Actually, that's not how patents work. It's just the first person to actually apply for a patent, not the actual person to invent it. The makers of those two movies must not have thought it necessary to apply for a patent. There are things that just don't have patents because nobody thought about getting one or needing one.
First of all, I think Main Street USA is simply not ready for politics to be on the internet. They see it as a place to look for information, the replacement for their public library's card catalog or the Sunday advertisement section in the newspaper. Although those in the technology industry are aware that the possibilities are endless, the average person still doesn't see this. Every time my mom gets online, she treads cautiously believing that its only a matter of time before she downloads a virus that will make her computer go up in flames. She just doesn't understand the new paradigms. The general public needs to feel more comfortable with using the internet and be more understanding of its capabilities. Until they do things, such as politics will never be able to break the "internet barrier."
Additionally, I used to work for the 12th largest insurance company in the nation, and we had just received desktop internet access during this fiscal year. The powers that be simply saw no need until then. The insurance industry is very slow moving technologywise because its leadership is old and very set in its ways. I think politicians are similar. They don't think they need to revolutionize their jobs. They don't care about the whole contingency of people they are leaving out, beleiving that we aren't necessary for their success in the first place.
Web content self regulation by the hosting ISP is a much more threatening form of censorship than government regulation.
A user could sue the government claiming Civil Rights and Freedom of Speech violations if the government were to start censoring content causing a huge lawsuit that/could/ make it all the way to the top.
On the other hand, if a user is forced to sign an agreement with the ISP regarding acceptable web content, the user has no avenue for complaining if the agreement is breached. They have no choice but to follow the private regulations set by the ISP. Additionally, ISPs have a much smaller contingency allowing them a better opportunity to really scrutinize their user's content.
Because of the nature of democratic due process, the private sector can always put more stringent controls on industry than the public sector.
What industry do you work in? I'm in computer consulting so that may explain part of it, but I don't think I know anybody who does NOT have a Palm Pilot. They're ubiquitous.
That's like saying that it's ok to blame violence on violent movies. If you do something, (like follow a link) you are making a decisions. We humans should be responsible for our decisions. Telling someone how to snort cocaine does not land you in jail and neither should linking to a site.
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This is like saying, "Hey, can you legalize assult and battery for a second so I go beat up this guy? It's OK because he really pissed me off."
Actually, that's not how patents work. It's just the first person to actually apply for a patent, not the actual person to invent it. The makers of those two movies must not have thought it necessary to apply for a patent. There are things that just don't have patents because nobody thought about getting one or needing one.
First of all, I think Main Street USA is simply not ready for politics to be on the internet. They see it as a place to look for information, the replacement for their public library's card catalog or the Sunday advertisement section in the newspaper. Although those in the technology industry are aware that the possibilities are endless, the average person still doesn't see this. Every time my mom gets online, she treads cautiously believing that its only a matter of time before she downloads a virus that will make her computer go up in flames. She just doesn't understand the new paradigms. The general public needs to feel more comfortable with using the internet and be more understanding of its capabilities. Until they do things, such as politics will never be able to break the "internet barrier."
Additionally, I used to work for the 12th largest insurance company in the nation, and we had just received desktop internet access during this fiscal year. The powers that be simply saw no need until then. The insurance industry is very slow moving technologywise because its leadership is old and very set in its ways. I think politicians are similar. They don't think they need to revolutionize their jobs. They don't care about the whole contingency of people they are leaving out, beleiving that we aren't necessary for their success in the first place.
Web content self regulation by the hosting ISP is a much more threatening form of censorship than government regulation.
/could/ make it all the way to the top.
A user could sue the government claiming Civil Rights and Freedom of Speech violations if the government were to start censoring content causing a huge lawsuit that
On the other hand, if a user is forced to sign an agreement with the ISP regarding acceptable web content, the user has no avenue for complaining if the agreement is breached. They have no choice but to follow the private regulations set by the ISP. Additionally, ISPs have a much smaller contingency allowing them a better opportunity to really scrutinize their user's content.
Because of the nature of democratic due process, the private sector can always put more stringent controls on industry than the public sector.
What industry do you work in? I'm in computer consulting so that may explain part of it, but I don't think I know anybody who does NOT have a Palm Pilot. They're ubiquitous.
That's like saying that it's ok to blame violence on violent movies. If you do something, (like follow a link) you are making a decisions. We humans should be responsible for our decisions. Telling someone how to snort cocaine does not land you in jail and neither should linking to a site.