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PIRATE Act Introduced in Congress
certron writes "Xeni Jardin has written a story for Wired about the "Protecting Intellectual Rights Against Theft and Expropriation Act of 2004" aka the PIRATE Act. It and another related bill are designed to criminalize P2P filesharing by lowering the burden of proof for law enforcement and proposing jail terms of up to 10 years. The bill was introduced by Sens. Orrin Hatch and Patrick Leahy, both of whom received large contributions from the entertainment industries. Under the bill, even sharing a single file (if a judge decides the value is over $10,000) could land a user in jail. Read the full text of Orrin Hatch's remarks."
A bunch of college kids are sharing copyrighted corporate products (music and maybe movies), so we have to put them in prison because people who share music and movies online are a bunch of child molesters and terrorists. Yeah, makes sense to me.
This is the kind of thing that Frank Zappa warned us was going to happen.
Sure, we say it all the time, "Corporations are running the country," meaning that corporations have undue influence over lawmakers; but it's getting to the point that we're going to have to find a stronger statement, like "Corporations are completely and utterly in charge of every aspect of our daily lives, using the government and their nearly exclusive control of all media content to keep it that way." Or something shorter if we can think of it.
Mein Gott, what can we do?
You are in error. No-one is screaming. Thank you for your cooperation.
sometimes it is just so blatantly obvious that people will go to great lengths to contrive clever acronyms despite the obvious redundancies within the actual expanded title.
come on now.
Hatch and Leahy get loads of money from the media moguls to make millions of people criminals while guys like OJ can walk the streets. What an awesome legal system!
Trolling is a art,
Under the bill, even sharing a single file (if a judge decides the value is over $10,000) could land a user in jail
Given the strength of the dollar these days, that's like the price of a single Anne Murray CD...
"A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
Honestly, the prisons are full enough as it is with petty criminals, if they even attempt to enforce these they are going to fill them up even faster. And, who wants to put in jail? If this gets passed and starts getting actively enforced, hopefully someone is going to stand up against this. I hope you've all donated to EFF lately...
And so we go, on with our lives
We know the truth, but prefer lies
Lies are simple, simple is bliss
Sweet jesus, they just won't stop until all of our rights are taken away and the US government controls the internet and the rest of the world.
So now the prison system will be keeping DANGEROUS FILE SHARERS off the streets, while at the same time Los Angeles is releasing thousands of prisoners early becuase of a lack of funding. I'm sure glad that John Q. Empeethree won't be hassling our celebrities anymore! Whew!
I'll form my OWN solar system! With blackjack! And hookers!
Just put a clause in the Kazaa EULA that says that the person using the program or the network is not associated with or working for the Recording Industry and that any information that is gathered from the Kazaa network is to be kept confidential. I'm not a lawyer, but it sounds feasible to me...
If you can't say something nice, make sure you have something heavy to throw.
when bills weren't all named with almost-witty acronyms?
This is from Hatch's own site . . .
- Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today joined Ranking Democrat Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) in introducing the "Protecting Intellectual Rights Against Theft and Expropriation Act" (the "PIRATE Act") to allow the Department of Justice to exercise its existing enforcement powers through a civil, rather than criminal, enforcement proceeding.Does anyone need more proof that the Republicans and Dems have become just two sides of the same coin? After this, I don't trust them to do much of anything right. *sigh*
----
"Ours was a free culture. It is becoming much less so."-Lawrence Lessig
Tens of thousands of continuing civil enforcement actions might be needed to generate the necessary deterrence.
I'll be damned if that doesn't sound just a bit like SCO.
The coolest voice ever.
...you mean, like...
..?
ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US!
You mean something like that?
Not Senator Leahy! Oh man, this is truly a dark day. He was one of the few decent holdouts against the right-wing estalishment, and the only congress critter that I ever wrote a letter just to thank him for being cool to. Hopes... shattered...
The fact that they sell the 'intellectual property' in question for far less than $10000, could go quite a ways toward minimizing the worth of said content.
This space intentionally left blank.
Last I checked copyright infringement was still illegal. Does society need more laws that state copyright infringement with P2P is now illegal? ... I mean honestly P2P development is strict freedom of speech. Not to mention the good that comes from it [e.g. BitTorrent].
Laws like this make me proud to live in a backwards country such as Canada.
Tom
Someday, I'll have a real sig.
Any law that simultaniously lowers the burdens of proof while raising penalties seems like a fundamnentaly bad idea.
Tho, I guess after the War on Drugs put a generation of poor & minority youth in prision, they have to do something that has the same effect on whites & the middle class, lest they look racist (not an easy trick for a Republican from Utah to pull off).
my sig's at the bottom of the page.
It's time to start outsource all that file sharing......just like all these companies are outsourcing jobs......
It's either on the beat or off the beat, it's that easy.
I moderate therefore I rule!
--
DMCA... PIRATE... Who do you think owns your country? I don't mean to offend you geeks in the US and EU, but your governments perpetually place the interests of large corporations above citizens. Your government is not acting in your best interest. Tell your elected officials that you disagree with what they are supporting, and command them to stop.
Heck, I'll just cancel my dsl and join a health club or something. If I just wanted to surf I could use the computer at the San Jose public library or at work.
Hopefully the Japanese companies don't go after the fansubbers if this happens.
Why must Congress place dumb acronyms with all of their pieces of legislation?
PATRIOT Act.
CAN-SPAM Act.
PIRATE Act.
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me.
"It is critical that we bring the moral force of the government to bear against those who knowingly violate the federal copyrights enshrined in our Constitution."
Yeah. I'll feel guilty about it, when the fed actually proves that copyrights exist in order to "promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries."
It sure doesn't feel like limited times.
You've heard it before. And you'll hear it many times over again.
"Corporations are completely and utterly in charge of every aspect of our daily lives,
Well, in some sense they always will be. We're consumers, the objects of our consumption need an origin, and corporations are that origin. How they choose to design products, manufacture products, market products, and lobby for legislation regarding products will always exert an incredible level of completely transparent control over our lives.
It's up to individual consumers to render that control opaque -- but total opacity is very, very, very difficult.
The coolest voice ever.
Million and millions of Americans take part in the sharing of illegal programs/music/movies on the internet, often without their knowledge. At the risk of sounding hackneyed, this kind of law makes it even easier for "Big Brother" to throw potential troublemakers in jail.
"Sharing" music on a P2P network is stealing, yes, but under what odd twisting of logic can it be worse than shoplifting the CD?
We are seeing the music industry going steadily more insane every day, and when something with that much money goes mad life gets interesting. Piracy isn't right, but it is inevitable during the transition between the RIAA and whatever distribution/compensation model we invent to replace it. Draconian laws with punishments as inappropriate as this one wants are definately not the solution to theft of music.
I find it especially ironic that the same congress that can't seem to punish the aristocrats who steal millions from their employees wants to send people to jail for up to ten years for stealing a little music...
"Mission Accomplished" -- George W. Bush May 1, 2003
Less than 30 comments and the server running Orrin Hatch's Senate page is slashdotted..... Well now we know where the budget is not being spent
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote
...the P2P companies are trying to ransom the entertainment industries into accepting their networks as a distribution channel and source of revenue.
This is HILARIOUS! They're accusing P2P "companies" of trying to get a monopoly on music distribution? Isn't that a little like Napoleon accusing Hitler of being a dictator? Holy tamoly, these guys got balls.
Secondly... the fact that they use "companies" shows once again that they don't get it. Computer networks don't have to be sponsored by companies! These lawmakers are so deluded that they not only do they allow corporations to overrun the country, they refuse to acknowledge that indviduals even exist anymore.
It gets worse every day...
Why don't you embrace your slashbotness instead of living in a dreamworld?
The rest of the country cannot get these two corrupt, entertainment industry pawns out of office. Only Vermont and Utah residents can. Do not re-elect these two. While it might seem they are doing good, they are doing long-term damage to the country, including your states.
Send a message to Leahy
Send a message to Hatch
Please do it now before these two turn the U.S. citizens into entertainment industry criminals and slaves, and infect every other nation with these ideas.
If memeory serves me correctly, Sen. Hatch a few years ago, was involved in some controversy. His state of D.C. had voted in favour of passing a medical marijuana bill. He passed legislation saying that those votes couldnt be counted. This sort of thing doesnt surprise me.
Out of curiousity.
Some time ago on Slashdot the possibility of a "geek PAC" was discussed.
This is a quesiton somewhat along the same lines. Essentially:
Exactly how much money would it require to do whatever necessary to* remove Mr. Orrin Hatch from a position of legislative power in the United States government?
I think you could find a variety of private citizens, from a number of corners, who would be ecstatic to donate to such a cause, due to the probable benefit it would have in terms of protecting the civil rights, artistic expression, and technological progress of this nation. Slashdotters annoyed at his attempts to introduce increasingly violent anti-file-sharing bills are just the tip of the iceberg.
* legally
Irritable, left-wing and possibly humorous bumper stickers and t-shirts
I think you meant to ask, "who wants to put everyone in jail?"
Prison is a booming industry. People make massive amounts of money keeping others locked up. Prison's even have lobbyists to help guide harsher laws.
Of course, rich people seldom go to jail. Congressmen and high ranking government officials are rich and abstracted from the common man. They could care less about you. You're just dollar signs to them.
I started to count the usage of each of these words or phrases in the speech but couldn't finish because of nausea.
It seems that he'd like us to believe that we must have this bill to protect children from pornography - although no place does he suggest protecting the IP rights of pornographers from file sharing children. I wonder why not?
Read carefully the paragraph where he justifies government intervention if 1) the level of file sharing becomes particularly egregious; or, 2) public health and safety are put at risk; or, 3) private civil remedies fail to deter illegal conduct. Pay particular attention to each of these - any one of which he claims justifies government action.
"Particularly egregious"? Legally defined as exactly what level of file sharing?
"Public health and safety"? The public well being is threatened by sharing music how?
I wonder if it was the MPAA or the RIAA that wrote this one. ;)
I wish Orrin Hatch would die. This is not an off the cuff response, I really wish he was dead. I think things would be a lot better if maggots were burrowing through his flesh. That is all.
What if you just put '.jpg' on the end of all your songs rather than '.mp3'?
Apart from armed rebellion, voting is the only meaningful feedback mechanism you have, and is considerably less messy, so I suggest you use it.
The press has been bought off. Shame is obsolete. Overt corruption has somehow morphed into an asset. Bald-faced lying to the public no longer surprises anyone, much less gets anyone in hot water. And, if you're not careful, voting will become just another CBS/Gallump/Diebold opinion poll, with every bit as much scientific and moral validity.
Don't give up the last lever you have.
Schwab
Editor, A1-AAA AmeriCaptions
The EFF knows how to fight this crap and is doing so. Oh, and, let's vote the Bush administration out of office too. Before we have a police state.
who finds this kind of thing disingenuous.
Example, most cinemas in the UK now have the usual pre-screening stills preceeded by a dire anti-taping warning headed FACT - allegedly the 'Federation Against Copyright Theft'.
Come on guys, you're not convincing anyone. Trying to co-opt language smacks of desperation, not moral right.
Slashdotting the US Senate webserver - that's got to be a new high point for /.
It's really amazing...
When jobs are oursourced overseas or we bring people in with H1 visas they tell us "let the free market decide" and that we shouldn't be "protectionist."
But when one of their corporate buddies starts to have a problem, they pull out the guns. It goes for music as well as drug companies (not allowing us to reimport drugs from Canada is definitely protectionist).
Boy... how long can any of us hold out faith in our government?
Why don't you embrace your slashbotness instead of living in a dreamworld?
So can Daryl be jailed for p2p sharing of linux under violation of the GPL? GPL is simply a copyright agreement after all.
Vote for Pedro
Does it go after the big time pirates?
No, because those big time pirates are in other countries.
This bill will enable companies to destroy families by throwing the 16 year old kid in jail for sharing expensive applications.
What harm are file sharers doing to society? Why does their action warrant time in court and/or prison?
I fail to see how this will even help corporations who see piracy as a problem. Often the reason people download expensive software is because they can't afford the price. Sure, that's no excuse, BUT will those companies see increased revenue as result of these actions?
So, what does throwing these kids in jail accomplish?
It just makes our government look like it is under the thumb of the corporate world.
Actually, I think this is good, in a way. Perhaps it will start to move more people towards Open Source applications, where downloading software is not illegal. I honestly think the reason Windows is so popular is because of the initial ability of users to easily pirate the operating system.
I pray for a day in which people will not be put in jail for downloading programs. Perhaps 2005 really is the year of linux?
I am very disapointed at Orrin Hatch and Patrick Leahy's half hearted attempts to criminalize the free flow of information, surely they could have gone further?
;).
What the media corporations should have demanded from their Senate bought minions is a bill that outlawed all transfers of copyrighted material without permission, i.e. no more nasty pirates reading books for free at libraries, or borrowing music, videos or software there either.
Oh well, I guess that's on their agenda for next week
Sure, we say it all the time, "Corporations are running the country," meaning that corporations have undue influence over lawmakers; but it's getting to the point that we're going to have to find a stronger statement, like "Corporations are completely and utterly in charge of every aspect of our daily lives, using the government and their nearly exclusive control of all media content to keep it that way."
Social evolution in action: corporations are more efficient -- better adapted to their environment -- than nation-states.
Nation-states, in their day, were more efficient than kingdoms; which were more efficient than city-states; which were more efficient than tribes; which were more efficient than individuals.
I don't like it, but I accept that it's nature's way: the strong flourish, the weak fail.
Mein Gott, what can we do?
About corporate power? We can do nothing.
Live your life well, try to bring more love than hate into the world. That's all. No big stuff -- no Revolution, no Topple the State, no Stop the Corporations. Work to your scale, as an individual; the rest is History.
-kgj
-kgj
If they want to make it easier to put the "pirates away" and give even more enforcement power to copyright based enterprises, why not at least turn back the term of copyright. Bring it back down 28 years with a renewal clause for after 14 years.
But heck a reasonable piece of legislation from a government thats been bought and paid for ? I think not. P.S. Remember Mr. Hatch has the distinction of being one of the very few examples of a composer not being ripped off by therecord companies.
Time to move over to freenet. And get behind a firewall. All you people using open Kazaa accounts need to do something right away about annonimity.
Marvin knew: "Think of a number, any number..."
As a pot smoker me an my friends are worried about getting busted for doing something that harms no one. The Govt has decided to send it's attack dogs after us any chance they get. Now you too will get a feel of this. Every time you download a file you'll wonder "are they watching?" Maybe yes, maybe no. Either way your life will never be the same. Wait until a bunch of p2p users are wrongly convicted and sent to prison.
Once again, welcome to my world.
Isn't the average sentence actually served for murder shorter than the ten years that Sen. Hatch wants to get for copyright infringement?
Decisions, decisions...
If tyranny and oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. - James Madison
It was bad enough when legislators just gave their bills doofy Orwellian names like the No Child Left Behind Act, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or the Defense of Marriage Act. Now we have to put up with nonsense like the Call Responsibly and Stay Healthy (CRASH) Act, the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT) Act, and the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing (CAN SPAM) Act, and now this. At least geeks recognise the joke value of acronyms such as these. Do our president and legislators?
ROFL i wanna meet the guy who comes up with their acronyms. Seriously.
http://www.wpxi.com/news/2954803/detail.html
Wh at ever happened to telling a kid's parents, and letting them kick her ass? Or just exposing her to public shame? Does everything have to involve draconian penalties imposed by the almighty nanny state? The prosecutor fabricates TWO very serious felonies to deliver "justice"--what a joke. The funny thing is, under this logic, if she just took the pictures of herself, and did nothing more, she would still be guilty of the "possession" felony!
seriously, we should just kick utah out of the union, let them go back to being deseret or whatever. Hatch is an idiot and needs to be out of the senate, between all the media industry bullshit and sposoring a constitutional amendment so arnold schwarzenagger can become president he really needs to be gone...
If you are going to criticize the PIRATE act, first do your homework and learn about it.
The PIRATE Act bill, the one sponsored by Sens Hatch and Leahy, gives the DOJ the power to pursue civil cases against file sharers. According to the article and Sen Hatch's remarks, it does not have the provisions about "up to 10 years in prison" or any of that stuff. According to the article, those provisions are part of a draft bill that hasn't been introduced. The description in the slashdot posting imply that these provisions are part of the PIRATE Act, which they are not.
