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Public CD Copying Machine in Australia

kanad writes: "With all the news of banning cd burners, taxing blank CD-Rs, DMCA, and whatnot in the U.S., here's a breather from Australia. Some stores have installed coin-operated CD copying machines. Basically it's very simple: put the CD to be copied and a blank CD in two different slots and drop your coins and Presto! In 10 minutes you get a copy. It even bypasses some anti-copying measures. ... Obviously the burden of not violating copyright rests with the user under Australian law, which is the same as that applied to photocopiers. Today evening I saw the machine and it's really cool. Wonder what would happen to this machine in U.S. and Europe."

388 comments

  1. are they available INSIDE supermarkets ? by dario_moreno · · Score: 2, Interesting

    then it would be a pleasure to pick
    a music CD or a game, make a copy, and
    go out...

    by the way, this would be an
    interesting use of a laptop with a Cd-RW,
    when I think of it !

    --
    Google passes Turing test : see my journal
    1. Re:are they available INSIDE supermarkets ? by alexmeaden · · Score: 1

      Except of course in most stores you can't get the actual disc until you've paid for it!

    2. Re:are they available INSIDE supermarkets ? by AlaskanUnderachiever · · Score: 1

      http://www.multi-tech.com.au/new/copycat.shtml Even if they aren't, you could probably wheel it in behind you. . . "It is mounted on castors for easy maneuverability."

      --
      Find out about my new childrens book: SS Death Camp Criminal Batallion Go To Monte Carlo For The Massacre
    3. Re:are they available INSIDE supermarkets ? by squison · · Score: 1

      It'd actually be better if it were right outside the store. Buy the CD, go outside & copy, wrap it back up and return it.

    4. Re:are they available INSIDE supermarkets ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      that's right, because we all carry shrink wrap around with us... :P

    5. Re:are they available INSIDE supermarkets ? by flipflapflopflup · · Score: 1

      > it would be a pleasure to pick
      > a music CD or a game, make a copy, and
      > go out...

      Nothing new - it's like photocoping a magazine in the newsagents, then putting it back... at the end of the day it would be up to the store to enforce their policy, and you to use your own moral judgement.

    6. Re:are they available INSIDE supermarkets ? by jd142 · · Score: 2

      it's like photocoping a magazine in the newsagents, then putting it back

      Except here it costs at least 7 cents a page to photocopy. For magazines that isn't bad because you can skip the ads, but I've photocopied entire out of print books before and believe me, it isn't as cheap as getting the Dover Press version.

    7. Re:are they available INSIDE supermarkets ? by tonicBastard · · Score: 1

      moral judgement on Slashdot, eh? that would be a first.

    8. Re:are they available INSIDE supermarkets ? by SoupIsGoodFood_42 · · Score: 1
      Oh yeah... I'm sure you want get into trouble by breaking the packaging open. Which most people won't do. And if they don't have any packaging, then they usaly store the CD's seperate anyway.

      While I'm here:

      The people who are really costing the big lables money are real software pirates who have lots of copiers, pump out heaps of them, and sell them to other people for money. Anyone telling me that they people would ever use a machine like this has been smoking an illegal substance....They would never bother. It costs too much per CD, is slower, probably no choice in what the CD looks like, and might be a bit too obvious.

      [Cop] "What are you doing?"
      [SW pirate] "Just making some backup CD's"
      [Cop] "100?"
      [SW pirate] "Uh... yes... My house get broken into all the time"
      [Cop] "That oftern?! That's pretty serious. I think I should come over and have a look, see what the problem might be"
      [SW pirate] "Uhhh..."

  2. The trappings of fame... by Gerv · · Score: 4, Funny

    Zac Kingston of Adelaide folk duo Linus, which is about to record its second album, said the new machines threatened to destroy smaller acts.

    Wow! Linus has a tribute band...

    Gerv

    1. Re:The trappings of fame... by Sapphon · · Score: 1

      Since they're from Adelaide, I doubt they've ever heard of the guy. At least, not unless he built a church.

      Now a football team named after Linus, that would be something...

      --
      Antiquis temporibus, nati tibi similes in rupibus ventosissimis exponebantur ad necem.
    2. Re:The trappings of fame... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And what is missed if the Labels go bankrupted? Check above the "Why STOP!..."

    3. Re:The trappings of fame... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sadly, no one either buys or copies Linus's albums. Betcha dollars to digits that it won't be long before Zac is working in one of the convenience marts where one of these copying kiosks is stationed!

    4. Re:The trappings of fame... by duren686 · · Score: 1

      They give their albums away for free, and other people burn them and make their own mixes, or "distributiojns" of their CDs.

      --
      Y2K Compliant since the late 1890s
    5. Re:The trappings of fame... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      LOL! The irony! I don't know, I think hearing "Linus wins the superbowl" would be too much for me to handle.

  3. Copy protection, eh? by gpinzone · · Score: 2, Redundant

    I wonder if this device is anything more than just a CDR connected to a 486? I'd love to know if you're able to make copies of CD-ROMs, especially copy protected ones like Playstation games and PC cds using SafeDisc.

    1. Re:Copy protection, eh? by Junta · · Score: 3, Informative

      I would imagine that it is nothing more complicated than that (except perhaps a bit more horsepower than a 486..).

      I would imagine it could probably copy playstation discs (presuming they use disc-at-once mode, and if they claim to bypass some copy protection, it most likely is). Of course you would still need a modchip (can't put the information into the CD hub that is needed. I don't know what safedisc is even :)

      cdrdao works great for PSX backup... I'll never have to open my Lunar box sets to play ever again.

      --
      XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
    2. Re:Copy protection, eh? by Drakin · · Score: 1

      Copy protection means little if you know the ways around it. It depends a lot on your CD burner and the software you use.

      Safedusk has been broken a long time ago. That can be undone by makeing a clone of it. Safedisk 2, is more thorny, but it can be done... you just need a normal CD or DVD ROM drive to use the CD after you make a clone of it.

    3. Re:Copy protection, eh? by gpinzone · · Score: 4, Informative

      The reason you need a modchip for PSX discs is because the checksum for the "bootsector" is deliberately encoded to FAIL on original PSX discs. No CD burning software can instruct your burner to deliberately encode all zeroes instead of the properly calculated error-correction value. I have heard stories of people hacking CDR firmware to forcibly encode the bootsector like a PSX disc to eliminate the need for a modchip, but I never actually have seen any "pirate" firmware floating around the various PSX sites.

      If this device doesn't use a standard CDR drive, then maybe their copying system CAN make perfect copies.

    4. Re:Copy protection, eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The protection on PlayStation game discs consists of wobbles in (some of) the track. Data is modulated into the wobbles (e.g. "SCEA" in ASCII), and if this cannot be read from the disc
      it won't play.

      It is impossible to create a working copy on a normal CD-R disc, since the data modulated into the wobbles is not present. There is no way to replicate this with any CD writer drive; you would have to use special CD-R blanks which are pressed with the wobbles at the factory. Sony probably sell those CD-Rs to game developers.

      Sony have patents which describe exactly how this works. See the US Patent Office web site at http://www.uspto.gov/ to search for them.

    5. Re:Copy protection, eh? by wpanderson · · Score: 1

      Um, no, PlayStation developers use a debug version of the console (most of them were blue, later models were grey or green), which has no region lockout or copy protection enabled on it, allowing the use of black PlayStation CDs from any territory, and also regular CD-Rs.

      --
      neuro at well dot com (when I post, it's my opinions, no-one elses)
  4. Well, now that the cat is out of the bag by zangdesign · · Score: 3, Insightful

    You can bet your ass that Hillary Rosen and her crew and Jack Valenti and his crew will do everything short of murder to get that machine and all related technology banned.

    --
    To celebrate the occasion of my 1000th post, I will post no more forever on Slashdot. Goodbye.
    1. Re:Well, now that the cat is out of the bag by the_2nd_coming · · Score: 2, Funny

      you think that they are above murder?

      please Jack even LOOKS like a mobbster. I am sure that he has connections.

      --



      I am the Alpha and the Omega-3
    2. Re:Well, now that the cat is out of the bag by zangdesign · · Score: 2

      I usually try to stop short of libel and/or defamation of character -- you know, things you can get SUED for?

      --
      To celebrate the occasion of my 1000th post, I will post no more forever on Slashdot. Goodbye.
    3. Re:Well, now that the cat is out of the bag by theCoder · · Score: 1

      the_2nd_coming's post wasn't libel. His first statement asked a question, and wasn't a statement of fact. His next two statements were purely his opinion of Valenti. Saying "I'm sure he has connections" and "He has connections" are two entirely different statements.

      Of course, IANAL.

      --
      "Save the whales, feed the hungry, free the mallocs" -- author unknown
    4. Re:Well, now that the cat is out of the bag by caudron · · Score: 1

      What makes you think they would stop /short/ of murder?

      Yeah, I know "-1 flamebait"...oh well. :/

      --
      -Tom
    5. Re:Well, now that the cat is out of the bag by monotone · · Score: 0

      In Australia? Do they have any authority or persuasive power down under?

    6. Re:Well, now that the cat is out of the bag by ackthpt · · Score: 1
      Close...

      You can bet your ass that Hillary Rosen and her crew and Jack Valenti and his crew will do everything short of murder to get that machine and all related technology banned.

      More like they'd explain why it's already banned under DMCA and prevent them from being imported.

      --

      A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    7. Re:Well, now that the cat is out of the bag by FFFish · · Score: 3, Funny

      The Valenti name has plenty of mob associations:

      "In the wake of the infamous Apalachin Conference in November 1957, the New York State Crime Commission began an investigation of the individuals from New York who attended the meeting. Constenze "Stanley" Valenti, the recognized boss of the Rochester Family, and his brother Frank were jailed for civil contempt after failing to answer the questions of the commission members."

      "By 1920, the Morello-Terranova-Saietta rule was being seriously challenged by Guiseppe Masseria. The challenge would not last long. Vincent Morello was murdered on East 116th Street and later powerful ally, Umberto Valenti, was ambushed by Masseria gunmen."

      "Uno "sgarro" commesso in ambienti criminali: ...Filippo Musica, e della sua fidanzata, Elisa Valenti, di 24 anni, assassinati l'altra notte con colpi di fucile davanti ..."

      "[Raymond] Valenti ...told her that he belonged to the Mafia. Valenti poked Ricker in the chest and warned her that if she talked to the IRS, she would be in trouble, too..."

      A "James J. Valenti" is/was a member of the Tampa mob family.

      "Ucciso a Scordia Gaetano Valenti, secondo gli inquirenti affiliato al clan Di Salvo."

      As you can see, the Valenti name is well-established in the mob circles.

      Now, can anyone trace ol' Jack's family tree...?

      --

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    8. Re:Well, now that the cat is out of the bag by Technician · · Score: 2

      They will have to drop the tarrif on music CDR's. The tarrif is pre paid royalty in my book. No copy, no copy royalty. Copy royalty pre-paid, ok to copy. They can't have it both ways. What I see is instead trying to get royalties on a per copy on the supermarket machine of about $15 per copy. It would be legal to copy but not pratical.

      --
      The truth shall set you free!
    9. Re:Well, now that the cat is out of the bag by molo · · Score: 2

      Neat info about the mafia. May I inquire where you obtained it? I'm of Italian descent and some of my distant relatives of years gone by have been involved in such activities. I don't know any specifics though, so I was hoping you could help me out.

      Thanks.

      --
      Using your sig line to advertise for friends is lame.
    10. Re:Well, now that the cat is out of the bag by WNight · · Score: 2

      Those only apply if it's reasonable that someone could see/hear the statement and believe that it represented reality.

      If I say that you are a "cock gobbler" it's unlikely people will think that you actually perform fellatio. However, if I say "I saw Zang sucking some guy's sick behind that gay bathhouse" it is believable and thus probably is defamation.

      It's also (in all civilized countries - ie, not the UK or Australia) a defense if it's true. If I saw you doing that, I could say it, assuming I could prove to a judge that it is true.

      Further, stating an opinion rarely is defamation. Saying "I think Valenti looks like a mobster" isn't defamation. It's part of that believability test. If I say "I think he sucks cock for money" it's clearly my opinion, which means people probably wouldn't accept it as truth.

      Thus, the original poster stopped short of defamation. (Assuming he lives in a reasonable country.)

    11. Re:Well, now that the cat is out of the bag by SoupIsGoodFood_42 · · Score: 1

      I'm sure if you go to one of the machines, stand right in front of it, and look around. You'll see the barrel of a snipers rifle pointing in you general direction....Plus some faint blood stains on the ground, and down the front of the machine, left behind from the badly done clean-up job of the last satisfied customer.
      Of course, they wait untill you pay and make the copy....Can't miss out on the $$$ from the CD-R tax now can we?

    12. Re:Well, now that the cat is out of the bag by pompomtom · · Score: 1

      It's not too hard for the US govt to tell the Aus govt what to do/ban... and I get the impression that it's not too hard for your 'culture'-industry to get the US govt to do/ban whatever.

      --

      Buckets,

      pompomtom

      "There's an exception to every rule. Except for some rules"
    13. Re:Well, now that the cat is out of the bag by Alarmabad · · Score: 0

      Suck my dick, "zangdesign". I believe I saw you sucking some guys huge cock out behind a gay bad, while taking it in the ass like the good taker should. I think you are a cock gobbling cum snifter, penis licker, anus marauder, stain. In fact, don't want a slimy bastard like yourself sucking my member, you cum guzzling queen. You paved the highway a Hershey color, you are an anal aviator, flying your meatus around the cave that is your boyfriends ass. Your prolapsed rectum is a dead giveaway to the frequency with which you engage in anal encounters. Your whipworm infection make the drippings from your infected prolapsed rectum make anal sex very unappealing to normal beings, but the giver is a sick fuck. Your choad region is ripe to be lapped upon by the giver, who, shall we say, is a vile wretch. You have never slid up a cheesepipe, your schmeg is entirely promoted by man bacteria. You surf his council gritter. Your dirtbox obsession is foul to me, you drink from a black urn full of man milk, you also desire gay grandpa sex.

      --
      Islam is Death, Death to Islam.
    14. Re:Well, now that the cat is out of the bag by FFFish · · Score: 2

      Er, you make me an offer I can't refuse...

      The secret, friend, is Google. Search for "Valenti mafia OR mob" and you get lots of information on that well-established family.

      To paraphrase the consiglieri:
      "Now we have the unions, we have the gambling; and they're the best things to have. But entertainment is a thing of the future. And if we don't get a piece of that action, we risk everything we have. I mean not now, but, ah, ten years from now."

      --

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    15. Re:Well, now that the cat is out of the bag by Thing+1 · · Score: 2
      Now, can anyone trace ol' Jack's family tree...?

      Sure. As you stated in a previous reply, it's all about the Google search. Mine was "free genealogy".

      I found the site awt.ancestry.com . The previous link goes directly to Jack Valenti's info page.

      Did you know he's married to Mary Margaret Wiley , who was President Lyndon Johnson's secretary? She may have provided some important connections in the RIAA's formative years.

      Then I clicked on "Trees". To get his family tree, I had to provide birth date and place, so another Google search ("jack valenti biography born") found the following biography with all I needed (Born: September 5, 1921; Birth Place: Houston, Texas).

      Also from that bio page, we learn the following:

      After serving as a bomber pilot in World War II, he opened Weekley & Valenti Advertising in 1952 and later became a top aide to fellow Texan Lyndon B. Johnson. In 1966, President Johnson appointed Valenti as the third president and chief executive officer of the Motion Picture Association, a post he has held ever since.

      So my assumption was slightly off; he most likely met his wife while working with Johnson.

      Plugging the data into the tree search page , I am frustrated to find that this is to create your own family tree, not to provide one for you based on your initial person.

      So I clicked on the "Ancestry Family Tree" and got here . This is a program you need to download (closed source, spyware leaps to mind) but I'm running Ad-Aware so I boldly go.

      I had to register to download, so I used a throwaway Hotmail account. (It's really tough to create a unique username!)

      It's a 4.5 MB download and appears to be an ActiveX control; waiting for it to finish (slow modem in Brazil).

      Well that was entirely too frustrating; the program is also for creating a family tree, not for automatically generating one.

      I tried a couple other sites and had my hopes dashed for finding a quick solution. I spent a good bit of time on this (thinking it would be a bit easier) so I'm posting this anyway; even though it's not as Informative as I would have liked, it could at least be considered Cautionary. ;-)

      Of course, if anyone knows how to do this, please post! Would be neat to find potential "influences" (actually, I already found one -- a former president).

      --
      I feel fantastic, and I'm still alive.
    16. Re:Well, now that the cat is out of the bag by FFFish · · Score: 2

      Potential influence? Hell, LBJ handed the creep the job. What's your throwaway login to ancestry? I'd like to go digging there.

      "Weekley & Valenti... was in charge of the press during the fateful visit of President John F. Kennedy and Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson to Texas in November 1963. Within an hour after the assasination of President Kennedy, Mr. Valenti flew on Air Force One back to Washington as the first Special Assistant to the President"

      Actually, when you start reading his biography, it looks like Jack is a bright boy who worked really hard as a kid and young man.

      One suspects he's operating from an Leave It to Beaver mindset, though. Hasn't quite made the intellectual, technological, and social leap into this decade. He was one of LBJ's right-hand men, and it looks like LBJ was a real driving force for race equality. Jack hasn't come to understand that just as there were long-term social benefits to equality, there are long-term benefits to reducing copyright ownership and providing consumers with 'portable' data.

      --

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  5. Wonder what would happen to this machine in U.S. by Kalabajoui · · Score: 0, Troll

    I dunno, probably some pricks from the MPAA or RIAA would come along and vandalize it.

  6. Books too by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I also think books should be decommercialised. Imagine being able to just walk up to a machine like this one and be able to have it print out a book for you, or make copies from a file saved on a disc.

    1. Re:Books too by Ioldanach · · Score: 3
      I also think books should be decommercialised. Imagine being able to just walk up to a machine like this one and be able to have it print out a book for you, or make copies from a file saved on a disc.
      You mean Books on Demand? Been done, but no reason to call them 'decommercialised'. I haven't seen it mainstream, yet, but it would be great for out of print books. It would mean going to the bookstore to look for a book and finding it no longer in print wouldn't be such a bad thing. It might be on index, and you could just print up a fresh copy.
  7. Limited use by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    The poster doesn't mention that it only works on Kylie Minogue CD's. Which renders it fucking worthless for most everybody.

    1. Re:Limited use by Kryptic+Knight · · Score: 0, Offtopic



      You DARE!!! to critise the darling and most revered Miss Minogue!

      May your hotpants split and turn to dust in public!

      --
      --- This meme is memory intensive
    2. Re:Limited use by PinkStainlessTail · · Score: 2
      The poster doesn't mention that it only works on Kylie Minogue CD's. Which renders it fucking worthless for most everybody.

      It certainly won't have any applications outside of Oz, that's for sure...

      --
      "Slashdot is about legos and staplers." -Cmdr. Taco
    3. Re:Limited use by mabinogi · · Score: 1

      or IN it either....

      --
      Advanced users are users too!
    4. Re:Limited use by SoupIsGoodFood_42 · · Score: 1
      It certainly won't have any applications outside of Oz, that's for sure...

      Unless it coppies the CD covers to. And then prints them out A1 poster sized...

    5. Re:Limited use by Cuthalion · · Score: 1

      Unless it coppies the CD covers too. And then prints them out A1 poster sized...

      Sadly, it's very difficult to blow up CD liner notes that large, since they're only half-toned at 300 dpi or so. So, you're reducing them to like 40 dpi plus some extra half-toning artifacts. It's a crying shame.

      --
      Trees can't go dancing
      So do them a big favor
      Pretend dancing stinks!
    6. Re:Limited use by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      mmmm I like Kylie Minogue, and I'm outta Oz, I'm sure I have that one LP I bought when I was younger, still. Mmmmmm

  8. nuke by tanveer1979 · · Score: 1

    "what will happen to the copy protection machine in US or Europe"

    Once apon a time in New york :

    "Target identified"

    "CD copy machine". "Eliminate..... Launching DMCA proprietry coded missile....Attention target, any attempt to look at the missile or remeber what it looked like will be taken as copyright violation.....5..2..3..2..1..0...???..Launch failed, Lauch code licence file not found.. DMCA violation... ABORT and DIE.... Permission denied.. DIE copyrighted by god no allowed.... $#%#%%#^^&&@#@#@#"
    --
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    1. Re:nuke by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wow, this is really stupid and unfunny. You must be a big dork.

  9. Where to find one... by fifthchild · · Score: 3, Informative

    I can tell you, there's one in the Union Building of the Clayton campus of Monash University where I study. It costs AU$5 and you have to BYO blank. I imagine that it's there under the pretext that people will use it to copy their own data files...

    I've never used it, so I don't know if there's anything it won't copy, but I also have never seen anyone else using it. I have severe doubts about its popularity. I'm not surprised that it was allowed because as a potential form of income I'd bet the Uni jumped at the chance. But that's just Monash I guess.

    --
    Sham on
    1. Re:Where to find one... by rosewood · · Score: 1

      How long till this comment is removed (as it should be) by the secret service

      Making threats against the US president in the sig...

    2. Re:Where to find one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Awwwww... How cute!

    3. Re:Where to find one... by HobbitGod42 · · Score: 0

      I agree... with the popularity of CDR drives world wide it dsn't make too much sense. I mean if you have to bring your own blank then its safe to say you either depend on it or you have your own burner. As for your sig and everyone comments about it I don't mind... everyone is allowed to have their own opinions... thats what the internet is for.

    4. Re:Where to find one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Redundant

      as one AC to another, Napalming George Bush is an excellent idea. Mmmmm, I love the smell of crispy oil-baron in the morning. Amdit it, it would be FUN to watch him burn to death while trying to scrape that evil crap off! If only we could put Sharon and Saddam in the same room we could get a hat-trick of crispy assholes!

