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U.S. Court Denies Webcasters' Stay Petition
Michael Manoochehri writes "Reuters reports that a "federal appeals court has denied a petition by U.S. Internet radio stations seeking to delay a royalty rate hike due July 15 they say could kill the fledgling industry." This royalty rate hike, put forth by the US Copyright Royalty Board, will increase royalty rates for webcast music tremendously, in some cases to more per year than many webcasters bring in from revenue. Save Net Radio, a coalition of webcasters, is telling listeners that "We are appealing to the millions of Internet radio listeners out there, the webcasters they support and the artists and labels we treasure to rise up and make your voices heard again before this vibrant medium is silenced.""
The whining, though old, never ceases to amaze and amuse me. Who gives a shit about the RIAA or what they do.
Has anyone else noticed that copyright laws, patent laws, labor unions, the EPA, the RIAA, the MPAA, and the FCC seem to be the motivating reasons for industries to shift operations to places AWAY from U.S. over-regulation?
It may sound stupid, but regulating an industry to the degree that the aforementioned racketeers and causes have, gives PLENTY of incentive to get the hell out of the United States.
Here it is:
Copyright Laws: Good for generating income from hard work, but the broad definition and over-enforcement discourage business and creativity. Currently, any work can be copyrighted.
Trademark Laws: Abuse by companies has led to "trademarking" just about every word, including words, terms, and descriptions that are not even REMOTELY relevant to the product or name being trademarked for the sole purpose of generating income. This has allowed anybody who has enough money to cover the trademark fee and an IQ of 1 or higher to "trademark" things simply to generate money. It is the 'Perfect Job': People can make money simply by saying they own a word, regardless of the motivations. Currently, any word, term, description, color, sound, picture, symbol, domain name, name, title, compound/substance, idea, concept, belief, religion, and even gene can be trademarked by anyone, for any reason, simply because they can cover the filing fee.
Patent Laws: Also good for generating income through innovation, but the ease of patenting just about ANYTHING under the Sun and the vagueness of patents allow a single patent to cover just about anything. The definitions of 'Invention' and 'Innovation' have been so stretched and convoluted that you can now patent things you didn't even invent.
Labor Unions: Labor Unions have gone from benevolent organizations that actually did look out for the safety of the workers, citizens, and public, to political organizations that are out simply to generate profit from their member that they call 'Brothers', but actually treat like Union due-generating sheep.
For example, the current standoff between Waste Management and the Teamsters is about one thing: The right to fire unsafe workers. I'm not talking about firing people for giving the finger. I'm talking about firing someone who can flip an 830,000lb Caterpillar D9 bulldozer, or rolling an 80,000lb tractor-trailer while speeding. Currently, the penalties for those offenses are a 10 day suspension. Workers who have continuously demonstrated the lack of responsibility of operating heavy equipment take the company to court after being removed from positions where they formerly operated such equipment. Waste Management has effectively said they are done playing these games, but the Teamsters call it unfair. What? Removing someone who is reckless with a D9 dozer or tractor-trailer, and moving them to another position, is unfair? Is intimidating workers who refuse to support you unfair too? (Yes, that DOES happen.). Waste Management has even thrown increased benefits and pay raises at them, but the Teamsters care only about one thing: Union dues. It's simple: Regardless of the benefits are, or the pay a worker gets, if they get fired for being dangerous, the Union won't get money from them. And to think that the Unions formed out of the desperate need for SAFE WORKING CONDITIONS. It's ALWAYS about money.Companies are sick of getting the brunt of the Union's unchecked abuse.
Its the endless litigation for well-founded disciplinary actions, and other actions, that has companies moving overseas. Companies, big AND small are fed up with the shenanigans and games that the Unions play. YES, there ARE instances where the Unions DO have a legitimate bone to pick, as is the case with teachers, but in general, they have abused their power to the point where companies are saying "Screw this. We tired of playing games, so we'll take our business elsewhere." Some businesses have exploited this, like Nike, but largely, it is the recent exploitations and a
Knowing Google's lust for data collection, the Soviet Union is still alive and well inside the psyche of Sergey Brin....
Buy a copyright? It's still only good for the author's life + 10 years.
Actually, many would consider that to be a feature... It discourages companies from building huge copyright portfolios, and abusing these for untowards ends. Your corporation came up with something copyrightable? There's an actual good question, but I've done enough ranting for today. Some fixed term, but it should be chosen such that in most cases it would be less that what an individual author would get (say, 25 years). That way, it would also be a disincentive against corporations abusing "work for hire" clauses...