Slashdot Mirror
US Pirate Movie Site DNS Seizure Fail
An anonymous reader writes "Last week, the US government in a highly publicized copyright protection frenzy took the extraordinary step of seizing domain names from foreign movie sites like NinjaVideo.net and TVshack.net. While the seizure raises confusing Internet legal / jurisdiction questions (the US and perhaps the state of Kentucky can seize domain names for foreign companies?), this study shows the legal issues may be moot — the raids mostly failed. Within hours of domain name seizure, tvshack.cc was back up and running (but this time using a Chinese registrar and a Cocos Islands ccTLD)."
More recently in 2008, Kentucky courts seized the domain names for 141 online gambling sites (all for companies based in other countries including Malta and Costa Rica). The Kentucky court action threatened to disrupt global traffic to PokerStars, Full Tilt, Absolute Poker and many others. As of March of this year the case is still winding its way through Kentucky appellate and supreme court (the case has been reversed then upheld and is currently resolving issues of standing).
What gives US the right to seize domains of companies based in other countries and force their laws, views and things like ACTA and banning of internet casinos to citizens of other countries?
You wouldn't want China to take down international sites that violate their laws, would you? Or radical countries like North Korea? It's not even just about Internet, but in general too. What makes it OK for USA to do so. Actually, instead of filtering maybe China should start just taking down the sites they don't like.
Since US tries to put laws on the citizens of other countries, I say it's only fair other countries do the same. Like execute the death sentence of Facebook CEO. The best thing about this is that if Zuckerberg gets put into Interpol wanted list, he gets extradited to Pakistan as soon as he visits some other country. It's only fair, right?
Please don't confuse us with our government. We're as fucking dumbstruck and horrified with this as you are. Just...wtf?
The stories and info posted here are artistic works of fiction and falsehood.
Only fools would take it as fact.
Please don't confuse us with our government. We're as fucking dumbstruck and horrified with this as you are. Just...wtf?
You voted them in, so the're your responsibility. Unless you want to go the tin-foil hat route and say that the US populace has no influence or control over their government - in which case I would be looking for another country of residence.
I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
I think its a sign of desperation. They know they are losing the war, and instead of changing with the times, they are adopting basically undefensable, unwinnable strategies.
I'm not forming an opinion on who's right or who's wrong, but I can tell you who is winning.
Hi, I Boris. Hear fix bear, yes?
Nothing gives the US that right. I'd say a fair amount of people here feel the same way I do about that (at least I hope so).
"Ubuntu" -- an African word, meaning "Slackware is too hard for me". - stolen from Dan C alt.os.linux.slackware
I don't know if you realize this, but we have a 2 party system. Every four years, we're faced with a decision between a giant douche and a turd sandwich. The government is not accountable to us, so long as they're getting the terrorists.
The stories and info posted here are artistic works of fiction and falsehood.
Only fools would take it as fact.
Unfortunately there are a lot more like this lady than there are of me.
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
I don't know where you vote, but my ballots frequently have more than two candidates on them, in addition to a write in option. You are perfectly free to choose as you please. The government is as accountable as we make it, and not one iota more. All this whining is just an attempt to shed personal responsibility.
For justice, we must go to Don Corleone
Those rules are quite reasonable when talking about country TLDs (such as .us). The problem is that .com/.net/.org are semantically global, not US-specific. If you're a global company, you're supposed to have a .com. And that shouldn't automatically mean that US laws apply to you all of a sudden.
I don't know where you vote, but my ballots frequently have more than two candidates on them, in addition to a write in option. You are perfectly free to choose as you please. The government is as accountable as we make it, and not one iota more. All this whining is just an attempt to shed personal responsibility.
Or it's just realistic. You can vote, technically, for whoever you want. But when the media and 99% of everyone else is touting a choice between a giant douche and a turd sandwich, the dumb masses of the public:
a) won't vote for someone else in an organized effort
b) think voting with "their" party is still the best option (even though their views might be wildly different), or
c) have no idea what the other options are
Realistically, you'd have to have more than a 2-party system in order to pull anything off. That means including more parties in official debates, getting some media exposure (they are currently largely ignored), etc. No exposure = no chance, and right now the media and the existing 2 major parties control the exposure, and thus the chance of anything different happening.
It's not so black and white, and it's not about shedding personal responsibility. It's about what the current situation is.
But yes, actions DO speak louder than words.
If you aren't suspicious of your government's actions, you aren't doing your job as a responsible citizen.
You, and only you are responsible for your vote. Propping up the regulars is your choice.
For justice, we must go to Don Corleone
The US is always right. That's why the US can have 2400 active warheads while Iran having even one is geopolitical heresy, why the US pushing copyright on the rest of the world is acceptable while China pushing internet censorship on just their own citizens is not, and why the US can invade Afghanistan and Iraq while Russia can't invade Georgia.
At least that's what the US media says. I imagine Pravda et al. are equally biased in their own directions.
You are absolutely right about why there is no viable third party in the US.
However, you are completely and utterly missing the GP's point (at least I think you are - I don't speak for him, obviously).
The point is not that we are forced to vote for one of the two main parties, lest we waste our votes.
The point is that even when we do vote for a 3rd party candidate, it has essentially zero effect, precisely because of the problem you mentioned, and thus, those of us who do vote for 3rd party candidates are truly not responsible for the actions of our government.
Your point does not rebut the GP's point - it supports it.
Except in the case of BBC productions, we have ALREADY paid for it via the licence fee. Then if you want to watch a 25 year old Sci Fi show again, you have to shell out a futher 80 quid for DVDs that cost approx 12 pence each and a pretty box.
It's not a case of downloaders being "cheap", it's a case of corporations being "too fucking expensive" (and double dipping).
You're against anti-texting laws? Why? The AAA performed studies showing that texting-while-driving causes 2-3 times slower reaction time than drinking-and-driving. If DUI should be banned because it's dangerous, then so too should DWT (driving while texting) because it's much much worse.
I almost got hit by a woman who was talking-while-driving. She blasted right through the red light as if it wasn't there, almost clipping my front end (fortunately I was only going 5 mph and could slow down quickly). These people are stupid. They CAN'T multitask because they're brains aren't smart enough. They should not be allowed to anything else while driving. It should be banned.
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
Yes, but not because of the internet, it's because of corporate power. The US (and maybe the whole world) had become a plutocracy, where legislation and law enforcement are blatantly for sale.
Free Martian Whores!
If you vote for a third party fruitlessly you have wasted your chance to vote for your second choice party, and as a result your last choice party may get in.
and unless you can break the cycle, as each election goes by your country will head further and further away from what you want it to be.