    5. Re:Where to find one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      what are you guys talking about? I don't see any .sig at all in that post. has it been censored?

    6. Re:Where to find one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I've walked past one every week for the last 6 months at least, when I go to the News Agents on Broadway ( near Sydney University ) to buy my bus ticket, and I've never seen anyone using it either...

      For a start, the machine there looks at least a little bit dodgy. I mean, it had a metal surface with two holes in it, and you could see the burner trays underneath it.

    7. Re:Where to find one... by The_dev0 · · Score: 1

      There's one in the fish and chip shop near my place. (Cleveland, Brisbane) Only $2 to copy and the shop sells blanks for $3 as well, so you can either bring your own or just bring the original and a $5 note. I've used it a few times, mostly because it is faster than my dodgy old 2xWrite CD writer at home. I have experienced the odd coaster with it, though.

      --
      Never fight naked, unless you're in prison...
    8. Re:Where to find one... by Charm · · Score: 1

      Secret service? You've been talking to the commonwealth drivers again haven't you. Keep out of my private life Senator :)

      --
      -- RTFM:Slackware::Beer:Saturday
    9. Re:Where to find one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There is also one at Dinkums copy centre in Swanston St. and I believe there is one in RMIT city campus.

  10. The RIAAs worst nightmare by plazman30 · · Score: 1

    Wow,

    Just imagine the lawsuit if this thing was released in the US! The RIAA would go nuts!

    Still waiting for the day when they figure out the DMCA is a bad thing and repeal it, or have the Supreme Court overturn it for violating freedom of speach.

    1. Re:The RIAAs worst nightmare by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mmmmm - s peach.

      Speech may rhyme with peach but it is spelled like leech.

    2. Re:The RIAAs worst nightmare by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah the lawsuit by the owner of said machine being legally prevented from making a legal dollar. Australia has no admendments, stuff all rights, guns are banned, yet land of the free get worked up at a modern photocopier analog.
      They still make books, you know.

  11. digitally identical copies of CDs . . . by AlaskanUnderachiever · · Score: 2, Funny

    I can see it now. Setting up shop right across from CompUSA and BestBuy . . . "I need 55 copies of Warcraft III. . you know. . just in case I lose a few. . oh yeah and a dozen Calagari TrueSpace 5.0 backups while you're at it."

    --
    Find out about my new childrens book: SS Death Camp Criminal Batallion Go To Monte Carlo For The Massacre
  12. popping noise by abe+ferlman · · Score: 5, Insightful

    That giant popping noise you hear is Hilary Rosen herniating herself when she reads this article.

    Xerox machines were to the publishing industry are what the Boston Strangler was to a woman alone, to paraphrase Jack Valenti. Given that no one bothers to write books anymore since perfect copies can be made inexpensively, I'm sure we'll wise up this time and stop this reckless sharing of information in its tracks.

    --
    microsoftword.mp3 - it doesn't care that they're not words...
    1. Re:popping noise by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except copying a book with a Xerox machine is slow, time consuming, and does not give you nearly as easily readable a version as buying the book itself would. CD copying machines give you perfect copies with very little hassle.

    2. Re:popping noise by pogen · · Score: 3, Insightful
      Except copying a book with a Xerox machine is slow, time consuming, and does not give you nearly as easily readable a version as buying the book itself would. CD copying machines give you perfect copies with very little hassle.

      Indeed. And to point out another flaw in the photocopier analogy, there is only one real-world "fair use" defense for this machine (in the U.S.): The purpose of the copy.

      The "character" of the copy cannot be used as a defense, since it is effectively identical to the original.

      The "nature of the copyrighted work" cannot be used as a defense, since we are almost invariably talking about for-profit, commercially produced CDs (no one who could create their own original CDs would need this machine to help them make copies.)

      The "relative amount" cannot be used as a defense, since the CD is copied in its entirety.

      And the "effect on the market" cannot be used as a defense, since even legitimate backup copies take sales away from the industry.

      The only legitimate "purposes" that I can see for using this machine are backups and space-shifting (though I don't know what legal standing these have). When was the last time you "backed up" a book with a photocopier?

      So let's stop clouding the issue with this ridiculous book/photocopier analogy.

      (IANAL)

    3. Re:popping noise by monotone · · Score: 0

      Was this meant as sarcasm? No new books are being written?

      "Reckless sharing of information" ? There is a difference in 'sharing' information and 'duplicating' information. I'd be careful with how the phrase "reckless sharing of information" is used. That sounds like a valid excuse for censorship. Whereas, reckless duplication and distribution is a completely different story.

    4. Re:popping noise by brunes69 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Indeed, let's continue it:

      • The "character" of the photocopy cannot be used as a defense, since it is effectively identical to the original.
      • The "nature of the copyrighted work" cannot be used as a defense, since we are almost invariably talking about for-profit, commercially produced books (no one who could create their own original printed material would need this machine to help them make copies.)
      • The "relative amount" cannot be used as a defense, since the printed material can be copied in its entirety.
      • And the "effect on the market" cannot be used as a defense, since even legitimate backup copies of books take sales away from the industry.

      What is the difference between this and photocopiers? I see none. And I am a university student. I cannot even count the number of people I personally know who photocopy their entire textbook collection from the library. And they bring these copies to class. It is not hidden. It is common practice.

      You don't see the publishing industry going bankrupt because Xerox came into play. Nor did you see laws come into play regarding the use of photocopiers - the same old copyright laws still held. The USER is responsible, not the manufacturer.

    5. Re:popping noise by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When was the last time you "backed up" a book with a photocopier?


      Actually, I have 'backed up' a few books. I have an original copy of the RSA Paper from the MIT Lab that Riven sent out after the Scientific American article in 1976. I've come to feel it's probably eventually going to be a 'valuable collector's item' so I made a copy for general use.

      I've also made a 'backup copy' of the original Bell System Technical Journal article from November 1960- 'Signaling Systems for Control of Telephone Switching'- the classic hard-to-find article that started blueboxing in the early seventies.

      I have PDFs of both on the hard drive here. Watch around and maybe I'll put them up for FTP somewhere some time.

    6. Re:popping noise by pogen · · Score: 1
      What is the difference between this and photocopiers? I see none. And I am a university student. I cannot even count the number of people I personally know who photocopy their entire textbook collection from the library. And they bring these copies to class. It is not hidden. It is common practice.

      You're missing the point. Yes, photocopiers *can* be used for piracy, and not every use is legitimate. My point was that the four "fair use" defenses can *all* be applied to some photocopies, whereas only *one* of them (half of one, at that) can be applied to use of the CD copier.

      Photocopying an entire book is actually a much better analogy for what the CD copier does. However, this is *not* the typical use for a photocopier. You cannot say the same for the CD copier.

    7. Re:popping noise by raresilk · · Score: 5, Insightful
      I'll call the analogy and raise you one. Textbooks (at least here in the USA, and last time I was in school) cost anywhere from $75 - $150 a pop new. Every professor who has enough pull writes his/her own expensive text and assigns it in every class. The texts range from brilliant to useful to crap but you still have to have them because the professor will make sure something on the final comes straight out of them.

      It does not take a genius to figure out that "$150 a textbook" or "$15 a CD" is not the fair market price, nor does it take a genius to figure out that such price gouging depends on the active collusion of sellers to the customer's disadvantage. I submit that when customers know they are being gouged, whether through overpriced textbooks sold to a captive student audience or overpriced CDs sold by a cartel with a large proportion of the musician population under long-term contractual captivity, they are highly likely to attempt to turn the situation around on the gougers.

      Antitrust law enforcement is supposed to prevent such anticompetitive pricing from taking place, but with a few high-profile exceptions, the authorities have abdicated their role. What we see in the copying wars is old fashioned vigilante justice, and it's going to continue until the Justice Department regains its guts and goes after the publishing/music cartels.

      (thank you for indulging this rant.)

      --
      No, no, no. This is not a sig.
    8. Re:popping noise by AlexCompy · · Score: 2, Insightful

      "And the "effect on the market" cannot be used as a defense, since even legitimate backup copies take sales away from the industry."

      I agree with the rest of your comment, but I'm not sure how legitimate backups take sales away from the industry. If I had to buy another copy of, say, Windows in order to have a backup, I'd just learn to live without a backup. Let's face it, people are generally pretty poor at backups when its free - I can't see a lot of people buying two of every album/software/etc just to have a backup available...

    9. Re:popping noise by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, that was sarcasm; please have a humor transplant scheduled immediately.

    10. Re:popping noise by pogen · · Score: 2
      I'm not sure how legitimate backups take sales away from the industry. [...] I can't see a lot of people buying two of every album/software/etc just to have a backup available...

      Of course not. The second one would be a replacement, not a backup.

      This is probably what kept "Dark Side of the Moon" on the charts for ~15 years. Vinyl wore out quickly, and needed to be replaced. I don't think this would have happened if consumers had had the ability to create perfect backup copies.

      I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with making backups, just that they do affect the industry.

    11. Re:popping noise by Milo · · Score: 1

      Yes, just the other day I decided to photocopy the Lord of the Rings trilogy. At two book pages per photocopy, it was only about 500 copies. At $0.10 a copy, it only came to $50. It was so much cheaper and more convenient that buying the books from a store for $25.

    12. Re:popping noise by bentini · · Score: 1

      Ronald Rivest.
      The algorithm wasn't invented (even in part) by a Myst sequel.

    13. Re:popping noise by mobets · · Score: 0

      You paid $0.10 a copy? whereever you went, it was over priced. I only pay $0.05 for mine.

      --

      It was me, I did it, I moved your cheese
    14. Re:popping noise by mc6809e · · Score: 1

      Your sig indicates you are a lawyer. How do you feel about lawyers gouging people? What about the restrictions placed on who can provide legal services? Aren't you effectively part of a cartel?

      You're bitching about a damn $15 CD whose purpose is to provide entertainment. People can decide to go without the CD if they have to. But when legal issues are involved, people rarely have any choice but to use a lawyer. Its amazing that you think $15 is gouging when lawyers, through their own fee's, make justice unaffordable to so many.

      Pot. Kettle. Black.

    15. Re:popping noise by drauh · · Score: 1

      Idiot. The legal profession is a highly specialized profession that requires specific training. Try this: replace "lawyer" with "doctor" in your rant. If you believe in capitalism, then you believe that any professional has the right to charge whatever price the market will bear. Plus, you are ignoring the fact that there are, albeit few and far between (and overworked), lawyers who provide low-cost services. These are not very sexy, and don't get made into TV shows like LA Law or Ally McBeal.

      --
      This is a tautology.
    16. Re:popping noise by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Given that no one bothers to write books anymore since perfect copies can be made inexpensively, I'm sure we'll wise up this time and stop this reckless sharing of information in its tracks.

      (Aside: What crack-addled moderators pumped this up to 5?)

      Don't be a moron. A photocopy of a bound book is significantly different, functionally, from the book itself -- it's far less convenient to carry around and read. Making the photocopies is tedious, as well. And it's also more expensive to photocopy a book than to simply buy a legitimate copy. If photocopiers allowed you to insert a book and, a few minutes later, get back a perfect, nicely-bound copy, for half the price of a legitimate copy, your analogy might make a little sense.

    17. Re:popping noise by raresilk · · Score: 2
      Your analogy is illogical by its own terms and factually insupportable (and those facts are not disguised by the vehemence with which you present it.)

      First, let's say you break your foot at your job. You can look in any metro phone book and find about 500 lawyers who will take your case for a percentage of whatever you recover (usually 10% - 30% depending on whether the case settles or gets tried.) If you lose your case, you pay exactly nothing to the lawyer. This "contingency fee" arrangement is extremely common. The equivalent, in music terms, would be a CD that you don't have to pay a cent for unless you like the music (which is what MP3 swapping effectively accomplishes for many people). There is no company I know of offering this option for any form of media.

      Second, no one is required to hire a lawyer, ever, for any reason, in the United States. Law libraries at public universities are open to all, and well stocked. Many state and local bar associations also provide free public law libraries. And it is perfectly lawful for a layperson to represent himself in defense of a lawsuit or criminal charges, or file a lawsuit on his own behalf against some other party. In short, they can "decide to go without" the lawyer without fear of any DMCA-equivalent from the legal profession. The "restrictions on who can provide legal services" do not, as you incorrectly suggest, prevent any person from acting as his/her own lawyer - rather, they preclude people who fail to pass an exam demonstrating a minimum degree of legal competency from holding themselves out to others as a qualified lawyer. (Apparently you're against such minimum standards of competency, so don't let me catch you complaining about the proliferation of MCSEs.)

      The quality the individual obtains from such "pro se" representation will, of course, depend greatly on how much effort he/she puts into learning the relevant legal issues. However, this is true of all professions -- the fact that your momma got her Windows box hacked into because she did not inform herself about basic computer security does not imply that computer security experts are a "cartel."

      --
      No, no, no. This is not a sig.
    18. Re:popping noise by jesterzog · · Score: 2

      It does not take a genius to figure out that "$150 a textbook" or "$15 a CD" is not the fair market price, nor does it take a genius to figure out that such price gouging depends on the active collusion of sellers to the customer's disadvantage.

      Maybe I've had different experience, but on some occasions I think it is reasonable to expect a large amount to be charged for a text book. Mostly because they're so often specialist books that cost a lot to produce (not just authoring, but layout, general publishing and organising, etc), and in the end there could be very few copies sold. The most successful textbooks are the ones that get chosen as course material, meaning lots of people suddenly want it. I won't comment on the professors writing their own texts, since I mostly agree with that bit.

      But anyway, having said that, the mass marketed popular books that lots of people buy sell for anything from about $9.95 up. So by this analogy it should be reasonable for mass marketed popular CD's to sell for about $2, whereas less common niche market music might sell for a bit more.

    19. Re:popping noise by Hektor_Troy · · Score: 2

      I have to agree 100% with you on that one. Writing books for 20 cents a page is likely to give you a VERY expensive and useless book, and usually results in books that are, as a teacher of mine once described such a book, "about as usefull as toilet paper and far less comfortable".

      Putting his money where his mouth is, he himself writes the book used in his classes. Being a fairly open minded guy and not some greedy dumbass, his book costs about as much as you are willing to pay for it - namely the price of downloading it off his webpage, or simply reading it online, as he continuously updates the book.

      That's how it's supposed to be - teachers shouldn't be bleeding students for money for crappy material just because they can - especially not when other knowledgable people are willing to characterize their efforts as "about as usefull as toilet paper and far less comfortable".

      Man I miss that teacher :-)

      --
      We do not live in the 21st century. We live in the 20 second century.
    20. Re:popping noise by ipfwadm · · Score: 1

      And I am a university student. I cannot even count the number of people I personally know who photocopy their entire textbook collection from the library.

      I'm a university student as well, and I've NEVER seen this done. Our library charges for copies, maybe yours doesn't. I've only ever had to buy one book that would have been cheaper to copy than to buy. But even still, my time is worth FAR more to me than to sit around a copy machine copying a few hundred pages. I'd much rather just pony up the money for the book and go outside and enjoy the time I saved.

      I think the reason the publishing industry hasn't gone bankrupt is because this activity isn't all that widespread. Plus, the reason textbooks are so expensive is because they have a very limited press run. Which means that it doesn't take an incredible number of people photocopying the entire book rather than buying it to drive the prices up even higher.

    21. Re:popping noise by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If photocopiers allowed you to insert a book and, a few minutes later, get back a perfect, nicely-bound copy, for half the price of a legitimate copy, your analogy might make a little sense. Well, I agree with you on inconvienence, but not on price. I have a book for my psych class. I purchased it at my schools book store. It is 4.25" x 5.5", double side print, about 500 pages, paper back, and cost me 50 bucks. 4.25"x5.5" can be multi-upped onto 8.5x11, giving you four pages per sheet. So, that means you have to make 125 copies. At Kinko's standard price, thats $18.76. Paperback binding (called perfect binding) can be done at most of the large Kinko's for about $10 a piece. So, that puts you at about $28.76 to copy a $50 book. That's just about half. (and don't forget, kinko's is more expensive than the Mom&Pop copy places that spring up) Now, as you mentioned, this is not very convienent, as copying all of those pages would take you a while ... but then again, to a colege students, saving $21.24 might be worth it. Copying books is illegal, immoral, and time consuming, but it is not expensive. (disclaimer: yes, I work at Kinko's. No, I am not advocating copying books. No, these comments don't repressent my employer.)

    22. Re:popping noise by ipfwadm · · Score: 1

      The legal profession is a highly specialized profession that requires specific training.

      The same could be argued for those who write specialized textbooks (of the variety discussed earlier in this thread). Not just any idiot off the street could bang out a physics textbook. Research is involved, problems and exercises need to be thought of and answered, with the solutions explained for the instructor's version, etc etc. A lot of knowledge is required, which is usually only gained through specific training (i.e. many years of college and grad school). And apparently the market bears the expense of these textbooks, just as it does with lawyers' services, so I don't exactly know how lawyers are somehow above the textbook makers.

    23. Re:popping noise by Tessera · · Score: 1

      And if it had been, I fear that no one would have been able to use it without keeping a journal of all the writing on their walls.... =)

      --
      "The weak are always anxious for justice and equality. The strong pay no heed to either." - Aristotle
    24. Re:popping noise by ignavus · · Score: 1

      [real example] My friend downloads a Red Hat iso image from any of the zillions of Red Hat mirror sites and burns it onto a blank CD. I get him to burn me a copy as well ("save bandwidth, share it with a friend" - more efficient for the Internet than me downloading my own copy of the iso image).

      This is not backup or space shifting, as far as I can see. It is dissemination, distribution.

      Red Hat has no problem with this, as long as I don't expect support (I've never needed it). It is great PR for them, increases their visibility, creates a stock of experienced users, etc etc.

      Your problem is?

      PS: and even if Red Hat *did* object, Debian wouldn't. Read their licence.

      --
      I am anarch of all I survey.
    25. Re:popping noise by Bronster · · Score: 2

      And it is perfectly lawful for a layperson to represent himself in defense of a lawsuit or criminal charges, or file a lawsuit on his own behalf against some other party.

      A person who represents themselves in a court of law has a fool for a client - or so I have heard somewhere. Similarly a doctor who treats themselves or their immediate family - you need detatchment to dispassionately view the facts and work out the best way to handle the case.

      IANAL (thankfully)

  13. Here in Canada.. by unorthod0x · · Score: 3, Informative

    Some of our Internet Cafes here in Ontario offer CD burning on the premises for a reasonable fee. The same rules seem to apply; the copyright infringement is up to you not to break. Granted, these aren't some kind of coin-operated specialized burning solutions, but it's still the same. Of course these same outfits (or the slightly more savvy of the bunch) add a heavy dose of temptation in to the mix by letting you run amok with file-sharing software already installed on the machine in question before you get to burning your CD.

    1. Re:Here in Canada.. by Proaxiom · · Score: 1

      Do you still have to pay if you put in a blank CD-R and get back a coaster?

    2. Re:Here in Canada.. by unorthod0x · · Score: 1

      I'd assume so, I've only used such a service twice and haven't created any coasters. You pay up front for the CD and the service (three Canadian plus two for the CD) - though this is nothing fancy - they've simply got Nero installed on the boxes, and by paying them for the service and blank CD they won't freak when they see you shuffling CDs at the workstation; tons of room for abuse here.

    3. Re:Here in Canada.. by Lew+Pitcher · · Score: 1

      Remember, here in Canada, we pre-pay a licence fee to the artists for the priveledge of copying their works. This prepayment is taken from the purchase of every blank CD (both 'Audio CD' and 'Digital Data CD'). It's not illegal in Canada (and the artist get's reimbursed) to copy audio CDs (yes, there are caveats about 'for personal use', etc.).

      --

      "values of beta will give rise to dom!"

    4. Re:Here in Canada.. by slipgun · · Score: 1

      To the artists? I thought it was to the canadian equivalent of the RIAA...

      --
      SpamNet - a spam blocker that really works
    5. Re:Here in Canada.. by AdamD1 · · Score: 1

      That is correct: the "fee" (they call it a surcharge) goes to SOCAN. (The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada)

      ad

      --
      Because I can! [Brainrub.com]
  14. Not just in stores by Mattygfunk · · Score: 3, Informative
    I saw one of these machines in a bakery/coffee shop. I asked about it and as it turns out the owners are taking commission on the machine and making a killing selling blank cd's.


    Maybe we'll have a USB port on the next models for easy burining from your laptop.

    1. Re:Not just in stores by Britney · · Score: 1
      Those weren't cd's.

      They were donuts!

      Mmm - Donuts!

      (Maybe cd stands for Chocolate Donut)

      --

      --
      (if you're still looking for the point, it was back there, in the post. </sig>)
  15. $70 million a year loss? by Ioldanach · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Music Industry Piracy Investigations spokesman Michael Speck said illegal copying already cost the Australian industry $70 million a year.

    I'd really like to know the source of this number. This number implies something like 7 million illegal copies being distributed per year. (This assumes, for argument's sake, an average of $10 per cd retail.) I'm not sure there are that many blank cds being sold per year in Australia. Did they just take the number of blank cds being sold, multiply by the cost of some of the more expensive cds, and assume every cd was used to make a infringing copy of a music cd? To top that off, did they assume that if the recipient of that music cd hadn't gotten the infringing copy, the album would've been purchased instead?

    Personally, I have just as many data cds as music cds, and most of the music cds I have are copies of my own music for travel and taking mp3s of my music to work.

    1. Re:$70 million a year loss? by broller · · Score: 1

      Well that's assuming that every blank cd bought is being used for music piracy. If you account for software piracy, your $10 per cd retail figure is low and you only need something like 2 million (wildly guessing) copies.

