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Stop Being Poor: U.S. Piracy Watch List Hits a New Low With 2012 Report
An anonymous reader writes "The U.S. Trade Representative released its annual Special 301 Report yesterday, unsurprisingly including Canada on the Priority Watch list. While inclusion on the list is designed to generate embarrassment on target countries, Michael Geist explains why this year's report should elicit outrage. Not only is the report lacking in objective analysis, it targets some of the world's poorest countries with no evidence of legal inadequacies and picks fights with any country that dare adopt a contrary view on intellectual property issues."
Canada should be embarrassed. I mean, they have some of the best privacy laws of any country.
On a related note, as an American, could I borrow some?
So, the answer to our piracy and IP idiocy is to abolish recordings and limit ourselves to live performances?
FYI, performing a cover of a pop song for free at a concert is not an issue here either.
You're right, CDs are crappy. That's why I always bring a live band with me when I drive to and from work.
We can't do that here in the USA. They keep the noise^H^H^H^H^Hmusic in bars cranked up so loud you can't carry on a conversation. Not just bars. Even the local Starbucks plays their Muzak far too loud to talk quietly, or even read without being distracted.
But then if they turned down the music, you'd realize how little people actually have to say.
Have gnu, will travel.
Maybe the answer is to rethink what is good entertainment. I've always had much better time when spending time out with friends or family while there might be some band playing. It doesn't even matter that much who they are. I do understand that it might matter more when staying alone at home and trying to listen to some music, but seriously, just go out and enjoy it with other people - it's much better.
Sounds like it's time to build the B Ark. We just have to make sure that we sanitize our own telephones.
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
Yeah, so all of you impoverished nations... your people might be poor and starving, but don't even think for a minute about feeding them. Take that money you would have fed hungry children with and step up your IP policing, because your laws are good, you are just wasting money you could use for more enforcement in all of the wrong places, like feeding your people.
What you're seeing here really is more of a disconnect between the Government and the people it is suppose to represent. The american government at this point is pretty much entirely owned by various corporations and private interests that don't represent the thoughts and will of the american people.
I'm pretty fed up with it and I want things to change but I really don't see what I can do, the FBI is busy trying to turn people into terrorists who are unhappy with the way the government is representing them. It doesn't matter if I vote for the right or left any politician I vote for is owned by someone, and most if not all the third party candidates are dubious or likely to be subverted the moment they become any more than 'third party' and or get seen as a threat to the status quo.
The point is that when people are listening to CDs or MP3s, they're not JUST listening to them. They're cleaning, playing video games, exercising, driving, or any one of a multitude of activities which don't require 100% of your ears. Hell, I've listened to music while working at a call center before. 99% of situations in which people would have music are not situations in which live music is applicable.
tl;dr: You trollin'.
From where I sit, this has been one of the greatest disappointments even staunch supporters like me have with Obama: his administration's continued support for the content industry at the expense of people in America and around the world.
Dan Aris
Fun. Free. Online. RPG. BattleMaster.
No offense, but every Asian country I've ever been to was loaded with CD's and DVD's of popular music and movies. Some, like China, were filled with mostly *bootleg* CD's and DVD's too (not that I can fault them for that, since so much is officially banned there). Just because you don't buy them (and will no doubt tell us all at great length why you don't even *OWN* a TV), doesn't mean that pop culture is somehow a plague solely limited to the U.S.
What political party do you join when you don't like Bible-thumpers *or* hippies?
I live in Asia. Our entertainment is going out with people and socializing.
That sounds too much like socialism for the US.
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
Well, while you're ignoring it, the politicians will be citing it for why we more and tougher IP legislation, both at home and abroad.
So if 'Asians' only go out and listen to live bands as their entertainment why are CD and DVD so huge in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, etc.? Also, how do you explain away the vast amount of CD and DVD bootlegging in the region? Oh and lets not forget the more than a billion 'asians' who live in rural areas without the entertainment you list. Basically, you're full of it.
You may ignore it if you wish, but do so at your peril. This report is a window into the minds of the politicians and bureaucrats who run our country and think they run the world. We ought to be using this to our advantage, to stir up pushback from other countries and put the bastards on the defensive. They're trying to bully the rest of the world into paying up--the only way to deal with a bully is to stand up for yourself and fight back.
