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Senator Orrin Hatch a Pirate?
Stigmata669 writes "Remember a few days ago when Senator Orrin Hatch decided that software piracy was punishable by destruction of computers? Well a bored and unemployed Sys. Admin in Houston smelled a rat when he was rooting through Hatch's website source. As it turns out Sen. Hatch is a common software pirate himself."
I'm also from Utah, an ardent Democrat, and there's no chance in hell Hatch will be kicked out of office.
The problem is that he already has a ton of power and pull in Washington where seniority rules. He's chairman of the most esteemed committee in Washington, and has blessing from the Church.
The only person that has a shot to beat him is someone like Rocky Anderson, Salt Lake's Mayor, (also featured on Insomniac tonight) and they would make him out to be the next coming of the devil. After all, he's for (shock) environmental concern, and civil liberties! Utah is a recessive state. Or at least for now...
Face it, Utah politics is as complacent as it gets, and probably why Orrin can say this kind of silliness and get away with it.
Senator Hatch is selling cds from his site as well. That would make it qualify for commercial uses and require a $900 registration fee as well. So, based on those criteria the maintainers of his site are the pirates. However, if you follow what the BSA says about software "theft" the senator is actually responsible for the actions of the people hired to do the work for him, just as a company would be responsible for the actions of thier employees. It remains to be seen if the senator will be allowed to simply use the non profit version or not.
This does damage his stance against copyright violaters as this makes him look very hipocritical. Software piracy is nothing more than copyright violation just as trading music and movies is.
When I read about Hatch's little idea, this is what I came up with as responses:
1. What ever happened to innocent until proven guilty?
2. What ever happened to getting a warrant?
3. What ever happened to a fair trial in front of a jury of peers?
4. What ever happened to the government running the police, instead of the corporations.
5. What ever happens when someone at a record label royally screws up and fries the hard drive of someone with legiminate copies of MP3's (say of my band or ripped legally from CD's I own)?
Plus, knowing Hatch and the rest of them, it would be considered attacking the government, and thus an act of terrorism.
Being a smartass is a much better thing than being the alternative.
The Milonic DHTML Menu was totally free a little while ago.
For them to change the licensing terms retroactively ( "EVERY copy of our JavaScript menu needs to be licensed" - are they really insiting that older copies that were downloaded with it was advertised as free now be paid for and/or registered?) seems very shady to me.
For the love of god mod this up. I thought he was joking, but it's true! It's true I tell you. http://www.myutahsearch.com/
seeing as how he's in utah, maybe a butte pirate?
Whatchew talkin' bout, Willis? Butte is in Montana...
Check out this link: http://www.hatchmusic.com/songs.html
See the second CD from the bottom of the page, "Many Different Roads"? I thought the cover art looked awfully familiar. Turns out I have a copy of that rose picture on my hard drive from years ago. It's all over the web, and can be found via Google image search.
I don't know the history of that particular image or who owns the copyright to it, but I can't help but wonder if the good senator bothered to find out...
-BK
Chemical Blog
The page has already been changed, but google still has the cache
Grab it while you can!
If people would check Milonic's website before blabbering on slashdot, they will notice that Hatch has resolved this issue:
"We have received many emails regarding the implementation of our software and Milonic are pleased to announce that there are no longer any licensing issues with reference to the above [Orin Hatch] website..."