      Also, the argument that you wouldn't have bought it if you didn't steal it doesn't really get accounted for. It's like when a store's reporting something stolen: they assume that they would have sold it for full retail price, not that it would sit there until it was marked 75% off.

    2. Re:$70 million a year loss? by ryanvm · · Score: 5, Funny

      Music Industry Piracy Investigations spokesman Michael Speck said illegal copying already cost the Australian industry $70 million a year.

      I'd really like to know the source of this number.


      Well, it probably includes $65 million worth of legal fees.

    3. Re:$70 million a year loss? by Proaxiom · · Score: 4, Funny
      Source? It's what they call a SWAG.

      Scientific Wild Ass Guess.

      "Well you see we looked at the numbers of CD-Rs sold, and figured that every one of them is used for music piracy, and guessed that if no one had access to pirated music they would all purchase legitimate CDs instead, at a cost of $130 per disc, because we could milk them for whatever price we want, and they would purchase two of each CD because people like to have backups, and then we did some multiplication..."

    4. Re:$70 million a year loss? by technopinion · · Score: 1

      Hey, here in Canada apparently every blank CD sold is used for music piracy, so why not elsewhere?

    5. Re:$70 million a year loss? by Cam+Wheeler · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Don't forgot that they are using AU dollar value, most new music cds here are around $25-$30 Australian.

      They are probably estimating closer to 2.5 - 3 million illegal copies each year. Still sounds fairly unrealistic, but probably closer to the mark than 7 million.

      Another note, when it says it costs $5 to use, thats closer to $2.50 american, so it's cheaper than other people have been pointing out.

    6. Re:$70 million a year loss? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I agree. No one ever tells you where they get their numbers from. How could they possible know some of this stuff? There are too many variables. Like the number of MP3s reported downloaded, I delete thousands of MP3s from our full servers all the time, yet I'm sure those are counted. Accounting for the number of legal downloads or songs that cut off half way through? How could they ever know what happens to it? Also the, "Illegal copying of CDs" - how do they know it is illegal, just because a CD is being copied? I alway take the new CD, copy it to protect it, then carry the copy around and let it be the one that gets scratched up over time.

      Linda

    7. Re:$70 million a year loss? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Music Industry Piracy Investigations spokesman Michael Speck said illegal copying already cost the Australian industry $70 million a year.
      I'd really like to know the source of this number.
      He must mean $70 million *AUSTRALIAN*, which is only like $3,000 US.
    8. Re:$70 million a year loss? by Hooya · · Score: 2
      Well, it probably includes $65 million worth of legal fees.

      And the other $5 is for lobbying.

    9. Re:$70 million a year loss? by Technician · · Score: 2

      I too think it's an assumed value to exagerate a point. Most CDR's I use are for storing my digital photos, data & mail backups and tax records. I still have a much greater stack of retail CD's than the few copies I use to travel in the car.

      --
      The truth shall set you free!
    10. Re:$70 million a year loss? by John+Sullivan · · Score: 2, Insightful
      If you account for software piracy

      Given the quote is from a music industry guy, it seems reasonable to assume the figure given applies only to music. But since when has this sort of propaganda been reasonable.

      --
      This is my World Wide Web of Whatever
    11. Re:$70 million a year loss? by AdamD1 · · Score: 1

      $10 a cd?! Let's just keep in mind that the average music cd released in Australia costs well over $30. (Usually more.)

      Their figure is probably based on Aus$ figures.

      ad

      --
      Because I can! [Brainrub.com]
    12. Re:$70 million a year loss? by curunir · · Score: 2

      Ummm...the way the sentence is worded, he could mean that the Australian music industry spends $70 million a year illegally copying music.

      --
      "Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos!"
    13. Re:$70 million a year loss? by ColaMan · · Score: 2

      Hmm.. lets look at some facts.

      There are only about 20 million people in australia. I can get CD's (if I wanted to - *snort*) for around AU$25. Dividing into $70M gives approximately 2.8 million CD's a year.

      Does that mean that a tenth of the population (that's *2,000,000* people) copied a CD or two last year?

      Or a hundredth of the population copied 15 CD's last year? That's still 200,000 people. That's a lot of people with access to a burner and the inclination to copy a CD that they already have in their possession somehow. I'm unsure if the music industry these days has enough interesting content left for 200,000 people to do this.

      So,

      It would appear from this that it's not really the "normal" people, it's something (or somebody) else - the people with 75 CD burners in the garage going wholesale, the tonnes of pirated CD's being imported etc, hell, they still might be mad about the
      $1M slap they got from the ACCC about the threats and standover tactics they used on music shops legally importing CD's. The problem I have with soundbites like that is whilst the guy with the garage full of burners is illegally copying for sure, the Industry is (in this case) implying the total, present $70M-a-year loss comes from the everyday person, and also implies that this will go up from all those criminals who come across a vendo-CD-Burner and decide to copy a CD.

      Yes, the piracy figure will probably go up. But when you're throwing $70,000,000 figures around, it's very easy to for the general public to go, "Wow! seventy million! That's a lot! And there's going to be more piracy? So it's going to be what, a hundred million when these things become widespread?", when in all likelyhood, it'll be something like $75M or so. (Five million dollars is 200,000 CD's, remember)

      It's just the usual FUD - plain and simple.

      --

      You are in a twisty maze of processor lines, all alike.
      There is a lot of hype here.
    14. Re:$70 million a year loss? by nihilogos · · Score: 2

      Thats $70 million Australian dollars. About $7000 US.

      --
      :wq
    15. Re:$70 million a year loss? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Typically $30 Australian ($15 US) or $20-$25 for a reasonably popular release. Few CDs actually cost 'well over' AU$30.

    16. Re:$70 million a year loss? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'd say 1 CD per year would be reasonable for a lot of people (but probably nowhere near 1/10).

      However they're talking about what it costs "The Australian Music Industry" so they could be throwing in some random figures from overseas sales of Aus releases too...

    17. Re:$70 million a year loss? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Good to see the ACCC doing yet another thing right by consumers. Governments seem to work so much better for people when they're not being bought...

      Their method is good too:
      costs - Universal, Warner to pay 75 per cent of the ACCC's costs, with Paul Dickson, Gary Smerdon, Greg Maksimovic each to pay 75 per cent, and Craig Handley 70 per cent

      That's either 370 or 445 percent of their costs being paid... not a bad return :)

  16. $7 bucks...... by FXSTD · · Score: 4, Interesting

    According to the article it costs $7 to make a copy.....($5 for the burn and $2 for the blank, I assume you can't bring your own). If the record companies would sell their "music" or other products for that price, instead of $16.95 for a new CD, maybe it would not be an issue......Maybe instead of wasting money developing anti copy techniques that just make everyone angry, they should sell their "products" for a reasonable amount......

    1. Re:$7 bucks...... by flipflapflopflup · · Score: 1

      Yup I agree.

      > instead of $16.95 for a new CD,

      Compared to the the UK, that's not bad - £16 for a cd anyone?

    2. Re:$7 bucks...... by Zeddicus_Z · · Score: 1

      Actually you have your valuations mixed up. Sure, its costs $7 Australian to burn the CD - but it costs $29.95 Australian to buy it. Big difference for us, over the 16.95 you quoted.

      --
      Janie took my gun...
    3. Re:$7 bucks...... by BrokenHalo · · Score: 1

      At Murdoch University, Perth, the price is $4. Australian dollars. OK, I personally don't need this (got my own burner) but still not a bad deal, I think...

    4. Re:$7 bucks...... by Fizzlewhiff · · Score: 2

      According to the article it costs $7 to make a copy.....($5 for the burn and $2 for the blank, I assume you can't bring your own). If the record companies would sell their "music" or other products for that price, instead of $16.95 for a new CD, maybe it would not be an issue.

      We all assume we are being screwed when it comes to buying a CD for $16.95. Is this because we can buy a stack of 50 blank CD-R's for about the same price?

      Besides the cost of the media there are other costs involved in making CD's. Recording studio time, editing, cover art, packaging costs, marketing costs, distribution costs, and I am sure the list goes on. Considering CD's cost me about $16 at record stores in 1986 and they cost $16 in record stores now just how am I being screwed? I can buy them in discount and department stores like Target for about $2 less than a record store in the mall or online for about $2 less than at the mall. But still, considering the end cost to the consumer hasn't really changed in 16 years how can you complain? In most cases they are even cheaper because there are more outlets and certain stores can take less of a markup.

      --

      'Same speed C but faster'
    5. Re:$7 bucks...... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


      When you have to start rationalizing about what
      the price SHOULD be that's a sign of the problem.

      The only 'fair' price is one set by a market.
      That cannot happen in an industry dominated
      bo so few players.

      As for certain stores taking less of a market, did
      you know Sony was ordered to stop punishing stores
      that did so by inflating prices on them? That's
      right, price fixing. But sony wasn't punished,
      just told to knock it off.

    6. Re:$7 bucks...... by nathanm · · Score: 2
      We all assume we are being screwed when it comes to buying a CD for $16.95. Is this because we can buy a stack of 50 blank CD-R's for about the same price?
      I don't assume, I know we're being screwed. Not because of the price of CD-Rs, I don't rip or copy my CDs or make compilations out of them.

      Besides the cost of the media there are other costs involved in making CD's. Recording studio time, editing, cover art, packaging costs, marketing costs, distribution costs, and I am sure the list goes on.
      Sure there are other costs, but of all the ones you listed above, packaging and distribution are the only ones record companies pay for. The rest comes out of the royalties that would get paid to the artist. The artist doesn't see a cent until all the up-front costs are recouped. For a pretty good explanation of how this works, see this article by Steve Albini, a producer you may have heard of.
    7. Re:$7 bucks...... by btellier · · Score: 2

      You're equating US dollars and Australian dollars. Your post should read:

      ---

      According to the article it costs $3.50 to make a copy.....($2.50 for the burn and $1 for the blank, I assume you can't bring your own). If the record companies would sell their "music" or other products for that price, instead of $16.95 for a new CD, maybe it would not be an issue......Maybe instead of wasting money developing anti copy techniques that just make everyone angry, they should sell their "products" for a reasonable amount......

      ---

      Though it only probably costs a dime to make the CD, you still have to compensate the stores, the producers, the artists, etc. etc. IMO $3.50 is a bit lowball. I think a fair price for a CD, considering that they're far easier to produce than tapes (which are less expensive in the store) would be $10.00 USD.

    8. Re:$7 bucks...... by Rendwich · · Score: 1

      In 1986 in the US, vinyl LPs cost $8-10. They cover art was much better because it was so much bigger, and you could actually read the lyrics on the record sleeve because they weren't printed in 4-point fonts.

      When CDs hit the shelves, they cost $16. That's a *100%* price increase overnight. We were supposed to be grateful for paying 2x the price, because "CDs don't get scratched". LOL! They are more durable than vinyl, yes. And the sound is better, yes.

      But the excuse for $16 CDs, at the time, was a lack of manufacturing facilities. According to the RIAA members, there simply weren't enough CD factories to keep up with demand, so they fixed that demand by *raising the prices so high* that demand decreased.

      Now, in 2002, if you record your own music CD, you can get 1500 copies, with full-color covers and jewel boxes, along with art on the CD, for about $1000. That's .67 a copy, for a microscopic run. If you sell those CDs for 5$ each, you are making about 800% profit. Imagine how cheaply those RIAA guys can crank out 1,000,000 Britney Spears CDs. But they still cost $16.

      It is no surprise that otherwise honest people will pirate (steal) music that is sold at such outrageous prices. Regardless of any laws, punishments, or regulations passed by the US Congress, the widespread piracy of music will continue until prices are adjusted to realistic levels.

    9. Re:$7 bucks...... by Fizzlewhiff · · Score: 1

      Recording and producing 1500 CD's complete will full color covers, jewel boxes, and art on the CD for $1000? Yeah right.

      It takes some bands months in the studios and then weeks or more engineering before they even know what is going to be on the CD. Cover art isn't just pulled out of their ass either. It all costs money and it all adds up.

      --

      'Same speed C but faster'
  17. Another completely far wing article by tomstdenis · · Score: 5, Interesting

    NEW machines installed in Adelaide convenience stores make the illegal copying of the latest CDs and computer software - which costs artists and software designers millions of dollars - as easy as buying a loaf of bread.

    You can buy knifes at stores. That makes murder as easy as 1.2.3.

    Duh. Why do people think they are original when they take item X and immediately point out it can be used for crime Y.

    I mean if we sold bullets at corner stores than you'd read a news article that says something along the lines of "new store makes kids with guns a ready proposition." etc...

    Did it ever occur to those people that business people put slide shows on CDs now? Maybe they will use the public burners [although I couldn't imagine so] for copying their own work!

    The point is these lines of thinking have got to stop. Anything can be used to comit a crime and it isn't very intelligence to insight people to be against technology X for that reason.

    Tom

    --
    Someday, I'll have a real sig.
    1. Re:Another completely far wing article by Sc00ter · · Score: 4, Funny
      Hell, you could use that copy machine to kill somebody.. just get a couple friends, lift, drop on victim, repeat until dead.

    2. Re:Another completely far wing article by tomstdenis · · Score: 1

      Haha, I got a good chuckle out of this one :-). Naturally though the cash-monkey behind the counter might wonder what you are doing....

      Tom

      --
      Someday, I'll have a real sig.
    3. Re:Another completely far wing article by linzeal · · Score: 2, Funny

      Thats the reason I don't use coke machines. They always have a picture of a coke machine killing a human on front of them.

    4. Re:Another completely far wing article by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Exactly what is keeping the system from identifying copyrighted CDs and the operator from paying some copyright fee to the artist? I mean they are already getting money from the user...

    5. Re:Another completely far wing article by Erasmus+Darwin · · Score: 3, Insightful
      "You can buy knifes at stores. That makes murder as easy as 1.2.3."

      On the other hand, I have a much easier time thinking of everyday legitimate uses for knives (cutting food, opening packages, spreading butter) than I do for a machine that can only do exact CD duplication.

      The machine is limited or fails in many of the traditional legitimate uses of a regular CD burner:

      • Personal file backups -- This obviously won't work, as the machines only duplicate existing CDs
      • Commercial PC software backups -- I have to concede this one, though PC software CDs (which generally sit in a box or in your machine) don't incur as much of a damage risk as music CDs
      • Music CD backups -- This is reasonable at $1 or less per pop with a regular CD burner. But when someone has to pay $7 per CD and stand around while it burns, I think they'll be more likely to replace the occasional damaged CD unless they really abuse them.
      • Fair use mix CDs -- Since it only does an exact duplicate, I can't even combine my favorite tracks for 8 different CDs that I already own onto a single, convenient disc.

      I think overall, the majority of usage of the machine will be of a copyright infringing nature. And unlike a photocopier, which manages to prevent many improper uses through cost and inconvenience, this machine would be a casual music/software pirate's dream.

    6. Re:Another completely far wing article by tomstdenis · · Score: 1

      I don't see it that way. For starters I'm not about to goto a public place to go and pirate music. Specially when I can do it from the comfort of my own house.

      As for business I see little use there either. Most places I have seen that make cd's have their own set of computers with burners [mainly they burn prototypes by hand since its cheaper].

      Tom

      --
      Someday, I'll have a real sig.
    7. Re:Another completely far wing article by brunes69 · · Score: 2

      I can think of one right now. Say this machine is damn fast. Also say you are Joe Sixpack businessman, who hadly knows how to use Google let alone burn a CD, who just payed some WebTwerp 200 bucks to make you a flashy presentation for your big meeting. You decide you want to give each of the 20 execs a copy of the CD, and you need it within the hour. What do you do? run ove rto the machine, amde a quick 20 copys (I assume these things are fast). You can liken it to OfficeDepot's copying service. Sure, most large companies have photocopiers at their disposal. And alot of people have CD burners at their disposal. but whne you need a bunch of copys fast, you go to the copy place. That's how it works. Who ever needs a bunch of CD copys fast? I sure as hell I'd never use one of these things to copy a CD. Like I even use CD players anymore anyways.

    8. Re:Another completely far wing article by Quixadhal · · Score: 2, Funny

      NEWS FLASH!

      Discovery of Fire will enable thousands of cavemen to commit arson! Our neolithic future is now uncertain! We must STOP THEM!

    9. Re:Another completely far wing article by circletimessquare · · Score: 1, Flamebait

      I'm completely with you dude, until you bought up guns.

      CD Copying is harmless when it comes to bodily harm.

      Guns are used to KILL PEOPLE- nothing more.

      A nice "far wing", to use your term, NRA line for you take: "Guns don't kill people, criminals do."

      Dude: CD burners can do lots of things, but unless you stick your eye in the path of the laser for a few hours without blinking, they are harmless. Knives can kill, but are certainly useful for lots of harmless important things, like cutting loaves of bread.

      BUT ALL GUNS DO IS KILL, THEY HAVE NO OTHER USE. So your little argument about technology X? A little shortsighted.

      I mean if we sold bullets at corner stores than you'd read a news article that says something along the lines of "new store makes kids with guns a ready proposition." etc...

      No shucks Sherlock! You are right about the annoyance of media working on fear and pointing out the worst potential for a technology without recognizing the enormous good as well, but what other potential is there for guns?

      Your argument about technology being portrayed in the worst possible light as a knee-jerk reaction is sound, UNLESS THE TECHNOLOGY HAS NO OTHER USE EXCEPT FOR IT'S WORST POSSIBLE USE. The spectrum of potential for gun technology is extrememly small: shoot people! What the heck else are they good for?

      "kids maybe shouldn't be allowed to buy flash grenades at walmart"

      "children buying tasers at 7-11 could be bad"

      "teenagers might get their hands on sarin nerve gas at church and hurt somebody"

      by your analogy, these headlines about these technologies are ridiculous. of course they are ridiculous headlines! but not for any reason you are close to, but because they are so obviously wrong. yet with guns it's ok? geez...

      The point is these lines of thinking have got to stop. Anything can be used to comit a crime and it isn't very intelligence to insight people to be against technology X for that reason.

      Until I see Ninjas pulling CDs with cerrated edges out of these machines and chucking them at people, you are very wrong.

      Some things have no other use except for bodily harm and it is very intelligent to incite people to be against technology X to save lives from the insane, evil, and inexperienced.

      --
      intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    10. Re:Another completely far wing article by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      I have a much easier time thinking of everyday legitimate uses for knives (cutting food, opening packages, spreading butter) than I do for a machine that can only do exact CD duplication.

      I archive my historical research onto CDROM. I also send it to other enthusiests which share my passion. It spreads information and protects against a local catastrophic loss of data. If I was at a Uni at a meeting, and didnt know how many people wanted copies of my research, then I can bring my own copy of the CDROM and those that want a copy can burn it for themselves at the machine. Saves me cost, and satisfies those that want to copy it.

      There are data creators that dont create mass media that can find good, legitimate and convenient uses for a CDROM copying machine.

      mocom--

    11. Re:Another completely far wing article by Erasmus+Darwin · · Score: 2
      "For starters I'm not about to goto a public place to go and pirate music. Specially when I can do it from the comfort of my own house."

      That's great if you have access to a CD burner or only use mp3s. I suspect, however, that the machine will get a fair amount of use from friends who're hanging out together and decide to play the distributed cost game. (Following values are AUD.) With a $30 CD and two $7 copies, it boils down to only $14.67 (or roughly half price) per person if 3 friends use it to get a CD.

      Furthermore, there are many people who own music CDs but who don't own computers. There are also many people who carry part of their CD collections in their cars.

      Finally, I seem to recall Australians complaining about some of the bandwidth costs associated with home internet access. That could make using a P2P service an expensive proposition.

    12. Re:Another completely far wing article by hubie · · Score: 2
      And unlike a photocopier, which manages to prevent many improper uses through cost and inconvenience, this machine would be a casual music/software pirate's dream.
      I fail to see how $7 a copy agrees with this statement. I can copy CDs for far less than $7 a copy and in a much more convenient setting than doing it from this machine. In fact, I would argue that what the machine charges as well as where it seems to be located would "manage to prevent many improper uses through cost and inconvenience."
    13. Re:Another completely far wing article by Odinson · · Score: 4, Insightful
      Not to mention copying Linux distros for friends.

      Somebody should tell Glenn A. Baker that some copright holders like that kind of copying. They have as many moral and legal rights as he does, he is very inconsiderate.

      http://www.openmusicregistry.org/

      http://www.fsf.org/

    14. Re:Another completely far wing article by mlh1996 · · Score: 1

      The spectrum of potential for gun technology is extrememly small: shoot people! What the heck else are they good for?

      Here are a few things guns are good for:

      http://www.palma.org/USA/basics.htm

      http://www.ibu.at/biathlon/competitions.html

      http://members.ozemail.com.au/~mellenek/olyshoot.h tm

      And of course, there may be times when shooting people isn't such a bad thing:

      http://beta.kpix.com/news/bcn/2002/01/10/n/Headlin eNews/Update:_One_Stab_Victim_in_San_Jose_Home_Inv asion.html

      YMMV. I just figured I'd answer your question.

      --
      Lack of creativity is no excuse for not having a .sig
    15. Re:Another completely far wing article by Erasmus+Darwin · · Score: 2
      "I can copy CDs for far less than $7 a copy and in a much more convenient setting than doing it from this machine."

      First, I was comparing the piracy convenience of the machine to the extreme piracy inconvenience of a photocopier. Doing fair use(?) copies of two pages out of a book using a photocopier is cheap and easy. Attempting to photocopy an entire book takes quite a bit of effort and usually exceeds the cost of purchasing the book.