Democrats are concerned with civil liberties and the rights of the individual. We need change! Oh, wait...
Ah, I see. This explains why there is so little piracy going on in Asian countries.
How can we continue to believe in a just universe and freedom to eat crackers if we have no ale?
we tried to conquer your worthless country twice before, but you finally gave us an excuse for a third time
This is the best part:
Which basically means the people writing this report are well known shills, who are predisposed to write something which is in favor of what the content industry wants.
Glad to see these guys being told to bugger off if they don't have any facts. Far too much of American policy is dictated by lobbyists.
Constantly listening to the content industry in the US bleating that Canada is a horrible evil country of people who violate copyrights gets tedious.
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
It's not about protecting anything but corporate profits.
For example, when copyright was 1st conceived, the concept was to protect that individual's right to contract for the legitimate use or the press and distribution in order to ensure that the publisher was paying the actual author. In America, Jefferson argued that copyright should be restricted to 1/2 the average lifespan of a human in order to preserve the incentive to create new works as well as protect future generations from undue power that would otherwise accumulate in the hands of 'owners' of creative works. (Which is exactly what has happened.)
Since then, corporations have found it convenient to buy proprietary works, contractually strangle authors and coerce (I mean lobby) legislation to extend the term of copyright to ridiculous lengths (in the U.S. it's life plus 70 years or 120 for anonymous works owned by Inc.) in order to further the monopolistic tendencies of business interests. This places corporate interests above those of the individual or society in general. (Thank Sonny Bono & Mickey Mouse)
This is but one example of the 'service' so-called anti-piracy laws provide.
The US has declared wars on drugs, terrorism, copyright violations, crackers, and a whole host of other things.
In doing so they've declared "war" on pretty much every nation in the world, including the very ones that they claim are friends and allies.
So what can we conclude?
The US is Enemy #1 to the world.
I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
Claiming one country should forgo their culture because you said yours is better is not a very good argument. Maybe some people dont want to go out and prefer to stay home and listen to music, is there is something wrong with that? while i am not bashing your culture, i think its great if you have more community based entertainment...but USA is different for a variety of reasons and it would be easier to change the record companys then it would be to change an entire culture.
Its funny, most the time its Americans are being accused of the very same thing your doing.
Stay off my lawn, kid!
Have gnu, will travel.
>>>performing a cover of a pop song for free at a concert is not an issue here either.
Yeah actually it is.
Public performance of copyrighted works, even legal recordings, is forbidden in the U.S. and the RIAA expects other countries to have similar laws.
My AC stalker: " I personally agree with your posts most of the time, but that won't keep me from modding you troll"
I'm pretty fed up with it and I want things to change but I really don't see what I can do
Organize.
There are probably people near you who are organizing political events that work for real people rather than the powers that be. Seek them out.
This person's statements are total bunk. Pop music is very popular in a number of Asian countries and CD and DVD sales are huge too.
That's interesting, since Japanese and South Koreans consume recorded music the way Slashdot users consumer cheesy-poofs.
I don't know where in Asia you live, but the music industry sells lots of product there.
You are welcome on my lawn.
I know how you feel.. I live in America...
If it makes you feel any better, it's only super-rich Americans that are pushing this crap.. and anyone they can pay to convince (e.g. politicians, whom are also, generally, rich)
The average American (excluding those whom watch Faux news) thinks this whole thing is incredibly stupid.. but those making under $250k/year do not have a political voice... We're just as disapproving as you all are.
Well, while you're ignoring it, the politicians will be citing it for why we more and tougher IP legislation, both at home and abroad.
What motivation does a country have to get off of double secret probation, no trade embargoes will placed on countries listed on the report. This report has less teeth then a UN resolution, it is merely finger wagging in the hopes of pressuring other nations into abiding by foreign rules.
Knowledge = Power
P= W/t
t=Money
Money = Work/Knowledge so the less you know the more you make
I don't think we (as canadians) should be outraged. That's the wrong approach to this. We should be celebrating the fact that we have better rules than the americans.
