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Do We Want ISPs Penalizing Music Fans?

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the rhetorical-questions dept.

NewYorkCountryLawyer writes "Noted singer songwriter Billy Bragg has written an excellent column in The Guardian, coming out against the pro-RIAA '3-strikes' legislation the big 4 record labels are trying to push through. In the article, entitled 'Do we want ISPs penalizing our fans?', Bragg writes: 'Having failed miserably in previous attempts to stamp out illicit filesharing, the record industry has now joined forces with other entertainment lobby groups to demand that the government takes action to protect their business model.' He goes on: 'Fearful of the prospect of dragging their customers though the courts, with all the attendant costs and bad publicity, members of the record industry have come up with a simple, cost-free solution to their problem: get the ISPs to do their dirty work for them. They are asking the government to force the ISPs to cut off the broadband connection of customers who persistently download unauthorized material, without any recourse to appeal in the courts.'"

9 of 263 comments (clear)

  1. Wait a second... by FlyingSquidStudios · · Score: 1, Funny

    Billy Bragg has fans?



    (I keed! I keed!)

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    1. Re:Wait a second... by stuntpope · · Score: 2, Funny

      I'm a big fan of his, and I live in the United States. I haven't seen him in a long time, but I did see him several times in the late 1980s and the 1990s and got the chance to speak with him for awhile. (I think you must have meant no one UNDER 20 has heard of him).

      The only downside was having to see Michelle Shocked.

  2. I really don't care anymore... by Jaysyn · · Score: 2, Funny

    ... the faster you idiots make yourself irrelevant, the sooner I can load up Slashdot without seeing articles like this.

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  3. Re:Enough already by jamesmcm · · Score: 2, Funny

    ... but don't you get tired of discussing the same thing over and over?

    You must be new here.

  4. Re:Copy of game broke, yet they gave me a warning by sexconker · · Score: 2, Funny

    HOLD IT!

    Assassin's Creed for the PC uses SafeDisc 4.85.
    You need the physical disc to play the game (or sometimes just for the installation).

    You claim your original disc "broke".
    You claim you needed to reinstall the game.

    Something doesn't add up with your testimony.

    Would you care to explain how you reinstalled the game with the downloaded copy without cracking the protection?

    </Phoenix Wright>

  5. Re:Enough already by Wicked+Zen · · Score: 3, Funny

    Christ, pay attention, will you? TFA is about the RIAA pushing a LAW that would require ISPs to terminate service, without due process.

  6. Re:Court first then cut. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    1- make website with download links
    2- monitor riaa downloading links
    3- file formal complaints (1 per link) against riaa
    4- riaa loses all internet access, permanently, with no opportunity to defend themselves
    5- proffit!

  7. Re:Enough already by Skye16 · · Score: 2, Funny

    No kidding. I just looked through the mod option list for the GP and I couldn't find "-1: Fucking Moron" in there to give to him. I'll just go with a comment in support of your comment instead.

  8. We also.. by SlashDev · · Score: 2, Funny

    .. don't want people submitting articles with spelling mistakes. This 's is really getting on my nerves.

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