      Second, a CD burner carries with it quite a bit of overhead -- especially if the person doesn't already own a computer. Compare that to $7/copy, which is approximately 25% of the cost of a CD in Australia. Furthermore, if you're already at the mall or the convenience store with friends, it's not a particularly inconvenient setting. And the actual copying process is convenient in the sense that it requires no on-going user interaction to facilitate the copy (as compared to photocopying the individual pages of a book).

    16. Re:Another completely far wing article by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Funny you should mention ninjas though. I used to work with a guy who was a 3rd or 4th dan black belt in ninjitsu ( he had to go to Japan just to do exams ). He carried a custom made razor blade edged business card capable of being thrown...

      And I won't mention the 2nd dan plus black belts in juditsu and traditional karate. Nic, but very scary, guy...

    17. Re:Another completely far wing article by Hoo00 · · Score: 1

      I was going to mod you down for incorrect information, instead I might as well point it out to you since I don't know which is correct:

      First, according to the slashdot story above, you need the original cd to copy.

      Second, how do you conclude that the machine can't copy mix, data, or personal cds? It was not mention in the post above or in the article.

    18. Re:Another completely far wing article by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's \approx US$3.5, mind you

    19. Re:Another completely far wing article by John+Sullivan · · Score: 1
      On the other hand, I have a much easier time thinking of everyday legitimate uses for knives (cutting food, opening packages, spreading butter) than I do for a machine that can only do exact CD duplication.

      Copies of PhotoCDs for friends and family?

      --
      This is my World Wide Web of Whatever
    20. Re:Another completely far wing article by tumbaumba · · Score: 1

      Can anybody explain what is wrong with copying/pirating music.
      I know it was discussed many times but I still can figure out arguments of those opposing pirating music.

    21. Re:Another completely far wing article by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Check my post on "Why STOP!..." and you will see that a connected machine could be used for all those "impossible" uses and also, give income to the artists DIRECTLY.

    22. Re:Another completely far wing article by circletimessquare · · Score: 2

      HAHAHA

      I love gunheads. They are so reliable in their old tired arguments.

      I also forgot hunting, skeet-shooting, shooting in the air for effect on New Years, quickly deflating tires, opening locked doors in a hurry, etc.

      And your point? I'm sure I could buy a copy of Hustler to use as kindling, or swat flies, or practice origami, but THAT'S NOT SAYING MUCH, NOW IS IT DOC?

      The fact is gunheads are a small minority in this country that hold us all hostage. Buying a gun is like inviting the devil into your home. While that thing sits under your bed, or locked in the basement, or wherever the heck you put it, it is far more likely to be used in anger in a domestic situation, or found by a kid, or stolen, or whatever else, than it is ever going to be used to deter any crime whatsoever while you snore away at 3 AM.

      Are you happy gun owners so omnipotent that you can guarantee the safety of yourself and everyone around your gun? Are you a demigod? Of course you can't! Why do you think it guarantees your safety? As soon as you own one, your safety just went down a few notches, can't you see that?

      Fact: guns invite terrible consequences in situations where no access to guns would mean the situation would end with much less bodily harm: to yourself, an enemy, to anyone! How can you possibly deny that logic? Are you that naive? Turn off the old black and white Western there cowboy, justice does not flow from the barrel of a shiny six-shooter like the fires of righteous judgment. Bullets fly from the barrel of a .38 special and hit whatever is in front of them: the owner's foot, the onwer's son, a mugging victim, etc... use your dang imagination to figure out the real majority of gun usage.

      Real life is far too frail and fickle for one good man to control with his trusty sidearm. It's a fantasy. And a fantasy we are all paying with statistically with unwanted deaths.

      Do guns stop home break-ins? Of course they do! Is that tiny miraculous percentage worth the much larger percentage of unintended consequences and purposeful criminal use of guns? Do you need the question repeated?

      "Outlawing guns won't change anything except give them to the criminals." Guess what there cowboy? I agree with you! But not anywhere near as close to the extent criminals already have guns now! Not by a long shot!

      NO way... could I actually be saying that easy availability of guns means more guns are used in crime?! Whodathunkit! Could this possibly be true! Please...

      This is common sense here genius. And in a hypothetical future where guns are outlawed in this country, gun ownership would be a red flag for the criminal behavior they usually are involved in, rather than the mythical, I've been watching-too-many-John-Wayne movies behavior most people with delusions of omnipotence think guns are involved in.

      Are you Judge Dread? Didn't think so cowboy. Do this country a favor and lose the Beavis and Butthead fascination with things that make loud noises and save this country thousands of lives each year, ok?

      Want to be a man? Get that gun away from yourself and your family and save yourself from an evil in your life. Your manhood is not defined by how many piles of shiny gunmetal you collect and show off to your friends. Buy a motorbike instead if you are feeling like shouting out some testosterone, ok?

      I absolutely hate gunhead morons. Time and history is against you. Just you wait.

      Confidential to the asshole who marked me flamebait: go ahead and mark me flamebait again, I've got 49 more karma points to waste and a big chip on my shoulder.

      --
      intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    23. Re:Another completely far wing article by Jucius+Maximus · · Score: 1
      "Music CD backups -- This is reasonable at $1 or less per pop with a regular CD burner. But when someone has to pay $7 per CD and stand around while it burns, I think they'll be more likely to replace the occasional damaged CD unless they really abuse them."

      True, although I could see people who don't own a CD burner (too expensive, no computer, insufficient skill in using them, etc) use these things.

    24. Re:Another completely far wing article by Erasmus+Darwin · · Score: 2
      "Can anybody explain what is wrong with copying/pirating music."

      That's a whole multi-gig flamewar in and of itself.

      But the short answer is that copying material in violation of the copyright means that you're enjoying the fruits of someone's labor without contributing anything toward the initial cost that went into producing the information content of the item.

    25. Re:Another completely far wing article by Erasmus+Darwin · · Score: 2
      Your implication that you were going to mod me down over this two issues makes me even more wary of Slashdot's moderation. I'm glad you chose to post your concerns, instead. Having both potential sides listed in the thread allows readers and other moderators alike to get a more well-rounded picture of what's going on. Anyway, on to the points...

      First, I'm not sure what relevance your original CD comments have. Even assuming the system will only copy an original, store-bought CD (a claim which I can't find supported in the article), I don't see how that changes what I wrote. I even posted an example of using the system to pirate an original CD in this comment.

      Second, my educated assumption (which I admit is a bit of a guess) that the machine doesn't do mixes is based on the descriptions provided. It's possible the article just fails to mention it, but everything I read implied it's operation consisted of "Insert CD X. Insert blank CD-R. Insert money. Remove two CD X's."

    26. Re:Another completely far wing article by Guido69 · · Score: 1



      Commercial PC software backups -- I have to
      concede this one, though PC software CDs (which generally sit in a box or
      in your machine) don't incur as much of a damage risk as music CDs

      What about backups of home PC software? I have a 4-year old with his
      own computer and learning software/games, most of which require the CD to
      run. I wouldn't dream of giving him the originals. Would be safer
      to drag them behind my truck on the way to work. I do have a burner and make
      copies of everything for him to use, but many are copy-protected and a real
      PITA to duplicate. I would gladly spend an extra $7 to save time and
      frustration getting him copies.

      And unlike a photocopier, which manages to prevent many improper uses through
      cost and inconvenience, this machine would be a casual music/software pirate's
      dream


      What?? Ever heard of Kinko's? Every library I have ever
      visited has a coin-op photocopier somewhere on premesis. Usually more
      than one. What's more, so do most of the convenience and grocery stores
      in my area. Hell, you can buy an inexpensive home copier for < $150.
      And the price per copy of any of the above isn't any more that $.25/page.


      --
      - If we aren't supposed to eat animals, then why are they made out of meat? - Steven Wright
    27. Re:Another completely far wing article by Hoo00 · · Score: 1


      CD X = the original CD
      CD-R = the copy

      My point is as long as the copying machine supports all types of CD, it is a copies. Copies are legal. This is my impression of "Insert CD X. Insert blank CD-R. Insert money. Remove two CD X's." means. Sorry for the confusion.

    28. Re:Another completely far wing article by Erasmus+Darwin · · Score: 2
      I'll concede the home software point (and that's what I meant by commercial PC software -- software that was commercially produced, not necessarily software used in a commercial environment), but I think you're missing the point on the photocopier issue.

      Even paying $.10 per page is a lot if you're thinking in terms of piracy. That's $20 for a 200 page novel that maybe retails for $7 or $8. Furthermore, even with a home copier, it's pretty damn inconvenient to photocopy every pair of pages (assuming you can fit both on a single sheet). If, on the other hand, you're only photocopying a few pages out of the work(such as an important passage for a research paper), that generally falls under fair use provisions.

      In contrast, the CD duplicator requires less human intervention (insert entire source, insert blank destination, insert money, wait), and it lets you make duplicates at a cheaper cost than the retail price of the mass published work.

    29. Re:Another completely far wing article by Saeger · · Score: 2
      And to answer the next logical question: "Can anybody explain why it has become so socially acceptable to violate copyright en masse?"

      Many reasons (pick your favorites):

      1. It's a hypocritical kind of boycott to stick it to the copyright-hoarding middlemen who charge way too much and pass little of it to the actual artists.
      2. Information wants to be free, regardless of production cost.
      3. It's still about 100 times more convenient to "steal" than it is to buy; you can't legally pay for that kind of convenience yet.
      4. Human animals are inherently selfish and will try to get away with whatever they can if they think no one is watching; it's the rare person who has the integrity to do the right thing when he knows no one is watching.
      5. So far, only the "contributory infringers" like Napster (gun maker) have been punished; individuals (gun users) abusers are still untouchable and have nothing to fear.
      6. There are insane economies of scale of here, but there's no micropayment system in place to make it easy to pay your tiny fair share... but 0 is closer $0.001 than it is to $20.00.
      7. ...insert more rationalizations I've forgotten here...

      --

      --
      Power to the Peaceful
    30. Re:Another completely far wing article by Quintin+Stone · · Score: 1

      I think you forgot to take your lithium today.

      --

      "Prejudice is wrong; you should hate everyone the same."

    31. Re:Another completely far wing article by circletimessquare · · Score: 1

      i took some psilocybin and i'm trippin' man!

      ;-P

      i just hate gun lovers. they make my blood boil. their opaque understanding of what guns really are and what they really do makes us all suffer.

      --
      intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    32. Re:Another completely far wing article by tumbaumba · · Score: 1

      you're enjoying the fruits of someone's labor without contributing anything toward the initial cost

      And what is really wrong with it. You do it everyday. You walk on the paved street and yet you did not contribute a single cent to pave it. You can continue this list yourself. Yes we do pay taxes so that streets are paved and also social security of those musicians you are protecting. Here is a point: musicians should get payed for what they actually do, i.e. play music on the concerts and from celling CDs. If CD cost 20 cents, as it should be, I may even purchase it. And if they, musicians, do not think they are getting payed enough, then they should find another job.

    33. Re:Another completely far wing article by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      That makes murder as easy as 1.2.3.

      Isn't that from "Murder by Numbers" by Sting? Did you pay the royalty necessary to legally write that?

    34. Re:Another completely far wing article by ipfwadm · · Score: 1

      You walk on the paved street and yet you did not contribute a single cent to pave it ... Yes we do pay taxes so that streets are paved

      And you just contradicted yourself... What point are you trying to prove?

      and also social security of those musicians you are protecting

      I pay social security to the guy that owns the car dealership down the street from me too, does that make me entitled to take free cars off his lot? Don't give me the "digital copies are free to make" bit either, cause that doesn't apply in this situation.

    35. Re:Another completely far wing article by Sabriel · · Score: 1
      Are you happy gun owners so omnipotent that you can guarantee the safety of yourself and everyone around your gun?
      Are you, a happy computer owner, so omnipotent as to can guarantee nobody will use it to pirate CDs? No? Then you won't mind if we replace your PC with a RIAA/MPAA-approved TV.
      Fact: guns invite terrible consequences in situations where no access to guns would mean the situation would end with much less bodily harm: to yourself, an enemy, to anyone! How can you possibly deny that logic?
      Fact: knives.... etc. fists.... etc. free will.... etc. To try to stay on-topic, computers.... etc (before anyone says computers can't be used to harm anyone - they can and they have)
      use your dang imagination to figure out the real majority of gun usage.
      No need for imagination. The real majority: killing people in wars, incidentally littering vast amounts of landscape with missed rounds. It's terrible that people are so inconsiderate and not using swords or clubs, which don't pollute nearly as much as firearms. :p

      It'd be much better still if folks skipped the whole ugliness of war and settled their affairs with a Counter-Strike tournament or something. But if we were nice enough to do that, we wouldn't need to do it.

      Do this country a favor and lose the Beavis and Butthead fascination with things that make loud noises and save this country thousands of lives each year, ok?
      Stupid people are the ones least likely to pay attention to reasonable arguments. This is why MANY more thousands of people lose their lives to intoxicated drivers. Nobody's banning cars yet just because of stupid people, and if all one truly cares about is saving lives...

      Likewise, the RIAA/MPAA is not about to pay attention to reasonable arguments about the price of CDs/DVDs, when they can make more profits by ripping off artists, price gouging customers and enforcing arbitrary region controls and restraint of trade. Only the muzzle of a retail disc burner gets their attention.

      And in a hypothetical future where guns are outlawed in this country, gun ownership would be a red flag for the criminal behavior they usually are involved in
      You mean, being a police officer or a soldier or a secret service agent? I guess they'll have to lose their guns too. After all, only "gunhead morons" want to have guns, yes? And if nobody had a disc burner then all CDs and DVDs would be cheap and region-free?
      Confidential to the asshole who marked me flamebait: go ahead and mark me flamebait again, I've got 49 more karma points to waste and a big chip on my shoulder.
      Personally, I'd've marked you Offtopic. Could have, too. If you can't stick at least vaguely on-topic, find a different thread to post in, 'kay?
    36. Re:Another completely far wing article by Guido69 · · Score: 1

      Maybe I am missing the point. Wouldn't be the first time. I certainly see where you are coming from re: duplication cost (piracy) of an entire book costing more than the original retail price.

      However, that's assuming the definition of piracy includes copying the entire work rather than just pieces. I don't believe (standard IANAL disclaimer) there really is a legal differentiation between a consumer copying a whole music CD vs. just ripping a few MP3's from a friends CD vs. photocopying the lates sex article from Cosmo so you don't have to buy this month's issue.

      --
      - If we aren't supposed to eat animals, then why are they made out of meat? - Steven Wright
    37. Re:Another completely far wing article by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Information wants to be free, regardless of production cost.

      I hate this ridiculous saying, "information wants to be free". It's basically just a nice slogan, a mantra that happens to sound catchy to some people. Not me, to me it sounds horribly awkward, poncy and pathetic. Not to mention like something the mindless protestor would probably shout to little effect except looks of irritation and resigned annoyance from those around them. It doesn't actually prove anything or even mean anything. Information isn't a sentient entity, it should read "we want information to be free" but then that just opens up the obvious counter-argument "well, we don't. Ha."

    38. Re:Another completely far wing article by groman · · Score: 1

      No shucks Sherlock! You are right about the annoyance of media working on fear and pointing out the worst potential for a technology without recognizing the enormous good as well, but what other potential is there for guns?

      Your argument about technology being portrayed in the worst possible light as a knee-jerk reaction is sound, UNLESS THE TECHNOLOGY HAS NO OTHER USE EXCEPT FOR IT'S WORST POSSIBLE USE. The spectrum of potential for gun technology is extrememly small: shoot people! What the heck else are they good for?</i>

      Shooting people isn't nescessarily wrong. Actually most of the time it's perfectly alright. I don't see your point. Are you saying that since it's inteded to kill people, and the only possible use, short of target practice, is killing people, they will be used for murder, hence must be illegal? NEWSFLASH! Killing people isn't illegal, murder is. I'd like you to remember those words when your being held at knife-point watching your family get hurt.

    39. Re:Another completely far wing article by groman · · Score: 1

      eh, now I look like an idiot with the HTML tags... and oh with the radical viewpoint and all. [grin]

    40. Re:Another completely far wing article by Erasmus+Darwin · · Score: 2
      I did some quick searching, and I came across fairuse.stanford.edu, which seems to have quite a bit of information on the subject. I admit that I haven't dug too deeply into the subject, but I did follow their link to the US Code relating to copyrights.

      Under Title 17 (Copyrights), Chapter 1 (Subject Matter and Scope), Section 107 (Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use), they describe the criteria for determining fair use. Two of them are "the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole" and "the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work."

      Under the substantial portion criterion, you could argue that there's a big difference between in how much is copied when you compare the two cases. 3 pages out of a 120 page magazine is only 2.5% of the material. 2 songs out of a 12 track CD is 16%.

      Under the potential market criterion, we could point to CD singles. Music companies sell individual tracks from albums, so there's an existing market for the entire entity that you've duplicated.

      Still, I'm not a lawyer, and it's impossible to understand how the law really gets applied without looking into all the case law and judicial opinions that've arisen afterward. But I lack the time and interest to make this into an entire research project.

    41. Re:Another completely far wing article by circletimessquare · · Score: 1

      I'd like you to remember those words when your being held at knife-point watching your family get hurt.

      If that happens, I will be in a position where I can't use a gun, moron.

      NEWSFLASH! Killing people isn't illegal, murder is.

      Killing people isn't illegal?! wtf?!

      Gunlovers are the biggest group of stupid rednecks I have ever met. Maybe we should still have guns after all, so morons like you can carry them around and hurt yourselves, or a member of your family, or "kill" someone, not murder them, and get yourself a nice cozy cell. Stupid motherf***ers.

      --
      intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    42. Re:Another completely far wing article by circletimessquare · · Score: 1

      Are you, a happy computer owner, so omnipotent as to can guarantee nobody will use it to pirate CDs? No? Then you won't mind if we replace your PC with a RIAA/MPAA-approved TV.

      uh good point... except computer can be used for a lot more than just killing people.

      Fact: knives.... etc. fists.... etc. free will.... etc. To try to stay on-topic, computers.... etc (before anyone says computers can't be used to harm anyone - they can and they have)

      i'm completely off-topic and i'm staying there, because gunlovers are morons i despise. i'll say it real slowly for you, so you understand: computer can hurt people, but they can do alot more. guns CAN ONLY HURT YOU AND HAVE NO OTHER USE.

      No need for imagination. The real majority: killing people in wars, incidentally littering vast amounts of landscape with missed rounds. It's terrible that people are so inconsiderate and not using swords or clubs, which don't pollute nearly as much as firearms. :p
      It'd be much better still if folks skipped the whole ugliness of war and settled their affairs with a Counter-Strike tournament or something. But if we were nice enough to do that, we wouldn't need to do it.


      HELLO! MORON: I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT WAR, I'M TALKING ABOUT LIVING IN AUSTIN TEXAS, OR ST. PAUL MINNESOTA. MAYBE YOU SHOULD USE YOUR F***ING IMAGINATION, OR AT LEAST LISTEN.

      Stupid people are the ones least likely to pay attention to reasonable arguments. This is why MANY more thousands of people lose their lives to intoxicated drivers. Nobody's banning cars yet just because of stupid people, and if all one truly cares about is saving lives...

      We can't ban cars, because you are right, we need them, and stupid people will still drive them. BUT WE HAVE NO EARTHLY NEED FOR GUNS.

      Likewise, the RIAA/MPAA is not about to pay attention to reasonable arguments about the price of CDs/DVDs, when they can make more profits by ripping off artists, price gouging customers and enforcing arbitrary region controls and restraint of trade. Only the muzzle of a retail disc burner gets their attention.

      um... i'm not arguing with you. you are right! so will you tell me something please? why do you insist on saying a gun is a piece of tech just like a disc burner? muzzle of a retail disc burner? are you for real? do you not see the point i am making by saying THE COMPARISON DOES NOT WORK.

      You mean, being a police officer or a soldier or a secret service agent? I guess they'll have to lose their guns too. After all, only "gunhead morons" want to have guns, yes? And if nobody had a disc burner then all CDs and DVDs would be cheap and region-free?

      I'm talking about average citizens. Police are trained individuals. And for the far right morons who will now say I'm inviting a police state with absolute power over society, to you I say go to your damn compound in Montana, pile up your guns, and go rot away while your cache rusts away. This isn't the f***ing American Revolution we are talking about. AND WHY ARE YOU STILL TALKING ABOUT DISC BURNERS IN THIS CONTEXT. I have admitted I'm off-topic.

      Personally, I'd've marked you Offtopic. Could have, too. If you can't stick at least vaguely on-topic, find a different thread to post in, 'kay?

      I can't, gunlovers piss me off way too much.

      --
      intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    43. Re:Another completely far wing article by Charm · · Score: 1
      "Guns don't kill people, criminals do.". Actually this is not correct either. Guns don't kill people. It's not the bullets either nor is it the shockwave, loss of blood etc. The true fact of the matter is:

      The toothfairy kills people by not stopping them from being hit by the bullets. Therefore we should get rid of the toothfairy.

      --
      -- RTFM:Slackware::Beer:Saturday
    44. Re:Another completely far wing article by circletimessquare · · Score: 1

      hehe ;-)

      --
      intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    45. Re:Another completely far wing article by rtechie · · Score: 1

      Slashdot ate my more lengthy reply, so I'll have to briefly summarize:

      How much ammunition is sold every year in the USA? Of those millions of rounds, how many eny up in a human body? 0.01%? Less? Clearly guns are used for other purposes that killing. The overwhelming majority of those rounds ended up in targets, tin cans, and animals.

      Police have as many gun accidents as "average citizens". For the most part, they aren't well-trained. Look into it.

      You can't go to a compound in Montana and hide with a pile of guns. The feds will come you your house to arrest you. Ask the Branch Davidians.