It may seem like splitting hairs, but if you start writing to your Congresspeople about the PIRATE Act, you will have more credibility if you actually know what you are talking about. If you start talking about provisions that aren't even in the bill, your letter will probably receive very little, if any, consideration.
------
www.moneybythenumbers.com
My opinion on this is simple: If you want to share music for free then make music yourself and share it for free. NOBODY will stop you. But if *I* want to make music and sell it then at what point exactly do you think *you* have a right to take it without paying?
This is another law that should NOT be required and WILL be abused but exists ONLY because of a bunch of silly kids thinking "duh, music should be, like, free, dude". It isn't a conspiracy. It isn't corporations running the country or whatever nonsense someone will come up with. It's legitimate corporations pushing for legitimate legal protections and quite rightly being granted them.
So there you go. Now just change the little box to say flamebait, click the button, and the annoying counter-argument will go away and you can go back to blissfully swapping someone else's property.
Cue numerous posts complaining that copyright infringement != piracy.
How many hours did it take Hatch and Leahy to scour a thesaurus for words to be able to spell a meaningful phrase with the letters PIRATE?
Someone said something about democracy - about Micky mouse being elected if enough people voted for him. Well, Micky and his friends have been at home in the US congress for quite some time now, and i dont think the exterminator was called? So what sort of jail time you reckon we should give all these crooked politicians when justice is finally served?
This comment does not represent the views or opinions of the user.
---don't abandon your nation to the greedists and the fascists. If it gets that bad (a revival of the draft would be a biggie IMO), then stay here in the US and fight.
Some of us been in this struggle against the globalist technofuedalist goons for decades, we need more young people to be participants, not just avoiders. Running away is.... well, trying to not sound harsh but it's selfish. The only way evil is ever stopped is to be bigger, smarter, more righteous and brave, stand up to it.
Think about it...
zogger
Is this the same notorious pirate hatch?
6 23 7&mode=thread&tid=103&tid=185&tid= 99
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/06/20/004
The current trend is that once a industry has a stranglehold on the consumer, we become the enemy, the opponent, since no natural opponent no longer exists.
The natural opponent of corporations is themselves. Though they control a lot, they do not control mass market trends. The forces behind those are more cultural and sociological than anything else -- highly nebulous things that companies spend their entire existences continuously puzzling out, so that they can attempt to take advantage of them. Some companies successfully adapt and survive. Others are either obstinate, imperceptive, or both, and die.
The coolest voice ever.
Weird, Part of it says that more powers needs to be given to law enforcement to combat "Piracy" but then it contridictoraly says that, most antipiracy legislation has been unseccessfull. Um, whats the point then?
:)
Also, out of the blue it suddenly throws in pornography? What is it about republicans and this constant crusade to stop porn? Someone please contact this fool and tell him that PORN IS NOT ILLEGAL! Sorry, when they start going after our porn, thats when they have GONE TOO FAR!
I mean after all we give convicted rapists Academy Awards. /end sarcasm
I mean, 10 years for "expropriating" the potential sale of proprietary data that a judge deems "worth" more than $10,000? Give me a break. Actually, they probably will give me a break; 10 years is more than they want, and they'll compromise downward a bit for what they really wanted in the first place.
Still, the chilling effect of a law like this would only hasten the inevitable development of more secure P2P, and the spread of open source and open content.
Enforcing perpetual copyright is next to impossible without a global police state, and I'm much more likely to fund the Bruce Perens and Corey Doctorows of the world because they've earned my respect by choosing open licenses over the default "AllmineMineMINE!(C)(R)!".
--
Power to the Peaceful
Some time ago on Slashdot the possibility of a "geek PAC" was discussed.
... schizophrenic ... unsummarizable. Other than the "geek" label, there's no possibility of consensus.
Not practical. Look at the diversity of opinion on SlashDot -- it's kaleidoscopic
-kgj
-kgj
On the other hand, maybe huge corporations should start making money by innovation and marketing rather than lawsuits and lobbying for laws.
Someone less cynical might say that consumers are in complete control.
I mean, a corporation is helpless if it's customers bail on them. If we fail to do so, it's only because we're a bunch of sheep.
'The moral force of the government"? What the hell is THAT supposed to mean? Wow...now I'm REALLY on board with this P2P crackdown thing; especially if the morality of the government brings it's weight to bear. For all those who are in favor of anti-P2P software I suggest this: give campaign dollars to Senator Hatch and let the federal government dictate a prison term for up to 10 years for downloading a song. What a crock.
[SIG] Remember Mattel handheld games?
America has enough in the way of issues with giving kids something to do. Dance clubs, live bands, and many forms of entertainment are 21+ only. This lack of entertainment gets worse the smaller the town.
I have nieces and nephews, and one thing I show them how to do is get media online. It sure beats drinking, doing drugs, and generally getting into trouble. Making what I perceive as a wholesom activity a criminal act will result in one less thing to do. Why risk 10 years in jail when you can just smoke some pot and risk only 2 years in jail?
There is no sanctuary. There is no sanctuary. SHUT UP! There is no shut up. There is no shut up.
Companies bow down and kiss the asses of consumers.
Corporations exert a high level of control over consumers, by the simple fact that they are the providers of what defines consumers as consumers.
In order to establish and maintain this control, however, they must understand what methods and products will succeed, and cater accordingly.
Ultimately, consumers control themselves both directly, through their own decisions, and through their own actions that drive the forces of those who produce for them.
The coolest voice ever.
they're tying pornography into all this. What doesn't make sense is their attempts to equate P2P with underage/animal/illegal porn while raising penalties for essentially movies & mp3s. I'd suggest that illegal porn has no value at all, so this law won't cover it, and that under existing copyright law, its very easy to assign anything a value over $10,000... meaning that they're going to fcuk over the 18-25 crowd.
I could understand the law if it was aimed at the release groups operating with 100Mbit lines... but just like SCO, this law would hurt the 'end user' aka the consumer, not the true enablers.
[Fuck Beta]
o0t!
Public health and safety are also directly threatened by business models that tempt children toward piracy and pornography and then use them as "human shields" against law enforcement.
Umm... Yeah.. P2P users are human shields.. so, this is a risk to public health and safety. Thank you Senator Hatch for bringing this to our attention.
Voting for anything beyond very local government is a waste of time. Even if your votes are counted legitimately (which I seriously doubt), 90% of the time the opposition candidate is just as bad as the incumbant, while there are benefits in switching them around constantly, to continue to participate in thier charade only gives them more ability to claim a mandate. They can stuff thier "mandate" I for one welcome this absurd legislation, as well as the rest, never in the history of this nation has the government trampled so many rights in such a short time, passed all types of legislation essentially marking every citizen as a criminal, and put forward such a sorry lot of "leaders". The danger lies in the slow erosion of liberty, it tends to not be noticed, with the rapidness the current regieme is going about it however, the people DO notice. This is the first time in my life ordinary people openly of armed rebellion in polite conversation. People are waking up to the fact that the 2 party system is a sham, and they are being bled dry by an elite of murderers and thieves who care nothing for those under them. So, as for these new laws, I'm beyond outrage, I'm just waiting patiently for my countrymen to wake up and join me, keep it coming.
Could the US encourage democracy by placing a fixed limit on political donations from corporations? This would minimize corporate control of our government. Don't say it's impossible to do... I believe some legislation to do exactly this was introduced in Canada as the previous Prime Minister, Chretien was retiring (LOL... that's the only time a politician could pull off something like that).
In my case since I'm 48 y/o I wouldn't have gotten into anime in the first place and purchased as much as I have if it wasn't for fansubs.
If anyone wants to see an episode where the anime producers explicitly acknowledge the existence of fansubbers check out the last episode of Battle Progammer Shirase.
According to the translation by the We-Suck group there is an opening anouncement that goes something like this:
"We apologize to the viewers for ending the series early...We also apologize to the people who take special steps to view this series on their computers...and also to the people who watch the subtitled version overseas."
I once laughed at the way OCP ran everything in Robocop.
I've stopped laughing...
This ANTI-Pirate act is an important step in stopping those nefarious pirates.
Wait, this is the PIRATE act? Oh, lets try again.
This PIRATE Act is an important step in allowing corporations to freely pillage and plunder the public domain without qualms.
That's right, everyone of them goes to jail. You have the nerve to share music you go to the big house.
Orrin Hatch: TV/Movies/Music $152,360
Patrick Leahy: TV/Movies/Music $178,000
What is going on is that even the evil forces of people like Orrin Hatch are realizing that criminal penalties are _not_ appropriate, that branding "otherwise law-abiding" people as felons for something that is individually rather trivial, but on a massive scale certainly non-trivial. It would behoove people to at least give them the credit for that observation rather than run headlong into Orwellian nightmares. Frankly, I don't feel sorry for anyone involved in this argument. No one is forcing you to play their game, but if you want their products, it shouldn't surprise you that they will do everything to ensure that you play by their rules.
What are we to do? Ignore them. Don't steal their products. Don't buy their products. Don't even listen to or watch their products wherever they might be. In the end, maybe by ignoring them for long enough they'll all go broke and die. In the meantime, get out of the damned house, go to a pub and throw your sheckles in the hats of your local musicians who really DO need the money. Buy their CDs. If you have a business, sponsor their gigs. You might even enjoy life a little more in the process.
USA, yep there are more people in jail in USA than China,India,Asia,Europe it seems USA's answer to social problems is to stick everyone in jail, after all those private prison companies need to have year on year growth like the rest of business right ? that exponential race to no-where (perhaps PHB's dont understand basic maths)
I agree, but I wonder if they will try to outlaw anonymous p2p as well?
Don't forget mute-net ( http://mute-net.sourceforge.net/ ), it is a searchable anonymous p2p application, very nice to use.
"I commend Senators Patrick Leahy and Orrin Hatch for their vision and leadership in combating the theft of America's creative works," said Jack Valenti, MPAA's chief executive.
Wasn't it Valenti who, maybe 6 months ago, said the backlash against the RIAA was clearly more damaging to the music industry than could be justified, and that the MPAA wouldn't pursue a similar course of action?
Yeah, here it is:
"I'm not ruling out anything, but at this moment we don't have any specific
plans to sue anyone," Mr. Valenti said. "I think we have learned from the music
industry.'' - published Dec 2003
OK, not really a quick change, I don't think any of us ever took him at face value, but it's still pretty annoying.
Stop-Prism.org: Opt Out of Surveillance
All this crap has inspired me to actually get off my ass and vote, and im not even in America! everyday i see the most vile crap that politicians can push creaping over here from the EU and Tony 'im right, the people are wrong' Blair and his band of idiots figure-heading it and copying everything Bush does. We are starting to get laws like this too, were behind abit and i just hope its not too late to stop it (we dont have diebold voting machines yet so my vote could actually mean something!?). If i was put in prision for 10 years for downloading some crap i would go totally insane! if i didnt kill myself or get killed within the first few months i would leave so bitter and twisted i would probably end up suicide bombing some shit-faced politicians! can that idiot even imagine how many peoples lives he will screw up like that?
This comment does not represent the views or opinions of the user.
The proper spelling is "bold-faced lie". It also makes more sense. Are you accusing them of lying after having shaved?
occultae nullus est respectus musicae - originally a Greek proverb
To tell him that he is just going to make Freenet more popular if this bill becomes law. If he thinks that the porn kids are exposed to on current systems is harmful wait until he causes them to all flee to Freenet. Not only will the be exposed to kiddie porn, but the file traders will be unknowingly storing it on their computers! I am sure that this is the result he wants, the popularization of child pornography. This legislation is ill-concieved for that reason alone. It will accomplish the opposite of its intention.
Lasers Controlled Games!
We have PATRIOT, PIRATE, Next up is the PARROT act, Preventing American Recording Rights from Obvious Theft, only cos I can't think of anything for GOLDDUBLOONSMEHEARTIES as an acronym.
Really, who comes up with the names for these things?
Copyright law protects the copyright holder, whether that happens to be a record company ... or the artists themselves
I see practical problems with this reasoning, based on the inability for an individual songwriter to retain the copyright and succeed in the music business:
Remember when the Do-Not-Call anti-telemarketing registry was challenged by the terrorist marketing agencies and Billy Tauzin, chair of the House Commerce Committee, remarked that "50 million Americans cannot be wrong" (referring to the 50 million Americans who signed up for the Do-Not-Call Registry)? Well, taking that statement at face value, twice that many Americans download music off of the internet, so therefore downloading copyrighted material cannot be wrong simply because the threshold 50 million Americans do it. Of course, 50 million Americans can be wrong and usually are wrong, but at least with the telemarketing bill Congress was listening to the people. That's its job. Here, Congress is listening to special interest groups whose interests are anathema to much more than 50 million Americans. One more thing to notice is that the PIRATE Act, like all restrictive copyright legislation (such as the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act) that assfuck the rights of Americans, is sponsored by both a Republican and a Democrat. Screwing us on this issue is always a bipartisan affair. That's why these bills are never campaign issues. No matter which party you vote for, you are going to get screwed unless you are the RIAA or MPAA.
Stupid people make stupid things profitable.
Politicians Intent on consumer Rights And True fairuse Elimination.
or more like Paid In full by the RIAA mafia And Their Equals.
wait, didn't this *cough*bought*cough* Sen. Hatch try something similar before and it got swatted down like it deserved?
Even more reason to reform soft-money.
I always wonder how they manage to find cool acronyms like that...
A computer makes it possible to do, in half an hour, tasks which were completely unnecessary to do before.
It is wrong for people to give away content that should be paid for. These people and their supporters need to be shown a stern lesson. Once a few people are tossed in jail (hopefully with lengthy terms) for this blatant disrespect for Intellectual Property and The Law, a vast majority of other illegal file sharers will turn off their shops, and the public as a whole will go back to buying the media, as they should be.
"Tens of thousands of continuing civil enforcement actions might be needed to generate the necessary deterrence." -- US Senator Orrin Hatch The "tends of thousands" phrase sounds more like a declaration of war against the citizens of America by the increasingly corporate owned government of ours. When 1.5 million people are downloading today in America, most of which are law abiding citizens that don't traffic in drugs, commit violent crimes, and pay for their groceries. Could this have happened if the RIAA and MPAA were not busy purchasing our congressional representatives? How do we stop this? I don't just mean the bill, I mean how do we stop the trend. How do we get politicians to represent the people again? One question I have is how are we a representative democracy if we are no longer represented? After years of this news growing, I still have not seen a coordinated large-scale effort to restore balance in our government so that it truly represents the people, and respects our principals. While I consider myself a free market capitalist, and personally choose not to download music that the creators do not offer for free, I completely disagree with treating the American people as dissidents, as this bill and other are increasingly doing. Is China becoming more like us, or are we becoming more like them?
Open Standards Portal
Orrin is helping out the RIAA, making sure that the current power structure of the labels & Clear Channel can keep bringing us such fine music.
While his son, Brent, is fighting the legal battles for SCO, to make sure their "IP" is protected. This article discussing the case mentions Brent, as have several subsequent articles and court submission documents.
Thanks guys!
My conditions:
1: high speed internet access
2: relaxed copyright/pirating issues
3: good food
4: not on US bombing list OR bombers of countries on said list.
there must be somewhere suitable..
If you want to wipe out the RIAA and the MPAA point out to the GOP that they are just like unions.
The "tends of thousands" phrase sounds more like a declaration of war against the citizens of America by the increasingly corporate owned government of ours. At a minimum, it sounds like a crackdown on "dissidents". When 1.5 million people are downloading today in America, most of which are law-abiding citizens that don't traffic in drugs, commit violent crimes, and pay for their groceries.
Could this have happened if the RIAA and MPAA were not busy purchasing our congressional representatives?
How do we stop this? I don't just mean the bill; I mean how do we stop the trend. How do we get politicians to represent the people again?
One question I have is how are we a representative democracy if we are no longer represented?
After years of this news growing, I still have not seen a coordinated large-scale effort to restore balance in our government so that it truly represents the people, and respects our principals.
While I consider myself a free market capitalist, and personally choose not to download music that the creators do not offer for free, I completely disagree with treating the American people as dissidents, as this bill and other are increasingly doing.
Is China becoming more like us, or are we becoming more like them?
Open Standards Portal
Why is it that we allow corporations to sell our personal information for financial gain and yet when its something that 'belongs' to them they want to send people to prison.
But on the other had its nice to know that all of the world's problems have been solved such that we have the leisure time to address this huge file sharing problem.
