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Australia May Adopt DMCA-Style Copyright Regime
beaver1024 writes "Australia, desperate to garner more U.S. trade, has indicated that it is willing to follow a more stringent regime for protecting copyright. This follows attempts by MediaForce to force Australian ISPs to comply with U.S. DMCA provisions. I fear that due to the current Australian government's weak spineless nature, the harsh provisions of the DMCA will soon arrive in the land down under."
NO. I can see the -1 Flamebits now, but lets be hoenst here. People give the american govt. a lot of crap, but I think its our big buisneses that cause the negative view of america. Yes that includes the dirty "O" word, OIL. I guess many can agrue that the lobby power of these companies corupt the govt and it is in the end their fault. So lets start a new thread, which came first Big Buisness or Bad Govt? I think they are twins. :)
I dunno...
I'd like to believe you're right, but it seems to me that if only one or two or even a few countries hold out against the DMCA, that these countries will face trade pressure as the article points out Australia is facing - only worse, since in this hypothetical future scenario we're talking about the majority of countries having already given in to DMCA pressure.
Information doesn't want to be anthropomorphized anymore.
John Howard is acting more and more as one of Bush's little lackeys, first with considering a trade agreement that will force australia to reduce local content on TV (and open up more time for US shows), lately marching into and illegal war for no other reason than USA asked him to (more likely said or else!)
:)
Bah... And people wonder why the public is so dissolusioned with Pollies. they allmost all nowdays seem to be either yes men for Howard , Idiots or Cranks.... I wish some real people would run for election (and rule that PM can only stay in power for 2 terms), but we can only dream.
At least Region Free DVD players are legal here
Join the EFA!! (Electoronic Frontiers Australia). At $22 AUD a year it's cheap at half the price. Better yet, $110 for a life membership.
9. Convince the police to conduct a raid on all MP's houses, and punish them for 'time-shifting' and owning old tapes copied from LPs by charging them $50000 per item.
I mean, seriously, has anyone here not taped anything from TV? Recorded something from the radio when you were 7? If John Howard claimed to never in his entire life had a single infringing item in his possesion... I wouldn't believe him. He's just not saintly enough (take this proposed legislation, which should be shoved aside, not even 'considered', for instance).
Posted by DanUltra
So, my vote helps determine whether John gets to even be in parliament next election, much less PM. As such, I have at some level or another greater access to influence John than the rest of the Australian population.
However, all I see in this thread are rantings: "this sucks", "Australia is the US' bitch", etc. While these point may (or may not) be true, they are hardly convincing arguments.
So, if you were in my place, what would you say to your local member of parliament AKA the Prime Minister?
(Only rational responses need apply.)
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In return, the US should implement Australian style restrictions on corporate donations to political parties, and European style data protection laws.
...the Hoover administration (in the U.S.) made two colossal errors which turned a recession/stock-crash/run-on-the-banks into a full-scale worldwide depression:
The corporations didn't have anything to do with the extra money (there was a recession, after all), but their stock prices were depressed. So, they decided to boost their share prices by announcing larger-than-expected dividends (paid primarily to rich people). Rich people behaved as rich people are likely to do in a recession: They put the money away, playing it conservatively.
Since the Bush administration has decided not to risk the chance that corporations will avoid depression-producing behavior by requiring them to pay dividends for their stockholders to receive the latest round of tax cuts, we have to ask, "Will this cause a depression?" We have to consider the possibility of at least a '90s-Japan style depression (if not a Great Depression like the '30s).
One thing which always reassured me was the fact that no one seems likely to repeat the mistakes of the Trade War of the Early '30s. Now I'm beginning to wonder if DMCA- and WIPO-style intellectual-property regimes may serve a Trade-War-like function today. Like trade wars, they spread from country to country, stifling economic growth (trade wars do it more directly, but the DMCA does it by hamstringing innovation).
We may have discovered the missing ingredient in our depression recipe.
Eternal vigilance only works if you look in every direction.