      Guns are tools, and like any other tool there is a non-zero risk of accidental injury associated with using them. Some tools are more dangerous than other (table saws are more dangerous than Nerf toys), but this doesn't mean we should arbitrarily ban them. One example that comes to mind is rat poison, toxic chemicals that have no other purpose than to kill animals (including humans). Yet you can but it at any grocery store. Why? Because the risk is managable. The same way the risk is manageable for firearms and automobiles.

    46. Re:Another completely far wing article by circletimessquare · · Score: 1

      I can't believe this fog I am talking through.

      Let's break it down for you.

      Give every toddler in a kindergarten class a hammer.

      Half an hour later, how many people will have been hit by a hammer? Thier hammer or somebody else's hammer?

      Conclusion: take hammers out of kindergarten classrooms. Why? BECAUSE THERE IS NO NEED FOR HAMMERS IN KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOMS.

      People!

      There is no need for guns in every life. NO NEED. THEY HAVE NO USE. Regardless of your bizzare rationalizations for their continued existence and continual criminal and accidental loss of life associated with them.

      Get it? Why must this country be held hostage by your faulty logic? A gun does not protect you. It does not up the ante in situations where you are in danger. ALL IT DOES IS INCREASE YOUR DANGER, PERIOD.

      Guns are tools, and like any other tool there is a non-zero risk of accidental injury associated with using them.

      No shit! how about a 100% risk injury associated with them? THAT IS WHAT THEY ARE MADE FOR.

      Some tools are more dangerous than other (table saws are more dangerous than Nerf toys), but this doesn't mean we should arbitrarily ban them.

      YES IT DOES! Table saws CUT WOOD.

      ALL

      GUNS

      DO

      IS

      KILL

      Do you possibly understand that?

      One example that comes to mind is rat poison, toxic chemicals that have no other purpose than to kill animals (including humans).

      If rat poison were used ONLY to kill people they WOULD BE CALLED PEOPLE POISON AND WOULD BE BANNED! Geez!

      Yet you can but it at any grocery store. Why? Because the risk is managable. The same way the risk is manageable for firearms and automobiles.

      100% risk of injury is NOT MANAGEABLE. Hello?

      GUNS

      ARE

      MADE

      ONLY (as in ONLY!)

      TO

      KILL

      --
      intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
    47. Re:Another completely far wing article by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      GUNS

      ARE

      MADE

      ONLY (as in ONLY!)

      TO

      KILL


      Wrong. Guns can be used for sport, as well as used for self-defense.

      You're an idiot.

    48. Re:Another completely far wing article by Sabriel · · Score: 1
      After reading these posts, circle, I'd say you're not going to be effective convincing people by RANTING IN CAPS and claiming things that aren't true. Guns DO have more purposes than to kill, they ARE made for purposes other than killing. Heck, shooting is an OLYMPIC SPORT. I've read of guns that, over a century old, have NEVER been fired in anger, have NEVER claimed a life. And yet there are ten year old kids found guilty of murder with not a firearm in sight.

      Sigh. Look, I don't own any guns. I'm not fond of the unethical uses to which some are put. But neither you nor anyone else is going to win me over by spouting partial truths when I know you're deliberately ignoring or avoiding the other side of the argument. If you're going to go that route, you might as well start pulling statistics out of your nether regions, the same way the RIAA gets its losses to piracy statistics.

  18. Automated by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    how about i automate the automatic CD copier to make a copy of Windoze every 10 minutes, then sell 'em off in asia!

  19. This should be legal in Canada... by FreezerJam · · Score: 2, Interesting

    ...because you are making your own copy of an original, and artists are supposed to get reimbursed from a per-blank-disc levy (which is a topic of some discussion on its own).

    It would be most cool as well.

  20. I can tell you by the_2nd_coming · · Score: 3, Funny

    Wonder what would happen to this machine in U.S. and Europe

    RIAA Lawyer: we are sueing this store's ass off for contributing to the theft of music

    Defence Lawyer: Ummm Dude, they have the rights to make back up copies of their CDs.

    RIAA Lawyer: no they don't, back in 98 we had a party where the US congress and the entertainmnet industry whiped out our dicks and pissed on all the US copyright law. Now we get to piss al over the consumer, see. *whips out dick and pisses on the defence lawyer and onlookers*

    --



    I am the Alpha and the Omega-3
    1. Re:I can tell you by OSSTwitSpotter · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      Sexist!

  21. Wonder what would happen to this machine in U.S.?? by wo1verin3 · · Score: 1

    Well it'd be stolen of course, and then the person claiming insurance would have also left his laptop, ViPER, rings and anything else he can find a reciept for inside the machine. This would cause insurance prices to go up. Insurance companies would start raising rates and suing people.

    People in Europe?....they have people there?
    really?

  22. Rights by jezreel · · Score: 1

    Could somebody explain the rights for photocopying? I mean...duh.. there are millions of them scattered throughout the US and EU. And I bet not even 1% of the public users have their copyright permission. So what is so wrong about a CD-copymachine? Maybe just the lobby, public interest etc..?

    --
    0 001 11 1
    1. Re:Rights by yatest5 · · Score: 1

      Could somebody explain the rights for photocopying?

      Go on then, you photocopy a whole book - betcha it costs waaaayyy more than buying it!

      --
      • Mod parent up! [a] by Anonymous Coward (Score:5) Thurs, June 31, @13:37
    2. Re:Rights by hanakj · · Score: 0

      Exactly. Costs way more, takes a lot more time and hassle, and is not a "perfect" copy.

    3. Re:Rights by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't something like CDDB make it easier for a CD copying machine to check possible copyrights of a CD and tell who to pay a rightful share for the copying fee? I would see this as less copyright infringing than photocopiers if done right.

    4. Re:Rights by jezreel · · Score: 1

      You'd probably end up with much more than 2-5$ per copy. But it would maybe end the senseless price difference between an album and a single (~3:1 price for ~12:3 content).

      Does anyone know how excactly the price for an album is splitted and to who the money goes? E.g. xx% to label, xx% to artist(s) etc.

      --
      0 001 11 1
    5. Re:Rights by JCCyC · · Score: 2

      Exactly. Costs way more, takes a lot more time and hassle, and is not a "perfect" copy.

      But if the book is out of print, it is the only recourse you have left. I have had this PITA lots of times in Engineering. The teachers just loved to select unfindable textbooks. Not nice.

    6. Re:Rights by asparagus · · Score: 1

      I don't know music numbers. But I know film ones. I'm willing to guess they're similar.

      50% -> movie theatre
      25% -> exibitor (sony)
      25% -> producers/makers of film

      the producers/filmaker split is generally something on the order of 50% -> make movie, 25% -> actors/director/other splits, and 25% is profit.

      Or, in other words, about 6% of your $10 movie ticket is profits for the guys who made the film. The lion's share is to the middlemen.

      I'm willing to be there's similar numbers in the music industry.

  23. That's not a knife by taloobie · · Score: 1

    Cool, now I can copy my "Crocodile Dundee II" soundtrack for my friends for $.50.

    1. Re:That's not a knife by Sapphon · · Score: 1

      Dude, if you plan on copying the soundtrack to 'Crocodile Dundee II' then you must have been drinking some strange water.

      Oh wait, the machine is in Adelaide... sorry, go ahead!

      --
      Antiquis temporibus, nati tibi similes in rupibus ventosissimis exponebantur ad necem.
    2. Re:That's not a knife by Charm · · Score: 1

      LOL pity few people will ever get that joke.

      --
      -- RTFM:Slackware::Beer:Saturday
  24. In Austria ... by 1110110001 · · Score: 1

    ... this could be able IMHO. I've seen software copy-machines in the past (ok you couldn't copy your CD, but some software already avaible on the machine). You could pay the copyright-penelatiy and copy a music CD and a) everyone would be happy, b) some would complain and austrian goverment needs some years to do anything against it. So if the EU doesn't say something against it it could work here in austria.

    b4n

  25. They have one of these at a CD shop in town by qurob · · Score: 2, Interesting


    Its one of those places that buys and sells used CD's.

    For $3 you can copy any CD in the store.

  26. in the U.S. by llamalicious · · Score: 5, Funny

    The machine would be monitored by a surveillance team, and SWAT squad 24x7.

    The RIAA/Senate approved team would use high-powered digital binoculars to take pictures of those copying CD's and the label of the CD they are copying. Hooked to a RIAA central database of copyrighted labels, the team's computer system would alert them to possible copyright infrigement and the SWAT would be activated.

    Surveillance: We've got a Metallica copy in-progess. Mobilize SWAT Unit Charlie Omega Papa Yankee

    SWAT: Ok, Sectors 2 and 3 take the rear of the copy device. Sector 1, you're with me, we'll provide coverage from the lingerie aisle. On 1 we go, 3... 2... 1... Swarm Swarm Swarm !!!

    Well, maybe I'm just being paranoid...

    1. Re:in the U.S. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hello? You're handing them the original cd and the copying requires that everything from that cd is read by a computer. Why would they bother with "digital binoculars" and miss all the copy-of-a-copy cases in the process?

    2. Re:in the U.S. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I wouldn't call it being paranoid, I'd call it being realistic. The only difference between the United States government and a despotism at this point is that the U.S. still holdes facades of elections. Take those away, and you're back to medieval times, except the kings and queens of the "land of the free" surround themselves with oil fields and nuclear warheads rather than gold and jewellry. Not that they don't have any of that too, they're quite willing to steal as much money as they can out from under you.
      Why is it that the RIAA, MPAA et. al. have any influence over law-making? Simple. Money. If Bush and his administration want to get into office, they know they're going to have to do what Hollywood says, make the laws Hollywood wants made, or guess what? No "campaign contribution" (read: legal bribe). That's nothing to say of the money that actually goes -under- the table. The only way the government and the companies running the United States would -ever- listen to the people is if each and every one of them decided, all at once, to stop buying into them and stopped working. You'd see the DMCA and its close friends abolished pretty quickly if everyone in America decided to walk out on their job.

    3. Re:in the U.S. by cdrudge · · Score: 2

      "But really officer, I'm just, um, ah, archiving it. Yeah, that's it, I'm archiving it just in case my friend's copy gets destroyed somehow."

    4. Re:in the U.S. by scruffy · · Score: 2, Flamebait

      In the US, this machine is a national security threat, and anyone who buys or uses one is a terrorist, and anyone who suggests that we legalize them a terrorist sympathizer.

    5. Re:in the U.S. by Reziac · · Score: 2

      I don't think you're being paranoid at all -- it would be dead simple to incorporate a monitoring device that would flag certain data structures and filenames, and when it finds "restricted" data, the gadget phones the cops while you're waiting for your CD. Assuming it doesn't just refuse to copy it in the first place.

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
    6. Re:in the U.S. by NorthDude · · Score: 0

      Moderators or blinds... This is not a Flamebait, this Sarcasm. Personally I like sarcasm :-)

      --


      I'd rather be sailing...
    7. Re:in the U.S. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The only difference between the United States government and a despotism at this point is that the U.S. still holdes facades of elections.

      Help me figure this out, okay?

      Your dad won't let you stay out past eleven, right?

      Yeah, I'd be angry at the world, too.

      Maybe when you turn 17 it'll be better.

    8. Re:in the U.S. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We've got a Metallica copy in-progess. Mobilize SWAT Unit Charlie Omega Papa Yankee

      That would be Charlie OSCAR Papa Yankee. You need to brush up on your phonetic alphabet .

    9. Re:in the U.S. by halo8 · · Score: 1

      i hate to tell you all
      this isnt sarcasam

      this is the Truth

      and its scarry

      --
      The More Knowledge you have the Luckier you Get- J.R. Ewing
    10. Re:in the U.S. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Swarm Swarm Swarm !!!"

      The correct version of this is "Hut Hut Hut !!!"

      (If you don't get it, rent "Blues Brothers" tonite.)

    11. Re:in the U.S. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You just got my vote for 'best sig'

  27. does it work with other things ? by Adolf+Hitroll · · Score: 0, Funny

    I'd like to put a pizza in one slots and a slice of bread in the other, will I get a second, fresh pizza or does it only apply to the lame digital entertainment shits ?
    Honestly, if you have the choice between twice as much pizza or a duplicate Britany Spirz CD, what would you take ?
    the duplicate ? But you don't need to create your own junk cds when you have AOL :-)

    --
    Smile, don't click...
  28. Can you say "circumvention device" ? by Gareth+Williams · · Score: 1

    quoth the article:

    " machines fitted with software to circumvent anti-copying measures built into some CDs"

    don't think this would get very far in the US ay....

    --

    --Gareth
    1. Re:Can you say "circumvention device" ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Not really.

      A circunvention device is something that avoids a security implementation. The current layer of "anti-copy" systems implemented in CD's aren't such, but only "errors" and "defective CD's". So, the machine isn't a circunvention device but only a "corrector" of defective CD's.

  29. Breaking News "Photo-copier" debuts. by GigsVT · · Score: 1

    Really, how is this any different?

    --
    I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
    1. Re:Breaking News "Photo-copier" debuts. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Really, how is this any different?

      How long would it take you to copy a 200 page book, and how much money? Now how long and how much to copy a CD? See the difference yet?

    2. Re:Breaking News "Photo-copier" debuts. by letxa2000 · · Score: 2
      How long would it take you to copy a 200 page book, and how much money? Now how long and how much to copy a CD? See the difference yet?

      While I personally would never be inclined to waste my time making a copy of an entire book, there are people who do.

      Especially on college campus where books sometimes cost US$100+. A student will buy a copy of the book and then his friends and their friends friends will make copies of the book. Copy services are often offered at a discount and it only takes extra time to make the first copy; you can make subsequent copies of the copies really fast. And at $100+ for the book and discounted on-campus copy services it is not hard to believe that you'd actually save money.

    3. Re:Breaking News "Photo-copier" debuts. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have 200 page books that cost in excess of $50.

      I also have access to a free copying machine at work, if I stay late, and don't get carried away with it.

      And I've brought big sheafs of printed paper to Office Supply stores to have them professionally bind them for me, too.

  30. This isnt only in Adelaide by lord_ashaman · · Score: 3, Funny

    I Live in Sydney, and i've seen one of these machines bout 3 months ago outside a really crappy little supermarket in Frenches Forest. It is about half the Size of a person, the one i saw was blue and red. It had two CD Drives, top one is the reader, bottom one is the burner, only does CD-R no re-writeable.i was bored and had money to play around with so i gave it a go. worked fine.

    The only bad thing is you have to stand there for ten minutes while it burns, i think they should have a little screen with something to do like a version of pong even!!

    1. Re:This isnt only in Adelaide by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > outside a really crappy little supermarket in Frenches Forest

      Whatdya mean crappy?! That's Crown of the Hill on my street, man! :) (Although it has gone down hill since they stopped selling Bondi colas.)

    2. Re:This isnt only in Adelaide by FunkyChild · · Score: 1

      Sheesh I'm from FF too.. Had no idea there were that man people around here reading /. :)

  31. Australia is hardly a haven for freedom by leereyno · · Score: 2

    With all of the censorship^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hanti-obscenity laws and legally enforced political correctness going on down there, I hardly see how this is anything but an exception to the rule. Don't even get me started on what has happened to the right to own guns down there.

    Lee

    --
    Muslim community leaders warn of backlash from tomorrow morning's terrorist attack.
    1. Re:Australia is hardly a haven for freedom by Sapphon · · Score: 1

      "Don't even get me started on what has happened to the right to own guns down there"

      So the Port Phillip massacre was no reason to strengthen gun control laws, was it?
      Serious man, Australia is one of the most laid back countries in the world. If you want to own high-powered rifles or automatic shotguns, book a ticket to Texas or something.

      --
      Antiquis temporibus, nati tibi similes in rupibus ventosissimis exponebantur ad necem.
    2. Re:Australia is hardly a haven for freedom by matlhDam · · Score: 1

      While I agree with you that the censorship and political correctness has gone a bit far here, I'd like to point out that there is no right to own guns here. It's a privilege, and frankly, I'm not all that upset that people can't buy or own powerful weapons.

    3. Re:Australia is hardly a haven for freedom by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ands its a bloody good thing that it is Illegal to own many types of guns here. Although that dosent stop your hardened criminals from hitting banks with sawnoff semis, It does prevent 13yo jimmy from shooting up his classmates with a high calibre weapon that dad just happened to have left in the closet!!

      Freedom from or freedom to, it goes both ways in some cases.

      As for the copying stuff, wel'll the onus is on the person copying.

      go the saints.

    4. Re:Australia is hardly a haven for freedom by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh no, not guns! Don't take away the guns! Then it won't be so easy to kill people! Typical American sentiment. Complain about the crime rate, but DEMAND that your criminals have easy access to guns, because it's their RIGHT! I hope your next NRA protest takes place at a drive-by shooting.

    5. Re:Australia is hardly a haven for freedom by Cid+Highwind · · Score: 1

      and frankly, I'm not all that upset that people can't buy or own powerful weapons.

      You will be, once the Aus-DMCA gets passed down there. If guns are outlawed, only the government, Rupert Murdoch, and AOLTimeWarner will have guns...

      --
      0 1 - just my two bits
    6. Re:Australia is hardly a haven for freedom by slipgun · · Score: 1

      So the Port Phillip massacre was no reason to strengthen gun control laws, was it?

      But since firearms can easily be obtained illegally anyway (here in the UK at least), why prevent law abiding citizens from having them? I can point out several examples where firearms in the hands of ordinary people would have prevented horrific crimes.

      --
      SpamNet - a spam blocker that really works
    7. Re:Australia is hardly a haven for freedom by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Although that dosent stop your hardened criminals from hitting banks with sawnoff semis,

      ie: It doesn't stop a lot of crime.

      It does prevent 13yo jimmy from shooting up his classmates with a high calibre weapon that dad just happened to have left in the closet!!

      Proper gun safety education (for both Jimmy and his pa) would acomplish that quite well.

    8. Re:Australia is hardly a haven for freedom by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh no, not guns! Don't take away the guns! Then it won't be so easy to kill people!


      ITYM "won't be so easy to defend yourself."

      Typical American sentiment. Complain about the crime rate, but DEMAND that your criminals have easy access to guns, because it's their RIGHT!


      ITYM "DEMAND citizens have easy access to guns..."


      I hope your next NRA protest takes place at a drive-by shooting.


      Idiot.

    9. Re:Australia is hardly a haven for freedom by leereyno · · Score: 2

      I'm all in favor of gun control. When firing a gun it is very important that you have control over it. Otherwise it is difficult to consistently hit what you are shooting at whether it be a carjacker, a burglar, or a grunt within your government's gestapo.

      What I'm not in favor of is legislation designed to curb access to firearms by honest citizens. Guns in the hands of your average honest american or australian keep people safe. Guns in the hands of criminals are what create danger. Laws that seek to limit or eliminate the right to keep and bear arms are only going to apply to honest citizens since criminals don't obey the laws anyway. So in the end you've got a situation where the enemy is armed and the rest of us become easy prey. Then there is the issue of tyrrany. Its rather hard for tyrrany to exist in a country where the citizens have real power in the form of firearms. When the sheep have claws and teeth the wolves keep their distance. I'm glad I live in a country where the socialists and closet communists haven't been able do dismantle one of our prime guarantees of justice and liberty.

      Lee

      --
      Muslim community leaders warn of backlash from tomorrow morning's terrorist attack.
    10. Re:Australia is hardly a haven for freedom by leereyno · · Score: 2

      Actually you do have the right to own a gun. That right is being suppressed and denied by your government, but that does not destroy it as a right. Here in the US our constitution lists a certain set of rights that are acknowledged to exist for free people. The right to own guns is one of those rights. The existance of this right is independant of whether it is acknowledged or not, its just that we're lucky enough that our constitution does list it. Our constitution is also not meant to be an exhaustive list of every right we have. The ninth amendment specifically states that. Many people in the US don't seem to understand this, which is sad.

      What kind of a constitution Australia has I don't know. I know that in Britian what corresponds to a constitution there is made up of a whole series of charters and laws starting with the Magna Carta.

      As for worrying about whether people can buy or own powerful weapons, just remember that the government can. This same government can use those weapons to enforce censorship or political correctness. Last time I checked a government that used force to suppress and eliminate political dissent was on its way towards facism.

      Lee

      --
      Muslim community leaders warn of backlash from tomorrow morning's terrorist attack.
    11. Re:Australia is hardly a haven for freedom by TeraCo · · Score: 1
      Its rather hard for tyrrany to exist in a country where the citizens have real power in the form of firearms.

      Right, and we saw how well these guns went against things like the DMCA, the Patriot act, etc, etc. Guns are no longer [if they ever were?] the tools of change that many gun owners think they are, the tool you are, in fact, thinking about is 'money'.

      Hmm.. reading over your post again.. have I been trolled? Tune in this time next week, where our hero follows up to posts about Abortion, Stem cell research, and BSD is dying.

      --
      Not Meta-modding due to apathy.
    12. Re:Australia is hardly a haven for freedom by TeraCo · · Score: 1
      ie: It doesn't stop a lot of crime.

      It doesn't stop all crime, so we shouldn't try and stop any? Geez, give me a bit of whatever you're taking. Proper gun safety education (for both Jimmy and his pa) would acomplish that quite well.

      Sure, it would mean that Jimmy would have to break into a cabinet with an axe before going to school and killing everyone.

      --
      Not Meta-modding due to apathy.
    13. Re:Australia is hardly a haven for freedom by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ABSOLUTE RUBBISH. I have never seen anywhere anything that could be twisted to mean "free people have a right to own guns". The US constitution doesn't even come close to saying that. It say that free people have the right to a well organised miltia. Which is totally different from saying people have a right to own guns. At least use check your facts. Because at the moment you just look like a complete idiot.