What little faith I had in the US Government is now completely shattered. I expect this out of Hatch, that SOB authored the DMCA, but Leahy!?! Every time I see his name pop up on Slashdot, he's doing something right. I thank $DEITY that there is someone up there on the hill that actually has a clue. Back during the Napster hearings he said,
This could be a brilliant 19-year-old in a college dorm figuring out Gnutella or some like it. You can't stop it. You couldn't stop it even if you wanted to. What we need to do, I think, is make sure copyrights and patent laws actually reflect the new reality.
But that's all gone now. Apparently he's had a change of heart in the past few years. Now, instead of likening P2P to the VCR, he sees 60 million Americans as a gigantic cartel.
The very ease of duplication and distribution that is the hallmark of digital content has meant that piracy of that content is just as easy. The very real - and often realized - threat that creative works will simply be duplicated and distributed freely online has restricted, rather than enhanced, the amount and variety of creative works one can receive over the Internet.
Without reading the text of the act, I can only speculate... but it appears that he is willing to hand the RIAA keys to a bottomless warchest to aid in their crusade against little girls. Until now I had a great deal of respect for the man. Seeing him 'turn to the dark side' is causing my faith in the system to go from shaken to crumbling. If Leahy bows to them, then who's left up there to speak for us?
In prison, they'll just learn how to be better at pirating music online!
Moderation: Put your hand inside the puppet head!
Well, on one hand they would know what people think if everybody responds.
On the other hand, it should be more of a message when constituents tell them they are unhappy and do not feel they are being represented. If it isn't more of a message then the people of Utah and Vermont should not re-elect them out of principle.
If you like in Utah or Vermont please make sure that you explicitly mention that you are a constituent of theirs.
"...P2P networks as dens of terrorists, child pornographers and criminals..."
Damn, using the treat of terror, kiddie porn and criminal activity as a guise of pursuing the interests of the RIAA and MPAA.
All I can say is 'how typical', while shaking my head, and thinking 'wtf'....
what is with these acronyms that our elected officials come up with? PATRIOT act, now the PIRATE act. do they sit down and think of clever ways to name these things more than they actually think about the laws they are trying to get passed? it seems so to me.
Spiral out. Keep going...
Not practical. Look at the diversity of opinion on SlashDot
OK, then how about an Electronic Frontier PAC? NORML (the weed law reform organization) has both a charity and a PAC; why can't EFF?
TV/Movies/Music:
Ranked #7 overall of the industries contributing to the 2002 election cycle with a grand total of $39,902,175. 78% went to Democrats, 22% to Republicans.
You can view TV/Movies/Music's contribution history here.
Who are the top contributor's in TV/Movies/Music? You can find that out here. The top 6 contributors and their funds for the 2002 election cycle are:
Saban Capital Group $9,333,000
Shangri-La Entertainment $6,731,000
Viacom Inc $2,016,891
AOL Time Warner $1,502,806
Walt Disney Co $1,212,364
Vivendi Universal $1,184,249
See anybody we know?
Er... like Socialism? Sounds good to me.
Socialism is so 19th-century. I happen to be in favor of socialism's ideals, but as a political movement it doesn't stand a snowball's chance, as the 20th century demonstrated.
-kgj
-kgj
Perhaps it will start to move more people towards Open Source applications, where downloading software is not illegal.
I think this is aimed mostly at nondramatic musical works and sound recordings thereof rather than at computer programs. There exists a huge space of possible computer programs but a much smaller space of distinct melodies. In addition, while it's easy to avoid gaining "access" to hostilely licensed copyrighted computer programs, everybody is assumed to have had "access" to copyrighted songs played on the radio. Thus, anybody who attempts to write a new song runs a significant risk of subconsciously pirating an existing musical work.
The anti-file-sharing bill is just symptomatic of the problem. Lawmakers act without hesitation to protect the interest of corporations, and have to be practically forced to do anything to protect individual citizens.
This bill has nothing to do at all with your rights as a file sharer. You can share any files for which you have the right to do so. As new business models arise and become popular, people find a way to skirt their responsibilities and the government intervenes. This is why we have legislation concerning corporate monopolies, securities fraud, and the list goes on.
This bill has absolutely no effect at all on your life unless you choose to do something which is against the law. You may not like it because it makes something which is trivially easy (search, click, download) a criminal offence, but just because it's easy doesn't mean that it's right (to wit: knife, heart, stab).
Corporations have never had this much influence before, probably because they have enough control of the media to stifle serious discussion of the issues.
Consider what corporations are: groups of people. Some corporations represent thousands, some hundreds of thousands. A portion of the money generated from the sale of products/services goes towards lobbying the government to pass laws in favor of that particular group of people. Want to compete with this? Form a lobby group, as many have done. Get enough members together who are willing to contribute a portion of their money towards lobbying the government, and you'll have a very powerful force capable of influencing the laws as well. If your particular set of interests are common enough, you can have just as much influence as any corporation. But if they're uncommon, you won't have enough people supporting you and your ideas won't make any difference, as should be the case.
Also, by buying the products of the corporations which lobby the government, you are supplying the money for that lobbying. The solution is to convince people not to purchase from that corporation -- perhaps even start up your own corporation and sell people on the idea of the superiority of your products/services/ethics/whatever.
What it boils down to is that some people are willing to put their money (or effort) where their mouth is. Others just sit back and provide amusing commentary. Most on slashdot fall into the latter category.
Want to improve your Karma? Instead of "Post Anonymously", try the "Post Humously" option.
OK, then how about an Electronic Frontier PAC? NORML (the weed law reform organization) has both a charity and a PAC; why can't EFF?
Excellent idea!
-kgj
-kgj
My opinion has always been thus:
If you want to pirate something or share it with friends, do it on your own dime. Presumably you _want_ your friends to share in whatever cool thing you've discovered, so you'd put out a little to get it in their hands. In the case of P2P, I don't feel bad, it's my bandwidth I'm paying for that people use to download what I choose to let them download. I aim to shed light on the esoteric and underexposed.
Not act as a gatekeeper profiting off someone else's hard work. That's just sleazy.
THIS THING CAN TURN ON A DIME, MACROSSZERO STYLE ALSO FUCK BETA, ~NYORON
voting is the only meaningful feedback mechanism you have, and is considerably less messy, so I suggest you use it.
Both the DMCA and the Bono Act had wide support among members of both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party in both the House and the Senate. They had enough to pass both bills by voice vote, which typically indicates 80 percent assent in each house. What chance does a third political party have of winning a plurality in the Congress?
We The People can stop this bill and get Congress to focus on solutions that will make P2P sharing legal. The EFF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit so unfortunately they cannot lobby Congress. Click The Vote on the other hand is organized as a (c)(4) specifically for the purpose of lobbying Congress on issues like this.
Everyone should sign Click The Vote's "Make Share Fair" petition that supports legal file sharing. Click The Vote also supports open computing and open standards. Joining Click The Vote is a free and easy way to get involved in a group that will challenge the positions of candidates and elected representatives on issues like P2P file sharing and open computing.
We can make a difference if we band together and make our voice heard in the U.S. Congress and European Parliament. Don't just complain, get involved with Click The Vote !
Everyone, sit up and pay attention.
You have an easy, affordable way to crush them at their own game.
1. Make your own audio recordings of live music with a Minidisc recorder or DAT recorder. Get out to the pubs, your friends band, play your own music, whatever - get it recorded.
2. Get out of the chatrooms and onto that computer and start editing your own recordings using freely available tools.
3. Create Mp3's, Audio CD's and SHARE them with everyone. No hassles with copyrights.
4. You dont need Record Labels, Music Studios, Lawyers or Politicians.
5. Get out there and share your work with everyone.
- - - - - - - - -
Take this industry "Good ol' boy" network down. - Empower yourselves!
Go to GOOGLE now and find FREE resources for:
Home Recording
Minidisc Recorders
Mp3 Burning via PC
Audio Editing via PC
P2P networks (for your NON-copyrighted material)
It's simple, easy and cheap. Do it now.
-- GET THE WORD OUT ! --
"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts", Earl Weaver - Legendary Coach of the Baltimore Orioles
I'm not denying that the Supreme Court (rightly or wrongly) granted the same rights individuals enjoy to corporations. Also appreciate the other cases you listed (I knew about Minn RR v. Beckwith) However, in the beginning, corporations were formed for a specific purpose and only with the approval of the legislature, and typically for only a limited time. IE a railroad could only build tracks and run trains, they couldn't buy out a radio station without government approval. In the good old days, corporations existed under the watchful eye of the government, now it seems, more and more, that the government makes no decisions without corporations slanting the government's decisions. That, my friend is scary.
Start filesharing copies of these stupid bills. Then we can complain to the media that these guys are trying to snuff free speech. They'll beg for their political lives.
Do you really not believe that the Internet has the potential to more directly connect artist and fan, cut out some of the middlemen, and do away with the traditional dependence on brick-and-mortar and conventional "terrestrial" radio?
To some extent? yes. To enough extent to displace the cartel? not until the average middle-class American can get affordable wireless Internet access in a moving car or on public transportation. Also remember that many households that can afford a $30 CD player and the occasional $13 major label CD still can't afford a computer and high-speed Internet access. And you skipped responding to the question about subconscious misappropriation.
you as an individual cannot do much.
but as a group there is always power.
Learn from the Mahatama : "Civil Disobedience"
Let this become the law..
then to prove how ridiculous it is...
let half the population of America volunterrily share a file and surrender to the law.
Overload the Justice System.
maybe then someone will realize the stupidity and absurditiy of this whole thing.
THe punishment should fit the crime.
-ap
Makes me wonder what happens if your shareware program is installed on someone's office network, if you could use the same act to cause probs. Weren't there issues with unregistered software being run by senate officials?.. wonder if you can turn this on its head.
meh
I'm amazed that people buy the dreck that the music industry is putting out these days. I've got 30 gig of MP3s and they're all legal live recordings of various bands. I don't share 'em because I like having a low latency link, but I *could* share and it wouldn't be a problem.
Maybe its your *taste* that is the problem - adjust that and suddenly the RIAA is just a comical thing to read about on slashdot occasionally.
I am very easy to get along with, but I don't have time to waste being nice to people who are being stupid. -Theo
We should all just start practicing our goose stepping now..
When people who are just sharing a couple of files, could be put in prison. People here in the US, write your senators and representitives, hell even if you don't live in the US, just email a few, saying you're one of their consitutents, it wouldn't hurt. If anything the companies like M$, and Adobe, and the RIAA and MPAA should be put in prison for stealing from consumers. The minute amount that may or may not be taken from those companies profits by P2P, is nothing compared to the price gouging that they do. Just look on M$'s website under the corporate section. It says 10 billion dollars in quarterly revenue. Do you really think they need any more? And hell, I'm a republican. Maybe also email judges and governors, asking them to challenge this bill.
Every time you post an article on Slashdot, I kill a server. Think of the servers!
The problem is hyperbolist cowards like yourself never follow through. Please leave. Unfortunately, I suspect if Bush gets elected again you will just continue to sit on your fat, ignorant ass posting your brand of bullshit using cutesy, asinine luser colloquialisms like Bush 2.0 .
Indeed, our government recognizes that its enforcement powers are appropriate when protecting intellectual property and public safety. Recently, in a speech to the United States Chamber of Commerce, Deputy Attorney General James B. Comey, Jr. asserted that the Department of Justice should assist private enforcement of intellectual property rights if any of three criteria are met: (1) the level of piracy becomes particularly egregious; (2) public health and safety are put at risk; or (3) private civil remedies fail to adequately deter illegal conduct.
When would that be? People aren't going around killing each other with p2p applications, nor do I know how that is even possible. What a moron. Let's put the blame on terrorism, way to go.
SAILING MISHAP
Quote: (from Wired Article)
"In defending the Pirate Act, Hatch said the operators of P2P networks are running a conspiracy in which they lure children and young people with free music, movies and pornography."
Uhm, how *exactly* is running a P2P network a "conspiracy"?? You could argue that people who run IRC networks are conspirators. Same with running FTP servers. I mean, yes, there is alot of porn on KaZaa, and free music, and movies, but I fail to see how they can label the intent of p2p networks to "lure children and young people" as some kind of "conspiracy"...
I mean, wouldn't it be more like young people usually don't have jobs, and therefore are more prone to downloading music online for free? And more or less, most teens are horney bastards, who, uhm, are going to look at porn? Not that I support the distribution of child pornography; not at all, but the whole labeling of it being a "conspiracy" really irks me. And yes, I do know that 90% of material traded on p2p networks is copyrighted material.
Quote:
"If the draft becomes law, anyone sharing 2,500 or more pieces of content, such as songs or movies, could be fined or thrown in jail. In addition, anyone who distributes content that hasn't been released in wide distribution (for example, pre-release copies of an upcoming movie) also would face the penalties. Even a single file, determined by a judge to be worth more than $10,000, would land the file sharer in prison."
Ouch. Although I understand that people do need to be reimbursed for their creative works, we do really need to redo our whole copyright system. And methinks that, as far as the Internet and content published on the Internet goes, we really should start pushing for more content put online to be published under the Creative Commons license (http://creativecommons.org/), which I think is much more in harmony with the spirit of the Internet than is old standard copyright.
Not that I'm saying people shouldn't be able to run online businesses, just that the spirit of the Internet, and computing in general was to share and promote ideas with people.. and uhm, current copyright laws don't exactly work to well with those ideals.
Try not to let life get in the way of living.
"As a result, the Department will be able to impose stiff penalties for violating copyrights, but can avoid criminal action when warranted." I'm outraged (and i'm sure i'm not alone) that a couple lame-o senators are appropriating the term PIRATE for such a ridiculous, non-gay rights measure. (Well...it is ghey...but not GAY). ARGGHH!!!. I'll unsheathe my sword and show you some stiff penalties, matey! --signed Blackbeard teh Queer
I think we need *more* laws like this. For example, how about this one:
Any Congressman who receives $10,000 or more from the RIAA should be put in jail...
pb Reply or e-mail; don't vaguely moderate.
As for me, this is exactly why I dislike people such as Larry Lessig who persue a compromise approach to copyrights. All that ever happens is that they end up getting used and exploited to appease the masses with wishfull thinking, while the MPAA and the RIAA make their next move to screw everyone over.
If anything, it is in our best interest to force the death of copyrights once and for all. It amazes me to see how many people fail to see that the 'emperor is naked' - they actually think that copyrights are just like other free market property rights - that restricting what people can copy actually creates some kind of benefit. Well, bullshit. All people like Lessig do is just get in the way, like those who tried to delay the fall of the USSR, like those who wanted the free states to get along with the slave states. They are useless.
Since I use BitTorrent and IRC exclusively for anime I might be hard to prosecute under the "anyone sharing 2,500 or more pieces of content" part. It does look conceivable that a fansub could be "pre-release copy" if the American distributers really wanted to put the DOJ up to protecting Japanese content. It did look like the bill is still in draft status and all the details haven't worked out yet though.
It didn't look those idiots know about sharing methods other than Kazaa or anonomizers either.
If this actually happens it won't be like industry will make more money off me personally. I cut all CD and music related purchases to zero after Audio Galaxy was shut down. I won't do this with anime, I'll just walk up the street to Nikaku Animart (one of the best anime rental places in the US, I live near the San Jose Japantown area) and rent. The amount of money I spend will NOT increase however.
I'll probably loose at least 20 pounds when I spend the former DSL money on a health club too.
Who's plundering what?............
Actually, I'm surprised that instead of supporting and nurturing technologies (like p2p) and liberalizing the restrictions on information in support of new industries that can employ lots of US workers, they're supporting legislation that will drive these industries offshore, thereby shifting what could have been US jobs overseas.
Consider how much economic activity was generated by the whole Y2K thing, and by how much economic (ie, hardware purchases, purchases of broadband) by Napster. These events, although by themsleves, did not contribute a lasting economic impact, the investments that they induced people to make (ie, always on internet, faster computers, more computers everywhere), created a ready market for all those internet companies that survived the shakeout - ie, Amazon, eBay, etc.
For an example of how US restrictions have nurtured overseas industries, look at India's pharmecuticals industry, which went from generics and copying patented drugs, to partnerships with US companies to conduct research, manufacturing, and clinical trials. A similar gap is happening in embryonic stem cell research. China is driving development of new video entertainment technologies because they don't want to be beholden to US patents on every unit they sell (ie, Dolby, MPEG2, etc.)