Imagine some politicians came out with a report about how awful it is that blacks can vote in this long list of countries, or how abhorrent is is that women could vote in some places, or how some countries *still* haven't enacted prohibition, or how terrible it must be for people living in those countries that have government healthcare. If you on one of those lists you don't get outraged, you can use it as proof positive that your system is working, and those idiots that wrote the report are living in the wrong century. Which, as with this report, they are.
There's no point in trying to complain that some of their metrics are wrong or unfairly target the wrong groups. The whole concept is basically inverted, squabbling about the details gives the false impression that it can somehow be corrected with some tweaking of specifics.
I live in Asia.
Well that narrows it down.
Our entertainment is going out with people and socializing.
Yeah, no one in the USA *ever* does that.
We like that.
Well bully for you!
Live music is better than listening to some stupid pop artists from your cd's.
http://us14.memecdn.com/Stop-Liking-What-I-Dont-Like_c_115105.jpg
In your opinion, of course, and there are CDs containing other things than pop music, just FYI. I just found a CD of 60s cartoon music and sound effects. I like to crack up the Speed Racer theme during traffic jams to totally mess with the other commuters.
Bands at the restaurants and bars occasionally play covers of those over here,
WOW!!!! o.O The NEVER happens here. Our bands just play scales and basic fingering exercises, or they go off into multihour free form jazz odysseys. Depends on how baked they are.
but you are a failing country
Ah, I wondered when the full bore jingobigotry would show up. I made that neologism up, BTW. Feel free to use it. Hmm. Bingotry?
that is both anti-social and has no understanding of what products are actually worth to pay for.
Nonsense. We so totally understand what products are actually worth to pay for what we see was worth to understand paying for what products.
You are fighting a fight that you cannot win.
Wait, which one you talkin' about?
Many are returning to that after the past few years of ASCAP/BMI sending out goons to fine bars and restaurants for daring to play the radio in their establishment. There are two bars I frequent that have evicted any jukebox or DJ and have live entertainment most of the time. It's a single guy with a guitar most of the time or a duo, but that is far better than recorded music.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
That sounds too much like socialism
Well, hell, it is May Day!
Oh, I'm sorry sir, I thought you were referring to me, Mr. Wensleydale.
Live music is better than listening to some stupid pop artists from your cd's.
I know, right? I just wonder why they don't ever put other types of music on CD. Seems like an untapped market.
The enemies of Democracy are
| What you're seeing here really is more of a disconnect between the Government and the people it is suppose to represent
Umm, you and I aren't the American people. We' don't have the money. We don't count. Real American people number less than 1 million, out of the 300 million inhabitants of America. The rest of us live in 'Murica, are a nuisance to real Americans, and are expendable.
Actually I'm pissed off because Spain got off the list :-(
How do you figure? I've never seen nor heard of any band getting sued for performing a cover of any song.
"Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
I'm pretty fed up with it and I want things to change but I really don't see what I can do, the FBI is busy trying to turn people into terrorists who are unhappy with the way the government is representing them. It doesn't matter if I vote for the right or left any politician I vote for is owned by someone, and most if not all the third party candidates are dubious or likely to be subverted the moment they become any more than 'third party' and or get seen as a threat to the status quo.
My favored solution is for grassroots organizations to stop banging their heads against the wall on issues that aren't going anywhere under the current system and focus on electoral reforms. 1) End political redistricting. 2) Enact some sort of acceptability voting (e.g. instant run-off), starting with local and state elections and building support for federal elections. 3) Enact campaign finance reforms of some sort (the biggest and most challenging issue, though one in which there are many avenues along which to make advances).
I could add more (like somehow modifying the primary system, rotating which states vote first in presidential primaries, media ownership reforms), but those 3 I think deal with the bulk of what's preventing progress in terms of true representation of the people and resistance to corporate special interests. (1) reduces individual power consolidation and polarization, (2) reduces party power consolidation, polarization, and provides an opportunity for the public to express their preferences in more dimensions (this might make it easier to push back against the advancing security state), and (3) reduces the power of wealthy donors and corporations (who aren't people), or in the case of greater transparency at least allows us to know who is spending how much on what/whom.