      While I understand that people in the US want to own guns. People in Australia do NOT. It is a cultural difference get over it!!! I don't where people in the US get the idea that Australians are unhappy with the current gun laws, in fact 90% of Australians support the current gun laws. We had less that 300 gun deaths in Australia last year, and believe it or not many people are happy with that compared to the 24000 gun deaths in the US last year. So you guys in the US can keep your guns, and keep telling yourself that your are the most free people on earth. And in Austalia we will look at the US gun culture and just thank god we don't have to live with it.

      I know which country I would rather live in.

    14. Re:Australia is hardly a haven for freedom by OzJimbob · · Score: 1

      I live in Australia, and i'm bloody glad we've got gun control laws. It seems that in the US the "right to bear arms" is considered along with other SENSIBLE rights like free speech etc. - I'm glad that Australians are smart enough to see the difference. "Honest" people should have no more rights to own deadly weapons than "criminals" - why? THEY SHOULD HAVE NO REASON TO.

      It all rests on the incredibly right-wing, conservative concept that there are GOOD people and BAD people. GOOD people can own guns because, hey, they're GOOD. BAD people are the ones who are going to do BAD things. But that's bollocks. A GOOD gun-owning person could get drunk and confused and go shoot someone on the spur of the moment. A GOOD person's child could get hold of their gun and "have an accident".

      I feel much safer and better for living in a country where gun ownership is frowned upon by the general population, and where the "gun rights" lobby is regarded by 95% of the population as a bunch of red neck freaks.

      --
      -"I still believe in revolution; I just don't capitalize it anymore." - srini!
    15. Re:Australia is hardly a haven for freedom by OzJimbob · · Score: 1

      And so say all of us! Good call. Australians DON'T WANT guns, end of story. Anything you hear otherwise is NRA propaganda.

      --
      -"I still believe in revolution; I just don't capitalize it anymore." - srini!
    16. Re:Australia is hardly a haven for freedom by NoMaster · · Score: 1

      Note : I'm an Australian, so these thoughts may sound weird and out of place in the "land of the free"...

      Make carrying guns, outside of an approved and registered shooting range, illegal. Full stop. A capital offence. Give police the right to arrest / shoot on sight anyone carrying a gun outside of these areas.

      Problem solved. Easy, huh?

      Oh, I forgot. There's that little bit of gun nut propaganda floating around that goes "... only criminals will have guns."

      Yeah, well that's true. But now the correct, legally-empowered people will have the unfettered ability to stop them on sight, even kill them on the spot if necessary. Sounds good to me - you're a criminal, you pay for it...

      I should say, at this point, that a good half of my family are gun owners. Some of them were even championship-winning shooters in their day. But still, I've never really understood why anyone would want to keep a gun at home. Maybe it's a dicksize thing - "Honey, I'm just going down to the shed to stroke my ... uh, gun. Yeah, gun."

      --
      What part of "a well regulated militia" do you not understand?
    17. Re:Australia is hardly a haven for freedom by Charm · · Score: 1

      I have the right to kick you in the nuts dude. I also have the right to shoot you but your stupid americana govmnt has laws forbidding me to do so. America is such a Fascist state, who would want to live in a country where you are not free to kill and kick anyone in the balls that you want to?

      --
      -- RTFM:Slackware::Beer:Saturday
    18. Re:Australia is hardly a haven for freedom by Charm · · Score: 1

      Ah but you forget since America and Australia are ex British penal colonies, then the average honest citizens are criminals.

      --
      -- RTFM:Slackware::Beer:Saturday
    19. Re:Australia is hardly a haven for freedom by Charm · · Score: 1

      "Actually you do have the right to own a gun.", "Don't even get me started on what has happened to the right to own guns down there." Which of these two statements is wrong? You think that in a argument you could at least be consistent.

      --
      -- RTFM:Slackware::Beer:Saturday
    20. Re:Australia is hardly a haven for freedom by leereyno · · Score: 2

      The laws of the US are not what protect me from having you kick me in the balls. What protects me is your understanding that should you try, I will beat you within an inch of your life and most likely neuter you.....dude.

      --
      Muslim community leaders warn of backlash from tomorrow morning's terrorist attack.
    21. Re:Australia is hardly a haven for freedom by leereyno · · Score: 2

      "Amendment II: A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."

      Anyone who has to any degree studied the works of Jefferson, Hamilton, Washington, just to name a few, would clearly understand that the purpose behind the second amendment had as much to do with preserving liberty as it did with defining the role of militias. Washington called firearms "the people's liberty's teeth." The language of the second amendment itself is very clear. It states the the right of the PEOPLE to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. Had it said something like "the right of militias to keep and bear arms..." then that would be something something different. In those days a militia was made up of volunteers from among the people who were expected to bring their own weapons. It was not today's paid professional army where the weapons are provided by the state. Militia's have not been seen in this country since the Civil war for the simple reason that we have not been threatened by a foreign invasion. If Canada were to invade you can bet that the armed citizens of the US would very vigorously defend their nation.

      As for whether Australians want guns or not, that is not really for me to say. I will say however that here in America we have a choice as to whether we own a gun or not. If we want one, the state does not try to interfere. If we do not want one, no one can force us to have one. If you don't want a gun then that is your right and your choice to make. What isn't right is for the state to try and deprive you that right to choose.

      Lee

      --
      Muslim community leaders warn of backlash from tomorrow morning's terrorist attack.
  32. If this machine were in the U.S...... by hillct · · Score: 2, Funny
    [W]hat would happen to this machine in U.S.?
    I can see it now. An angry mob of greasy little MPAA/RIAA lawyers would drag the machine into an empty soccer field, and in a fit of rage, take out all their frustrations upon it, taking turns kicking and beating it until it relented and agreed NEVER EVER copy another CD, even for archival purposes.
    --

    --Got Lists? | Top 95 Star Wars Line
    1. Re:If this machine were in the U.S...... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Would they beat the crap out of the copier while playing that "It's good to be a gangster" song?

    2. Re:If this machine were in the U.S...... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually--the song was "Still" from the Ghetto Boys

    3. Re:If this machine were in the U.S...... by great_flaming_foo · · Score: 1

      [W]hat would happen to this machine in U.S.?
      Judging from the music industy's track record, I think it is more likely that they will have it burned at the stake...
      On second thought, that might be a good thing. Because then the EPA would bust them. Do know how many toxic fumes come off burning plastic?

    4. Re:If this machine were in the U.S...... by SoupIsGoodFood_42 · · Score: 1

      ...Then they'd get it to make 'a few last copies' of some norrible Neil-Diamond-like CDs for them, before they open it up, and steal all the blank CD's. In the morning, someone will come across a vending machine hanging from a telephone pole by it's powercord, begging to be let down. "I was just doing my job".

  33. You'd better not wish for that by InterruptDescriptorT · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    If the Israelis kill Arafat, which they so desperately want to do, they will trigger a war that will engulf the entire Middle East. First Egypt, then Syria, Jordan, and even the Iraqis will all join in and, though they may be defeated, inflict massive casualties on Israeli.

    BTW, the only way the US will care about it is if gas prices skyrocket to $5.00/gallon, making it expensive for them to fill up their land barges and SUVs. Then you might see a few more Yanks paying attention.

    I'm tired of waltzing for pancakes. - Gwen Mezzrow

    --
    Karma: Excellent Birds (mostly as a result of listening to Laurie Anderson)
  34. Won't Last by Amigori · · Score: 2
    As cool as it might seem to have these installed in 7/11's across the US, I'm pretty sure that the music industry won't let it happen. Legal fees and court costs will cause this company to go under, because the RIAA will just throw some high-cost lawsuits at them in the US, and I'm sure they, or their Australian counterpart, is trying similar legal tactics there in Australia.

    Wait a minute, you say, I purchased the media and should have fair use to it, I totally agree with you, but almost everyone that I know that copies music, for whatever reason, has access to a CD burner either in their computer, or a friends computer. So what's the point of this machine? Convenience. But it won't happen here, too many corrupt politicians...cough...Hollings...cough... and media barrons.

    Amigori

    --
    "The quality of life is determined by its activites."--Aristotle
    1. Re:Won't Last by Polaris · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I have to agree. When I was at Disneyworld Orlando in August I bought a picture of myself and my son on one of the rides, for the exorbitant sum of $12. Since I wanted him to keep the original, but wanted a copy for myself, I took the pic into the local Walgreens in downtown Kissimmee, where they had a color photocopier, and asked them to copy it. They refused, citing copyright. WDW obviously polices these guys pretty heavily. Still, I have a decent scanner at work, and a color laser...

    2. Re:Won't Last by Amigori · · Score: 2

      That's must be coincedence then, not the Walgreen's thing, but that I worked for Disney last August and lived near Kissimmee next to a Walgreens. Go figure...But yeah, when I did work there, we charged alot of money for everything. My cast discount brought the prices down to normal prices for most things there, but its still expensive.

      --
      "The quality of life is determined by its activites."--Aristotle
    3. Re:Won't Last by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mod parent up! Think about this, people. I, too, have
      experienced this, the last time I tried to colour-copy some
      pictures at a copy shop (with a copier they needed to show
      me how to use), many years ago. This was in small-town
      ontario, canada, nowhere near anything like disney world.
      Is there any reason a business would do this other than
      they're being intimidated (or even sued)? Is this behaviour
      on the part of media consortiums (or whoever) widespread
      practice? I don't expect action from this crowd, but could
      I at least hear some alarm?

  35. Does it do the label too? by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 2

    That would justify the cost / inconvienience. The article is mum on the subject.

    Ten minutes seemed pretty slow until I remembered these are stationed in convienience stores. Right next to the candy aisle, I bet. You'd think a dedicated machine would use a buffer and read/write at the same time, making 10 minutes too long on a 24x writer, but they probably agreed to slow it down in exchange for floor space.

    --
    My God, it's Full of Source!
    OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
    1. Re:Does it do the label too? by The_dev0 · · Score: 1

      Short answer: No, it doesn't label them.

      --
      Never fight naked, unless you're in prison...
  36. Pictures, and more info: by viper21 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Can be found at this website

    It actually looks kind of neat. That article will give you the lowdown of how it works, and what kind of profit you can expect. Neato.

    I think that I'll stick with my Pinball Machines or to writing Movie Reviews

  37. It is already paid for by Vspirit · · Score: 3, Insightful

    They tax CDR to cover monetary compensation to the artists.
    ahh nice, then its already paid for, no more complains.. no problem.
    lets copy.

    Today is the day.. not my first post, but registered post number 100 after coming here day in and day out since dec97.

  38. Don't forget prices in Aussie dollars by Anthy · · Score: 2, Informative

    Which means in US dollars the price for the burn + CD is US$3.50.

  39. Old news in Perth... by BrokenHalo · · Score: 2, Informative

    These machines have been installed at the student guild offices in Murdoch University for at least a year.

  40. Wonder what by yatest5 · · Score: 1

    Wonder what would happen to this machine in U.S. and Europe

    It would get vandalised by n'erdo'wells. Bloody kids today etc. etc.

    --
    • Mod parent up! [a] by Anonymous Coward (Score:5) Thurs, June 31, @13:37
  41. too bad by stud9920 · · Score: 1

    Too bad in Australia all contents is already banned to "protect children" : there's nothing left to burn.

  42. Re: Howdy. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wonder what would happen to this machine in U.S. and Europe.

    Lemme guess, end of CD-burning using WinXP? The system I uses takes 20 minutes to read and then a further thirty minutes to write . Had to miss a crucial class because of that, didn't realise WinXP first saves a copy on the harddrive.

    PS:- You think they'd accept 700 megs of attachment? I'll pay for the postage; CD's are lightweight parcels.

  43. Oh, those poor artists & software designers! by squison · · Score: 1
    NEW machines installed in Adelaide convenience stores make the illegal copying of the latest CDs and computer software - which costs artists and software designers millions of dollars - as easy as buying a loaf of bread.
    I especially like it how by coping CDs we are stealing millions of dollars from the artists and software designers and NOT the huge corporations behind them. We should all be ashamed! Those POOR POOR people! Maybe the artists & designers should go ask their managers/bosses for a ride to the soup kitchen in their new Jaguar.

    Reminds me of those Sally Struthers commercials. "Save the children, Save the software designers!"

    ...

  44. It's not just selling by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why keep wasting money on copy protection when you could be making money from the copying itself?

  45. THIS IS OLD!! by bryans · · Score: 1

    I saw this machine next to the newsagency in Broadway, Sydney sometime last year! Duh!

    1. Re:THIS IS OLD!! by bryans · · Score: 1

      The price was AUD$4 provided you bring your own blank CD.

    2. Re:THIS IS OLD!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you did?!?!?!?!
      i musta had a case of frikkin domestic blindness, because i used to go through there at least once or twice a week, and i *NEVER* saw that doodad. sure i saw the "pie internet" cafe stand thing running on a bastardised version of linux, but that was at gaymart, uhm, i mean k-mart. but at the newsagent? DAMN!

  46. I've actually used one of these... not so good... by swagr · · Score: 3, Funny

    My CD came out upside-down. And although I was making a copy of Slackware, the copied CD was Men at Work.

    --

    -... --- .-. . -.. ..--..
  47. They could stop piracy by CrazyJim0 · · Score: 1

    FBI: Someone is trying to copy Britney Spears on the CD recorder at wallmart downtown. Code red! Send in the national gaurd.

  48. Sand by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hehe, wait till someone dumps sand in the reading slot.
    Vandals could kill this good

  49. Stealing the invisible by jimharris · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I find all this glee surrounding stealing very odd. And be honest, people are stealing, even the older generation has gotten into the act. I'm 50, and I see all kinds of people just copying CDs right and left. No one wants to buy them anymore.

    And I think it's a kind of gutless thievery. People will rationalize this because they aren't stealing anything tangible. But future economics will be based on the intangible.

    This shows that ethics is directly related to what people can get away with. People are more than willing to steal if it's easy, but they don't have the balls to steal the CD player to play their stolen CDs in.

    Jim Harris

    1. Re:Stealing the invisible by PeekabooCaribou · · Score: 1

      Well, when you "steal" software or music, you've taken something, but it's not like you're depriving someone else the privilege of using it.

      For me, it boils down to this: I think piracy is somewhat justified when a person would not have access to the software without pirating it. It's totally unethical when a person pirates because they do not feel like paying for the software, even though they have the means to.

      --
      "I'll say it again for the logic-impaired." -- Larry Wall.
    2. Re:Stealing the invisible by (void*) · · Score: 3, Funny
      But future economics will be based on the intangible.

      Which newsletter is it you subcribe to, and how may I subscribe, so that I too, may know the future?
    3. Re:Stealing the invisible by Kyzia · · Score: 1
      For me, it boils down to this: I think piracy is somewhat justified when a person would not have access to the software without pirating it. It's totally unethical when a person pirates because they do not feel like paying for the software, even though they have the means to.

      There's no way I'd pay the kind of money that Autocad or 3D Studio typically costs in order to be able to tinker with it at home. It's a pity there isn't some easy & foolproof way to distinguish between commercial and non-commercial use (aside from crippleware type stuff). For someone to profit financially from something, they should be prepared to pay for it, though.

    4. Re:Stealing the invisible by jimharris · · Score: 1

      > Which newsletter is it you subcribe to,
      > and how may I subscribe, so that I too,
      > may know the future?

      Jesus, you don't need to be a weatherman to know which way the wind blows. Just look at trends. You already know the world is going digital, thus in the old goods and services economics, some goods are becoming intangible, but they still need to be for sale.

      If some kind of Star Trek replicator was invented so we could copy a Mercedes as easily as a Nellie Furtado CD, we'd still need to sell them. Our world is based on jobs. Anything that destroys jobs is bad for the world.

      Is it so hard to see the trend that stealing digital copies of music, movies, books, etc will hurt the economy, and destroy jobs?

      Jim Harris

    5. Re:Stealing the invisible by jimharris · · Score: 1

      > Well, when you "steal" software or music,
      > you've taken something, but it's not like
      > you're depriving someone else the privilege
      > of using it.

      Rationalize all you want. But you are ultimately destroying jobs, which hurts lots of people. It's more than the big bad record company or the struggling artist. It's truckers, cashiers, store owners, warehousemen, and so on.

      Civilization is based on laws, codes of conducts, ethics, morals, etc. By law it is stealing. Just because the likelihood of you being prosecuted is nil, technically you could be. That's why it's stealing. But it's more than just the law. It's a matter of honor and respect for other people.

      Artists of all types have always had a hard time of making a living by being creative. What you are staying by stealing their work is: my personal interests are more important than anything else, more important than civilization, more important than jobs, more important than some struggling creative person to make a living off of their talent.

      I think that shows a lack of honor.

      Jim Harris

    6. Re:Stealing the invisible by Havokmon · · Score: 3, Interesting
      If some kind of Star Trek replicator was invented so we could copy a Mercedes as easily as a Nellie Furtado CD, we'd still need to sell them. Our world is based on jobs. Anything that destroys jobs is bad for the world.

      The U.S. has been moving towards a "service industry" for YEARS, as our imports have greatly outnumbered our exports.

      I see it as, "If you don't have anything to offer, you've only screwed yourself."

      Music and Publishing are not service industries. Like you said, just look at trends. I saw this coming before I got into High School, the service industry (not just waitressing) is where the future is. Not the resale of physical property.

      Jobs aren't "Lost" they're merely transferred from production to service. This is why there are so many 40yr olds going back to school. Someone working in a 'plant' for 40 or 50 years is rare now. Career changes are expected.

      Eventually, the concept of owning an Idea forever will go away, and you WILL be able to replicate a Mercades legally (via Star Trek). But not until after you've purchased the rights to it.

      There would be no product on the shelf as you invision. Only the plans would need to be sold.

      Only the uninformed think that copying computer data is any different from Xeroxing a book. No, it doesn't take much longer to do OCR a physical book than it does to copy an ebook. I did that for a living 10 years ago (legally OCR'ing manuals for companies). Burning a CD now takes just as long as OCR'ing 500 pages 10 years ago (on a 286).

      You're almost there, you realize the future is coming, and there are legal issues, but you havn't let go of classic manufacturing...

      Is it so hard to see the trend that stealing digital copies of music, movies, books, etc will hurt the economy, and destroy jobs?

      Actually, yes. Stealing in the digital age is not the same as it was 100 years ago. You envision Star Trek repliation of a Mercedes. If that car is stolen, who loses? The owner? They'll replicate another one. The seller? Maybe, but please, a little common sense here: the person stole the car beause they didn't want to pay for it. It's digital, there is no materials cost lost by the 'creator' (Now, the buyer is producing the vehicle in his replicator - some energy is lost), just a potential loss of another copy that could have been purchased - which costs zero to produce above what has already been spent on creation.

      Sure, it's easy to copy music. What's being stolen? The same thing that's played on the radio? So I press record on my PC, and record the radio. Have I stolen? Or maybe I bought the CD version of a tape I already bought. Now who's stolen (Some think the RIAA)? I already own the content, it was placed on a CD for me as a service..(See where we're going?)

      All the hubub about piracy is mostly because the industry is seeing an end of the line of upgrades (8-track -> record -> tape -> CD). With digital content, they're revenue is fixed. No longer can they get revenue for the same material (original cost) over 30 years, reselling it in different formats. They will need to adjust to the new SERVICE industry that has been coming for YEARS, or someone else will take their place.

      If I could see the trend from production to service industry coming before I hit High School (I'm 28 now), and big business did not, that's pretty pitiful. I'd be willing to bet they just didn't WANT to see it coming.

      We're "Losing" jobs over this supposed "piracy" as much as we've lost jobs over automation in manufacturing. Remember when those robots were going to put all us humans out of work?

      Even in this 'recession', and those pesky robots building our cars, unemployment has not reached critical mass.

      --
      "I can't give you a brain, so I'll give you a diploma" - The Great Oz (blatently stolen sig)
    7. Re:Stealing the invisible by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      First, music and movies, I agree, will continue to be stolen with great gusto. Books? Not unless you beat up a trucker and drive off with a rig full of 'em.

      People don't like staring at a monitor for hours at a time. Well, normal people, I should say. Curing up in bed with a cup of coffee and.. A bulky, disgustingly ugly screen.. It just isn't the same as having an actual book in your hands.

      At any rate, what of software piracy and jobs? What of the ridiculous pricing schemes that force students to either become pirates, or fail to get decent jobs if they actually graduate without proper software? Much of the software students 'need to know' is priced so far out of reach it isn't funny, especially when you factor in the ridiculous costs that tuition tends to achieve these days.

      While we're on the prices of CD's, what of them? Why is the price going *up* instead of down? Who's getting all the money from these sales? It sure as hell isn't the artists.

      Rambling about pricing and the fact that I'll take a hardcover copy of the Silmarillion over an e-book any day.. I agree, piracy will cost jobs. Some lines need to be drawn, but therein is the major problem. What lines, and where? Should CD and DVD burners be banned? What of system backups? What of the jobs that banning those would cost? Manufacturing those is a decent sized chunk of jobs.

      Should prices of CDs and DVDs be slashed? They could afford to if they really wanted to, and it would lower piracy, but who would suffer? Would the RIAA/MPAA execs take a pay cut, or would they get rid of the workers under them?

      Should there be a hefty tax on recordable media? It could be used to pay for supposed piracy, but why should someone who's burning a Linux distribution for a friend be forced to support an artist they don't listen to? What of independant musicians recording their own stuff? They won't see any of the tax money, why should they support someone else's music and get nothing in return?

      The economy is changing. One of the primary problems with piracy these days is that companies are refusing to change with it. They want special rules and dispensations. They wish to stand in the way of progress. And the rest of us will suffer for it.

      When the markets and the economy change, companies must adapt or die. So it has been for how long? So it should always be.

    8. Re:Stealing the invisible by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "But you are ultimately destroying jobs"

      Really? Whose? The bands? Nah. They sell their records anyway.