The early movie industry was based on what the movie companies would now call "piracy". Songwriters at the turn of the century decried recording technology as theft of the songwriter's trade. Basically, whole industries have all, at one point or another, been accused of unfairness (ie, unfair competition, destroying jobs, etc.) Many, if not all of them, have spawned far more jobs and economic wealth than the industries that preceeded them.
Instead of turning back the clock at the behest of monied interestes, and setting US economic progress back years, if not decades, we should be liberalizing our laws. The idea that to effectively promote a new music act, or book, or movie, requires a whole bunch of money and time is no longer true (the demise of the multiple layers of distribution between recording artist and the now defunct corner record store - which didn't exist one hundred years ago, is an example of that.) Regarding research, investment, and development - the money will ALWAYS be invested when investors smell money - the fact that they will have to recoup their money faster, or will have to contend with more competition merely drives more competing efforts, which means MORE JOBS FOR EVERYONE, MORE CHOICE FOR CONSUMERS, and A MORE EFFICIENT ECONOMY.
What a frukin cock sucking hypocritical mindless jerkoff
i hope he chocks on his own testicles
The new influx of skinny white, 18-25 year old males is sure to make the current prison population happy.
Someday we might get it right and actually support our citizens instead of self-serving companies. No - that's not good for busine^h^h^h^h^h^h politics. :-/
If I could get the RIAA et al to give me $150K+ I could buy CDs for the rest of my life.
BC
Then what's to stop the RIAA introducting a bill to ban P2P all together.
Last night Verizon-NYC upgraded software systems on the phone network. Unforunately the 911 crashed hard and did not come back up. The backup system was, regrettably, also incompatible with the software upgrade. So for all of a busy Friday night in a city of 8+ million people, callers to 911 received a busy signal. Who cares to guess how many people were killed by Verizon last night?
===---===
Together, we will drive the rats from the tundra.
Truly inspirational words to live by. Are you French by any chance?
Nope. An American, who figured out that the Kennedy Assassination, the Nixon Regime, and Bush Dynasty all add up to organized criminal domination of political power in America.
-kgj
-kgj
Dear Senator $congresscritter,
I am writing to urge you to speak out against the Protecting Intellectual Rights Against Theft and Expropriation Act of 2004 (the so called PIRATE act) sponsored by Senators Orrin Hatch and Patrick Leahy.
This act would have far reaching negative consequences, resulting in the further criminalisation of hundreds of thousands of your constituents and result in widespread abuses of civil law. A law like this flies in the face of common sense and given that it so lowers the standards of proof required, is ripe for corrupt selective enforcement.
Please consider instead offering a solution similar to that which has worked for the radio industry for decades, where compulsory licensing has allowed artists to be rewarded and has allowed millions of people to enjoy the gift of music without being treated as criminals.
Yours $nameyou can find your senators by following this link
Well, while I would oppose anything that makes it easier to go after filesharers, I'd prefer a bill that lets the DOJ go after individuals over something that makes the technology itself illegal. After all, there are still a lot of legitimate uses for P2P networks, and this bill still leaves room for them.
Of course, given the pace at which laws are being passed on this subject, I'm sure it's only a matter of time until laws making P2P altogether are passed. One could only hope that the courts would throw them out based on good ol' Sony v. Betamax.
How To Get Humans To Mars
What happened to the GOP's Contract with America?
What happened to Term Limits? He as been in office since 1976. Twenty eight years by my math.
Is it any surprise that SCO is based in Utah?
I do pity the upstanding persons in Utah, and I think if I were with the mormon church, I would excommunicate Orrin Grant Hatch for bringing shame to my church, and having no moral turpitude.
Win if you can... Lose if you must... But always CHEAT!
Orin's forgotten that he represents the people of Utah and not just corporate interest.
I ma live in Utah, but between SCO and Hatch (Remember he wanted the right to trash people's machines remotelY) I'm thinking Nevada might be a good move.
You might as well read the actual draft. Not that it's going to stop the clueless first post who like to comment on their first impression of a single paragraph. :oP
/. filters at work.
Forgive the formatting,
From thomas.loc.gov
------------------------
S 2237 IS
108th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2237
To amend chapter 5 of title 17, United States Code, to authorize civil copyright enforcement by the Attorney General, and for other purposes.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 25, 2004
Mr. LEAHY (for himself and Mr. HATCH) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
A BILL
To amend chapter 5 of title 17, United States Code, to authorize civil copyright enforcement by the Attorney General, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `Protecting Intellectual Rights Against Theft and Expropriation Act of 2004'.
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF CIVIL COPYRIGHT ENFORCEMENT BY ATTORNEY GENERAL.
(a) IN GENERAL- Chapter 5 of title 17, United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 506 the following:
`Sec. 506a. Civil penalties for violations of section 506
`(a) IN GENERAL- The Attorney General may commence a civil action in the appropriate United States district court against any person who engages in conduct constituting an offense under section 506. Upon proof of such conduct by a preponderance of the evidence, such person shall be subject to a civil penalty under section 504 which shall be in an amount equal to the amount which would be awarded under section 3663(a)(1)(B) of title 18 and restitution to the copyright owner aggrieved by the conduct.
`(b) OTHER REMEDIES-
`(1) IN GENERAL- Imposition of a civil penalty under this section does not preclude any other criminal or civil statutory, injunctive, common law or administrative remedy, which is available by law to the United States or any other person;
`(2) OFFSET- Any restitution received by a copyright owner as a result of a civil action brought under this section shall be offset against any award of damages in a subsequent copyright infringement civil action by that copyright owner for the conduct that gave rise to the civil action brought under this section.'.
(b) DAMAGES AND PROFITS- Section 504 of title 17, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in subsection (b)--
(A) in the first sentence--
(i) by inserting `, or the Attorney General in a civil action,' after `The copyright owner'; and
(ii) by striking `him or her' and inserting `the copyright owner'; and
(B) in the second sentence by inserting `, or the Attorney General in a civil action,' after `the copyright owner'; and
(2) in subsection (c)--
(A) in paragraph (1), by inserting `, or the Attorney General in a civil action,' after `the copyright owner'; and
(B) in paragraph (2), by inserting `, or the Attorney General in a civil action,' after `the copyright owner'.
(c) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENT- The table of sections for chapter 5 of title 17, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 506 the following:
`506a. Civil penalties for violation of section 506.'.
SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF FUNDING FOR TRAINING AND PILOT PROGRAM.
(a) TRAINING AND PILOT PROGRAM- Not later than 180 days after enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall develop a program to ensure effective implementation and use of the authority for civil enforcement of the copyright laws by--
(1) establishing training programs, including practical training and written mat
Countries -> Multicountry pseudo governments (like EU) -> World Government
I agree entirely with your reasoning -- in fact, my own reasoning follows the same line, although I didn't actually spell it out in my original post.
However, I have good reason for sanguine pessimism: I live in America, which would sooner declare war on other nations than share power. (Come to that, it would rather assassinate it's own liberal politicians than share power.)
The trend is for organizations to become wider. The day many people WORLDWIDE are fucked up, because capital respects no country, and cares about nobody, is the day that you'll begin to see a push for a worldwide government that can regulate capitalists worldwide...they will have nowhere to hide.
I hope so. I was being a bit cheeky in my original post -- but all joking aside, I agree with you and I hope you're right.
-kgj
-kgj
>Social evolution in action: corporations are more efficient -- better adapted to their environment
Okay, so considering corporate consolidation and conformity in business practices is the norm the next step is to just grant them all monopolies thus socialism - government controled means of production.
Or we can break monopolies, remove corporate money and influence from our politicians, and pass pro-consumer laws.
Considering how few companies own so much capital, our media fails us, and how little say we have and in anything then we're practically the USSR and we all know how that little experiment ment.
>no Revolution, no Topple the State, no Stop the Corporations
Yeah, that's the defeatist attitude they want to have. Go back to watching Reality TV while us adults try to fix things.
Yeah, right.
The first analogy is that shortly after the invention of the car someone robs a bank a uses the car to get away. The banking industry pays congress to outlaw the car.
Second, the railroad industry has locked up the freight market. Nothing is shipped in-land without going through them. Except for short distances they are the only option. As soon as the model-T comes out someone takes the body off, hammers on some boards and viola --- a truck. The railroad industry pays congress to outlaw the auto.
Either way what is today a vital industry dies in America.
I am working on p2p business applications for ERP, and CRM applications. I guess I should consider moving to another country.
If this becomes the next new new thing, the US looses out.
If you don't like this then we can do somthing about it Contact your Reps If every slashdoter over the age of 18 that lives in the US emails them or calls them we can make a diffrence. Its up to you.
just because your a schizophrenic doesn't mean people arn't really out to get you
I, my AR-15, and my HK USP agree completely. ;)
I ask of you all one question: Who will the congressman listen to, the patriotic individual whom takes the time to write about their concerns to their leader, or the large corporation who donated $250,000+ to the congressman's campaign fund?
The congressman knows that with that money he can get more votes than the one he'd lose by not paying attention to your letter.
The Second Amendment exists for a reason, and no, I'm not talking about a reason like protecting yourself from burglars...
isn't everything on the network some form of sharing..?
I browse a web page - it sends me a block of HTML and other stuff to view.
I pull a file from a co-worker's computer..
I pull a file from someone's FTP site.
It's all "sharing".
So we shut down the network because information is transferred across it all the time?
I keep seeing a lot of discussion about how this or that law that is being worked "sux." I'm just curious when people here are actually gonna stop talking about this shit and actually do something. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's good that ya'all like to to talk - but talking shit about something that you don't like to the exclusion of all else, isn't going to make it go away.
Why do corporations get away with so much? no - it's not money. It's our complacency. Well, that and the fact that 9 out of 10 people have no real motivation when it comes to things outside of their computer, or tv.
Unfortunately, piracy and pornography could then become the cornerstones of a "business model." At first, children and students would be tempted to infringe copyrights or redistribute pornography.
People on P2P networks are on them for a reason, "Free Stuff", weather it be the latest hit on the radio, a classic rock song, or a newly released movie. It is no different from burning your buddy a copy of the latest cd, or sneaking a digital movie camera into the theater. These "young people or students" are not being coerced into a shady criminal life, by "Unscrupulous corporations". If people wish to get media without paying for it they will.
Their illicit activities then generate huge advertising revenues for the architects of piracy. Those children and students then become "human shields" against enforcement efforts that would disrupt the flow of those revenues. Later, large user-bases and the threat of more piracy would become levers to force American artists to enter licensing agreements in which they pay the architects of piracy to distribute and protect their works on the Internet.
Senator Orrin Hatch is just being paraniod here. This business model of his is just silly. For the simple fact that since the creation of P2P networks music industry revenues are at an all time high. Me personaly I like to hear a CD before I buy it.
Federal enforcement action is surely warranted if such "business models" are driving the increasing ease of piracy on peer-to-peer filesharing networks. Such business models exploit children, cheat artists, and threaten the future development of commerce on the Internet. There are no "architects of piracy" who wish to force the force the "Artists of America" into some contract.
If this bill were to pass, nothing would change. The only side effect would be that the senate would not have time to work on good bills like the one to Protect the "Association for the Advancement of Mythical and Imaginary Beasts and Creatures" from intelectual rights lawsuits.
Senseless Use of Acronyms
They can already do that. It's called the War on Drugs and Philip K. Dick accurately dissected it in several of his books (many years ago, no less). All they have to do is pin a drug charge on you, and you got to jail with rapists and murderers, your property is forfeit and your family is publicly humiliated (or hurt/killed) by a no-knock raid at 3 am. And it's soooooo easy to find "evidence" during that raid, a pound of coke is easily stashed in a cop's vest on the way in, to be discovered later... Congratulations, you're now a drug dealer, the scum of th earth.
I know it sounds paranoid, but with the laws so one-sided and harsh, that's all it would take.
Freedom: "I won't!"
don't rapists usually get less than ten years? this is ridiculous.
ARRR RRRRRR RR RRRRRRR RR
One nation-state, any gender; must be at least thirty years of age. Relative political and economic stability necessary. Respect for individual citizens and their rights required; willingness to accept a college grad by June 2005 also a must. Benefits offered include yearly tax salary, degree-holder in History (with experience & training in network wiring and computer hardware & software troubleshooting), and loyalty to the nation-state itself. English-speaking society with a tolerance for itself a plus. To apply, please contact Undefined Parameter (726857) by available means.
NOTICE: This "Want Ad" does not imply hostility or malevolent intent toward individual's current nation-state. Individual is as fully compliant with laws in both letter and spirit as he can possibly be.
*****
~UP
Eat the Path.
Maybe we need a law where creative works are paid for differently, like with public money or something. I mean the distribution costs are nothing, you should be paid for the effort of making it, not the distribution of it. However that really is anti-capatalistic.
What REALLY needs to happen is to put filesharing in the same legal category as speeding, since they really are the same. Both are crimes that we know people shouldn't do, but almost everyone does. Both are also more or less victimless crimes (please let's not get into the stealing money shit, they are potentially losing potential sales, not actually losing money). Well speeding is punished by a small fine, why then is copyright infirngement punsihed by $150,000 PER FILE (statutory damages)?
It should be a small fine, just like speeding. You get caught with X files, you pay Y dollars sort of thing. And that means a reasonable amount like $100-$200 total not millions.
The constituion stipulates that cruel and unuasual punishment shall not be inflicted and unreasonable fines shall not be imposed. Well, it seems to me that millions of dollars in fines and years in prision for simple copyright infringment is both cruel and unusual and unreasonable.
I mean after all, we could reduce the amount of speeding by setting up speed checkpoints with Browning M2s and shredding any car that goes over the speed limit, but that seems to be excessive, unfair, and against everything this country stands for. The current and proposed penalties for filesharing are likewise.
Two old men want to pass a law that will put millions of young people in prison for activities that the young don't consider to be crimes.
Happened before with marijuana and Vietnam war draft evasion.
Perhaps since this number of young people being placed in jail will overwhelm the prison system, perhaps we should look into how much money the private prison corporations gave to the 'lawmakers' to get them to propose this insanity. The only people who will gain from doing this is the private prison corporations, CCA and Wackenhut.
Besides, this being the USA, you KNOW the only people who will be going to jail for this are black kids. White college boys can download all the 'death monster junko speed metal' that they want to and have a $20 fine and their dorm internet access suspended for a few hours, while a serious black student downloading a clip of Lena Horn or Billie Holliday for a black history class multimedia project will get the full 10 years.
Go ahead... tell me I'm wrong.
In the long run, about a hundred years or more, this type of legal intimidation will only serve to transfer the entire music, movie, culture, multimedia business out of the USA; and the bullet proof DRM that will be applied to media product of the last third of the 20th century and first third of the 21st will make it impossible to view or see or experience anything that was made in this period.
An example of this is ALL of the novels published in the US between 1930 and 1955. As the paper wears out, the books get pulped. Under the infinite minus a day copyright laws it is illegal to transfer them to digital format without corporate permission, and the corporations won't give permission because there is no profit in novels from this period now. End result? A whole generation of literature disappears to protect an asshole mickey mouse cartoon logo.
This will happen to all of today's media product too. Sad, stupid, and completely avoidable by reasonable people following reasonable copyright guidelines. Instead we get this idiot from Utah and Michael Eisner; and the permanent loss of our and our parent's culture.
You can take away our freedom, but ...
What was the article about, again?
Winners and losers:
Justice Department gets more funding, more cases, can claim to be "tough on crime". Winners.
RIAA/MPAA no longer have to shell out bucks to sue people, they just report them to the Justice Department. Winners.
Court system, clogged already, gets further clogged with 1000s of P2P cases. Losers.
US Taxpayer has to pay for procsecuting P2P file shares. Losers.
P2P file sharers now get criminal records. Think about all the losses that brings in US society. In some states, that includes the right to vote. Big losers.
I've said it before, and I will say it again: the move of copyright infringment from civil law to criminal law is one of the most nasty and dangerous changes in recent copyright laws.
of course he won't listen to =one= person vs. $250,000 in cash. However, 250,000 people he would listen to. The reason we have so many apathetic people in this world is that people think like your example. "Well, how much can poor little me do against a big company that's sponsoring this senator?" - the answer is actually quite surprising when you can manage to get the people to just act in spite of the question. While there were certainly quite a few other factors that contributed to India's independance from England, it sure did help that people stopped asking and started doing. ;-) The same can be said of the civil rights movement as well as the 60's and the struggle against the Vietnam War.
