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(CD) Pirates Take to the Ocean
rammstein_rulz writes "www.cdfreaks.com reports that asian CD pirates now produce thousands of pirated VCD's on anchored ships in international waters to avoid getting caught. Malaysian marine police have been asked to be on the lookout for pirate ships"
ARRR... hoist the jolly roger and walk the plank
Beware the fury of a patient man
- John Dryden
If they are in international waters.. what are the legal implications ? Whos Jurisdiction etc .. would they come under ?
England certainly still has the death penalty for this (along with treason and one other I cannot remember).. does this mean we are going to start seeing people hang again? ;)
If I was trying to make money in IP violations, this is how I would do it:
1) Forge documents from media companies, ordering large batches of CDs and DVDs from established manufacturers.
2) Sell those records to wholesalers, which might or might not be aware of the scam.
3) Profit
When you can do the same thing at your desk?
Someone tell those guys not to take the term "Pirate" litterally.
"Suck Emma, suck. 'Blow' is just a figure of speech!"
If voting were effective, it would be illegal by now.
ArrrrMS says information *wants* to be free!
I always learnt that on a ship the laws of the country the ship sails under apply. If that's true what's the problem?
-- Cheers!
...was that the page with the news article featured links right to where you could purchase the CD ROMs and RW's, plus the software to burn the CDs.
Which basically means anyone can just follow the provided links to buy all the sh-t (except the boat) that will enable them to jump right into the offshore piracy business!
--- Grow a pair, liberals... stop letting the Republicans bully you!
Even when they're NOT in international waters, the so-called "legality" is just as blurred.
What's "piracy" anyway ?
If RIAA wants to charge people an arm and a leg for trying out songs, and themselves (the RIAA) are known to NOT PAYING THE ROYALTIES to the artists, who's the REAL "pirate" ?
What the so-called "CD-pirates" are doing is just this - they are doing one thing that got the MPAA, RIAA, BSA and whatever hopping mad, as mad as what the DCMA is doing to many of us.
I am NOT saying what the "CD-pirates" are doing is right, but just that, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Period.
Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
Police in Penang last week launched "Operation Green Ribbon" to nab peddlers of illegal CDs and VCDs and Mazlan said they had already arrested four retailers and seized over 1,000 pirated copies.
I went to Penang just recently and there were literally multi-floor malls selling professional copies of Oracle for $20, dvds for $2-5 (based upon quality), Adobe products, MS products, etc. It was so vast it was staggering. One guy took a duffel bag overflowing with dvds/software back with us.
Basically what I'm getting at is if they've only found 1000 pirated copies, then they are either totally inept or not trying very hard.
This is an example of an unreasoned, apocalyptic extremism that plays into the hands of the forces the poster so adamantly attacks.
Playing word games with "piracy" is pointless. Producing unauthorized duplicates of commercial products is known as counterfeiting. Most countries have laws prohibiting the creation and distribution of counterfeit goods. It's as illegal to market a counterfeit CD of the current flavor-of-the-week pop band as it is to sell fake Rolex watches.
By glibly saying "the enemy of my enemy is my friend", all you've done is made more enemies: You have aligned yourself with counterfeiters, a tactic unlikely to draw support from the mainstream public.
The enemies of your new friend are now your enemies.
-- Slashdot: When Public Access TV Says "No"
I don't know about you, but I get my towels from a towel licensing firm. I'm only allowed to use them for a restricted set of purposes, but I get the benefit of regular maintenance updates and, um, patches.
There should be a moratorium on the use of the apostrophe.
Max V.
NeXTMail/MIME Mail welcome
a slight geographical inconvenience [prohibits the USA from joining the EU]
Even if all EU members must claim territory that geographically belongs to Europe, then why not "admit" the USA to the EU in much the same manner as Russia has been "admitted" to NATO?
Will I retire or break 10K?
Just another stake in the heart of "the architecture of control". I'm not about to support this sort of thing either in principle or through buying pirated CDs, but it does demonstrate the weakness of the RIAA position. If you treat your customers with respect, they won't disapoint you. Let those who won't pay even what it is worth to them worry about their own karma.
I believe that a vessel in internation waters is subject to the laws of its flag country -- the country in which the vessel is registered.
Then register pirate ships in Freedonia, whose flag (called "Jolly Roger") is a white skull and crossbones on a black field.
Will I retire or break 10K?
Hilary Rosen declared today that the RIAA would be offering letters of marque to aid in the hunting down and destruction of the Content Pirates of the South Pacific.
When interviewed, Rosen stated, "We will not stand for this! The Crown will pay a thousand marks to any who bring in the heads of these scourges of the entertainment industry!"
Several daring captains of the IT industry have joined forces with the RIAA, becoming privateers. However, not all recording artists agree with the actions of the RIAA.
"I was there for the announcement. This one guy, he came up to me and said, "Arr, don't be worrying matey, I'll be sinkin' those music pirates! And then he pulled a flintlock on me and stole my watch!", said Lars Ulrich.