      The recording studio workers? Nope. Its more likely home recording of amateur bands hurts these guys more than people copying CD's.

      The record company execs? Nope. There seems to be more of them than ever.

      Lawyers? Please. If only we could put them out of business.

      The only people who might lose are shareholders of record companies and this fails for a couple of reasons:

      1) Shareholders should be up in arms that the management of these companies don't accomodate P2P rather than fight it.

      2) The record companies are morally equivalent to cigarette companies.

      Bottom line: The current managment of the the record companies and the RIAA/MPAA needs to be fired and clueful people need to be put in place.

    9. Re:Stealing the invisible by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Is it so hard to see the trend that stealing digital copies of music, movies, books, etc will hurt the economy, and destroy jobs?"

      No, its not at all obvious.

      Movies and Music and a drop in the bucket compared with Computer Hardare, Software, Cars, Boats, Travel, and even Video Games.

      Do you seriously think selling CD's will ever equal the economic impact of say...Oldsmobile? It won't because for information to get to the kind of state you think, it will have to become cheaper by 1-2 orders of magnitude.

      People must buy houses. People must buy cars. The $20 for their phone, $30 for the cell phone and $150 for cable have exhausted disposible income. There is no more golden goose from consumers for this digital nirvana you think will happen.

      It just won't happen, so stop defending the status quo of DMCA and copyright that makes a criminal of people if they want to copy a TV show and send it to their friends. Its stupid and ensures we *won't* have the digital future you think will happen.

    10. Re:Stealing the invisible by PeekabooCaribou · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Here's a hypothetical situation: I need to use, say, Adobe Illustrator to finsh my homework for a graphic design course. I'm a starving college student, taking home about $50-$75 a week working part time. I have expenses like school supplies, gas, food, etc. I'm obviously not going to buy Illustrator because of the high price tag, even though I would like to support the developers and their wonderful program. Even the educational pricing is prohibitive. Instead, I have two choices: use the school-supplied computer labs, or download a copy and use it from the convenience of my home.

      In either case, I don't have the means to pay for the program. I could go without having the program on my own machine. I could pirate, which in other hypothetical situations might mean the difference between finishing and not finishing the work. If I pirate, you say the company is losing money. I say the money was never headed in it's direction anyway. It "lost" money it never had any claim on.

      I believe these two things: people buy good software, and pirates grow to be consumers. Piracy has the potential to be harmless, and it has been in most cases that I've seen. Don't knock the 19 year old college student that pirates a copy of Word. Go for the computer consultant installing free copies of Office XP on every machine that comes through his door.

      --
      "I'll say it again for the logic-impaired." -- Larry Wall.
    11. Re:Stealing the invisible by rudedog · · Score: 3, Interesting

      First quote: But future economics will be based on the intangible.

      Second quote: you are ultimately destroying jobs ... truckers, cashiers, store owners, warehousemen, and so on

      So, in this future intangible economy, exactly what are the truckers, cashiers, store owners and warehousmen going to be doing?

      The fact is that economic models change. Business that don't change their business models to adapt to changing economic models will go out of business.

      If the typewriter industry had the lobbying clout of the entertainment industry, general purpose wordprocessors for computers would not exist, and printers would have a surtax of $1 per DPI capability, adding $600 to the cost of a 600 DPI printer.

      It's time for the entertainment industry to change their model or go out of business like the typewriter industry.

    12. Re:Stealing the invisible by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "But future economics will be based on the intangible."
      And since the posession of the intangible is not lost when it is duplicated (or stolen according to you), the business models should change in the future instead of trying to enforce the current ones on a product of a completely different nature. Trying to create an artificial scarcity is a waste of resources that could be otherwise put to work on something productive.

    13. Re:Stealing the invisible by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's not very fair to us theives. I for one stole my first cd player.

      :)

    14. Re:Stealing the invisible by h0rus · · Score: 1

      You sound completely detached from reality, I pity you.

    15. Re:Stealing the invisible by Joe+U · · Score: 1

      "If some kind of Star Trek replicator was invented so we could copy a Mercedes as easily as a Nellie Furtado CD, we'd still need to sell them. Our world is based on jobs. Anything that destroys jobs is bad for the world."

      If some kind of Star Trek replicator was invented, would 99% of us actually *need* jobs?

    16. Re:Stealing the invisible by (void*) · · Score: 2
      Is the wind you are experiencing turning into a full force gale, or will do nothing but stroke the green grass of the fields?


      There is an old Chinese saying: bend as the wind blows. If the trend is the service insutry as it were, why is the RIAA "fighting the future". If they were publicly held company, I'll sell their stock right away.

    17. Re:Stealing the invisible by (void*) · · Score: 2

      Here's another question: why jobs?

  50. Oh, that one's easy. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Wonder what would happen to this machine in U.S. and Europe."

    Vandalism, of course. Cheers.

  51. Re:You'd better wish for that by blane.bramble · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Good. The planet will cleanse itself of Islam one country at a time, and the world will be a better place for it. Who says evolution doesn't favor the stronger species?

    Or, of course, the planet might cleanse itself of humanity in one go. You may be mistaken as to which species evolution favours, it doesn't have to be us (and unlike you, I don't consider someone from a different country or religion a different species).

    Islam is a lie.

    And Christianity isn't?

  52. Pay the artists a cut by mgkimsal2 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If there was a way to identify the content (aren't there some nifty headers some place with a specific ID for many commercial CDs?) one could fairly easily track which commercial music CDs are being copied and collect royalties on behalf of the artist.

    IIRC, a CD costing $18 at a retail store ends up putting about $2 in the pocket of the artist. I'd happily give $2 directly to an artist for a copy of their disc. The other $16 is to cover overhead of distribution, marketing, etc. Well, the marketing is being done via WOM (or via ads which I'd already seen, causing interest in the music) and the distribution is being handled by the CD copier itself. I can do without the packaging, and the arist gets their $2 from the CD copying machine company.

    If I'm copying a CD of my vacation pics, it's $5 to copy. If it's the latest Tom Petty or whatever, it's $7. Works for me.

    1. Re:Pay the artists a cut by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      IIRC, a CD costing $18 at a retail store ends up putting about $2 in the pocket of the artist.

      More like a quarter or fifty cents, IF the artist is lucky. Often the record company will charge the artist for "expenses" (using "accounting practices" that would cause even Enron to vomit), sometimes so much that the artist can wind up OWING THE RECORD COMPANY MONEY, even if the CD goes multi-platinum.

  53. Private Copying is legal in Canada by Oniros · · Score: 2

    In Canada you can legally borrow an audio CD from someone and make a copy for yourself. Hence the tax on blank media to compensate for that.

    For more information: Articlde 80 of the Copyright Act of Canada

  54. What newspapers are YOU reading??? by Kombat · · Score: 1
    With all the news of banning cd burners [...]

    What news would that be? Who the heck is talking about "banning CD burners?" At first, I thought maybe I missed a major news article or something, so I did a quick Google search and came up empty handed. The closest thing I could find was a satire piece in the Purdue student newsletter.

    So, praytell, please post a link to this news article wherein people are calling for a ban on CD burners, or quit exaggerating.

    --
    Like woodworking? Build your own picture frames.
  55. What would happen to them in the US? by Bubba · · Score: 0

    They'd most likely be vandalized, or stolen and put on ebay. Laws aside, something like this wouldn't work in the US because of how disrespectful most people here are. They'd see one of these on the way home from picking up their welfare cheese and insert a few slices into the unit to be copied. Not only are the majority of americans disrespectful, but a large majority of them aren't the sharpest spoons in the drawer. Besides, I don't think many Americans could figure out how to use the things in the first place. We all know what happened to cigarette machines (damn do I miss these). Enough US bashing, I'll go back to my state job of being on IRC.

    -B

  56. Re:Oh, those poor artists & software designers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I especially like it how by coping CDs we are stealing millions of dollars from the artists and software designers and NOT the huge corporations behind them

    The corporation employs the artists and designers. If the corporation loses money, they lay off the artists and designers.

  57. Remembers something like this... by Mysticalfruit · · Score: 1

    Way back when cdr's were a novelty, at least at "Strawberries" (a music store in the northeast us) you could goto a console pick out the songs you wanted and it would make you a custom cd.

    The system sucked for a number of reasons:
    1. The interface was a bit kludgy.
    2. The burner was painfully snow like 1x or 2x
    3. The selection sucked.

    With the advent of superfast writers, I could invision a really sweet kiosk that would better to use.

    Personally I think this is the way that record companies should go. Instead of charging a lousy 16 bucks for a cd, they should charge 5 and make the thing on the spot. I personally know I'd pay 5 bucks for a CD, even if I wasn't sure I'd like all the songs. The other cool thing is a record company could setup a kisok that only featured music from its own artists so you could do the mix and match thing.

    --
    Yes Francis, the world has gone crazy.
  58. I don't like the analogy by Mr_Silver · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Can someone come up with a better analogy than copying CD's with this and copying books with a photo copier?

    I don't like it because:

    1. If you photocopy a whole book it takes a lot longer than the 9 minutes it takes for a cd.
    2. If you photocopy a book, you don't get a near perfect copy, whereas if you copy a cd you do.
    What does worry me is that the people in the article might just be right, this could harm the music industry. If anyone on the street can make a near perfect exact copy of any cd then what is the incentive for most people to buy it in the first place? People don't go out a photocopy books because the methods that you use to copy it are so tedious and time consuming that it rapidly becomes a waste of time and money. This is different, you stick the cd in and wait 9 minutes, this is substantially easier than copying a book.

    Many people who buy a copy of something they have on pirate do it either to support the artist or because their copy quality is rubbish. I'm willing to bet that the majority of people would even both to cough up would because of the latter and with this, there is no need to do that since the quality is already perfect.

    Of course the industry shouldn't charge such exhorbitant prices for stuff. You think you're hard done by in the US? Take the price in USD and that is what it is in UKP, in other words, our CD's are 1.5 times more that yours!

    Take a look at the Amiga. Ignoring Commodores own inabilities, the software market was utterly obliterated by the ease it was to pick up copies of anything released. It just because totally un-economical to write and sell anything for it.

    --
    Avantslash - View Slashdot cleanly on your mobile phone.
    1. Re:I don't like the analogy by SubtleNuance · · Score: 2

      If you photocopy a whole book it takes a lot longer than the 9 minutes it takes for a cd.

      If you photocopy a book, you don't get a near perfect copy, whereas if you copy a cd you do.


      This does, to any logical person, not matter a wit. Either the act is legal or it is not, why try and confuse the subject with this muddy it-changes-the-feeling-of-the-act-and-result.

      Are you proposing Information Would be Free if it lasts longer than %arbitrary_time% to propagate and the result is sub-optimal by %this_much%?

      Do you work for the RIAA? I cant see any-other reason to foist these non-sequitur arguments... outside of irrelevant FUD/propaganda to "change the subject" in a public debate.

    2. Re:I don't like the analogy by Jordy · · Score: 2
      1. If you photocopy a whole book it takes a lot longer than the 9 minutes it takes for a cd.

      You know... comments like these get me thinking that people haven't seen what an industrial copier can do. You do realize that they make 120+ ppm copiers with book scanners attached to them right? (though unbinding the book is better.)

      Not only that, but some of these photocopiers have document binders attached to them and they will fold, stitch and trim your finished work.

      I hope you also realize that since the bulk of the time is spent scanning, the second copy you decide to make doesn't take nearly as long.

      2. If you photocopy a book, you don't get a near perfect copy, whereas if you copy a cd you do.

      Actually, current photocopier technology is a bit beyond that office copier you use. Color is a bit harder and more expensive, but your average book doesn't typically have much color.

      Say you are student and instead of spending $125 on a book, you decide to borrow one from someone and get it copied. At 800 pages, you are looking at roughly 10 minutes (with binding.) Your total costs (assuming you can use the high-end copier at-cost, ie. no kinkos) is in the $30 range.

      The end result is similar to that of a copied CD. No cover art, slightly lower quality medium and one hell of a cost savings.

      So the question becomes, why doesn't everyone do it?

      First, it's somewhat hard to find Xerox 8900 series copiers (or equivilent) that can be used without questions by the attendant, though certainly not impossible. Most copy shops will copy whatever you ask them to using their industrial copiers instead of those dinky self-serve ones. I'm not particularly sure of the legality of making a 'backup copy' of a book, but the argument could be made in the face of a head strong attendant.

      People like having the real physical medium and the average person has no problem paying for someone they feel is worth the money.

      There is also the resale value to think about... copied goods being rather shady aren't an asset to be sold off at a later time.

      All in all, the photocopy analogy is pretty accurate. The real difference is what you can do at home easily. While there are book scanner adapters, it takes quite a bit loner to print and then you have to bind it yourself, but the savings involved is substanially higher than what you get by copying CDs.

      --
      The world is neither black nor white nor good nor evil, only many shades of CowboyNeal.
    3. Re:I don't like the analogy by Mr_Silver · · Score: 2
      This does, to any logical person, not matter a wit. Either the act is legal or it is not, why try and confuse the subject with this muddy it-changes-the-feeling-of-the-act-and-result.

      I'm not saying that copying a book and CD are any less different. What I am saying is that using them both as an analogy is slightly incorrect because of their relative complexity in going about it. Using something which is just as easy to make a near perfect copy which is currently available in the streets for people to use would be a better analogy.

      From the article, you can now go into a shop cough up $9 (plus $2 for the CD) and in less than 10 minutes have a near perfect copy of your CD minus a cover case.

      Now, you try and do the same with a book at, say, your local copier shop and you'll find the results are substantially different. Granted, if you have access to a profesional copying system then the results are better, but at the end of the day the result is much more inferior and time consuming.

      This is why, at the time of writing, software piracy is more prevelant than, say, DVD piracy.

      What I am pointing out is that one of the most important factors in piracy is ease of copying. If it takes a long time to do and produces an inferior copy then people are less likely to do it. If, however, it costs very little and produces a very high quality result, then there is greater advantage.

      Do you work for the RIAA? I cant see any-other reason to foist these non-sequitur arguments... outside of irrelevant FUD/propaganda to "change the subject" in a public debate.

      Had you read my posting you would have realised that I'm in the UK where we don't have the RIAA. But of course you were too busy screaming the typical "FUD" to someones comment that you didn't quite understand.

      --
      Avantslash - View Slashdot cleanly on your mobile phone.
    4. Re:I don't like the analogy by BinxBolling · · Score: 1
      This does, to any logical person, not matter a wit.

      Why is it "logical" to ignore factors that have a significant influence on how a technology is going to be applied in practice?

  59. Carborundum by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Insert special abrasive 'carborundum' CD in blank CD position.

    CD Burner lens ground off.

    Move on to next location.

  60. slightly OT by SubtleNuance · · Score: 5, Interesting

    In Canada it is also (...for now... but stay tuned to properly oppose any pending legislation(!)) perfectly legal for a person to make copies of their own media. It is also absolutely LEGAL to copy ANOTHER PERSONS AUDIO CD.

    What does this mean? (first see this faq) You can take your friend's CD and burn yourself a copy - and its legal. This is because Canadians pay a levy on CDRs which 'compensate' producers (et al). I dont agree that this is the best tactic, but it is a powerful one. If people were informed of this fact, and groups actively promoted this, you could eliminate the present distribution scheme in Canada (retailers/distributors/labels). The Library would be all that Canadians needed to have copies of all the music they wanted.

    Now, why is this going OT? I would like to know, does anyone have links or Info to make a Linux based, CDR 'copy machine'? I would like to organize a 'Copy Your Friends CDs Party" at a library or some such (near the Uni in town would be good), but would like to be able to copy many-many volumes of CDs.

    I also have thought about make such a device available on loan to local Libraries in order to 'promote' and 'encourage' the practice.

    Can anyone provide a info to do such a thing? What would be really nice is if the device could be operated without a monitor - just insert discs and close the trays...

    1. Re:slightly OT by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How does this levy work? To whom is it distributed? I don't see how anybody could possibly get more than a couple of bucks out of this deal.

    2. Re:slightly OT by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why does it matter? I have my USian cousin smuggle tax-free CDRs to Canada by the thousands. Boycott Canada!

    3. Re:slightly OT by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Brilliant! I'd risk prison for levy-free CD-Rs, too!
      Dumbass.

    4. Re:slightly OT by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      this is canada we are talking about. you would get a slap on the wrist and a fine at worst.

    5. Re:slightly OT by bakes · · Score: 2

      What you should do is move levy-paid Canadian CDR's to the US, where they can copy as many audio CD's as they like.

      Or doesn't it work that way?

      --
      Ho! Haha! Guard! Turn! Parry! Dodge! Spin! Ha! Thrust!
  61. Why It's Different From Photocopiers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    For all the people who keep asking how it's any different:

    To copy a 200 page book costs about $20 US (usually more than the book itself) and takes hours of flipping pages and pressing buttons. To copy a 12 song CD costs less than $5 US and takes a few minutes of doing nothing.

    With a photocopier, you can copy a subset of a work. With the CD copier, you can only copy the entire CD.

    1. Re:Why It's Different From Photocopiers by cmdr_beeftaco · · Score: 1

      so why does it matter how much it cost and how long it takes? are you saying that if all books cost $200 upwards and had only 12 pages that photocopiers should be illegal? should cd copiers be legal only if they 30 minutes to duplicate and require you turn a hand crank while they are copying?
      the reason that books cost the price that they do might have something to do with the cost of duplication. cd copying and p2p file sharing introduces music publishers to a new form of competition and their prices will need to adjust to the new business environment.

  62. self-fulfilling prophecy by uslinux.net · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Does anyone remember when CDs came out? Records and tapes were $8-$10. Hell, records and tapes were $8 for YEARS. CDs came out at $15-16. The *excuse* at the time was that they were much more costly to manufacture, though truthfully, they were still cheaper, since there was a much lower rate of return for defective merchandise (after all, you don't get pops on CDs, normally).


    Even if it *was* $6 more expensive to produce a CD then, *now* CDs are practically free (just look at how many AOL wastes). So why hasn't the cost of CD music come down? Because the music industry can get it. Piracy was far less an issue when costs were *half* their cost now.


    My point? If CDs were $8 or $9, people would snatch them up and not bother to pirate them - after all, the amount of *effort* you need to put forth just to find stuff, download it, burn it, etc, isn't worthwhile. But, when CDs are now approaching $18+ at local stores - well, it doesn't take a genius to realize that it's *easy* to recoup your initial hardware "investment" (cost).


    FWIW, I own about 150 albums and another 150 CDs. And yet I really haven't bought any CDs in probably 2 years. Why? Cost, and the level of crap which is being put out now (which is probably more a function of me being 25 and having already found a style of music 4 or 5 years ago which I like - which is now disappearing).

    1. Re:self-fulfilling prophecy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My point is that until Automobiles cost the $600 dollars that the average auto thief can afford to pay, auto thieves will continue to steal them off the dealer's lot.

      And that's right and fair. They're entitled to new automobiles at the price they can afford to pay.

    2. Re:self-fulfilling prophecy by tswinzig · · Score: 2

      probably more a function of me being 25 and having already found a style of music 4 or 5 years ago which I like - which is now disappearing

      Crap-rock?

      No...

      Wuss-rock?

      That's it!

      --

      "And like that ... he's gone."
    3. Re:self-fulfilling prophecy by 71thumper · · Score: 1

      Are we all really so stupid as to think that the cost of the CD alone is the only factor in its pricing?

      That's as moronic as saying Intel should sell CPUs for 20 bucks because that's way more than it costs to make a CPU.

      In both cases, it totally ignores development, infrastructure, salaries, and so forth.

      These type of statments only make the 'average Joe' on the street go 'these guys are a bunch of idiots looking to find lame excuses to rip off music companies.'

      Arguements like this aren't proving anything other than total stupidity.

    4. Re:self-fulfilling prophecy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      it totally ignores development, infrastructure, salaries, and so forth

      None of which is any different than it would be for an LP. Your argument tells us why they can't sell CDs for $1, but doesn't give us any reason why they can't sell for $8.

    5. Re:self-fulfilling prophecy by btellier · · Score: 2

      Woah there, oxygen thief. How come I can buy the tape of the latest Backstreet Boys album for $5 less than the CD?

    6. Re:self-fulfilling prophecy by Il+Futurismo · · Score: 1

      which is probably more a function of me being 25 and having already found a style of music 4 or 5 years ago which I like - which is now disappearing

      25 years old... 5 year old music style... quickly disappearing? A fellow former ska kid! Pick it up!

    7. Re:self-fulfilling prophecy by elandal · · Score: 2
      FWIW, I own about 150 albums and another 150 CDs. And yet I really haven't bought any CDs in probably 2 years. Why? Cost, and the level of crap which is being put out now (which is probably more a function of me being 25 and having already found a style of music 4 or 5 years ago which I like - which is now disappearing).

      I'm still buying CDs. Mostly because I like the fluff that comes with them (copying yields a stupid-looking thing). And I don't know many people who'd have CDs I'd want. And most of the tracks are just too hard to find on the net - and if I find them, they're mostly badly encoded crap.

      I buy Japanese import CDs over the net from USA - and I live in Finland. With S&H and taxes, I probably pay about USD 40-45 per CD.. It's mostly cheaper than buying straight from Japan, and the titles aren't found in Finland anyway. And yes, I could probably get china/hongkong/taiwan bootlegs for half the price, but I prefer the originals, as they have nicer packaging, and then I know I support the original artists unlike with the bootlegs.

      When I get the CDs, I put them to the CD-ROM drive, rip and encode, and listen to. Mostly because I spend most of my time around computers (a job - a hobby, what's the difference? I don't know which one I'm really paid for, as I mostly can't distinguish between them).

