Amazon Fights Piracy Tool, Creators Call It a Parody

jamie points out an interesting story which started a few days ago, when a pair of students from the Netherlands released a Firefox add-on which integrated links to the Pirate Bay on Amazon product pages. Customers who had the add-on would see a large "Download 4 Free" button next to items which were also available on the Pirate Bay. The add-on quickly drew notice, and the creators were hit with a take-down notice and threats of litigation from Amazon. Now, the students have removed the add-on, and they are claiming an unusual defense: "'Pirates of the Amazon' was an artistic parody, part of our media research and education at the Media Design M.A. course at the Piet Zwart Institute of the Willem de Kooning Academy Hogeschool Rotterdam, the Netherlands. It was a practical experiment on interface design, information access and currently debated issues in media culture. We were surprised by the attentions and the strong reactions this project received. Ultimately, the value of the project lies in these reactions. It is a ready-made and social sculpture of contemporary internet user culture."

Comments

Social Acceptability

[fibrewire]

It's creepy that i posted exactly about this a minute before this story appeared in the previous listing about "RIAA Vs. Web 2.0? Social Media and Litigation"

Chin deep

[Anonymous Coward]

From the summary: It was a practical experiment on interface design, information access and currently debated issues in media culture. We were surprised by the attentions and the strong reactions this project received. Ultimately, the value of the project lies in these reactions. It is a ready-made and social sculpture of contemporary internet user culture.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

What an utter load of hot steamy horse shit!

Best laugh I have had all day.

Re:regardless of legality this is stupid

[TheGratefulNet]

What I do NOT understand is why those people cannot see that if everyone does what they do, no new content will be produced.

faulty thinking. nature hates a vacuum. if 'we' don't make things, 'they' will start. its already begin, many things come out of india and china now, instead of the US.

same with acting, music, movies, all that. if our primadonnas 'refuse' to create new works of art, well, OTHERS in the world will.

you can bet on it - there will NEVER be a shortage of creative works since mankind wants to 'do that stuff' regardless. yes, its nice to get paid for it, but how many software projects have you seen that were done even in the fact of 'no profit'? by your reasoning, no one would ever contribute free software. but they do.

I say, let our 'entertainment' industry FULLY FULLY fail. and no bailout, either.

unfortunately, entertainment will NEVER go out of business. its human nature. paid or underpaid, people will ALWAYS create!