The pirates in question could not be reached for comment.
Be on the lookout for the ArrrrrIAA.
Budum *crash*
The Right Reverend K. Reid Wightman,
It made a lot more sense back in the 1950's and 60's when Norweigian oil platforms in the North Sea installed some truly overpowered AM rigs and broadcasted music the BBC wouldn't play into the UK. (Paid for by the record companies who wanted the advertising.) Then, they were doing something that was legal in Norway, but not in the UK, and benefitted from being close to the UK, so a Norweigian maritime installation made perfect sense.
Here, the pirates are doing something that doesn't benefit from being done at sea, so why bother?
Q: What do pirates use to copy movies?
A: CD-Arrrr
*ahem*
I like my women like my coffee... pale and bitter.
What do you mean by "These people just don't realize that their personal gain in purchasing and selling cheap software may be good for them in the short run, but disasterous to their nation in the long run"
6 65 861,00.html
It's not that stupid.
Maybe you don't realize it but this sort of thing worked for the USA, it worked for Switzerland and I'm sure it worked for many other countries.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2002379.stm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,
Open your eyes dude. The only reason it'll be bad in the long run is if the USA takes hypocritical, harsh and unfair action to stop others from doing precisely what it did for its own benefit in the past. Trade barriers etc etc.
Try to see it from this point of view just for a moment.
CD-RRRRRRR
Why not a real Country?
... voila!
Say, perhaps, the "Country" of Sealand?
Now, here you might have something! You get the 3 guys (or whatever) to agree to register with the International Registry, and
Heck, they practically are a ship to begin with!
But this raises more questions... What if you have a permanently anchored "dock" at sea? Something that floats, with pools, solar water purifiers, etc, and market it as a "vacation resort"?
Make it big, and kinda sprawling, and make it float. What then? Cruise ships today routinely take passengers numbering thousands, already many more people than something like Sealand.
At what point can a manmade structure become a nation?
I have no problem with your religion until you decide it's reason to deprive others of the truth.
ehm, well at least you are honest. If only the selling part was legal then me burning a copy of a cd for a friend who of course I do not charge would be legal. It isn't. You are not allowed to make copies of cd's. It is written on most of them. Only in some countries are you allowed to make backup's for strict personal use only, and even that is combatted left and right. (ever tried copying some games for backup?) I don't think that knocking of 10.000 copies could be considered for personal use even by the most rabid /.er
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
Fun? Entertainment? Getting your message out? Self expression? Some how I doubt musicians started out with the idea that they were going to turn into multi million dollar stars. There are plenty of local and independent groups all across the country that perform in night clubs and bars. They do street performances, give lessons etc etc etc. They do not make millions from selling CDs, yet for some reason, they keep making music.
T Money
World Domination with a plastic spoon since 1984
There should NOT be very much international law. We already have too much. The fact that Bush wants everyone else to follow it, but doesn't want the US to be accountable to it is only an illustration of the very problem with international law. Every country has different values and societies.
It is too hard to enforce, first of all. Second of all, it imposes the values of (mainly) the West on every country in the world.
If Afganistan wants to make heroin and opium until the cows come home, let them.
If Malasyans want to copy CDs and burn them, let them.
Creating international "bully forces" to impose Western values on other countries isn't going to do anything but cause more people worldwide to become "terrorists" who are out to "kill the West."
International law should be stripped down to cover war crimes like genocide. It shouldn't have any place outside the of things like that.
"You spoony bard!" -Tellah
Pirate Linux sounds something like PorthOS.. PorthOS is something a few friends of mine and I kicked around whenever the alternative OS announcements on /. became boring or we felt like tormenting the IT guys on campus (/. DDOS).. Anyway, PorthOS was going to be the Anti-Linux. The heaviest, most feature laden, OS ever. Error messages would be passed through text-to-speech and yelled at you in Esperanto with a drunken-french accent..
Someday it'll happen!
If the price of CD's -- or any other product -- drops to zero, people will stop making CD's.
The music business is just that, a business whose purpose is to sell music. If the price of music drops below the cost of music production and distribution, the business will vanish.
Poof, no more CD's to buy or "share".
-- Slashdot: When Public Access TV Says "No"
One thing I've always wondered about is the use of region encoding, but on a much smaller scale. You mention how you're willing to pay $20 for a DVD, because you can't be bothered to spend the time ripping it - but what about someone who only makes $5 an hour? Is it worth THEIR time?
I have rather well-off friends financially who don't even blink an eye at plopping down $500-$1000 a month for PC software, whereas with my student status, that's more than I make most months. So, I resort to what most students do, and still use the software.
Now, we all know one of the big uses for region encoding is so that content producers can effectively price-fix their products: they know they'll still make a profit selling a CD for $5 in say, Malaysia, but not any more than $5 because the average Malaysian makes 1/4 of what the average American does (all hypothetically speaking).