Yep...of course, depending on who it is performing it you may have a hard time finding anyone that cares. But here's how it works, and it will blow your mind if you don't already know. http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/music-licensing.htm
Ya but getting senators, and representatives to put fourth such bills and then keeping them intact and getting them approved is impossible given how consolidated and powerful the corporations have become with regards to their control over elections.
I don't think that post means what you think it WOOOOOOOOOOSH...
Indeed, I'm normally the first in line to accuse Americans of doing this but this guy is just being an asshole.
He's also wrong. I also live in Asia and plenty of people pirate, play video games, and do all the things that the west does. GP is talking complete nonsense.
The B-Ark idea was done centuries ago, however it was decided two were needed to get rid of all the undesirables. One was named Australia, the other America.
There they would die an agonizing dead, removed from all culture essential to any human. Who knew the dregs would adapt to do without culture?
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
What you like doesn't apply to everyone. I prefer to listen to music at home at a level appropriate for the situation. I hate going out with friends to restaurants/bars with live music because you cannot hear your companions (unless it's soft jazz). Another thing to keep in mind is that Americans are becoming far more isolated single islands every day. In person contact is becoming antiquated and online communication is preferred. I honestly believe the educational community is the reason for this, and this also may be my limited view but I'm watching my younger sisters generation and watching as they spend every day inside on facebook (these are popular girls not programmers). However anecdotal I've read a lot of reports stating similar information and for awhile was part of the concerning causes to the economic crisis (stagnated restaurant visits, then a downfall once the economy dipped).
WTF Slashdot, why do I have to login 50 times to post?
if you are not on special report 301 you need to figure out how to get on it. Make sure your citizens are protected from music and movie companies pressuring the US government to prop up their dying business model they refuse to change.
I live in Asia, it is not one country or one culture. Pakistan is a world apart from Japan. I Kazakhstan you are not even going to find a shop selling legit DVDs whereas in Japan you would not find a shop, openly, selling bootleg DVDs. I download shedloads. I also go out to watch live music and do lots of other stuff. Asia is a great place, much better than America, but it is not one place and the great thing is the diversity.
I love stacking my barbecues in the shed at the end of summer - you can't beat a bit of grill on grill action.
That the US government wants the world to adopt their kind of strong policies should not surprise anyone. The facts are that the US doesn't have a wealth of natural resources, nor do we have the kind of cheap labor that attracts manufacturing. In the long game, all we really have is the ability to innovate for which we certainly don't corner the market; therefore, without the rest of the world adopting similar stances on IP, the US cannot hope to retain it's economic advantage over other countries. The same is true of other developed nations with dwindling resources and expensive labor, and will come to be of poorer nations with few resources--though they haven't come to expect the type of lives we lead in the states.
I think there's a place for protecting intellectual and artistic expressions that exist in a tangible form, but it must reasonable, limited, and well-defined. People should be able to make their living by discovering new things, and by springing something novel and valuable into the world, but at the same time, doing so once should not guarantee lifetimes' of income for you, your children, and so on down the line, nor provide you with the means to prevent others from competing with or building upon your ideas.
You haven't looked hard enough. http://www.entertainmentlawmatters.com/?p=1666
"I'm pretty fed up with it and I want things to change but I really don't see what I can do"
If corporate money influencing the political system is the problem, then the solution is relatively simple: ban corporate and organizational political donations entirely.
Other democratic countries have done it. It's not a panacea, obviously, but you aren't going to get far on other issues without solving that one first.
Canada should patent the color blue, the letter "n", and the smell of waffles.. then put the US at the top of their piracy watchdog list.
+1 OP clearly doesn't know what ASCAP is, and is so very clearly talking out his/her ass. Venue owners pay ASCAP for the right to perform copyrighted works in their venue (radio, jukebox, cover band, etc. it's all the same).
Please don't read my sig.
All good points.
> 3) Enact campaign finance reforms of some sort (the biggest and most challenging issue, though one in which there are many avenues along which to make advances).
