Slashdot Mirror
The Great Firewall of .... Kuwait?
first axiom writes: "The BBC is running a story on Kuwait shutting down 50 internet cafes for allowing access to pornography. While this number might seem trifling compared to China's thousands shut down, Kuwait is a country smaller than New Jersey, with about 2 million people. However, it's one of the best-connected countries in the Middle-East, and sometimes it's interesting to see someone on *this* side of the political fence (an ally or 'strategic partner' of the U.S.) pull a stunt like this."
Lets face that facts...
File sharing is here to stay. There's not a damn thing the RIAA/MPAA can do about that big picture, especially considering that you can't stop free software, such as LimeWire, where the code is open. Sure, they can try to sue individual users -- but that's a lot of work for very little rewards. More and more people will be using anonymizing schemes anyways. Anonymizing schemes might even get built into software like LimeWire.
Another fact: the RIAA/MPAA is upset because they are threatened with becoming obsolete. The RIAA/MPAA provides many layers of inefficiency, which has nothing to do with producing music or movies (i.e., beurocrats, press, advertising, lawyering, paying the three-hundred executives). The fact is that it will be possible for artists to make it without needing these organized mafias. Artists will be able to get advertising online, as well as promotion through file-sharing services. Simple fact is, people will still buy CD's if they like the artist. Artists will also make money through concerts.
Perhaps artists won't take in as much money as they did before. But they also won't have to spend as much on production due to technology; and as the RIAA/MPAA won't exist, there won't be such a high barrier to entering the field.