With a very large wage gap between the rich and poor in the US, it almost makes me wonder: CDs for $5 (still making a profit, remember)would sell boatloads to poorer families who normally would just download them. HOWEVER, the richer folk among us would buy the CD, even if it was priced at $50.
Now the only thing left to do is have the **AA buy some legislation that allows it to check your financial status, and price your goods accordingly. "Look, we've nearly eliminated those evil pirates, AND we're being nice to the little guy!"
Wow, I think I just scared myself.
Endless arguments over trivial contradictions in books written by ignorant savages to explain thunder in the dark.
I suppose if you lived in the 60's you'd say "I don't care about your principles and arguments--the law is clear: Niggers go in the back of the bus!"
You have to be careful, though, or Dennis Hopper and his Smokers will start raiding.
In that case, just send Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo after them. Or send in Diddy Kong; he's dealt with pirates before.
Will I retire or break 10K?
So what do these guys do with those huge chests of burned cds? Bury them and make a map?
How long is it going to be now for RIAA to ask for legislative permission to use torpedoes and their own naval forces to take care of the 'pirate problem'? After all, if they can hack into your systems with full legal protection to go after the small fry traders, then shouldn't they have just as much power to go after the bigger violators? How long until we have a real RIAA Capt Nemo in a sub with anti-society crew members on a quest against the pirates of the world?
Cave, wreck, and deep diver.
If they have pirate ships, we can have privateers, and sink them.
Well, obviously if they were selling MS Office in Malaysia for 7 ringgit, it would soon be selling for that here in the states.
So in effect you're saying that a software company that has completely covered it's development costs with original retail sales of some software, and now makes the current versions for $0.47 should be selling that software for only a 1000% profit instead of 1 million%?
What are smoking? That's crazy talk! How are they supposed to feed their children??!?!?
-Styopa
Ah, back to the good ol' days of pirating. Well, good new days? Who knows, all I know is that it'll be interesting to see walk the plank for poor quality, or stealing the captian's mead.
Holy L. Ron! The pirates have taken a page from the Pope of Fugitives. Elron, founder of Scien*gy, spent, what, ten years at sea in a converted freighter (correct me here), for the sole purpose of not getting arrested on numerous warrants.
I think I can see, like legal sheet lightning on the horizon, the copyright industry gearing up to remove the protection of international waters.
Which is doubly amusing, since the Church of Scien*ology was one of the first instigators of digital copyright law change. Back in '91, I recall, they first tore after anon.penet.fi for relaying their "copyrighted" Xenu tracts. And in '95, when they were confiscating PC's for having "illegal" copies. And certainly when they helped out with the DMCA legislation.
I just think it's funny, in a sad way. Round the circle we go. Now the copyright kings in RIAA et al. will set out after international water neutrality, seeking to to remove the protections that once saved the founder of one of the most litigious copyright abusing organizations.
If the protection of the high seas is removed, as I posit, then there will be no place left to get away from the U.S.'s interpretation of intellectual property. No Switzerlands of the mind.
Imagine a Beowulf Cluster of those!
Sorry. I couldn't control myself.
Viv
Gmail invites for ip
At what point is a nation not a manmade structure?
A nation, in the final analysis, remains a nation when it fends off attack by challengers to its status. Sadly.
It is similar to my personal definition of intelligent life: a lifeform that shoots back at humans -- and wins. Whales would be considered ILF's if they fired frickin' lasers at the whalers.
Nations that want to remain nations, even if they are floating platforms in the ocean or spinning city-states in solar orbit, must have legal, economic, or martial ability to defend and counterattack.
Sealand exists because it isn't worth anyone's time to remove them. And a nation that simply removes Sealand will face really bad PR if they don't fabricate some excuse first: select 1) for pedophiles 2) for terrorists 3) for Drugs.
If Sealand gets private support, as offshore tax havens do, it will continue to exist, bar provocation. The pirates, however, will be sunk. No one is looking, and no one cares.
Of course it really should have been "letters of marque and reprisal" :)
~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
The best way to avoid war is to disarm.
Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
Looks like I'm going to find a new line of work.
i wish they would advertise Corporate Spy in the classifieds, it would make my search for the job closest to something from a William Gibson novel so much easier.
>
Why don't you just give peace a chance?
The best way to avoid war is to disarm.
Oh yeah? Tell that to the frickin' laser-totin' trigger-happy whales!
Mike van Lammeren
It will challenge your head, your brain, and your mind.
Nations that want to remain nations ... must have legal, economic, or martial ability to defend and counterattack.
Dude, you're scaring me. I'm CANADIAN!
S
Nuts to you. Here are 3 cliches, in sequence, that apply here:
1. Come the revolution, all will be better.
2. Been there, done that.
3. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
You're mechaniclally spouting nonsense you've heard from some other embittered soul . It is as if you really expect everyone else to automatically agree with your personal moral pronouncements. When you realize that isn't going to happen, you decide you're still right and the only way to fix things is violence. You're no different than that mythical plutocracy that animates your anger.
-- Slashdot: When Public Access TV Says "No"