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Wikileaks Reveals BitTorrent Lawsuit Background

Posted by Unknown on from the one-copyright-regime-to-rule-them-all dept.

daria42 writes "A US diplomatic cable published by Wikileaks has revealed much of the previously hidden background behind the BitTorrent court case currently playing out in Australia's High Court, including the Motion Picture Association of America's prime mover role and US Embassy fears the trial could become portrayed as 'giant American bullies versus little Aussie battlers.'' Oops. Looks like there's a little bit of egg on the movie studios' faces!"

11 of 209 comments (clear)

  1. And what? by chuckymonkey · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Good, nice to see stuff like this. Although to be honest I don't really see anything changing. Really, what are the proles going to do? Protest? I'm sure the MAFIAA is oh so terrified of the protesters who after a day or so will get tired, go home, and watch a movie and listen to some music.

    --
    "Some books contain the machinery required to create and sustain universes."-Tycho
    1. Re:And what? by Xest · · Score: 4, Insightful

      To be fair I think it's more subtle than that. Each time people see something like this they feel ever less guilty about, and ever less desensitized to piracy.

      Each time the MPAA does something like this, they push people further and further away from legitimate services.

      I for one don't see why anyone should see the slightest guilt in downloading MPAA movies, frankly paying money to buy their product to support their existence seems more morally bankrupt than downloading, or ideally just simply not watching their content at all nowadays.

      Really, all wars in whatever context rely on either winning the hearts and minds of the people, or brutally supressing them. The MPAA in it's war on piracy is attempting the latter, yet even the latter only works as a temporary stop gap, the former is the only permanent solution, yet that's a battle they've already long lost.

    2. Re:And what? by Xest · · Score: 4, Interesting

      "If you dont like the laws, change how you vote."

      But this is equally a rediculous argument. When parties are too focussed on corporate interests at the expense of the voterbase, through, as we've seen recently in the UK, the likes of entire political parties running shit scared of the likes of Murdoch, then what use is voting when it comes to such things? On such issues most Western countries simply can't be classified as democracies as democratic principles are ignored when legislation is made surrounding things like saner copyright laws.

      "But dont try to push some "I can do whatever I want and then act outraged when the courts disagree" nonsense, part of being an adult is that you put childish ideas behind you.."

      Except many adults would disagree with you, and in fact, so would history.

      Pirate radio in the UK in the 60s and 70s was instrumental in creating the UK's thriving private and public sector radio broadcaster market today. At the time law meant that radio was limited to literally only a select few stations, but because pirate radio persisted, government finally, over 20 - 30 years eventually realised that the only way to solve the problem was to give consumers what they want, not to fight them, because it's a fight that government and other vested interests cannot win.

      The ideas you see as childish are the types of ideas that have kept democracy thriving. Bowing down blindly to government and putting faith indefinitely in a corruptible political system is naive at best.

  2. Re:Oh gee by azalin · · Score: 5, Insightful

    But these studios are the victims here. Not the bullies.
    Poor, wretched victims... Where is the MPAA relief fund when they are in such dire need.
    *Glues plastic tear under left eye*

  3. Re:Just go away Wikileaks by elrous0 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Is that the OFFICIAL response from the MPAA, or are you just speaking for yourself?

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  4. The Truth by Sponge+Bath · · Score: 4, Insightful

    US Embassy fears the trial could become portrayed as 'giant American bullies versus little Aussie battlers'.

    So they are worried about the truth getting out. That is a warning flag that you are on the wrong side of an argument.

    1. Re:The Truth by Baloroth · · Score: 4, Informative

      Fear of being "portrayed" as giants bullies is a far different thing than actually being giant bullies. Now while I think the MPAA are giant extortionist bullies, but this cable is less fear of leaking the truth and more simple image management. And the Embassy doesn't really have anything to do with the case, it looks more like they were briefed simply because it's an international case, and what they fear is America looking bad. It's not like the US Embassy is trying to defend their own actions.

      The cable doesn't actually seem to contain anything scandalous, it just comfirms that the MPAA is the primary motivator behind the case. IANAL but that doesn't seem like either a surprise or a problem (legally speaking. Of course the MPAA are a bunch of scummy bastards who should be banned from legal filings pretty much period.)

      --
      "None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license." --John Milton
  5. Dinosaurs by Severus+Snape · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The most worrying part of the cable is they admit one of the main reasons behind the higher rate of piracy in Australia is due to wait for content to broadcast in Australia and in some cases TV series and such never been released on DVD at all. They accept this, why the hell don't they tackle the real problem then instead of sueing everybody into oblivion just because their business model fails?

    1. Re:Dinosaurs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Because the MPAA, being a shield organization, can't really change that. Its members have to come to the same realization, but they're paying the MPAA dues to keep from having to confront reality.

      MPAA is paid to shield the movie studios from the reality that their business model is broken. When these things "hit the fan" so to speak, the MPAA takes the flak and the movie studios hype their next release. How many people gripe that Sony, Universal, or Disney do these things? None. They blame the MPAA. Thus the real culprits never face the wrath they deserve. And because of that, they never learn the lessons they need to learn.

  6. Movie Studios Don't Care by organgtool · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Oops. Looks like there's a little bit of egg on the movie studios' faces!

    There's no egg on any movie studios' faces. The MPAA is used as the tool to deflect hatred away from the groups it represents. If consumers directed their anger squarely at Sony, Universal, et al, then those people would likely consume fewer of their products. But since it's the MPAA we hate, we don't think anything of buying the products of the companies they represent.

    In addition to that, the cables state that the US Embassy is the one who fears the image of the United States. The MPAA doesn't care because they're used to be hated - that's become their primary purpose.

  7. MPAA and bad PR by cain · · Score: 4, Insightful

    .'' Oops. Looks like there's a little bit of egg on the movie studios' faces!"

    The movie studios do not care that the MPAA looks like goons and everyone hates them. That's what the MPAA was created to do and that's why the studio keep them funded: they take all the bad PR on behalf of the studios. They are a front to take the bad PR.