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The Music Industry Is Begging the US Government To Change Its Copyright Laws (theverge.com)
An anonymous reader shares an article on The Verge: Christina Aguilera, Katy Perry, deadmau5, and dozens of other musicians are asking the U.S. government to revamp the Digital Millennium Copyright act (DMCA), the piece of law that governs access to copyrighted work on the internet. Musicians, managers, and "creators" from across the industry co-signed petitions sent to the U.S. Copyright Office arguing that tech companies -- think YouTube and Tumblr, sites with vast reserves of content that infringes on some copyright -- have "grown and generated huge profits" on the backs of material that's illegally hosted. "The growth and support of technology companies should not be at the expense of artists and songwriters," reads the letter signed by Aguilera, Perry, and their peers. "The tech companies who benefit from the DMCA today were not the intended protectorate when it was signed into law two decades ago."
Dude has been snorting cocoa powder all these years. Wondering what all the fuss is about.
You are welcome on my lawn.
I feel so bad for Christina Aguilera, Katy Perry, deadmau5 and all the other starving artists of this world. And at the same time I feel anger directed towards all those illegal downloaders that are responsible for their poverty! So let's all chip in and donate to their food banks. Just have the interviewer ask which food bank they go to (and what bus route they are on in case someone wants to donate a bus pass).
When the copyright term is "forever minus a day", live every day like it's the last.
"The tech companies who benefit from the DMCA today were not the intended protectorate when it was signed into law two decades ago."
In other words "The god-awful changes we paid congress for two decades ago didn't work out the way we thought. Do something different!"
I won't argue that there are problem with Copyright law and the DMCA, but this quote tells us everything we need to know about the people signing the petition.
A thousand pounds of wood moving at 300 feet per minute. Don't get in the way.
Metallica's gotta eat
Do we get to vote on that?
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
"Dear Christina, We're sorry that you feel that we are using your name and your content on YouTube against your best interest. Unfortunately, our business model doesn't allow to pay you any more than we already do through the licensing organizations set up for that purpose. However, to eliminate any questions of improper use of your likeness, your voice, or your other creations, such as they are, we have simply eliminated you from all our search indexes. That means that users of our services searching for 'Christina Aguilera' or variants thereof, will now simply receive no results. Likewise, we will remove stories about you from our news channels as much as we can. Of course, you are still free to pay for advertising and self-promotion on any of our services. Sincerely, etc. etc."
Lawyer: But don't use A-flat or G-natural. Those are owned by Disney.
Homer: (moans)
Lawyer: That's A-flat.
Homer: (moans in a higher key)
Lawyer: That's better!