Singing Cow To Attack CBDTPA

karmawarrior writes "Gateway is launching an advertising campaign against Senator Holling's CBDTPA bill, which, apparently will include its cow mascot encouraging computer users to legally download MP3s and burn their own CDs." Wired also has a story; see Gateway's website for more, as Gateway takes a page from Apple's "Rip-Mix-Burn" playbook.

Comments

*sigh*

[Carmody]

While I think this is good news and all...

Gateway is another large company with an agenda, and ITS agenda happens to coincide with my interests, and so I think it is good news.

But really, what is the online-privacy and free-speech fight really? It is large corporations fighting each other to see which one gets to write the laws. There is a debate going on, but we are not really part of it, except as the Prize. If a divorcing couple fight over who gets to keep the Car, they aren't really worried about what the Car wants.

We need more companies echoing this line

[cygnusx]

From the article:

The spot, a continuation of the company's campaign, features CEO Ted Waitt and a bovine companion driving into the sunset singing a cover version of Gordon Lightfoot's "Sundown" by hip-hop artist Elwood.

As Waitt and the cow trade verses, messages appear on the screen that read, "Like this song? Download it for free on gateway.com...or load it on an MP3 player. Gateway supports your right to enjoy digital music legally."

Emphasis mine. Way to go, Gateway! Just what we need -- a few more high profile companies to echo this particular line. First Apple, then Gateway. Maybe if the moneybags at IBM and Intel stepped into the game, this war could be considered won. But (sigh!) they're too busy planning copy-protected processors and hard disks to actually think of the consumer :-(.

Editorials

[Misch]

For those of you keeping score at home, here's another one for the opposition of CBDTPA (or whatever they're calling it today)

This one from eWeek

enjoy

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

More FUD from the RIAA

[thesolo]

"If only they would devote a little bit of the millions of dollars they're spending on this ad campaign to help stop illegal downloading ... but that wouldn't help them sell more CD burners, would it," said Hilary Rosen

<sarcasm>Yes, because all CD burners are sold to make discs full of illegally downloaded music!</sarcasm>

Maybe if the RIAA would price their CDs more reasonably, actually give money to their artists, and stop the overwhelming and unnecessary homogenization of the music which they promote to (read: push on) the public, people wouldn't be so inclined to download music.

Re:Uh, launching?

[Kiaser Zohsay]

This is a new one. Hit the video at Gateway's site. Same cow, same Ted, same truck, but a with a different song. The dig at the Holling's bill is new too.

The song itself is available for download as an MP3 too.

Actually, when I first saw the "Whip It" version, I thought Gateway might be trying a "get them while they're still legal" type of thing. But this is way cooler.

Re:What ticks me off...

[Rogerborg]

• "piracy" [is] an improper usage of an emotionally loaded word

Unfortunately, it's a perfectly proper usage, according to both Merriam-Webster and Dictionary.com.

• the unauthorized use of another's production, invention, or conception especially in infringement of a copyright [Merriam-Webster]
• The unauthorized use or reproduction of copyrighted or patented material: software piracy. [Dictionary.com]

No, I don't like it either, and use "sharing" by preference. But the usage has changed right under our noses.