So, can we now move past this whole anesthetizing idea that money outrules large groups of people?
Prison sentences for stealing a single copy of the new Madonna song sound incredibly stupid.
Anyone who knowingly spreads that screeching wench's songs around should deserve to get some prison time.
It's starting NOT to make sense to vote. You can only choose a Mix, each politician is a mix. What we want is not to opt for "War to Irak, but No PIRATE Act) or (Patriot Act, but no H1 visas), etc.
What we need is to choose exactly what people want, not what people we want. Voting for people is no longuer working, because the scope is now too broad. Not everyone can know about everything, but if 500 guys can rule everyone, why cannot we make a change and force those 500 guys to vote what their supporters want (ie: they must obey their masters, the citizens).
Ubiquitous access to a network could solve the problem, the time for direct democracy is now...we don't need representatives anymore.
unfinished: (adj.)
Is that all of you "fuck them and lock them up" types would go and actually READ our damn Constution. You know, the document that is the SUPREME LAW OF THE LAND, the one to which all other laws must adhere and subordinate.
If you were to actually take the time to read it, you would find that in the first 10 ammendments, those that are collectively known as the Bill of Rights, Ammendment 8 states:
"Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted."
This forms the very heart of our concept of justice. You do not cut off someone's had for stealing a candy bar, you do not kill someone for a simple assult. The punsihment must fit the crime. How then, can you possibly stand by the current law which allows for a statuority fine of $150,000 PER FILE shared? That is CLEARLY an excessive fine. How can you stand by a proposed law that allows for 10 years in jail for sharing files? This is more time than they gave the people who stole (which deprives someone of property, something filesharing does not) my friend's car?
What's more if you were to read the Constituion you would find it allows for copyrights to exist and describes what they are. It does this in Article 1, Section 8, Paragraph 8 Which says that congress shall have the power "To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries;"
It is then quite clear that current copyright law does NOT meet that standard. The time is quite clearly obscenely long (life +50 years) and therefore not the limited times the Constitution demands, and it has been twisted in such a way (the DMCA) that it no longer is used "to promote the progress of science and useful arts" but rather to attempt to maintain absolute control.
The Constituion is above all other laws, and the rights, and limitations, it lays down cannot simply be legislated away. Federal, and all other, law is subordinate to it. Copyright law as it stands is unconstitutional and therefore MUST be changed.
So quit with the "evil filesharers" crap. What they are doing my be against the law, but it is a law that has become unjust, and just because something is against the law does not mean that the punishment can be anything a coperation wants.
As a final note: If copyright infringement is such a problem, why did the media industry make more money when Napster was active and less after it was shut down? (it's a rehetorical question)
Hmm.. let's see:
Top Industries
The top industries supporting Patrick Leahy are:
1 Lawyers/Law Firms $320,845
2 TV/Movies/Music $178,000
3 Lobbyists $143,262
Just a coincidence, right?
Just drop a P2P client on Mr. Hatchs' kids or grandkids computer, then call the FBI. Let him wiggle on that one a while.
We've got these evil corps because we have been cowtowed into looking the other way(or not judging) when evil shows itself. Evil must be destroyed, you don't destroy something by asking it politely to move across the street.
JoeR
"The bill was introduced by Sens. Orrin Hatch and Patrick Leahy, both of whom received large contributions from the entertainment industries."
I hear that in some countries corruption is not only illegal but that corrupt politicians go to great lengths to hide their crookedness. Probably just a rumor though.
The logic is that even if the file you have up for download is worth $3.00, and even if that file was only downloaded 5 times, you had it up and available to millions of users and the damage you could have caused was well in excess of $10,000.
I guess this twisted logic is akin to attempted murder by making plans but without actually killing someone.
SearchIRC - Now with live chat directory!
also:
/. reading and posting).
1) ally yourself with one or two political groups you believe in
2) Stay informed on events and info that are important to you (looks like you may already be doing this one by virtue of
and 3) write your U.S. rep and Senators when something really rubs you the wrong way.
like this case for instance...
.
uR iGn0ranc3, Their Power
_nfotxn
"Your position is that any band should be able to just go ahead and use Frank Zappa's image and name in their own commercial work, without any oversight whatsoever?"
Why not? Or do you think Shakespeare's descendents should get a cut of the Folger's gate?
When does this madness stop? The guy is dead. His stuff should be PD at this point.
Shame on you motherfuckers from Utah and Vermont who keep re-electing these scumbag sellout politicians. If I weren't employed full time I would take a trip to those two states and slap every one of you morons in the face with a wet trout.
Liberty.
From Sen. Hatch' introduction:
American citizens are using this software to create and redistribute infringing copies of popular music, movies, computer games and software.
Methinks the Republican Senator from Utah doesn't even understand the very software he's trying to fight.
P2P software doesn't create the copies, it merely distributes them.
-- This sig for rent.
A Bullet is pretty cheap. Personally I recommend a 30.06
I despise that man, I truely hope he dies a horrible and slow death.
Snowden and Manning are heroes.
I'm in Anoka County of Minnesota...last I heard, we were the 3rd worst county in the US for Meth Labs. (Trust me...they wouldn't be lying...house across the street, heh...)
Little town (St. Francis)...let's see, what's there to do?
-Bowling alley (that has uber-restrictive rules on friends/significant others/etc)
-Park
-Gas Station
Nearest town with any entertainment: 20 miles
Average minimum age in that town to enjoy said entertainment: 18-21
So what do we do up here?
Well...the city just north of us (Cambridge) has the highest pregnancy rate in the state. Yup...even higher than Minneapolis/St. Paul. So we smoke, drink and have sex. Wonderful. No wonder our school underperforms on everything.
So let's make the thing that keeps some of us busy NOT making babys (drawing on welfare) doing/selling drugs (killing people from abuse,etc) or drinking (DUI/DWI) have worse punishments/effects on society than those things.
Okay Hatch...so you're saying child sex, alchol and drug abuse are better than copyright violations? Okay...you can deal with them, and pay the bills.
There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
Mr. President, I rise to join Senator Leahy in sponsoring the Protecting
...
But recently, some unscrupulous corporations may have exploited new technologies
Intellectual Rights Against Theft and Expropriation Act (the "PIRATE Act"), a
measure that will provide the Department of Justice with tools to combat the
rampant copyright piracy facilitated by peer-to-peer filesharing software.
Mr. President, I'm going to join with Senator Leahy and prove once and for all
that democrats and republicans are equally as corrupt when enough money is
waved under our noses. Our "owners" would like to stop people giving away
works which don't actually belong to them, but yet, they make a considerable
amount of money from as they signed prohibitively restrictive contracts
with the actual copyright owners. My "owners" would like to continue to
make money (and short of being given access to the money printing press)
want to prevent a tool which can actually harm their monopoly by providing
an efficient way for independant artists to distribute their works.
Let me underscore at the outset that our bill does not expand the scope of the
existing powers of the Department of Justice to prosecute persons who infringe
copyrights. Instead, our proposal will assist the Department in exercising
existing enforcement powers through a civil enforcement mechanism. After
considerable study, we have concluded that this is the most appropriate
mechanism.
Some of us want to lock these pirates up and throw away the key, but others
want to keep them hooked to my "owners" products. So basically we've decided
we want to destroyt their current lives, and still give them a chance to
buy our stuff.
Peer-to-peer file sharing software has created a dilemma for law-enforcement
agencies. Millions of otherwise law-abiding American citizens are using this
software to create and redistribute infringing copies of popular music, movies,
computer games and software.
We think that millions of law-abiding americans are criminals but don't want
to come out and say it like that, so we'll back-hand them instead.
Some who copy these works do not fully understand the illegality, or perhaps the
serious consequences, of their infringing activities. This group of filesharers
should not be the focus of federal law-enforcement efforts. Quite frankly, the
distributors of most filesharing software have failed to adequately educate the
children and young people who use their software about its legal and illegal
uses.
We don't want to harm the stupid ones since they probably don't know how to
cause serious harm anyway. And since most of my constituents are as thick
as two planks and I'd like to be re-elected I don't want this either.
A second group of filesharers consists of those who copy and redistribute
copyrighted works even though they do know that doing so violates federal law.
In many cases, these are college students or young people who think that they
will not get caught. Many of these filesharers are engaging in acts that could
now subject them to federal criminal prosecution for copyright piracy.
There do exist a group of people that would probably never vote for me anyway,
as they think I'm a complete turd, and who happen to be poor because our education
system is up shit creek without a paddle but still enjoy listening to music and
watching movies so they do share alot of these copyrighted works. They know its
wrong but since we continually shaft them most of the time anyway they do it
as a type of protest. Basically we want them to stop.
and discovered that the narrow scope of civil contributory liability for
copyright infringement can be utilized so that ordinary consumers and children
groklaw, wired and slashdot. The holy trinity of work based time wasting.
ORRIN HATCH: You, Mr. Kettle, are most decidedly black.
KETTLE: Funny you should say that, Mr. Hatch. So are you.
p
In Korea, long hair is for old people!
SCO is probably the biggest example of IP fraud right now.
Companys (and individuals) clame patents and copyrights for everything under the sun then harrass the general public untill the corts prove the clames are fraudulent at such time the company walks away with the only penalty being the loss of rights they should have never had.
At the same time stealing public domain is entirely legal.
When your paying for software your in fact paying for the time saved in not creating the CD yourself.
Programs like Microsoft Windows represent months or years of work. Time is money. It's well worth forking it over for the commertal title instead of writing a program of the same quality yourself.
Destros like Linux represent weeks or months asembling, testing and compiling the entire pacage in a (reasonably) easy to install pacage. The time and effort you save is worth it.
Free software colections CDs represent hours or days of downloading. This may very well be worth $10 for busy people.
When an individual or company steals public domain software they sell the application as if they are saving the user the time and effort of creating it when they only save him from needing to download it and as a result trick him into paying far more than it is worth.
Additionally the original author is scammed out of the recognition for his work that is due him.
This practace was rare enough but becomming more and more commen and many free programmers started including liccenses in order to prevent this abuse.
(The most commen complants involved companys selling floppys of free software as commertal software leading to some pritty strange phone calls)
It would be nice if congress would start to recognise the theft is going both ways and start addressing the problems that have resulted in large companys needing "deffensive" patents.
The truth is while there is a way to regesture your technology as "free" it isn't going to be a sereous deturent from theft if the theff loses nothing more than rights he shouldn't have had to start with.
IP today is the perfict scam. All you can do to them is put an end to the scam. Untill then they can send of C&Ds, lawsutes and bills all they like. Nothing stopping them.
SCO has crossed the line and will be subjected to some harsh pentalitys and lawsutes once it's shown the clames they made are sans merrit.
However for all they have done they only just barely crossed line line.
If SCO hadn't sold a binary only version of Linux and not attempted the C&D scam outside the US they'd face nothing more than a slap on the wrist for everything.
I don't actually exist.
It's about time that 'Corporate America' learnt it's ethics and morals. Instead of buying lawmakers to write laws with which to criminalize ordinary people, it should be working with those ordinary people ( it's customers ) to create business methods which actually benefit both it and its customers.
IOW, & Addressing said 'Corporate America': If you don't want people trading and trafficking in digital media files, don't make them available to the public in the first place, or set up socially acceptable distribution chains for your products. What you are doing at the moment only brings disrepute on your nation.
If this thing passes, then there is no doubt that we now live in a nation based on corportism. How can any sensible member of congress let something so harsh pass unless they are being influenced by pure greed of all those bribe^h^h^h campaign contributions? Think about it, you can go out and get sloppy drunk, get in a car and kill someone with that car and get less jail time then some dumb kid who shares a song he likes? Sens. Orrin Hatch and Patrick Leahy are the ones that need to sit in jail for a long, long time for not performing their duty to the US citizens by only serving corporations. What I don't understand is that a corporation is not considered a person and cannot vote, however they are allow to give bribe^h^h^h campaign contributions!
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land,
it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. -James Madison
Is that those of top have so completely mastered the art of screwing everyone for their own benefit and getting away with it.
The reason they're so good at getting away with it is because no one cares. The average idiot cares about nothing but bread and circuses, and will continue to do so until the continuance of such behavior becomes a serious impediment to caring about nothing but bread and circuses.
Therefore, I would suggest that failing to do your civic duty and vote come with unpleasant consequences:
On voting night, the list of checked off names (those who did vote) will be compared to and removed from the list of people who reside in the precinct (as determined by the last census).
This will not violate privacy, because the information was already there anyway: the list of people who voted at the polling booths, and the last census. When compiled, the list of nonvoters will be sent to the phone, ISP, and cable providers for that precinct, who will cut off service from those listed. And if you get cut off, you still pay for the service. You're safe from getting hosed if you move out of the precinct, because if you're not there they can't cut off service for you.
Those who did not vote have 14 days to pick up a voting information packet/absentee ballot and send it in to be counted. When your vote arrives and is counted, service is restored based on lists of those who have now voted sent in each day. If you don't respond by the 14-day time limit, you got no cable, phone, or internet until the next election. Have fun!
Because one of my main ideas here is to make you vote without violating your civil rights, there will be some rather considerable holes: Since the whole population list uses the last census, if you moved to a new district within that time, you've got until the next new decade that you can slip under the radar. Oh well. I don't think moving every 10 years is worth not having to vote
There are probably some technical issues to be worked out, but it seems like a solid idea. Unless you are satisfied with broadcast TV, talk over ham radio, and get internet access over radio teletype, it would be rather unpleasant.
I realise that this may seem to have gone off at rather a tangent (or maybe cotangent) to the "pirate" act, but it is on topic: If people can't just sit around and let corrupt politicians bilk the handful of voters, but feel compelled to educate themselves, how long would those corrupt politicians last?
Test 1 2 3 4
Solution
Vote for any non-Republicrat candidate.
End Transmission.
I thought that said "A PIRATE is introduced to congress" and had visions of a peg-legged, bearded dirty man with a parrot on his shoulder looking around at all the politicians thinking to himself: "So this is what the real pro's look like..."
groklaw, wired and slashdot. The holy trinity of work based time wasting.
The free market does not always know best. Car companies in the early twentieth century bought up public transportation and shut it down to force people to buy cars. They're still discouraging pubic transportation from developing even today. This goes against the interest of everyone but a few rich car dealers and manufaturers. All of society is made to suffer because that's how it works in a 'free' market.
And I think you overestimate how smart US citizens are (a remarkably easy thing to do). They don't think too far ahead. When it's really obvious they're getting screwed (like it was with Divx) they don't fall for it. But when it's less obvious (DRM in iTunes anyone?) they fall like a ton 'o bricks. And pretty soon broadband with be ubiquitous enough that they can start phasing out physical media all together. Heck, the Ignorant Masses will probably look forward to that day: no more carrying around 500 CDs. Which is all well and good untill you're paying 5 cents every time you listen to an AAC.
Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
You know these topics are beaten to death and nothing ever becomes of them nor is there any attempt to create a change. I say STFU and fucking do something about it or don't bitch. I personally don't buy shit anymore. I can go without and indy labels don't really appeal to me so I have enough stuff built up to make it through these times.
You know if people would just stop buying, and I mean an enormous amount of people, then we could finally reap somekind of reward for our actions like freedom to do what we want, when we want with different forms of media. Everyone should be getting together to protest in certain types of civil disobedience and they like because money talks, bullshit walks.
Hit them where it hurts - pocket books - and we'll see a HUGE difference because no one is listening now. They see people continuing to buy so where's the incentive to back off? There isn't. The people to go after first are the paid-for politicians who are selling our rights as consumers for personal gain and no one does shit except call them names. That really hurts a politician!
We really need people in the loop, in government agencies, in all forms of life to help make this change or the days of "big brother" will be something we wished we had instead of where we'll end up. This issue goes so much deeper than freedom with music, movies, etc. This is about the selling of our rights on a day to say basis for personal gain and to further enslave us, or better yet, indoctrinate us into a system of conplete and utter control.
Seriously....DO FUCKING SOMETHING!!! ANYTHING!!!
You aren't free to do anything, until you've lost everything.
The Music of Senator Orrin Hatch
And, as Dave Barry says, I am not making this up.
-Flakbait
Temporary Minister of Propoganda for the Assyrian Empire
This law is so draconian that it will cause the general population to wake up. Special interests cannot trump general interests very long when individual rights are being trampled into the ground.
