I really wish I had mod points - someone please mod parent up. The app, at version 1.2, is available on the app store. Mind you, I suspect that's exactly what they wanted - to have people go and look for their app. Some nice free advertising. Meh.
There are choices. Just like Apple (and thousands of other companies) has the choice to pay more and use Western companies to build their equipment you have the choice to not use equipment made by companies that support, as you call it, slavery (which the rest of us call excessive work hours, poor working conditions, and poverty-level wages). Your choice is simple - either do some research and find equipment made entirely in a western country that has acceptable minimum wage salaries and working conditions and buy that equipment. If you can't find equipment that meets that criteria you can choose to not support, as you call it, slavery and NOT BUY THAT EQUIPMENT.
But, of course, like so many people, you went with a different choice - you buy the equipment made in those Chinese factories that practice, as you call it, slavery while you stand on your soapbox and point your finger shouting "Apple supports slavery!" So, you go ahead and enjoy your reasonably-priced computer and cell phone and TV and toaster and alarm clock and all your other consumer electronics while you rail against the evil corporations who made your consumer goods because they support slavery while you, good and conscious consumer that you are, denounce slavery.
In case you missed my point, let me be crystal clear - you're a hypocrite. Mod me troll or flamebait to your heart's content but if you're going to preach, you might want to practice. Apple supports slavery no more than you do so take your pick - either you're spouting bullshit or you're a hypocrite. The choice, as always, is yours.
I'm curious, Mr Jackie_Chan_Fan - what 100% American-built computer did you you to post to slashdot? I mean, if you're going to accuse Apple of supporting slavery and express outrage over companies not hiring American works then you clearly would never support companies that outsource labour to China so I'm curious what computer you use that was entirely made in America with American parts. I haven't done the research to find out what company uses 100% American parts and 100% American labour (or even Canadian would be acceptable) but I'm sure you have because you wouldn't possibly support slavery so, could you please share with the rest of slashdot which computer we should be using so that we can make it clear that we don't support slavery.
Graham Cluley... offers advice on how to clean up affected Facebook profiles
Here. I'll offer the simplest advice you can get: Stop clicking on stupid shit.
Just by doing that, internet/computer security would be vastly improved. Once all of our moms and computer-illiterate uncles learn that one little gem, we'll be a long ways towards solving most of the computer-related security issues. Of course there are steps after that to really nail down security but, until people stop clicking on stupid shit, we're fighting a losing battle.
Until the poor bastard lost his prototype iPhone...
Seriously, people still believe that phone was lost? Seriously?
Here's a tip: when the guy who "found" it tries to sell it for an enormous amount of money _AND_ does his best to hide and/or destroy evidence once he thinks the cops are on to him, that's a pretty strong indication that the item wasn't found - it was stolen. Seriously, we all know the Apple does a lot of tricky marketing with leaking certain pieces of information before a new product release but let's look at all the pieces of this picture - the engineer didn't lose the phone - it was stolen.
As for the rest of your post, someone else already pointed out that Apple has use the #G approach to indicating major generation upgrades to hardware for quite a while now (just look at their towers - 3G, 4G, 5G) so it's not hard to imagine them doing the same for the iPhone. I do, however, agree that calling it the iPhone 4G might create confusion with 4G networks coming out. I don't know if they'll seek out that confusion or elect to call it something more obvious such as the iPhone HD - we'll find out in a week, however.
Leave Microsoft alone, and go after the real evil... Apple.
Seriously, evil? We neuter words when we use them casually in a way they are not intended. We rail against politicians and marketers for bandying about certain words in the wrong situation while people here on Slashdot call Apple evil! You may not like them; you may not like their products; you may not like their policies; you may not like their procedures but, let's be serious, the company is not evil.
Gawd. "I don't like them" is not the same thing as "evil!"
So, by your definition, printers would be liable for copyright infringement should a publisher using their services produce a copyright-infringing book, right? After all, they reproduce the work and distribute it - the sections you highlighted. I realize the case you're making is that Apple isn't just selling the product because they actually make it (in the digital sense) so, fine, I'll change my example from B&N and go to the printer instead.
Now, ask yourself this - in a world where copyright holders are willing to sue everyone possible, including their customers - why hasn't a printer ever been sued for copyright infringement? Surely there are printers who have printed books that were infringing copyright - why haven't they been sued?
So, again, Apple is not at fault. The developers are.
If you want to hate Apple, there are plenty of reasons to justifiably dislike them. Making up reasons that aren't even vaguely founded in logic is pointless. Apple is not at fault. The developers are.
If Apple cannot comply with the terms of the GPL then they are first in violation of the GPL terms and second, they are in the copyright violation arena. It is totally immaterial WHY they cannot comply.
No. Apple is not in violation of copyright. The developers are.
If I publish a book with copyrighted material, without permission, and Barnes and Nobles sells that book, who is breaching copyright? Me or B&N?
Assuming you recognize the obvious answer that it is I who would have breached copyright in that example, then the next obvious question is "why is Apple any different from B&N?" Apple did not create the work - they sell it. They are no different than a book store selling a book which in breach of copyright law.
It is the developer's responsibility to respect copyright laws. If the GPL has requirements that must be followed, it is the developer's responsibility to respect those requirements.
Hate Apple if you want but at least try to base it on something founded in logic please. In this case, the developers are at fault. Sorry.
