicize their films -- and the policy was overturned by a federal judge, who said it ran afoul of antitrust laws.

  A voracious reader, he devoured everything by Macaulay, Churchill and Gibbon, and his speaking and writing style would mix his native twang with the rhetorical flourishes of his heroes in a brew of cliché, cornpone, compelling phrases and clunkers that one critic called "a kind of Texas baroque."

  Mr. Valenti spent more time socially with the president than any other aide, often bringing along his wife and their toddler daughter, Courtenay Lynda, a Johnson favorite.

• Comments:
  The level of violence in this obituary is not what concerns us so much as its contextual basis. "Picking fights" is a form of social discourse that we feel many, though not all, parents may object to. It is obvious, however, that "a brew of cliché, cornpone, compelling phrases and clunkers" makes impossible a G-rating, which of course allows for only "some snippets of language [to] go beyond polite conversation." The dilemma here is whether the Times deserves a PG or a PG-13. Ultimately, despite the absence of drug use or graphic sexing, the highly untraditional domestic structure of Man, Wife, President of the United States, and Toddler Who is Said President's "Favorite" almost certainly eclipses the baseline community standards of all extant communities.

• Final Rating: PG-13 Parents Strongly Cautioned
  for pugnacity, use of non-Standard American English Dialect and reminders of the Gulf of Tonkin involving young children.

—

Los Angeles Times:
Jack Valenti, 85; former Hollywood lobbyist pioneered film ratings system

• Key Concerns:

  In public, his Texas-accented eloquence was reminisce

I wouldn't be surprised if he was considered a hero in some circles.

Not that it will pass, but it would be pleasant not to be a criminal for burning the DVDs I own for viewing on my PSP...

In case the summary was too long to read, that still would be illegal.

Let me add one cautionary note. While we strongly support legislation that will reinstate the Broadcast Flag, we cannot support legislation that will do that at the expense of the anti-circumvention provisions of the DMCA. It has been suggested that HR 1201 [2006 version] be attached to Broadcast Flag legislation. However, that type of legislation would as a practical matter repeal Section 1201 of the DMCA, would compromise efforts to fight piracy and inflict devastating harm on an important American industry.

The film ratings body most recognized in the United States is CARA (G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17). CARA is operated by MPAA, whose members are Sony, Disney, Time Warner, Universal, Fox, and Paramount, along with the National Association of Theater Owners. Does it cost more to have a motion picture produced for video rated by CARA if the motion picture is obviously family friendly but distributed by a company other than an MPAA member? Likewise, does it cost more to have a PC video game rated by ESRB if the film is distributed by a company other than an ESA member?

Be sure to report this piracy! http://www.mpaa.org/ReportPiracy.asp

Here, I suggest contact MPAA about the whole piracy issue and point them to the offending party; themselves.

http://www.mpaa.org/ReportPiracy.asp
Please feel free to let them know about their own transgressions.

I thought capitalism was about the market providing customers with the services they want to pay for, not using technology to try to prolong obsolete business models.

It is. And in a fair market customers would put businesses with other business models out of business as their business. Sorry, that last use of 'business' was gratuitous.

Two issues that affect fair markets: cartels and regulatory capture.

Try MPAA. :)

"You may have no use for the trade association these creative people support, but you'd better also have no use for films as good as Serenity."

I got the impression that the MPAA is not an organization for creative people, rather it is an organization of film distributors.

If you look here:
      http://www.mpaa.org/AboutUs.asp

it says in part:
    "these associations represent not only the world of theatrical film, but serve as leader and advocate for major producers and distributors of entertainment programming for television, cable, home video and future delivery systems not yet imagined. "

So while I fully appreciate your comment, the MPAA doesn't appear to serve as the voice of the creative community, unless you're counting the creative accounting practices that some people say are typical of MPAA members:
      http://breakingnews.iol.ie/entertainment/story.asp ?j=207126280&p=zx7yz6986

But who really knows what's true and what's not?

Haven't you heard of those damn 'pirates?' You know, those immoral souls who laugh while downloading anything and everything they can get their greedy hands on? See here for more. [pdf warning]

Hopefully this will get their spirits up for battles against bigger Dino saurs.

At http://www.mpaa.org/Public_Performance.asp, it says:

"Suppose you invite a few personal friends over for dinner and a movie. You purchase or rent a copy of a movie from the local video store and view the film in your home that night. Have you violated the copyright law by illegally 'publicly performing' the movie? Probably not."

and

"The Federal Copyright Act (Title 17 of the U.S. Code) governs how copyrighted materials, such as movies, may be used. Neither the rental nor the purchase of a movie carries with it the right to show the movie outside the home. In some instances no license is required to view a movie, such as inside the home by family or social acquaintances and in certain narrowly defined face-to-face teaching activities. Taverns, restaurants, private clubs, prisons, lodges, factories, summer camps, public libraries, daycare facilities, parks and recreation departments, churches and non-classroom use at schools and universities are all examples of situations where a public performance license must be obtained. This legal requirement applies regardless of whether an admission fee is charged, whether the institution or organization is commercial or non-profit, or whether a federal or state agency is involved."