      Of course it's nice every now and then to pop the disc into the standalone player in my living room, and listen to the tracks in better (less noisy, better audio equipment) environment.

      Yes, I do buy other CDs, too. Sometimes I copy a disc from a friend, and then start looking for it. Every now and then I find the original, other times I don't find it and give up.
      Every now and then I do buy a CD without ever having heard any tracks on it. Mostly that happens when I have most of the recordings from some artist, and decide that I might as well complete the collection.
    8. Re:self-fulfilling prophecy by Rendwich · · Score: 1

      It's so cool how I posted the content of this comment first (see above) and got rated a "2".

  63. This is the way it should be by famazza · · Score: 2

    This is the way it should be. RIAA should learn how to avoid copying without changing laws, or even excluding technologies or breaking any copyright. If they try to add value to their products I'm sure that many will avoid copying.

    I'll say it again, RIAA/MPAA must learn to adapt themselves to new upcoming technologies. When a robot replaces a worker there are no laws that avoid this, the worker must adapt himself, by doing a new job, or by doing it better then the robot.

    No association should overcome the democracy or the liberty, let's avoid this kind of thing.

    --

    -=-=-=-=
    I know life isn't fair, but why can't it ever be un-fair in MY favor!?
  64. you missed some by iplayfast · · Score: 1

    I think you're a bit biased in your view. You look on information as something that is owned and controled. That is not its natural state, that is the state of information in the corperate age.

    Another use is to copy non commercial cds.

    Here is some examples.
    1. Linux distros
    2. personal software that you have given out to friends (Yes some people make their own software, and aren't near their computers when they need to make a copy).
    3. Course materials. (eg library has master you must do the copying).

    1. Re:you missed some by Erasmus+Darwin · · Score: 2
      "I think you're a bit biased in your view. You look on information as something that is owned and controled. That is not its natural state, that is the state of information in the corperate age."

      You present a number of legitimate, non-infringing uses. I'll even admit that I dropped the ball by not mentioning them in my previous post. The problem is that they aren't especially likely.

      Most of the CD-based information people deal with is corporate or commercial in nature. I think it's great that we have garage bands, public access TV, and amateur films, but I don't think they'll ever compete with the level of permeation seen by pop stars, network TV, and Hollywood. Even Linux, with its many benefits, doesn't have the overall marketshare of Windows (even if it is holding its own in the server realm).

      In short, I see this service being used similarly to how many of the popular music-based P2P services are used -- despite the occasional legit use, most of the traffic is Britney Spears, Linkin Park, N'Sync, and System of a Down.

    2. Re:you missed some by Kintanon · · Score: 2

      For which I care exactly nothing. The fact that some other asshole wants to distribute bad commercial music around in his spare time has exactly no impact on me. And it shouldn't affect my ability to distribute amateur martial arts movies online, or any other creative work which is a product of my own effort. If I need to make 100 copies of a CD that I'm selling for 15$ apiece because it has my cool Amateur Wuxia movie on it then one of these things would be great to have access to. If they're really paranoid about it pay some kid 5.25$ an hour to sit next to the machine and check CDs to make sure they are legit.

      Kintanon

      --
      Check out JoshJitsu.info for Brazilian Ji
  65. Of course you can by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 3, Informative

    You just need a quality burner and good burning software. Go to http://www.elby.org/CloneCD/english/ and have a look. Personally, I recommend getting a Lite-On burner. There is almost nothing the new ones can't copy. They read all the subchannels and so get copyprotections like the old safedisc and Laserlock and so on, and they even do all the EFM bit patterns correctly and so can get the new safedisc as well. This is legal, even with teh DCMA. Why? Simple, you aren't actually circumventing copy protection. You are just making an exact copy of the disc. All the copy protection will actually be intact on the copy, just as it was on the orignal.

    Apparently the only point of contention is the ability to amplify weak sectors of Safedisc 2 discs. CloneCD will disable that ability if your Windows profile indicates you live in the US.

    At any rate, get yourself a Lite-On LTR-24102B (24x burner) for about $110 off pricewatch and get a copy of CloneCD for $31 and you'll be able to copy more or less any disc out there.

  66. This is morally reprehensible! by lunky · · Score: 1

    I am aghast that in this day of information flow and digital everything that some individuals are forced to use coin-op cd copiers.
    To think for only a few cents a day these poor souls could have CD-RW's for their computers.
    What are YOU doing to help?

    --
    lunky> c++; lunky> do{;}
    1. Re:This is morally reprehensible! by King_TJ · · Score: 2

      Huh? Do I mod you down for stupidity, or up for humor? I'm not quite sure....

      I suppose it's also morally reprehensible to have coin-operated soda machines in today's society, when everyone should have the technology of a refrigerator at home, and can chill and serve their own sodas!

      All coin-op devices are there for one of two reasons. 1. convenience, and 2. entertainment value. If you decide it's more convenient (financially convenient, even!) to use a coin-op based service than to invest in your own system at home, so what? That should be a valid choice.

  67. How is this different.. by teamhasnoi · · Score: 1

    from me sitting in a van with my laptop with a sign that says "CD Backups: 2 for $10"?

  68. Questionable popularity of such a device? by Cam+Wheeler · · Score: 1

    While at first it seems like it would be fairly popular, if you look at the figures a bit closer, I can't see that many people using it.

    A brand new 32x burner costs under $200 australian here and a most cost effective 16x burner can be found under $100AU. At $5 a copy on the public machine, it's only 20 copies before you could have bought a new burner for your home machine.

    That may seem like alot of copies, but the conveniance of having a home burner would outweigh the initial cost (want to burn a cd? drive down to where ever it is, spent time parking etc etc and any additional costs such as fuel). Even if the machine cost $1 per burn, it's still inconveniant enough to buy a home burner.

    Even people who burn 1 CD a year probably have a friend who can burn a cd for them, and even then, the casual users of this machine would probably not bring in the profit margins that store owners would be looking for (the site seems to indicate each machine costs $6000 or $35 a week).

    If this had been around mayb 3 or 4 years ago when a large amount of people didn't own burners then yes I could see it being a success, but now, I doubt it.

  69. Re:Wonder what would happen to this machine in U.S by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Nope, what would happen in the US is that the machine will be also equipped with hidden digital cameras and a private network link so that it will let you do all the copying you want, but will videotape you doing it and automatically report the crime and evidence to the cops.

  70. no reason to wonder. by sootman · · Score: 1
    Wonder what would happen to this machine in U.S. and Europe.

    Easy: Hillary Rosen would spend the rest of her days walking from store to store with a 12-pound sledgehammer.

    --
    Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
  71. Re:Oh, those poor artists & software designers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yes, but remember you're responding to somebody who probably views paid-for-work to be a ripoff. The dumpster dive crowd often feels that way about people who go out and get a job.

    So the artists and designers will be pulled down into dumpster-diveo's dirty little world, and he can feel all equal and shit.

  72. Slow down Cowboy Neal with a .357! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

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  73. This thing better have some weight to it! by splume · · Score: 2, Funny

    "Wonder what would happen to this machine in U.S. and Europe."

    Well, depending on what part of the contry (USA) you put this thing in, I can see a couple of red-necks loading this baby on the back of their pickup and driving off with it (cough West Virginia cough). If people have tried to rip off ATM's, soda machines, and newspaper dispensers, what makes you think they wouldn't go after this thing? I really hope they load the base of this puppy with some lead or cement.

    --

    Who is John Galt?
  74. Everybody's a genius on slashdot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "And I think it's a kind of gutless thievery"

    Yes. Much better to have "gutful" theievery. Hell, why not shoot a store clerk on the way out. That will make you a real man.

    Real men don't do "gutless thievery".

    (where does slashdot get these guys from?)

  75. wtf by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    wtf

    this is a test
    onkly a test

  76. I've got a business idea. by Fortuna+Wolf · · Score: 1

    Ah, I think I'll just start my own music store, Sell cds at or below regular cost,
    and to amuse myself and make money, I'll have a row of these machines by the back wall... you can return any cd in within 30 minutes.
    5 dollars a copy. enjoy :)
    And all the security cameras will be pointing away from the machines.

    --
    Disclaimer:The "Human" attached to this account is unresponsible for anything unless it wants responsibility.
    1. Re:I've got a business idea. by Rendwich · · Score: 1

      I'm sure many readers can remember the old "software vendor" chain called Software Pipeline. They had stores all over the US (maybe elsewhere too, I don't know).

      Yes, you could buy the software, but no one ever did. Because you could *rent* it for a day or two for a few bucks, and then bring it back. They always made sure the manuals were in good condition, and they even had a nice, unsupervised photocopy machine right in the store.

      Combine this with your favorite cracking software, and you have pure gold. Unfortunately, they were wiped out by heavy legal fire from a number of entities (as I recall). So the idea has been tried, long before music and the RIAA were a computer issue, and it couldn't even survive under the old, reasonable laws.

      Now, a moment of silence, please, for one of the greatest, shortest-lived ideas of the eighties.

  77. Imagine.... by OSSTwitSpotter · · Score: 0

    Imagine a Beowolf cluster of these things!

    Bury Hillary Rosen under a pile of coasters!

  78. Napalm, Eh? by TrapperJ · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Napalm GW, you say? You're a classic college educate. What's your major, by the way?...freak.

    1. Re:Napalm, Eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Haha, modded down where you belong... It's only a joke. Get it? Laugh, dude, that'a what it's for.

  79. Has anyone... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    burned their ass to CD yet on one of these things?

    (C'mon, you know you've done it...)

  80. Re:Damn it feels good to be a gangsta by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Overrated at zero?!

    Crack. Head. Moderators.

  81. In U.S. and Europe ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "...Wonder what would happen to this machine in U.S. and Europe."

    It would get vandalized.

  82. Why STOP??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I find it interisting the ways the establishment is trying to STOP inovation. It starts to Court Bar Napster to death on the grounds of an unproved "piracy" problem (an hard fact to prove as the sales in the time where napster was active raised - it seams to me that it worked as a preview system instead of a "copyright" violation system - but i will leave the "correct" specifications to the courts - hmm... to how has more money ...).

    Then arrives the CD Copier Machines...

    And they start to complain about piracy! BAH... Why don't they start to use the technology by themselfs to sell is a mistery.

    If i was a publisher (or had a good amount of money), i would place those machines all over the world... but with one little change... You can't copy a CD... you could burn CD's at will, but from the content featured in the machine...

    Wake up people! Be inovative and stop complaning about lost sales (that wheren't sales in the start, because most of the people that infringe copyrights won't buy the real thing because of the costs if it).

    As for the lost money of the artists? Well, i've pity of them but... Why they signed those draconian contracts anyway? If they are cauth with just 2 cents per 10 CD's sold it is they fault (and the fault of the governments that should have stoped the monopoly of the record/publishers industries a LONG time ago).

    If the machines produced more money for the artists then the current record industry how would this industry would survive? (it wouldn't and in my opinion, IT ISN'T MISSED!).

    Cheers, and let digital rule!
    (as i would be flamed and arrested under DMCA for proposing the end of a huge quantity of BIG CORPS, i shall remain anounimous..)

    P.S.- sorry for typos and the like...

  83. This bridges the tech divide by zootski · · Score: 1

    This is great - many more poor people own CD players than own PC's. Why shouldn't they get to copy their CD's too?

  84. Re:Wonder what would happen to this machine in U.S by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    > Wonder what would happen to this machine in U.S. and Europe.

    In the U.S., at least, it would be illegal to import without a builtin, nonremovable HaltAndCatchFire instruction.

  85. I'll tell you what would happen... by zhar · · Score: 1

    Wonder what would happen to this machine in U.S. and Europe.

    All those 1337 hardware hackers would find a way to bypass the coin-op and just toss in 2 cd's for a (nearly) free copy.

    --


    DRINK DUFF (responsibly) DRINK DUFF (responsibly) DRINK DUFF
  86. sdfg by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    sdfgsdfg asdre er ertert
    ertklejnmm,tert erwt tert

  87. Great! by sunhou · · Score: 2

    Do they have these machines installed in music stores? That would be really handy.

  88. Whats next? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    it's already banned under DMCA

    Are they dgoing to start banning photocopying machines now, too? They're the same basic thing.

  89. Crackhead Moderators by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What is up with Slashdot lately? Every time I post a joke I get modded down. I realize that not everyone is going to find humor in my remarks, but come on... I didn't abuse my +1 bonus, my remark was on-topic, and I said nothing controversial or inflamatory. Guess I'll just have to start metamoderating again; I'm bound to nail one of your incompetent mods sooner or later.

  90. Idiot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How long would it take you to copy a 200 page book, and how much money? Now how long and how much to copy a CD? See the difference yet?

    How long does it take to typeset, print, bundle, handle, ship and deliver 10,000 copies of a paper magazine (versus, say, emailing out 10,000 electronic coies?)

    Does this mean Freedom of the Press doesn't apply to E-zines???

  91. Hmph by ryanwright · · Score: 2

    NEW machines installed in Adelaide convenience stores make the illegal copying of the latest CDs and computer software - which costs artists and software designers millions of dollars - as easy as buying a loaf of bread.

    Nope - no bias in this article, that's for sure.

    News flash: Photocopy machines installed worldwide make the illegal copying of the latest books and sheet music - which costs artists millions of dollars - as easy as buying a loaf of bread.

    "These things are baaaad", said local idiot Glenn B. Aaker. "I couldn't imagine anything more potentially devastating for my web site than people copying pictures of myself and my farm animals. Those pictures are copyrighted, damnit, and they cost me a lot of, uh, money, to make."

    Mr. Aaker said his goats would not take this lying down, but rather, standing up. "Hell no", he said. "We're not putting up with this. Besides, I get more pleasure out of it (fending these criminals off) when they're standing up."

    Convenience store owner John Tsavrou said the photocopy machines were popular among strange looking people. "If people ask, we tell them it is sick and wrong to copy pictures of Mr. Aaker copulating with his goats and there are warnings on the machines - but what they copy is up to them," he said.

    A spokesman from Xerox had no comment, although he did shoot milk out of his nose in a fit of hysterical laughter when told his machines were driving down Mr. Aaker's profits.

    --
    -Ryan, with the unoriginal sig
  92. maybe musicians can... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...produce a few music CDs, and sell blank CD-Rs to people to make copies of their original CDs, while the money used for copying and the blank CD-R goes to the musician's fund.

    Beats the hell out of the RIAA huh?

  93. Compact Flash to CD Coin-op machine, please! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I remember this too, when I was in Sydney last year, didn't see anyone use it though.

    I just wish they had Compact Flash to cd-r coin-op machines, so that I could dump my digital pictures to cd when I was on the move in NSW (I dont want to lug an expensive laptop about on my travels).

    I had to make do with a Kodak store which was pretty expensive.

  94. Analog version by russotto · · Score: 1

    I wonder if it's possible to make one of these things in an analog version. As in, it makes a pit-for-pit copy based on continuously variable information from the reading laser. Would probably cost a fortune, but wouldn't the RIAA freak from seeing the laws they bought and paid for "finessed" like that?

  95. Legal? Maybe not... by BLKMGK · · Score: 2

    Except that as you noted software such as CloneCD will disable certain copying features if it sees you're living in a particular market. If it's not illegal or been put under pressure by someone why would the programmers have gone to that trouble?

    I'm not arguing that it shouldn't be legal just that despite the common sense of it being legal someone somewhere has obviously applied pressure to the makers of this software. FWIW there are also ways around this crap (sigh).

    Think about it this way - it's "copy protection" and the software copies it. Whooops, is that a DMCA issue or not? What a mess....

    P.S. I use Plextor and so far have had no problems yet. The moment one of their firmware updates screws me up I'll be switching to another company and they will have lost a customer.

    --
    Build it, Drive it, Improve it! Hybridz.org
    1. Re:Legal? Maybe not... by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 2

      I noted the disabled feature, it is the "amplify weak sectors" feature. That actually modifies data to circumvent copy protection and so is not legal. However making a perfect 1:1 copy does not violate the DCMA, as there is no circumvention. If you do a 1:1 copy of an audio disc that won't play in computers, the copy won't play in computers either.

      The reason I no longer recommend Plextor drives is because they cost a good deal more than the Lite-On drives and also have trouble with some odd EFM patterns. Safedisc 2 and some other newer protection rely on (among other things) haveing data sequences that overload the EFM encoder on burners. Plextors can write most of these odd sequences fine, but not all. Lite-On drives handle all known cases.

  96. Can't happen in the US -- Illegal. by tweakt · · Score: 2

    Obviously the burden of not violating copyright rests with the user under Australian law, which is the same as that applied to photocopiers. Today evening I saw the machine and it's really cool. Wonder what would happen to this machine in U.S. and Europe."

    Yeah, right. It'll never happen. Could you imagine if the machine was within walking distance of the local music store? 1 kid buys a CD, 10 kids get copies. It's napster, but moved to sneaker-net.

    Sure, it *could* be used responsibly, and thats why its legal in some areas, it would even be legal in the US as long as it didnt circumvent any copy protection (ie: PC Games, etc), but I still dont expect to see that any time soon, it would just get abused far too much.

    It even bypasses some anti-copying measures. ...

    That's a violation of the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act), which makes it illegal to circumvent any copy protection system.

    1. Re:Can't happen in the US -- Illegal. by SoupIsGoodFood_42 · · Score: 1
      Yeah, right. It'll never happen. Could you imagine if the machine was within walking distance of the local music store? 1 kid buys a CD, 10 kids get copies. It's napster, but moved to sneaker-net. Oh yeah....I can really see kids standing there for over one hour and 40 minuets doing nothing.

      Hmm... I spose they could take turns. Beats stealing produce from the local dariy or teasing next-door's cat though. Kids will be kids.

  97. In Europe it'll.... by mlk · · Score: 1

    be vandalised, and rendered unuseable within a day.

    --
    Wow, I should not post when knackered.
    1. Re:In Europe it'll.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ... be very old news.

      The stationery shop where I used to buy my CDRs had
      a coin operated CD copy machine long before I left
      Karlsruhe (southern Germany) two years ago.

      Stefan

  98. Re: smaller acts by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Nonsense. Smaller acts are not endangered by such machines at all, because their CDs are neither widely available nor in high demand. They get their listeners, and sales, by word of mouth.
    The plastic molded one-day-stars, on the other hand, are perfect for those "lets spend a buck on new noise" moments.
    I wonder what problem that (pardon my language) dickhead has... cross out "Linus" from my "to check out" list...

  99. MCSE's and minimum standard of competency... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    (Apparently you're against such minimum standards of competency, so don't let me catch you complaining about the proliferation of MCSEs.)

    Ironically enough, even though MCSE's are usually not very qualified, they're about the only computer professionals who do hold a certificate... Most Linux users (who consider themselves to be more knowledgeable about computers) don't hold any such papers, and the small minority who do (Red Hat certification, SAIR, ...) are mostly latecomers, and thus probably less competent than the "old hats" who were already using Linux or Unix before Red Hat even existed. So much for certificates "proving" competency...

  100. err, Port ARTHUR not PHILIP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...minor nitpick.

  101. Expensive CDs by KITT_KATT!* · · Score: 1
    Nope, CDs in Australia don't cost $10 - they cost $30. (That's about $US15).


    The $70 million figure would be in Australian dollars - so read it as $US35 million.


    His definition of "illegal copying" probably goes beyond copying a CD onto another CD and includes file sharing etc.


    It's still bogus though - just because people burn a CD doesn't mean it's a lost sale because there's no evidence they would have actually bought the CD.

  102. Aust Library: BURKS CD's can't be loaned/copies?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So, after discovering the modestly priced,
    multi-CD-ROM set known as BURKS (latest ver
    is apparently 6), including Mandrake Linux,
    we managed to get our local public libraries
    to get some.

    THEN we are told that it is forbidden to LOAN
    (let alone copy) these... the must be used at
    the library, on high-demand computers (with
    NO CD burners)

    We would have -loved- to use this CD copying
    service... but with no originals to copy...
    well... we wait for -our- order to be pro-
    cessed... Bugger!

  103. Do you get your money back if it makes a coaster? by corezion · · Score: 1

    Either way I think it's quite cool.. would love to see those in the US.

    --
    "There is no Death. Only a change of worlds."
  104. My uni has one by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The Guild of students at my uni in perth has one of these.

    1. Re:My uni has one by Get_Merry · · Score: 1

      Murdoch ? I prefer to spend money on jugs and free pizza at lunch..

  105. I have one of these around my place by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I saw one of these things outside a shop I pass by least twice a day as I go to school and that..
    It costs $5 (AUD) to copy a cd and you need to BYO your own blank...
    The Machine is covered in copyright warning notices and I have never seen the machine in use (I guess ppl are to timid incase they are bein watch by the police or that)
    I realy do not see the point of having one of these machines about when most ppl have burners @ home (or have access to a mate with a burner)

  106. Re:Do you get your money back if it makes a coaste by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The one I've seen is set up in the bar at Melbourne University. I guess its a win-win situation.

  107. Re:I've actually used one of these... not so good. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yah, and the CD spins in the opposite direction.

  108. Video Store by fishmonkey · · Score: 1

    Theres one in Claremont (Perth, Western Australia) at a video store just outside the antitheft devices, so you can hire pc games put in the game and your own blank cd, put in the money then return the game straight away.
    You have your own copy, never need to come back - seems a little weird for the video store to offer this service :/

    --
    generic
  109. CD copiers - i own one by shevy1 · · Score: 1

    i own one and its great. the copyright talk is all negative, like there is nothing else on a cd that should be copied. mine works well and is no hassle... i will answer any resonable questions if you want ?

  110. Great... by Puppet+Master · · Score: 1
    All you need is the original CD, a blank CDR, and $29.00 in quarters.

    --
    The day Microsoft creates a product that doesn't suck, it will be known as the Microsoft Vaccuum Cleaner!