Slashdot Mirror
Music Industry Drafts Code of Conduct for ISPs
An anonymous reader writes "The Register is running a story about how the music industry is trying to get ISPs to sign 'code of conduct' agreements to cut people off for excessive bandwidth usage, to turn over details of users on demand, and to block certain 'illegal' websites." From the article: "According to the draft, the duo want ISPs and network operators to 'enforce terms of service that prohibit a subscriber from operating a server, or from consuming excessive amounts of bandwidth where such consumption is a good indicator of infringing activities.'"
Last I checked, we didn't invent the internet in order to get music. Music ranks pretty low on the level of importance of why people get internet access. These music industry people are crazy.
... because most shoplifters usually make their get-away by road ...
How about the 'community' draft an 'ethical business practices' document for the media companies.
Some possible clauses
1) charge no more then 20% profit on your real cost of production of products.
2) stop ripping off new artists with loans for promotion disgused as recording contracts.
3) Discontinue painting customers as potential criminals
4) Discontinue ramming DRM down our throats.
5) stop producing crap.
6) stop being control freaks and demanding that people consume your drek as you see fit.
7) Tell us explicitly what our license is for. If its for the media then tell us, and have a reasonable replacement policy for bad media. If it for the contents of the media, then we demand our license be portable and persistent for private use.
and so on.
Yet again, France surrenders. This rule goes nicely alongside their anti-crypto laws, making France the most freedom-hostile country in europe.
France's ISPs seemed to have rolled over already. A version of this code was signed last July by three French ministers, representatives of the music industry, major ISPs and telecoms operators there. It allows collection societies and the like to create files from telecoms traffic data of supposed copyright infringers to "mutualise the battle against the piracy of works". Some subscribers have been cut off; others have been sued for file-sharing.
I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
From the article: France's ISPs seemed to have rolled over already.
Kind of reminds me of the old joke, "What's the first thing you learn in the French army?" "How to say, 'I surrender' in German."
"We are more French than the French!" says Monsieur DeLay, le Senator de Washington D.C.
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
Very, VERY good point. And I think you've touched on the fundamental flaw in the RIAA's proposal: that nobody owns information. Information is just a combination of ones and zeroes. Do I not have the right to order the ones and zeroes on my computer however I want? I own this computer. Information just floats around. When informed of it, I order the ones and zeroes on my computer differently. What moral crime have I committed? Who really owns my computer? I own my computer. No one owns information.
So we can't keep encouraging the **AA to use strongarm tactics that violate our rights.