As expected, though, they've included the necessary CYA phrases like "probably" and "in some instances".

It's straight from the article. And more to the point, it's the exact doublespeak that the RIAA wants to drill into these kid's heads

Indeed, the MPAA-developed "curriculum" begins :

Intellectual Property is no different than physical property

Intellectual dishonesty is no different than child abuse

This is not standard BSA

It's local to LA, about 52,000 scouts, according to the MPAA press release

Here's the official press release from the MPAA http://www.mpaa.org/press_releases/boy%20scouts%20 press%20release.pdf/

I can just hear Microsoft gloating over this "Wow! Now we can add all the DRM our real customers want without any apparent performance penalty."
"Quick, run out and buy stock in every power and cooling company you can!".
Of course the malware will be able to fly faster on the new Microsft DRM 2010 Media Center release (due in 2012)

Ok so in the United States, porn is basically not legal to buy by a minor. The store can't sell it to you, and you can't rent it.

And hell, NC-17 movies exist, as do R movies (which require a parent).

So why do games not have similar levels of preventative measures?

I guess the question I have is... why should games NOT have such similar measures (I'm in favor of NO limitations to who can buy actually) while porn and movies do? And if you believe that games should be freely buyable, would you consider allowing porn and any rated movie to also be freely buyable? What about cigerettes and alcohol?

It seems that we keep on having specific rules/laws per each individual "substance", and many are inconsistent with each other in terms of necessity.

It's not Fedora (or Red Hat's) fault that the licensing of those products and the US Laws on those subjects are so anal. Welcome to the age of DRM, patents and vendor lock-in due to the 2 previous reasons.

If you didn't know in the USA you are not allowed to reverse-engineer or even include software that is reverse engineered. You are not allowed to import it, export it or use it. Thus MP3, WMV, AAC support or the DRM-versions of it can not be included in a distro for/created in the USA. If you do, you get massive lawsuits or treated as a terrorist. You can of course go and ask permissions and pay big bucks to Fraunhofer/Thomson, MS or Apple.

Welcome to the Nazi world of the 21st century where the Fuhrers are big companies and the Gestapo respectively SS is represented by lawyers and government. Oh, you can of course always rat out at your favorite kamerat.

When Div-X came out, I felt like the companies had to update to use the format ASAP. It allowed more content, and more definition at the same time. Five years later, we're still stuck to MPEG-2 DVD's. Guess Who's at fault?

i think it's a bit further than that. downloading illegally is primarily a male bastion, whereas music purchasing skews towards girls and women. Females are less likely to download and more likely to buy music and less likely to be tech savvy.

Cites? Sources? A single shred of empirical evidence published in an accredited, peer-reviewed journal?

Specifically the MPAA's studies shows:

• People who download: 66% male
• People who make copies: 67% male
• People who receive copies: 57% male
• People who bootleg: 57% male
• People who are "non-pirates": 49% male
• Movie watching population: 49% male

"Isn't it ironic that hollywood is seeing some of their biggest profits in ages..."

I wasn't aware that the film industry profitability is at an all-time high. Where did you read that?

"For those in NYC, how often have you seen "bootleggers" in front if the federal building, state office buildings even near police precints selling pirated copies. Why doesn't hollywood focus on finding the sources of these centers and shutting them down."

The ability to walk and chew gum at the same time may be more prevalent than believed. With all the "why don't they go after the real pirates" talk around here, it's surprising to see the results whenever an item makes it to Slashdot regarding shutting down Chinese pirates, or other large-scale pirating of physical media. There's the usual screaming of bloody murder; common reactions are that the Chinese DVD factory owners are just trying to make a living; pirated DVDs are simply part of the culture, the US government shouldn't be pressuring China, the guys were just helping poor people who can't afford to pay $20 for genuine DVDs, and so on.

Here's a release that was just posted today (PDF, sorry):

Anti-Piracy Officers Seize 283 Optical Disc Burners From Movie Pirate in Penang

And here's a release from last month about shutting down a flea market in San Diego in which pirated DVDs were sold (again, PDF, sorry).

When you wrote "Why doesn't hollywood focus on finding the sources of these centers and shutting them down" did you mean that you don't think the MPAA is doing enough here?

"Isn't it ironic that hollywood is seeing some of their biggest profits in ages..."

I wasn't aware that the film industry profitability is at an all-time high. Where did you read that?

"For those in NYC, how often have you seen "bootleggers" in front if the federal building, state office buildings even near police precints selling pirated copies. Why doesn't hollywood focus on finding the sources of these centers and shutting them down."