-- $G
so send them a fscking check. it's the only way they're gonna get a decent show of apperciation out of you, because even if you buy 10 cds, that's an incredible 5c cents or so, after the first million or so cds sold. I support indie artists, and I even support some almost non-indie artists (godsmack. not sure where it stands). And what do I do? I buy concert tickets, and a t-shirt. And they actually get money off that.
Any time there's no price variation across companies, as is seen in the music industry, that should be considered proof of illegal price-fixing.
Now, I don't mean to flame, but all of a sudden I'm really glad I'm not staying in the US. If you look at this kinda thing as something that sets a precedent, it doesn't look very good.
;)
:
OTOH, you have countries like NZ legalizing file format changing and doing stuff that actually promotes freedom while protecting rights (don't worry, I don't live there either)
At the risk of sounding like a total flamer (I really do mean well), I will some it up this way
"land of the free"
is becoming
"land of the free*"
* - subject to certain terms and conditions decided by those with the deepest pockets.
Find a job you like and you will never work a day in your life.
-- Confucius. The Great Learning.
You know.....we should flood these guys with the IPs of people who have music in their Windows shared folders. You know, all those 'pirates' on millions of computers who put their media in the proper M$-designated folders: "My Music" "My Shared Folder" etc etc Just do a search on a random broadband netblock on port 139.... There are thousands of people who put media files in their shared folders and forget to protect them (Sharing is on by default in XP). Whether they own the media or not is irrelevant, they've got it shared, therefore they're pirates. Perhaps that will show these sens the stupidity of broad, sweeping laws.
They cannot outlaw the act of two people transferring digital information between each other.
I'm sure they will try... and in trying they will cause us all much pain and waste much time and money. However, it is not possible to outlaw this.
Our economy depends on people having the ability to transfer information between each other.
I'm from Utah. To our everlasting shame, all I can say is that he is sadly representative of lots of republican mormon zealots here. Save me from these right-wing psychos! BTW, Be sure to VOTE !!! It's the only way to get these guys out!
Visit the best Liberal Blog: DU
It seems to me that Hatch is more interested in going after P2P companies, and is looking to move the procecuting of individual P2P participants from criminal to civil proceedings. It seems to me that the slashdot article is blowing this out of proportion. Compared to what the RIAA is trying to force on congress, this is mild.
Incidentally, I though Lessing had a great idea on charging companies to keep copyrights. However, his "$1 a year" tagline is impractical, as it would cost the government much more than $1 to process all the claims. Make it $10 to renew for 10 more years after then first 10 years. This cuts paperwork way down. Then, after 20 years, make it $50 for the next 10 years. After 30 years, make it $250 for the next 10 years. Then, make it $500 for each subsequent 10 year stint. Sell it to congress as a revenue stream, but it should be inexpensive enough to keep the RIAA and MPAA from trying too hard to kill it.
The problem with the proposed solution (voting) is that Gerrymandering has made it so that the will of the voters is not respected. It would be very difficult for there to be a major change in the House of Representatives at this point, unless there were some major scandal.
Ironically enough, the intention of the "Founding Fathers" was to have the House more subject to the whims of public opinion, while the Senate would be more "insulated." Today, the truth is nearly the opposite. Gerrymandering has made it so that a House seat is safer than a Senate seat, despite having to face elections three times as often. The difference is that a Senator's constituents are from all over his state, while a House member's constituents are from a ridiculously-shaped "region" where he is virtually guaranteed that his supporters form a majority of voters. So now, instead of "subject to the will of the people" and "less so," we have "less so" and "even less so."
The Gerrymandering/redistricting adventures reached a new level of absurdity in Texas last year. Some of the new districts they drew are outrageously funny to me, but that's because I don't live in the USA anymore. Any US citizen living in the USA, especially Texas, ought to be horrified with the way those thugs have subverted the democratic process.
--Mark
"It is nice to know that the computer understands the problem. But I would like to understand it too." --Eugene Wigner
Funny, that seems to be a notion that Hatch is supporting in his statement. Why don't you read the actual article instead of just blindly following the crowd?
...makes it hard(er) for ordinary citizens to hold copyright on their own material. I imagine the idea of charging companies who want to hold their material for years and years isn't so bad, but ordinary people aren't going to want to get in on this is they have to shell out dough before they know they'll be making money on their creation. I'll assume you meant "Make it $10 to renew for 10 more years after the first 10 years.". That's not such a bad idea, but I could see how it would be argued against. Still, it's better than what we have now...
CAn'T CompreHend SARcaSm?
You know, I found this really neat website where you can find out all about who your senators and stuff voted for. I'm going to try submitting it as a story to slashdot, since many people ask how to find out this information.
Anyway, you can click on any senate session and see what votes were taken. Then you can click to find out how each senator voted.
Here ya go
Like what I said? You might like my music
They should decriminalize marijuana for this very reason!
I seriously can't help but wonder how much time is spent thinking up long, stupid names that make semi-related acronyms compared to how much time is spent actually putting together a decent proposal.
Simularity is not a word. Simultaneous is a word. Similarity is a word. This bastardized word 'simularity' has to go
</heinous rant>
Sorry, Thats like 5 times I've seen this atrocity today. I can't take it anymore.
It's done already , DC++ servers all over god's creation .
.
.
.
.
are sharing more and more every day
I see servers with 100 gig share just to join
Thousands of public servers, unknown number of private ones
We just need encrypted file sharing with foreign network
master nodes , if we need master nodes at all
99% of the ppl on slashdot who holler how horrible it is
for the artists really work for the record companies
Peace !
Ex-MislTech
google "32 trillion offshore needs IRS attention"
It's hard to come up with a reasoned argument that doesn't sound like you're endorsing piracy.
Persoanlly, I don't care how much you pirate, there should be no excuse to send you to jail for it. If they can prove infringement, I can completely agree with fines or restitution, but JAIL TIME? Get F'ing serious!
If this thing becomes law (it probably will), someone will actually go to Federal PITA prison because they hurt Hillary Rosen and Jack Valenti's bottom line. That is lunacy.
LK
"Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
Isn't Orrin Hatch the same asshole that brought us the steroid ban legislation proposal? Man, I knew Utah was different from most other places of the civilized world...
First I as a legal adult in full mental capcity can't decide what to do to my body and now we are going to overcrowd prisons that already can't deal with the 'War on Drugs'. (next President that decides to declare a war on a concept I am going to slap for real).
I am glad this country is in the hands of such capable idiots...
"Nimis exaltatus rex sedet in vertice - caveat ruinam!"
The hint was kind of left in my mind with the DMCA, however, with this it is all the clearer. It is hard for me to look at this without viewing it as almost a commercial for a 'brilliant' idea that will let the government return a bit of what was 'taken away' from the 'pained' media industry by p2p networks. From the potential usage of this for jailtime (extreme but things look to be going that way, 'throwing the book' to scare those sentenced early) to the cute acronym this just looks like the media industry packaging a neat little present for themselves via it going to congress - and potentially passing - and allowing them to recover their theoretical losses. I still have a difficult time understanding this as theft by comparison to the tangible term. If someone were to steal the a compact disk containing the licensed music, there are a number of tangible things that are being taken, the CD itself, the packaging and printed medium. Granted using p2p networks to get music without paying is a bad thing it means that something is utilized without being paid for, the original is still there. I do not see the theft. I see misappropriation, a fraud of kind but not a theft as is normally the case. Could someone elaborate for those of us confused about this distinction? :)
( o ) one could say I'm rather baked
Reason #12443523424 why I donate to EFF on a monthy basis now.
My sausage tree didn't grow, does that make me a bad mommy?
wasnt the government created to help the people instead of screwing them? if everyone boycoted anything to do with the riaa they would probably stop.
I don't know if this was already posted, more than likely it has been, I don't have the time to look for it right now. Orrin Hatch's website was illegal.
Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.
The U.S already imprisons the most non-violent offenders, do we really need to imprison more?
who will respond to your post in the following manner:
;-)
"But wait! Think of his wife and kids! They too must be allowed to benefit from Frank's work!"
AFAIC your kids get the money and material goods you made when you die. Nothing more, nothing less. All the "IP" you created goes to the world, lest we be forced to pay Mozart's great-great-great-great grandchildren for Requiem.
If Frank fucking Zappa doesn't want some band to use his music or image...he can tell them himself
"It is seldom that liberty of any kind is lost all at once." -David Hume
I am so sick of you mind-numbed socialist fucks that are so goddamn left-wing that you see CBS as having a "right-wing agenda." CBS is so fucking liberal they make me want to puke. Lemme guess, Ralph Nader is also part of the "vast right-wing conspiracy?" You know, because some of us Republicans are donating to his campaign...
It is absolutely pathetic that the great majority of you people obsess over this issue just because you happen to be fans of musicians who have sold out.
These musicians signed contracts. They knowingly, willingly, and eagerly, sold their rights to make money, to "make it big", and to "life the lifestyle".
Why are you fans of these people? Why do you give a shit about the content they produce? They are sellouts in every sense of the term.
They - all of them - are perfectly capable of allowing free taping and distribution of live performances, allowing free distribution and modification of studio albums, or releasing all of their content under one of several available Creative Commons licenses.
Just give it up. These artists want to have their cake and eat it too. They want to be "cool" with the fans, but at the same time they want the big money that only comes with selling their material to a big label under exclusive and draconian protections.
Any artist that tells you they really want their music to be "free" are saying this in spite of their desire to have all the things that come with big label money.
They obviously have made their choice. Their choice is that big label money is more important than freedom.
It is better to make music in your freetime, work a partime job, and make music for the sake of freedom.
This is why I have abandoned not just the music industry, but also the want-to-be music industry bands; in other words: every last one of them who do not release their music under a full and unrestricted copyleft license.
Stop letting the corporate gangsters pay off out elected officals. They should recieve a paycheck from the government and that's IT. No more of this "rich men get advantagerous laws/decidsions" bullshit, it affects far more than IP laws.
How we'd ever get the corrupt officials to make such a law is between a rock and a hard place, that's for sure. Perhaps we can sneak it into the next PATRIOT Act...
CAn'T CompreHend SARcaSm?
Remember these articles?0 .html m l?tid=103&
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,59305,0
http://slashdot.org/articles/03/06/20/0046237.sht
...will be a life sentence for trespassing, so Bush can send all war protesters into prison.
The problem is not about what is legal or illegal. I just went >=67mph on a highway with 65mph speed limit a few hours ago. And did the same yesterday. And day before yesterday. And so did everyone who was on that highway at the moment. And so did, at some point everyone I know, who has a car. Guess what did anyone do about that. And guess why.
There is a shitload of things that are illegal, but don't deserve punishment, or that warrant only minor inconvenience to match their consequences. And when they get elevated from their deserved status of "minor bullshit" to "Great Crimes That Land You Forever In Prison", it is just as unnatural as, say, if a punishment for the murder of a bald person suddenly got limited to a $70 fine.
There are already a lot of things where "justice" is distorted beyond anything that can be seen as sane, "child porn" being one of the most prominent examples (yes, it's bad, but not at the extent that seeing a photo of a naked underage girl getting the same sentence as for killing and eating her). But at least this is caused by a dominant religion, and religions are built on overblown fear. "PIRATE" (do all stupid laws have to spell something?) act merely protects corporations at the extent that no living (or dead) being can ever afford. Not to mention that the same corporations can easily protect themselves from "pirates" by STOPPING OVERCHARGING THEIR CUSTOMERS.
What is screwed up, no matter how I look at it. This is a kind of law that makes the idea of "illegal" moot -- if it's so easy to pass a law that contradicts to spirit and letter of the rest of the laws, what kind of credibility does the law have behind itself? Can I, please, buy a law that Bank of America has to pay me $50M every year? Would it be more or less difficult than robbing them?
Contrary to the popular belief, there indeed is no God.
First he threatens people who use pirated software with blowing up their computer, and then it's found he forgot to register some software on his website.
e ss .memos.reut/
And then, one of his staffers does a little "P2P" sharing with hacking into Democratic files, and obtaining information that he was not legally allowed to have. So guess what happens there? It goes to the Senate to the Senate Judiciary Committee to decide whether to have a probe. The Democrats aren't in the room at one point, and the Chairman (Senator Hatch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) ends the investigation.
WTF is wrong with Utah?
http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/03/11/congr
http://www.house.gov/writerep/ Write your local reprentative to express concerns regarding this Pirate Act.
Here's a new bill that follows the leads of earlier legislation such as CAN-SPAM and USA-PATRIOT:
Act for Special Scanning of Terrorist Operations, Rogue Paramilitary Echelons and Disruptive Organizations-- aka "ASS-TORPEDO."
*****
Dear Mary,
I yearn for you tragically,
A.T. Tappman, Chaplain, U.S. Army.
Is a stronger laws globaly. Now that we have a global economy, it follows that there has to be global laws for those organizations in the global economy. That is, tax laws, criminal laws etc etc. The mega corporations wants to be seen as loving flowerpicking people, then let's treat them as ppl - UNDER THE LAW! And that law is what we the ppl say it should be. Worldwide laws for working environments, minimum wage, tax laws for currency flowing around the globe etc etc. We can do it if we really want to cuz we, the ppl, are the government!
Make extra certain that you've checked your spelling before hitting "Submit".
"...pubic transportation...", indeed!
I don't understand how the RIAA can place a value that high on a single track when someone can easily get it from iTunes for $1.00. Any ideas?
"It's here, but no one wants it." - The Sugar Speaker
What I'm worried about is what happens when we go a decade or so 'forgetting' our rights and there's a backlash. I really don't want America to polarize overnight ino a situation where 'joe sixpack' becomes 'joe six-shooter' and we're all killing each-other over decades of pent-up denial.
I can honestly see that happening too, just read 'The Handmaid's Tale' and get a good idea of what we could be heading into with this 'consumer apathy.'
"Sometimes, I think Trent just needs a cup of hot chocolate and a blankie." -Tori Amos on Nine Inch Nails
Mein Gott, what can we do?
Someone needs to start "For the People, Inc." and we all need to become paid staff, assign our lifetime outputs/copyright to The Company, and get our ID badges issued at the door.
The Company can then fulfill its charter, which is to protect all of us from other Corporations and Entities. All of our works will be protected, everything that we do together as a group will be company confidential, protected by all the right trade law, etc.
Seriously. I'm about to do this.
; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
It is critical that we bring the moral force of the government to bear against those who knowingly violate the federal copyrights enshrined in our Constitution.
What exactly does the "moral force of the government" mean?
Also, am I the only one who finds his use of the word "enshrined" a little...odd?
...Once the population feel feed up enough, and feel that their live become unbelievable burdened, when the point is reached that fighting against the system give better hope than live in silence, then a revolution happen. Successful or not usually the "paradygm" shift and usually afterward a new deal is done. If corporation goes on the way the parent post is saying, sooner or later the corporation will be put down by the citizen. A way or another. Violently if necessary.
C. Sagan : A demon haunted world:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345409469/
visit randi.org
Am I wrong in understanding that general copying of software, music, et al. is not pirating, just copying, where as pirating is usually "bootlegging" or making profit off of said materium? Why oh why is the drive to label all who copy a pirate, seems rather evil and dubious to me.
Unlike a lot of people I don't make excuses for my illegal filesharing. I'm a pirate, and I know it. Let's put it this way: If this was the 1700's and the RIAA was a ship I'd have approached it with a white flag flying, set off my cannons at point blank range, boarded their vessel, taken all their treasure, raped their women, killed their children, and tortured their men, then scuttled the ship. I don't complain about outdated business models or unfair laws or corporate greed (I happen to like big corporations, they happen to employ people who pay for my tuition). I don't claim that filesharing is a right. I don't claim copyright laws are bullshit. I don't go off on rants about how artists are getting screwed by the record companies. I'm not gonna lie, I downloaded 1.08 gigs of music illegaly TODAY alone. And I'll do it again tomorrow. Why? Because I like music and stealing it costs me nothing, and much like pirates on the seven seas in the days of old it's more fun, easier, and faster than obtaining it legally. I wear my pirate hat and my hook and my peg leg with pride. Filesharers should stop making excuses and fly their Jolly Roger's with pride, just like us pirates did in the days of old. Now if you'll excuse me, a band I like just released a new album. I'm a pirate, are you?
Bungo!
If the government had some sense, they would keep the current status quo. We, being technically savvy could always keep ourselves anonymous using proxies, open relays, unsecured networks, encryption, the works.
Napster brought mp3 sharing to the people. Did it already happen? Of course, there was usenet, irc channels, ftps, lots of ways before. Same with anonymity. It exists in lots of forms already, but it could be spread to the general public.
Nothing has spawned as much evolution as the downfall of Napster. RIAA flooding the network with fake files as well. The lawsuits also push them to evolve. The government coming after it, will really put P2P evolution on steroids.
Pardon me if I think Freenet as of today isn't working very well - more of a concept of art than a slick end-user program, but I can see the potential. Imagine the following scenario.
Many people today have literally 100's of gb of disk space. Imagine if millions of those joined up to create a virtual datastore - like the sum of all Freenet datastores. One which scaled, and provided good routing. It would be the collection of practicly all human knowledge - an extremely redundant network far beyond what arpanet ever was.
It would cease to be a network, cease to be Internet in any traditional understanding. It would no longer be about connecting point A to point B, but more like adding a node to a cluster. The cluster.
It has so many incredible properties that I think humanity will live with the downsides, just like pretty much everybody agrees that there's more kiddie porn being distributed now than pre-Internet. Yet there are no plans to disband the Internet...
Kjella
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
SwiftCD will allow you to set up an account with them which will do everything including collecting from customer credit cards and shipping to them via a store page for zero setup costs, you send them a copy of your physical CD master and upload the artwork. The CDs are a bit overpriced (CD+packaging about $12, you choose what your profit margin is going to be when you set the sale price) but that's the nature of custom manufacturing.
Or if you can make professional-looking CD-R packages or can afford to do a short production run of CD-Rs or pressed CDs, setting up with CD Baby, IIRC, total setup cost is $35 plus $20 for a required barcode if one wants to sell digital music tracks via iTunes, Rhapsody, BuyMusic, Emusic, the new Napster, AOL's MusicNet, MusicMatch, etc.
Just how easy does this have to get?
Tech Public Policy stuff
Pull yourself together, youre putting way to many people in overcrouded jails, and stop turning civil crimes into criminal ones, why are you locking up people who pose no threat to society, there is community service for criminal cases where jail might not be the best thing for the offender (Realise it's not a perfect system, jail is simply time to ascoiate with criminals of all walks of life, no wonder people re-offend so much after theve learnt a pile of new tricks they want to try them out), And never underestimate the power of fines based on the income of the guilty party, no point fining somone 2.5 Milion damages for the 250 files he copied, try 1000 dolars, first one only causes him to go bankrupt and loose his TV, second one if he can pay, actually does hurt.
Get a clue, and stop putting good people who commint an infraction of copyright law into jail, and also get a clue when the 'victum' says they were damaged to 2.5 Milion because the person didn't pay 1500 dolars to buy the CD's there lying there asses off, and I would slap them with comtempt of court if they were claiming damages that high, unless there lumping all there costs for all infractions onto one person I can't see that being a realistic figure, and lumping them all onto one is blatently insulting the courts.
Funnily, we're headed in the direction of how communism fell apart.
I read an interesting article by renowned russian political scientist Boris Kagarlitsky, where he wrote some ramblings around Linux vs. Microsoft, the western way of doing things vs. that what became prevalent under communism.
The interesting thing in his argument is that rewritting an operating system from scratch is a typical western thing to do: If you don't like the system, you replace it with something better, you don't just ignore the rules. In Soviet Russia (uhm, You! :-) ), people were so used to stupid rules and regulations that they didn't even think about it, they were quietly ignored, and not a single mind would think about reforming them, that was simply not possible.
As an aside, he used as one of his examples that russian crackers had access to Windows source code for three months, meaning, in Soviet Russia, you don't care about writing a open OS from scratch, you grab the source of whatever exists.... :-) And allthough Russia isn't Soviet anymore, the mentality still exists. Actually, I tried to refute that argument, becuase I'm extremely surprised if the availability of source code wouldn't lead to many high-profile exploits.
But, I found that I really couldn't refute it...
Furthermore, he argued, civil disobedience, i.e. breaking the law loudly to get your case before the courts, wasn't at all an option in Soviet Russia. You'll be locked up even if the law was stupid.
So, instead, people would quietly ignore the law, or, as you put it "don't really give a damn about the law."
Isn't a bit ironic that America is headed towards a situation where millions are quietly ignoring the law, when the western way should have been to reform it?
Employee of Inrupt, Project Release Manager and Community Manager for Solid
What you need is people deliberetely braking this act in the open (perhaps over something trivial) and then confess everything to the police.
Public would see people being jailed for something petty, and people who are ready to put themselves on the line to fight stupidity.
You don't have to go as far out of the mainstream music industry as Magnatune to find those businesses.
Big Champagne tracks P2P downloads for the marketing departments of the major record labels. This allows them to tweak their marketing programs in practically real time, unlike Arbitron ratings that take weeks to turn around.
The record labels know that in effect, P2P means music lover distributing broadcast-quality copies of their musicians' music substantially identical to what they pay to get played on the radio (Google on payola) on their own bandwidth dimes. This distribution leads to sales of the actual product, assuming it's worth buying to begin with. If an album is shit, admittedly advance P2P distribution means a record will be DOA when it hits the record stores. This recently happened to Madonna, and she's been publically whining about P2P. If an album is worth buying, record sales are boosted by P2P. Enimen's latest CD was unofficially pre-released over P2P a month before it hit the record stores. It immediately hit #1.
What the hell kind of theft results in the "victim" getting richer as a result?
Perhaps there's something other than what you and the RIAA define as theft going on here.
Tech Public Policy stuff
Throw in the restrictions of civil liberties like PATRIOT Act, CAPPSI/II, TIA we were told would "protect" us against terrorism.
How much input does a citizen who can't afford to be a major campaign contributor have on the political decisions made that affects him? What kind of meaningful choice do we have between the GOP President and his "challenger", a member of the Democratic Leadership Council that changed the Democratic Party's political message to "a kinder and gentler GOP policy"?
How long before the average American citizen has no more freedom for meaningful political action than a Soviet Union citizen had?
People generally ignore laws when they know that there's no meaningful way to get them fixed. In a democracy, if public behavior doesn't fit the laws, it's the laws are supposed to get changed. If the laws don't change, something's wrong with the democracy. The fact that this bill is being taken seriously because the *AA organizations have paid off quite a few politicians rather suggests that things have gone radically wrong.
Tech Public Policy stuff
Its strange how in a "Democracy" a lot of things are made into law evan when it is not wanted by the people.
How can it be called a "Democracy" when reality is like this ? (Becouse you can vote ?)
CIA Factbook 2002 (US):"Since 1975, practically all the gains in household income have gone to the top 20% of households
And "sharing" on a P2P network is not sharing, it is copying. You do not "share" someone else's copy, you download a copy for yourself. Look up the definition of "share".
If you're going to criticise others for using inappropriate terminology, do not be guilty of the same.
We need a law. Maybe:
Any person who donates money to a congressman to encourage passage of a law that FOR THE SAKE OF CORPORATE PROFIT PROMOTES JAILING AMERICANS shall be executed.
"Mein Gott, what can we do?"
We need a law. Maybe:
Anyone who encourages JAILING AMERICANS FOR THE SAKE OF CORPORATE PROFIT shall be executed.
We are all screwed.
It is no longer the lunatics that run the asylum.
Its the shitheads...
Ever wonder why the USA has more people in jail per capita than any other nation in the world?
Everything that is trivial can get you put away "for the safety of all". This is very scary because if you've ever worked with anyone after they've been to prision you know the effect it has on someone. Prision isn't the answer to all things (although Republicans would have you believe it is).
How long before corporations have the ability to arrest?
US of CA should be our new country name, we're no longer "for the people, by the people". We're "for the corporation, by the consumer".
United States of Corporate America, In God our Money Trusts. Fucking pathetic.
This is way out of hand. Wasting all this time and energy and money to go after a person sharing a 99cent song is insane.
Why don't we go after the real criminals and people who mean this country harm, instead of a wholesale expansion of who is considered a criminal? ( but then again, convicted criminals legally loose most of their rights, perhaps this is the actual goal of this movement.. that is if I was paranoid... )
And while I've not read the entire thing, what is this about 'reducing burden of proof' ? When will we reach the point that unsubstantiated 'suspicion' gets you jail time with no recourse but to rot in jail..
Are they taking into account exploited computers? Are they going to PROVE it was the owner that was sharing ( or even knew it was wrong ) ? Or are we now responsible for the actions of a criminal that breaks into our home ( effectively ) and steals your stuff, and uses it inappropriately.?
---- Booth was a patriot ----
So it is totally unlike shoplifting. It would be like this. I buy an apple ( the fruit ) and through technology can then give away that apple without loss of the apple. Sort like a horn of plenty but ONLY after I paid for it.
File sharing can be easily stopped. Make it easier and cheaper to buy then to get it from a sharer. Hard? Not really. The internet ain't a nice place to get things. We do it because we are fed up with buying crap but I do still buy DVD's. Just only the cheap old movies. You know a few euro for old movies you are not supposed to really enjoy.
To make the apple example really work. I used to live in the betuwe (fruit growing part of holland). I would walk past apple growing trees with apples in easy reach to go to the supermarket to buy apples. Because paying for them was easier then stealing them.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
The Pirate act is going to protect industry jobs in the short term and protect the entire entertainment industry in the long term. I know the RIAA suits don't deserve to have jobs and aren't even needed, but the movie jobs are needed.
The government has to intervene somehow otherwise movie piracy will become so rampant we won't be seeing as much stuff coming from Hollywood.
I mean, someone has to foot the bill. Do you suggest they pay for production costs by placing commercials inside the movies by having characters drink Pepsi every few seconds?
Either the govt. intervenes or we lose a good part of the movie industry. Thats the way I see it.
However, if I asked you to prove that you're losing money because of P2P or whatever, you'd have to show that everyone that "pirates" your software would have bought it in the first place.
No, you need to show that one of those people would have. Or that one of those would have been interested in buying a "light" or academic version of your product, if the alternative was nothing at all. Of course they maxmimze to everyone*full retail, but if you argue they're not losing money, you're smoking SCOs stuff.
2.) Very few pieces of software are worth the asking price, and even fewer corporations need the price that they're asking. It is this exhuberant overpricing that drives many people to download.
If their products are absurdly overpriced, why do you need absurdly overpriced products? A Ferrari is absurdly overpriced too, does that mean you should illegally acquire one? Do you need a Ferrari? Or do you just want one because it's a damn good car, but you can't afford it?
As for the second argument, I don't even want to go there. So the more efficient, the better, more higher priced products they sell, the more people should pirate them? Because no company deserves to make more than a "fair" profit?
As for the difference between copyright infringement and theft. The difference between pirating and stealing a CD is 1$ worth of plastic. Apart from that, it's 100% identical. Deal with it.
Kjella
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
It means that we're pretty sure you're guilty, but can't prove it so you're free to go.
Not guilty implies innocence by it's very nature. You either did something or you did not. If you did it you are guilty of the offence, if you did not then you are innocent.
The way the English and American legal systems equate lack of proof with lack of guilt and therefore of innocence is a failing.
Government of the people, by corporate executives, for corporate profits.
In fact napolean had different religions in his army. Good luck being a catholic in englands army. Foot soldier was just about allowed but nothing higher.
You I am afraid have fallen for the old propaganda. Napolean was no more a dictotator then any other ruler from that era. In many ways less so. All european countries waged wars of conquest. Napoleon just won a lot more.
It is just that the british won and have therefore written the history books. Even they don't seem to manage much more then making him into a looney. Exactly what warcrimes has Napoleon been accused off?
But this is more then just nitpicking. You have shown exactly what is wrong. These politicians are just like you. They have accepted one source of information as the absolute truth without bothering to think for themselves or seek other sources of information.
It is easy to believe copyright infringement is a serious issue when you choose to listen only to certain copyright holders. It is easy believe napolean was like hitler if you choose only to listen to british history.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
You ought never vote for anybody who supports the DMCA. Not Bush. Not Kerry. Nobody who voted for the DMCA deserves your vote.
Ed Craig "Who cares what you think?" George W. Bush, 4th of July 2001
We have the best government money can buy, can I get a bid on... citizens property rights? And what do you bid for removing the bill of rights? It is very unsafe you know...
I Lart, therefore I am.
A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing. Emo Philips
Coming soon to a street scene near you the sequel to "The War on Drugs". It is the "The War on Music Sharing" - they live amongst us, they go to the same school as your children those evil people on the dark side of society. They are the mp3 pushers. Hey man can i score some mp3's!
I read lot's of people bitching about corporations, we're fucking capitalists, get over it, consumers and useless products are the foundations of our financial pyramid. Buy a yak and move to antarctica if you want freedom.
Howard Dean was the only candidate I was seriously considering voting for. And then, "The Scream" happened, and it was all over. It wasn't his ideas for medicare, education, or social security, or foreign affairs that killed him. It was one lousy second that was played on every media outlet (both left- and right-wing) over and over every day non-stop. In a country where a thing like that destroys your campaign, why even bother to vote?
Another thing, America is, and will be, a two party system for a very very long time. Voting for a 3rd party candidate right now is a fucking waste, and it's a damn shame, too. And in the end, it doesn't even matter whether Democrats or Republicans have control. Both are equally destructive.
He's doing it "for the children!" Check out this quote:
"Unscrupulous corporations could distribute to children and students a "piracy machine" designed to tempt them to engage in copyright piracy or pornography distribution."
What a load of crap. The "unscrupulous corporations" are the ones that we already have - the ones that have been screwing over recording artists for generations.
Leahy's dismal stand on this may be influenced by Michael Eisner (of Disney) being from Vermont. His father co-owned a failed apple orchard in Westminster and his mother, until her recent death, lived on a large estate outside Saxtons River, which Michael still maintains - and which a large part of the Disney stockholdership would like to retire him to soon.
Southeast Vermont has lately become a hotbed of independent music production. There's an active indie movie scene too. These are now making a real economic difference to the small towns in the region as traditional manufacturing industries continue to decline - so our economic interests here, to put it mildly, are not at all allied with Disney's.
"with their freedom lost all virtue lose" - Milton
Nobody NEEDS the entertainment industry. The sooner we stop buying their crap, the sooner we get our rights back.
I belatedly welcome our not so new corporate overlords.
The burden of proof refers to which party has to proove their case, the accuser or the accused. You probally meant the standard of proof.
sig
Happened... Since the split, in a lot of places prices went up service went down.
Ten years for spreading software?! Can somebody out there tell me how much you get from rape, drunk driving, breaking in, kidnapping, molesting and other real crimes?
~llauren.mobile
This is going too far. Burden of Proof is the cornerstone of justice. If you start to lower it, pretty soon we'll go to jail just for watching someone use P2P or for knowing someone who uses P2P!!
Starting to sound like, "Are you a communist?" and "Have you ended any meetings recently?" and "Who do you recall, attended these meetings?" and "If you tell us, you can reduce your sentence." and "You don't want to go to jail, do you?" and "We are here for your protection, just tell us what you did today?".
Who are making these bills? Are they the decendents of the anti-communists of the past. Neglected, abused, and brain washed by their parents into thinking that this acceptable behavior by congress. Do they really thing that "the people" are really fleas???
This is the same guys telling you,
Oh, no - don't worry about that
little old DRAFT thing...
The teenagers who are not getting shipped over seas to fight for Oil will get shipped off to prison to make jeans for $0.65 an hour...
Thanks a lot Hollywood.
Protecting the rich corporation profits is more important than protecting the life and welfare of people.
Through congress in jail, as War Criminals!
<rant>
You can't have spaces in a mark-up element. What you have there is 'rant', an attribute of the element 'heinous'.
</rant>
Machines are more efficient than humans...
Guess it's time for our species to just pack up shop and go extinct?
We have a Statue of Liberty for our country-
Not a Statue of Corporate Power.
It's time for all citizens to organize and start dispanding these corporations by revoking their corporate charters - liquidation of corporations assets to potect the rights of the American People.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy is the same goon that co-sponsered the Reducing Americans' Vunerability to Ecstasy (RAVE) Act. It recieved so much controversy because it's language specifically targeted raves that he eventually withdrew his support.
The bozo who started it all, Joseph Biden (D), renamed it to the Illicit Drug Anti Proliferation Act and hitched a free ride by attaching it to the Amber Alert Law two days before a went before the floor for a vote. Bush signed it into law last year.
