In a democracy - every person has equal weight. In this case the right of one private musician to be heard on Napster weighs equally against one mega-platinum super-star. There are, it seems, a number of artists on both sides of the napster issue. Some wish to be heard, others wish to be silenced. The judge has placed the interest of some not to be plagiarized (which is NOT a constitutionally protected right) over the right of numerous others to be heard (which cleary IS). The danger here is that the flagship of the bill of rights is running up the colors of a plutocracy. "We, the wealth of the richest states of america, in order to form a more perfect onion. . . do establish a government of the money, by the money and for the money." U.S. District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel
Slashdot Mirror
In a democracy - every person has equal weight. In this case the right of one private musician to be heard on Napster weighs equally against one mega-platinum super-star. There are, it seems, a number of artists on both sides of the napster issue. Some wish to be heard, others wish to be silenced. The judge has placed the interest of some not to be plagiarized (which is NOT a constitutionally protected right) over the right of numerous others to be heard (which cleary IS). The danger here is that the flagship of the bill of rights is running up the colors of a plutocracy. "We, the wealth of the richest states of america, in order to form a more perfect onion. . . do establish a government of the money, by the money and for the money." U.S. District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel