Slashdot Mirror
Super Bowl Bust: Feds Grab 307 NFL Websites; $4.8M
coondoggie writes "Speaking at a National Football League press conference ahead of this weekend's Super Bowl, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency said special agents this week seized a total of 307 websites and snatched up 42,692 items of phony Super Bowl-related memorabilia along with other counterfeit items for a total take of more than $4.8 million – up from $3.72 million last year."
I mean, because counterfeit NFL gear is incredibly detrimental to society. Unlike drugs, murder, and other violence. And why spend money on education when money can be thrown towards law enforcement to satisfy the corporate overlords. Another way of looking at it... thousands of jobs have been destroyed so that the uber-rich NFL owners can snatch even more money from the commoners.
Reading Slashdot every day is starting to make me wonder if I'm allowed to do anything besides spend all my money and work (for less) without getting sued or arrested for copyright, patent, counterfeiting, or violating some all encompassing do-what-I-say law.
While everyone was fretting over SOPA/PIPA, Obama secretly signed the ACTA treaty back in October, 2011. Both Obama And Bush declared during their respective presidencies that the text of ACTA was classified due to national security. Both denied FOI petitions. So how does a citizen have any hope of not breaking the law when the laws themselves are kept secret from citizens?
Taking down domains without a trial, secretly negotiating international IP treaties (ACTA), threatening American ISPs into adopting a "six strikes" policy...
Judging by its actions, IP enforcement is clearly the Obama Administration's top priority. Is it corruption, or is it just plain disregard for justice and the due process of law?
"In prison you just have to shut your eyes and take it. Here you have to shut your eyes and give it."
Not that I support this kind of action, but it at least proves that bills like SOPA are unnecessary. Rights-holders already have a legal means to deal with infringers. It may be inefficient, but I think most slashdotters would agree that's preferable to the alternative.
How are sites slashdotted when nobody reads TFAs?
and I'd like to know when the copyright, trademark holders will be getting a bill for the government's services.
On a related note, I wonder if Slashdot paid for the rights to use the term "Super Bowl" - the NFL defends that term pretty vigorously. This is why places that have, for example, televisions on sale this week have signs up that say, "Get your new TV for the big game!" Grocery stores refer to food for the "big game" party. And so on.
The other day, I even heard a DJ on Sirius (satellite radio) saying he wasn't sure what he could say in regards to the game. The odd part is that Sirius will be carrying the game, so even within companies that ARE actually affiliated with the NFL, it's not clear.