RIAA Sets Their Sights on Russia

Conor Turton writes to tell us that the RIAA has set their sights on Russia for their newest push into anti-piracy. A recent bill was sponsored in the Senate to deny Russia's entrance into the WTO (among other things) if they did not take major action against piracy. From the press release: "The effective protection of American intellectual property has been sorely lacking in Russia. This resolution is significant because it expresses the will of the U.S. Congress that Russia must take effective action against those who would steal America's knowledge-intensive intellectual property-based goods and services. We must not enter into political arrangements with countries ill-prepared to adequately protect our greatest economic assets."

Comments

China and WTO

[mikejz84]

Hummm.....Why did this never come up when China was being admitted into the WTO???

Re:Ell Oh Ell

[shobadobs]

40 billion is 0.363636 % of 11 trillion. I don't think they were talking about the record industry alone, though.

Re:Talk about two faced liars.

[TubeSteak]

They recently agreed to remove all agricultural (export?) subsidies by 2013 or something like that.

http://news.google.com/news?q=wto+remove+agricultu ral+subsidies+2013

So, yes, they like to ignore the WTO, but when the threatened sanctions were large enough, even the U.S. caved.

BTW, this is considered a fairly significant win for the WTO

Here's Why The WTO Thinks They Are

[TubeSteak]

What does a country get from belonging to the WTO? Could educated folks enlighten a slashdotter?

From the horse's mouth
http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/10ben _e/10b00_e.htm

The ten benefits

1. The system helps promote peace
2. Disputes are handled constructively
3. Rules make life easier for all
4. Freer trade cuts the costs of living
5. It provides more choice of products and qualities
6. Trade raises incomes
7. Trade stimulates economic growth
8. The basic principles make life more efficient
9. Governments are shielded from lobbying
10. The system encourages good government

Follow the link, because each point goes to a page which expands on the short blurb.

Re:China?

[wirefarm]

I've been to both China and Russia and I must say that it was *far* more apparent in Russia.
There were shops along Nevsky Prospekt in St. Petersburg, the main shopping area, that openly sold pirated movies, software and music. Every underground crosswalk had kiosks selling CDs full of stuff and the police neither noticed or cared. I heard that at that time, 2001, there were no real laws against it.
(This may have changed in the last few years, I'm sure someone could confirm.)

In Beijing, I saw one seller of what I assumed were pirated movies. Just one at an open market on the east side, along side the people selling tiger claws and other horrifying animal parts for traditional medicines.

I really saw nothing to indicate that they had nearly as broad a culture of "piracy" as Russia did.

Re:"...protect our greatest economic assets"

[duffahtolla]

Not Cantonese,

You want Mandarin. My wife and I will be taking such a course this January.

Re:So this is it?

[lysergic.acid]

Taiwan isn't on the list of signatures to the Berne Convention either. While Taiwan's government is far from perfect, I think we're doing a lot better than countries like China, Turkey, South Africa, etc.

Depends how far out you go

[MMaestro]

For the most part, China does a good job at funneling tourists and foreigners into certain areas. I haven't been to Russia, but after visiting China I can tell you that you'll be shut out of most areas simply because you look differently, ESPECIALLY if you can't speak the language/local dialect. I've been to shopping areas in the Beijing area where mini-mall sized areas sold bootleg/pirated movies, software, music and hacked video game consoles with uniformed police officers standing around these kiosks openly.

Re:So this is it?

[HardCase]

Please remember that the US refused to sign the Berne Convention for 103 years, and didn't sign it until March 1th 1989.

It wasn't so much that the US refused to sign as that the government couldn't sign. The Berne convention was incompatible with US law until 1988. The US has been a member of UCC for over 50 years, though.

-h-

That takes balls

[Ryosen]

knowledge-intensive intellectual property-based goods and services

Since when does Britney Spears and the rest qualify as this?

Re:Hahahahaha

[gothfox]

Exactly right. You foreigners probably don't know, but we already had our share of "wars against piracy". Discs bulldozed on national TV and whatsuch.

There actually was a time (about 7-8 years ago) when pirated discs disappeared from the retail for several months. Unsurprisingly, it didn't stick. Piracy is a big business here, controlled by OUR mobs, it's not just some pop and mom CD-RW operation. So our government will generate some hogwash for RIAA and GW Bush and everything will stay the same.

Re:So this is it?

[c_forq]

He is about correct. Last time I was in the area I picked up a boot-leg Lord of The Rings. The bootlegs were everywhere, the actual movie was not. There were some movies priced comparatively, and people seemed to be willing to pay an extra $2 for the quality guarantee of the real one and extra features (some of the bootlegs are of very poor quality).

Re:Russia has more important things to worry about

[S3D]

Then again, I dont really like the ramifications of a corporate funded police force that had the full backing and authority of the state.
However coprporates already running prisons in US and some other contries in the world.

The private prison industry in the United States is in the hands of four huge companies that make billions in profits every year ($2.3 billion in 2004 alone) and is in a state of constant growth. The living conditions in those prisons, such as population density, health and the severity of punishment, are disgraceful. Guards with low levels of training are employed by manpower agencies at starvation wages, with a high turnover rate in employment. The violence in those prisons is on a constant rise, as are escapes and drug abuse. Experts who examined the privatized prisons over long periods of time even argue that handing over the prisons to private hands did not make it any cheaper for the state, and that it is difficult, if not impossible, to guarantee proper supervision of such institutions. All this is dwarfed by the most worrisome fact of all: The companies who own the prisons spend millions of dollars every year lobbying for stricter legislation. They say that some 2,000 legislators around the country "work" for them, and make sure to initiate harsher minimum sentences, define new crimes and monstrous punishments (such as the "three strikes and you're out" law in California that sends a person to life in prison if they are convicted of three crimes, even if they are light), promote the appointment of tough prosecutors and cancel state-run rehabilitation plans. They do everything they can to guarantee more profits for the franchise holders.

from Google cache

Re:So this is it?

[owlnation]

For reference, the latest list of non-signatories that I could find is: Afghanistan, Bhutan, Ethiopia, Iran, Iraq, Nepal, Oman, San Marino, Tonga and Yemen. I would not want to live in any of these countries, and the ability to pirate music to my heart's content would not make up for the other issues.

Not sure what anyone could have against San Marino or its government. Or why anyone wouldn't want to live there, it's a very beautiful little collection of villages. You do know where it is, right?

Unless of course if you were Swedish, since the longest state of war (technically speaking) in European history existed between San Marino and Sweden, only to end in about 1992.

I've always loved this imagery, a tiny group of villages in the mountains of Italy fighting a country of 8 million famous for their very safe cars, social democracy, Abba and nice pine furniture.

Hail Freedonia!

Re:Well Napoleon, Hitler and now the RIAA

[jedidiah]

Let's not forget stealth fighter tech.

Our stealth aircraft tech depends on Russian research paper.

Mebbe Moscow should start demanding some royalties.