Even if Leahy comes to his senses and removes his support for this PIRATE garbage, the fact that it was even introduced is a knock out blow.
Controversy? If that happens, they are going to rename it and attach it to the next version of the PATRIOT Act two days before the vote.
Make me wonder how many times this has happened...
religion != morality
We're getting offtopic but.. oh what the heck:
One can argue that CNN spins in the other direction, IMO, so in a way, "fair and balanced" means the news media overall.
Okay, so Foxnews doesn't mean it that way, and sure, they're slanted right,( even more so on weekends, oddly ) but when ya lump them all together, you get a soupy mix that has something approaching more even coverage than you traditionally get from the CNNs and Dan Rathers of the world. Also, Foxnews often puts a liberal punduit in the hot seat, so to speak, but at least he/she gets some airtime before getting shot down in flames. The other networks often don't do that much for the other side - you just hear the one side. Funny thing is how Foxnews has become the posterchild for conserative TV news, when some of the reporting I saw out of MSNBC during the height of the Iraq war was waaay more right-wing, and Michael Savage (until he got fired) was much right-wing than say, Bill O'Reilly.BTW, that first cast of SNL rocked ! I'm old enough to remember, and it was never the same after the first cast; that was SNL at it's peak, but I think you had to be there. Just one question: what the heck ever happened to Lorraine Newman ?
Look back up at my post, now look back down, you're on the Internet. Now look back up. I'm a signature.
So the entire internet user base will be thrown in jail for 10 years? This bill will pass how exactly?
-illumina+us "I put on my robe and wizard hat..."
Therefore, all progress is due to unreasonable men.
Victims of 9/11: <3000. Traffic in the US: >30,000/y
The grandparent used "screw" to mean something like "rip-off/take advantage of," while the parent used "screw" to mean "engage in sexual intercourse."
This was meant as a joke, I think. And whoever modded it informative must have dropped out of junior high school.
First the PATRIOT act, and now this - is there some kind of law in the U.S. that mandates that every bill's name has to make some clever (read: daft) acronym? As a UK citizen, I'm not hugely exposed to US legislation, but the UK government's bills generally speaking don't have such overly long names, whose only purpose seems to confuse the actual purpose of the bill and give it a cool acronym...
" To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research. "
^^^^^^^
So, in closing. Downloading software is illegal. Fucking consumers is immoral.
Correction: Downloading illegally available software is illegal.
Case in point: I have a free, free-to-download test program available at my site (see sig) that checks if the PC you run it on is capable of running my retail program that is available for purchase there.
zerocool complains about high-priced (overpriced) software as is his/her right in the USA under the First Amendment to the Constitution Of America.
The reality: Software development costs MONEY and should be compensated for if desired by the creators of said software.
The facts....
The computer(s) the software is developed on costs money (unless said computer(s) were donated for free).
The electricity powering the computer costs money (unless it is being generated from a free and/or donated source).
The programmer(s) who programmed the software cost money (unless they are donating their time and skills for free).
The advertising for the software costs money (unless it is being done for free somehow).
The distribution expenses to distribute the software to the recipients cost money (unless it is being done for free somehow).
Companies and individuals have invested lots of time and money in the software they create and sell. They found needs/markets for certain kinds of software and wrote the software to fill those needs/markets. Big companies have to sell software for big bucks to recoup the expenses in creating, maintaining, and distributing said software. They also are entitled to profit from their software which should be reinvested back into the company--not wasted.
For example, look at the 'gross profit margin' on a retail CD copy of Windows: $179.00 or so for a round thin sandwich of plastics and metal that has an intrinsic value of maybe $1.00. That $179.00 Windows CD allowed everybody, from the end user/customer up to Microsoft itself, to profit and benefit from the manpower and technology invested in it to create it and to benefit from its power as a computer operating system.
Ok, let's cut to the chase....
Windows is a kludge, based on code dating back to the dawn of the PC era.
Microsoft is a monopoly.
Even in this environment, the customer STILL has alternatives such as Apple and Linux -- SCO problems with commercial Linux use aside (which can be resolved.
If you want to avoid paying for high-priced software, use cheaper/free software or buy/legally get for free the necessary software tools to write your own custom programmed software solutions.
To address the second part of zerocool's comment, I offer the the following as some of the societal results of 'people as consumers -- not customers'. This has created a desparate, adversarial environment in which commerce and 'consumers' meet in an inevitable clusterfsck....
Wal-Mart, their business practices and its consequenses.
Ad creep. Even on the Internet. a technique coined and first implemented in 1996.
Email spam.
Slashdotters: Please refrain from using the phrase "dark side". s/dark side/dim side/g 1) The majority of the people accused of this are evil, just "dim-witted". 2) Using the deprecated phrase is free advertising for for an industry/company/person that already has more than enough of our dollars & mind share. This is an aside, not a bash. I have (legally purchased) laser disc and DVD copies of the stuff, that does not make me unaware of the where my dollars and time were/are flowing.
There is no right to feel safe thru security vaudeville at the expense of everyone's freedom, privacy and tax money.
Slashdotters: Please refrain from using the phrase "dark side".
s/dark side/dim side/g
1) The majority of the people accused of this are not evil, merely "dim-witted".
2) Using the deprecated phrase is free advertising for for an industry/company/person that already has more than enough of our dollars & mind share. This is not a bash. I have (legally purchased) laser disc and DVD copies of the stuff. Having acquired and viewed them on multiple occaisions does not make me unaware of the where my dollars and time were/are flowing.
3) Punning the phrase, is slightly more amusing or, at least, eye-catching.
4) Pointing out someone as a buffoon does a great deal more damage to their credibility that accusing them of malicious intent.
There is no right to feel safe thru security vaudeville at the expense of everyone's freedom, privacy and tax money.
Perhaps our founding fathers should have taken care of that nastiness by creating a term of copyright that lasts for 14 years, renewable once.
Of course, where in the constitution's copyright clause does it say that the spouse has a right to the money her husband might possibly have made. It's a tear-jerking hypothetical, and while it would be nice to make sure the wife gets some money out of the deal, you assume she somehow has a right to make money off her husband's works.
What if he left her after he became rich? What if the book flopped? I'm sorry, but we live in a world where you can't go around making a law that's detrimental to the good of the people simply because someone, somewhere, might possibly drop dead right after they hit the print button.
Remember, the only reason we have copyright in the first place is "To promote the progress of science and useful arts."
"It is seldom that liberty of any kind is lost all at once." -David Hume
F.R.E.E.D.O.M.S. act -
Fry Republicans Exactly, Exterminate Democrats Outstandingly, Moronic Senators.
Basically, let's have the prison for any senator that does something stupid. That's probably all of them.
M.O.M.S.A.W.A.R.D. act -
Manage Our Money Specially, Always Wary And Ready to Die.
For fiscal responsiblity.
This is my sig.
...would be to have a lot of bands record covers of all the popular songs, and then just trade those cover songs on P2P networks... If the covers are done right, they'll sound pretty good, and often times close enough to the original, that we could fight back at the RIAA in this manner... Let's all contribute a song... Mine is a cover of Zao's 5 Year Winter. You can find it at http://rivir.tk/ but be warned, it sucks. I'm redoing the vocals sometime soon too, since they sound whispered... But anyhow, that's my idea. Who's with me?
Because there's nothing else we should spend that much money on.
Gambling may not be legal, but you can openly carry a loaded gun.
grey wolf
LET FORTRAN DIE!
random stream of consciousness:
You've been Hatch'd. What is it with Utah that makes it feel like it should do things that fulfill Orwellian prophecy (i.e. this and MATRIX)?
Protection of IP is in the best interests of the US in the long run if international law is enforceable because in the future presumably the US will rely heavily on IP such as inventions and entertainment for GDP (it already relies on entertainment quite a bit). When manufacturing/labor is gone, service and knowledge remain. With the exception of tourism, service has a sketchy effect on the real growth of the American economy. Knowledge, on the other hand, can be very useful if it is able to be sold in exchange for physical goods.
The definition of IP is too broad sometimes. This means that certain works should not protected as much as they are now. Other works should be protected even more.
One song should not be valued at $10,000 unless it is an unauthorized leak. Let's say somebody at the studio leaks a single before it is authorized to be played. That person should have to pay, especially if there is something in her/his contract explicitly forbidding the leak. Record sales do sometimes drop because of leaks. The cool factor of owning an album may increase its sales after a leak, however. With that said, the real impact, as has been discussed often, is in singles sales. Singles sales are obviously not dead, however, when alternatives to p2p like itms or napster2 are around.
Should all file transfers be logged? How can this be done without destroying open source, nothing to say of whatever privacy is left?
Some people do not have a problem paying for music and have learned to live without downloading singles or albums on the Internet. Friends recommend albums to friends, and they're usually right about their recommendations.
Digital piracy is, for the moment, not the same as physical theft. When the US economy relies more on IP as a source of wealth creation, digital piracy will be more similar to physical theft. Right now I still question this whole mode of thought.
Few judges will follow through with the punishments in these types of bills.
Entertainment industry lobbyists suck, but so do people who don't eventually pay for goods that people expect payment for. Just because somebody sounds snoody saying s/he wants payment for being part of the production of art doesn't mean that person shouldn't get paid. People generally deserve to be compensated for lending their talents to the supply chain. The amount of payment is debatable, but that somebody deserves to get paid for work is generally accepted. I hate the MPAA commercials at the movie theater as much as anyone else, but that doesn't mean people don't deserve to earn a living.
Blah blah blah. This is nothing new, I guess, but it's Sunday and I have to go create some IP for the man so that he can profit mercilessly from exploiting the minds of senators with the ROI he gets from my open source software.
Oh -- I forgot -- corporations were declared to be people.
Um...but what about "equal representation"? Ah...well...the makers set government up to be run by the richest individuals -- with the rich individuals able to command the most influence.
It was a system that sorta worked....with the dream of lower class becoming upperclass, and with 'equal' votes --- but without the votes, directly, really counting -- we elect some "special" group that I'm, a bit fuzzy on -- an "electorate", that makes the real decisions as to who gets elected with individual states getting to choose how individual votes are counted (or discarded) and which electorate entities finally get sent to cast the "representative" [sic] votes of the people.
Classic example: through illegal vote negation, Florida was able to swing the last election -- not Florida, but 1 person, in the family of the to-be elected president. It's the same as the original system -- the rich are the real ones deciding the election and making the laws to keep themselves in power.
The main hiccup that's wreaking the most havoc is this bit about corporations having the status of being "people". There can never be the equality of "all men being created equal" when you have corporations that can outlive any single "man" and can become a super "meta-person" with abilities and resources no single "man" could ever have.
Until that "waving of hands" is undone and "corporations" are stripped of the right of "personhood" with property only being owned by real people who have limited lifespans, we, the people will never have equality and will continue to find ourselves oppressed, more and more, by large corporate "people".
-l
RIAA.org .. MPAA.org ?!?!?!?!?!?
What's next, microsoft.org?
- Alex
He doesn't understand that government created these monopolies he hates.
It is important that the two issues not get confused.
Do not confuse the multiple copyrights that make up a song.
There is the copyright on the musical composition AND the copyright on the sound recording.
Musical compositions are licensed by BMI, ASCAP and SESAC in the US, and there are compuslory rates paid by all venues that play any kind of music.
Sound recordings are licensed by Sound Exchange (for compulsories- e.g. satellite radio and webcasting) and by the copyright owner (usually the record company) for other uses (e.g. sampling).
Cover bands are not dirivative works. Cover bands are allowed to perform the copyrighted material created by a composer, but the composer gets paid through the monies collected by BMI, ASCAP and SESAC.
No paperwork is required for a band performing a cover live.
Recording those covers is a different issue, but still there are statutory rates of 7.5 cents per song per record. Some paperwork is required.
Read Senator Leahy's remarks introducing the bill. Criminial copyright cases have such a high burden of proof that they are almost impossible to prosecute. This bill basically gets the Department of Justice to do the RIAA's dirty work for them, relieving the latter of the financial burden and the bad publicity that comes from suing their own customers.
------- Was it just a coincidence I got moderator points the first time I logged on to
Subject: message from an unhappy constituent
Dear Senator Leahy,
I have lived in Vermont for the past 10 years, and in that time, I have been proud to call you my senator. You have been a champion defender of the first ammendment and provided a valuable check against the authoritarian policies of the present administration. I have found particularly admirable your visionary stance towards the internet and your efforts to protect its potential to facilitate the free spread of ideas. That is why I was surprised and disapointed to read that you are sponsoring the PIRATE act to allow the Justice Department to bring civil charges against peer-to-peer file traders (1).
In your statement introducing the bill, you argue that piracy limits the diversity of content available online (2). I would argue that the more serious limiting factor is the creative conservatism of our country's increasingly consolidated entertainment industry, whose notorious intolerance of independent artists stifles creativity both online and off. This industry's response to the challenges and opportunities offered by the internet has been woefully short-sighted. Its solution is to develop centralized, industry-controlled online stores that offer Digital Rights Management-protected content. But the restrictions stores like iTunes or Napster 2.0 place on their products make such products little more than digital LP's. Such ventures simply transplant the offline status quo into the digital world, so their contribution to the diversity of online content is limited by whatever diversity (or lack thereof) existed previously. On the other hand, decentralized and unrestricted information exchanges such as those offered by peer-to-peer services have an incredible potential to generate new creative diversity by fostering artist collaboration.
Centralized online stores are but one arm of a two-pronged initative to ensure the entertainment industry's dominance of digital creative content. The other arm is to discourage the use of peer-to-peer services through widespread legal action against copyright violators. The nearly 1600 lawsuits brought by the Recording Industry Association of America indicate to me that the entertainment industry has plenty of lawyers to protect its copyrights. You however, seem to believe otherwise and felt it necessary to draft a bill that "will bring the resources and expertise of the United States Attorneys' Offices to bear on wholesale copyright infringers. (2)" I read that statement a different way: "The Justice Department will do the entertainment industry's dirty work and the American taxpayers will pick up the tab."
I too am disturbed by the rampant copyright violation that occurs on peer-to-peer networks. Enforcement of copyright laws is obviously necessary to put an end to piracy, but first copyright laws must be ammended to make them enforceable. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has a number of thoughtful suggestions on how to modernize online music distribution (3), but I have sadly never heard any of these ideas even mentioned by someone in a position to implement them. Lawmakers, in which I must now include you, seem to prefer the entertainment industry's strategy of enforcement without any mention of reform. Such policies will only yield draconian restrictions that attempt to squeeze the 21st century into a 20th century mold.
But you, Senator Leahy, did not always feel this way. In 2000 you made the visionary statement, "You can't stop it [file trading]. You couldn't stop it even if you wanted to. What we need to do, I think, is make sure copyrights and patent laws actually reflect the new reality. (4)" Reading such a statement once gave me hope, but in light of the PIRATE Act it only leaves me with a deep sense of betrayal.
Sincerely,
Rafael Rosen
4381 Greenbush Rd
Charlotte, VT 05445
(802) 425-2107
References:
1) Wired News. Congress Moves to Criminilize P2P. 3/26/2004. http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,6283
------- Was it just a coincidence I got moderator points the first time I logged on to
Patriotic fluff...
If you are consuming a product or service you are a consumer, this is completely independent of your status in regards to the country you mention.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
-There is not such thing as "social evolution". People that mix evolution and social sciences understand neither.
-More efficent this, more efficent that. Define efficent in terms of a society.
-"Strong flourish, weak fail" : same pseudo evolutionism applied in a field in which it does not apply.
-"About corporate power? We can do nothing." Oh yes, as people did not do anything about kingdosm (French Revolution), Nation States (I will not elaborate, it would be ludicrous not to assume enybody moderately educated can come with his own examples).
Regarding corporations there are many things we can do if we don't like the status quo, the most important is become active in matters one is passionate about.
Stop delegating, start assuming responsibilities. The immense political apathy is the greatest indictment about how much we could do but how little we are prepared to do it.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
I wondered why all the kids were wearing eyepatches...
Arr!!! It's those bloody unscrupulous corporations distributing their piracy machines to children and students, all in an effort to tempt them to engage in copyright piracy and/or pornography distribution.
Next thing you know they'll start handing out cassette recorders and photo copiers...
The hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy says that they will be the first against the wall when the revolution comes.
I had but a simple dream, to destroy all humans.