The ability to walk and chew gum at the same time may be more prevalent than believed. With all the "why don't they go after the real pirates" talk around here, it's surprising to see the results whenever an item makes it to Slashdot regarding shutting down Chinese pirates, or other large-scale pirating of physical media. There's the usual screaming of bloody murder; common reactions are that the Chinese DVD factory owners are just trying to make a living; pirated DVDs are simply part of the culture, the US government shouldn't be pressuring China, the guys were just helping poor people who can't afford to pay $20 for genuine DVDs, and so on.

Here's a release that was just posted today (PDF, sorry):

Anti-Piracy Officers Seize 283 Optical Disc Burners From Movie Pirate in Penang

And here's a release from last month about shutting down a flea market in San Diego in which pirated DVDs were sold (again, PDF, sorry).

When you wrote "Why doesn't hollywood focus on finding the sources of these centers and shutting them down" did you mean that you don't think the MPAA is doing enough here?

The MPAA film ratings bureau is made up of representatives of the actual film industry

That is incorrect. The MPAA is made up of lay-people whose sole qualification is that they are a parent.

The ratings are decided by a full-time Rating Board located in Los Angeles. ... There are no special qualifications for Board membership, except that the members must have a shared parenthood experience, must be possessed of an intelligent maturity, and most of all, have the capacity to put themselves in the role of most American parents so they can view a film and apply a rating that most parents would find suitable and helpful in aiding their decisions about their children and what movies they see.

See http://www.mpaa.org/Ratings_HowRated.asp

Now that Skype offers free calls to US numbers until the end of the year, why not drop the MPAA a line and let them know what's on your mind? Maybe we can all check in on them daily and thank them for their efforts!

Oh, and if you'd be so kind, could you also let them know that The Pirate Bay is back up? They seem to still be under the impression that it's down... (PDF link)

Oh. You might need their numbers:
Washington: (202) 293-1966
LA: (818) 995-6600
New York (listed as their "anti-piracy office"): (914) 378-0800

Now that Skype offers free calls to US numbers until the end of the year, why not drop the MPAA a line and let them know what's on your mind? Maybe we can all check in on them daily and thank them for their efforts!

Oh, and if you'd be so kind, could you also let them know that The Pirate Bay is back up? They seem to still be under the impression that it's down... (PDF link)

Oh. You might need their numbers:
Washington: (202) 293-1966
LA: (818) 995-6600
New York (listed as their "anti-piracy office"): (914) 378-0800

Common mistake, but there isn't any law against that either. Most movie theaters follow the movie guidelines set forth by the MPAA, but they don't legally have to do that.

BTW: The MPAA isn't a government organization, it's 12 people in LA who watch movies.

Why not use the MPAA's bandwith?

http://www.mpaa.org/press_releases/2006_05_31.pdf

who determines which rights are "legitimate".

excuse me, but rights which are considered perfectly legitimate now were characterized as theft and piracy before.

I think what you mean by "legitimate" is what only one side believes is legitimate. The DMCA and DRM are removing the accountability from these assertions by removing judicial oversight of the ever fluctuating definition of fair use.

PDF Warning: MPAA Gleefully Issues Press Release Detailing the "Sinking of Pirate Bay"

http://www.mpaa.org/press_releases/2006_05_31.pdf

By the time this is picked up by the media, PB will be back online. I *love* it.

-[d]-

The mpaa (pdf warning) press release is the usual drivel:

The operators of The Pirate Bay have publicly ridiculed copyright holders and taunted law enforcement for years claiming immunity to copyright laws.

Like I said ... might as well charge them with speeding; it's equally related.

The MPAA's statement after the takedown of thepiratebay.

Seems like Swedish authorities gave in to the pressure from **AA groups. This may be good as it will put the general public on the side of TPB.

A poll in the largest evening newspaper in sweden shows what people think of the takedown of TPB. The question in the poll is, is it right to "attack" people that are involved in filesharing. Ja = YES and Nej = NO. The results speak for themselves.

http://www.mpaa.org/press_releases/2006_05_31.pdf

mpaa claims responsibility

the MPAA would have quite a bit of egg on it's face for publishing a crowing "Press Release" on the issue.

The Windows Trojan/Erazer-A Trojan looks at default folders for downloading MP3, AVI, MPEG, WMV, Gif, Zip graphic and video files, and wipes anything it finds with these extensions in the target locations.

The assumption is that because the Trojan is only deleting certain file types in specific download directories used by P2P programs -- one of the main sources of inadvertent malware infection -- it is attempting to protect those it manages to infect. [emph mine]

You obviously want to work for these guys, some other productless organization, or these morally bankrupt fellows?. Maybe if you have good enough connections, you can get access to the diploma mill/SCOTUS anointment service for the well-heeled.