Spot on. Money needs to be *completely* removed from politics as a factor otherwise you end up with a death-spiral of who can outbid buying off the public.
The sensible way would to pool ALL donations, and split the balance every month.
I would add the other political reform would be is get rid of the parties, and focus on the *issues*, not this juvenile mudslinging crap that does nothing.
The root problem is most Americans don't give a shit, to actually DO anything to change the existing system.
--
The best part apart of the US is Capitalism. The worst part about the US, ironically, is also Capitalism.
The scenario, as put forth by the GP, is an issue for ASCAP and/or its international equivalents, not RIAA here.
And ASCAP is every bit as evil as the RIAA, if not more so. Got a jukebox in your bar? You have to pay ASCAP. Live band? Pay ASCAP. Your band only plays original or public domain works? Pay ASCAP anyway.
A bar owner here in Springfield, who hired bands that played only bluegrass and folk music (public domain) was taken to court by ASCAP for the fees they said he owed for the public domain music that was performed in his bar. He went bankrupt fighting the suit and his bar is now closed.
ASCAP is pure evil.
Free Martian Whores!
Political organization prohibits any meaningful action. Activism of this kind only satisfies the desire to feel important and in control. To participate within a system for the purpose of changing it is like becoming the pope to change the church; if that change opposes the nature of the organization, it will be an uphill battle. You will only succeed to the degree you participate with the design of the system. It isn't that the individual has no effect on the rest of the organization, it is that the organization has much more effect on the individual. That underlying inclination of keeping the system going is in the interest of many who participate with the state. All those people depend on it for their entire income. This incentive is at odds with plenty of goals of todays activists(tea party, occupy, whatever). They can only make a difference to the degree that they abandon their goals and follow the crowd.
You can see this by simply applying this idea to smaller organizations. If one thinks they can participate within a system to change it in ways opposed to its natural inclination, prove it. Start small; rather than taking on the largest organization that exists, why not try a corporation or a local mafia or state union instead? Get them to give up their state privilege, their local monopoly on violence against others as the means to make their living. See how that goes. I'll be waiting.
Real change begins within our own personal lives. Rather than taking on such a large institution, we have to focus on what matters and what has most bang for the buck. Behave right, and expect right behaviors from those you associate with. Do not tolerate evil within your own relationships. This means parents, friends, coworkers and anyone you deal with. Demand voluntary, peaceful interactions from your companions and reject any other behaviors. If you cannot achieve even this, where you have most control, then it is a fantasy to look beyond out to the government.
That case is about playing a copyrighted recording in a bar without a license for playing it in public. The case ancestor brought up is for a live performance of a song by a cover band, which is not a copyright violation.
By analogy, It's the difference between reading a book to kids at the library, and handing out photocopies of a book to kids at the library.
As a consumer, fuck you right back. You're here to entertain me, monkey.
Now clap those cymbals in time so I can syncopate my chewing.
Look, look! These wannabees who live in a different place like music that I don't like!
cpu6502 blathered:
Public performance of copyrighted works, even legal recordings, is forbidden in the U.S. and the RIAA expects other countries to have similar laws.
Absolutely, totally, completely, and utterly incorrect.
Covering another songwriter's material is perfectly legal, whether you record it or perform it live - as long as the orginal recording has been in release for at least one calendar year. HOWEVER, if you cover a song, you MUST pay what's known as a "mechanical license fee" of 9.10 cents per copy for songs 5 minutes or less or 1.75 cents per minute or fraction thereof, per copy for songs over 5 minutes to the author or authors of the material (fee schedule courtesy Harry Fox Agency). That royalty rate is set by Congress, per international treaties.
I understand that talking out your ass is a favorite /. exercise, but ... really?
Check out my novel.
Spot on. Money needs to be *completely* removed from politics as a factor otherwise you end up with a death-spiral of who can outbid buying off the public.
The sensible way would to pool ALL donations, and split the balance every month.
Part of the reason campaign finance reform is the most difficult issue is that there is a real concern with regards to freedom of speech. SCOTUS is wrong IMHO that money=speech, but there is still a relationship between money and speech that must be dealt with. I'd rather not get into details on that in this forum, but I do think it is important to recognize that it isn't difficult just because of those who benefit from the current system.
I would add the other political reform would be is get rid of the parties, and focus on the *issues*, not this juvenile mudslinging crap that does nothing.
I don't feel like there is anything wrong with political parties per se, so long as the number of them is flexible and not dictated by entrenched interests. Political parties are a natural feature of any democratic system, in that like-minded individuals come together to form a power block to achieve more than they could individually. My suggested solutions wouldn't dissolve the Republican and Democratic parties, but it would force them to actually compete, and enable other valuable viewpoints to emerge and gain support more easily.
The root problem is most Americans don't give a shit, to actually DO anything to change the existing system.
I'd hesitate to call any one thing the root of the problem, only because we're dealing with a complex system with feedbacks, however I'll certainly agree that this is a major problem in our society. On the other hand, the number of people voting fluctuates greatly from one election to the next, and there are a lot of people on any given day that do give a shit. The real challenge in my mind is getting them to all focus on one or a few things (and particularly the ones I suggested in my prior post) at any given time.
The Canadian equivalent to ASCAP is so anal retentive about collecting their royalties that they PAY someone to attend every concert to make sure that only the songs on the play list are played, including encores. If anything other than the listed songs is played and the band itself didn't write the track, they get charged a fee.
I forget the name of the organization off hand, but I've known a few people over the years who worked for them monitoring concerts. From their perspective, they got to see the concert for free -- all they had to do was write down the title of each track as it was played.
I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
odd that a [paid?] performance by a cover band (or worse, a tribute band) isn't a violation, yet if they sold a copy of that recording it certainly would be.
Both are violations.
Most places pay ASCAP fees or whatever, so you can play covers there without having to ask permission first. But that's because the performance license is already paid for, not because not because a license isn't required.
Some places don't pay ASCAP fees, and also don't allow covers. For Example.
You act like a teenager (lacking in manners). People above have cited numerous sources where people were FINED for not getting permission to perform a song (or play a CD) in a public venue. So NO I was not wrong. Nor was I deserving of being insulted by an adult who still acts like he's 12 years old.
My AC stalker: " I personally agree with your posts most of the time, but that won't keep me from modding you troll"
Also, I called Microsoft to see about bulk licensing of office and I could not get anyone to tell me where I could pay. Supposedly the office that covers Mozambique is in Namibia but none of the emails or phone number work. The South African office refuses to license for companies in Mozambique. So what option do people have? In our lab we just used other software but if you buy MS Office in a store here, you get a pirated copy.
It appears no one is interested in selling to people in a country where average income is less than a few hundred USD per month, save the pirates. And they seem to make money just fine, even at a dollar a copy for multi-movie (crap quality) DVDs. So, industry, if you're not providing a legitimate alternative, you may stop complaining.
Also, Bandcamp, Magnatune. Although I have had some annoyances with having to create temporary email addresses (I am *not* joining Paypal, ugh!) for payment using Bandcamp.
Old fart here.
I was playing kickball in a tournament with my co-workers last weekend and there was music blasting across 12 fields from a ginormous POS PA system. I am disturbed by this, and I would like to think about why.
I once taught a course in listening for a crisis hotline ( i was an experienced hand for the call center and was asked to teach the course for incoming volunteers). I quickly learned who would make it mnore than 3 months and who would not. It was a simple exercise: go home, turn off all your radios, TVs, any source of noise in your house that is not natural sound, then sit and listen for 10 minutes. Dn't listen FOR anything, just listen and see what you hear.
People who said straight up that they could not do it, could not even think about doing it, usually dropped out before the end of the training. People who tried but failed to listen for just ten minutes usually could not last three months. The only ones who worked out as reliable volunteers could sit and just listen to nothing for ten minutes.
I remember going to baseball games, like triple and double A games, and there was no "extra" noise, just the crowd, the announcers and the play. Now it is just crashing noise.
Why are we afraid of just listening to nothing> Why do we need all that noise all the time? What are we afraid of that makes us have to have something to keep our thoughts at bay?
Subversion of spatial scale luxury decoration ideas.