If I publish a book with copyrighted material in it without permission to do so and Barnes and Nobles sells that book, who is accountable for the copyright violation?
Why do you think Apple should be treated any differently?
Ok, I was making a bit of a joke, but I was also being serious.
No, there are not an infinite number of multi-word phrases. Unless we're allowed to make up things just for shits and giggles (hello The Artist Formerly Known as Prince), there are not _INFINITE_ phrases possible. There are a lot and, by a lot, I'd concede that it conceptually borders on infinite, but it most certainly is not infinite. There are not infinite atoms in the universe so there certainly are not infinite possible words to replace the random characters CBS used.
Remember, infinite means it cannot be counted - it does not mean "really really large number".
Like I said, I was making a bit of a joke but it was a geek joke on a geek site. I shouldn't have to explain that... (And, gawd knows, explaining a joke always makes it funnier, after all...)
Jobs is going to loose the smart phone wars just like he lost the PC wars. My phone has a better resolution, a better network, tethering app, cheaper data plan, better data service...
*YAWN*
Sorry. Drifted off for a second there. You were saying something about it having less space than a Nomad and how lame it was. Please continue.
It is beginning to look like it to me. Apple is acting exactly like Microsoft. Apple feels threatened by Google. Instead of competing by making a better product, it's just lawsuits and Tonya Harding tactics.
I am quickly losing respect for Apple.
Further, from the summary:
...Larry Horn, CEO of MPEG-LA, the consortium that controls the AVC/H.264 video standard, says the group is looking at creating a patent pool...
So, the person to whom I was responding was going off on a tirade about Apple when the story is about MPEG-LA. I was pointing out that Apple =/= MPEG-LA. More so, nobody (neither myself nor walterbyrd, the person to whom I was replying) mentioned Flash. Not even a even a vague reference to it. No clue where you got that from...
I believe someone here is a dumbass but it may not be whom you think.
Here, let me fill in the list since you seemed to not select all of them when you copied from Wikipedia:
The following organizations hold one or more patents in the H.264/AVC patent pool.
* Apple Inc.
* DAEWOO
* Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
* Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
* France Télécom, société anonyme
* Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
* Fujitsu Limited
* Hitachi, Ltd.
* Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
* LG Electronics Inc.
* Microsoft Corporation
* Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
* NTT docomo
* Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
* Panasonic Corporation
* Robert Bosch GmbH GmbH
* Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
* Scientific-Atlanta Vancouver Company
* Sedna Patent Services, LLC
* Sharp Corporation
* Siemens AG
* Sony Corporation
* Ericsson
* The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
* Toshiba Corporation
* Victor Company of Japan, Limited
Oh, an in case it isn't clear, Apple is listed first because the list is ordered alphabetically.
How does this have anything to do with Apple? MPEG-LA is not Apple. Apple is a member of MPEG-LA but so are a lot of companies.
Jesus, is it really so hard for people to find legitimate reasons to hate Apple that they have to make stuff up? If you disagree with Apple's decisions and direction and don't want to like them, fine but could you at least make an effort to base it on something legitimate? They do things that lots of people disagree with - base your hatred on one of those things. MPEG-LA is not Apple. Apple is not MPEG-LA.
We tried too big a task and in the process wound up losing thousands of man hours of innovation
You wasted thousands of man-hours of innovation, but not for the reasons you think. You run a company with a long history and well-known culture of quashing real innovation (because, let's all be honest, Microsoft is big enough with enough smart people working there that real good ideas do see development - they just never seem to see release...). The development teams are so political (with the Office team at the top of the heap, as I understand it) resulting in corporate politics determining what ideas actually make it to market rather than the merits of the actual idea. How many innovative ideas have been canned by internal policy and infighting?
Vista was a dog but let's not blame Vista for lost man-hours of innovation - look at your corporate culture and you'll find the problem.
You mean the apologists who will point out that your quoted comment has no foundation in fact given that the iPhone has supported tethering for quite a long time? You mean the apologists who will point out that it's AT&T that doesn't support tethering with the iPhone on their network? You mean the apologists who just want people to bitch about legitimate complaints and direct their complaints at the right target?
Well then, consider me an apologist - if you're going to bitch about something, at least be knowledgeable enough to base your complaint on fact and ensure it's directed at the right target. Sorry (there's your apology), but there are literally millions of people around the world who have been able to tether with their (non-jailbroken) iPhone for quite a long time now. Just because AT&T treats you like crap doesn't mean all carriers (you know, those carriers who aren't based in the US) do the same thing.
Feel free to mod me troll. Feel free to write me off as an apologist. But, don't kid yourself - you know the complaints aren't vaguely founded in fact and are directed at the wrong target. Hate Apple all you want but at least try to base it on something legitimate. The tethering issue is a US-centered, AT&T-caused issue. It has nothing to do with Apple nor the iPhone, which has officially supported tethering for a long time.
How do people seriously think that was a marketing stunt? Are people seriously so blind to the realities of our world (namely that there are greedy fucks out there who will lie, cheat, and steal in order to make a buck) that they cannot see a crime for what it is? Hint: when a guy tries to hide and destroy evidence before the police get to them, that's a pretty clear sign that they did something wrong and they know it.
But, hey, keep pretending that a crime wasn't committed. Whatever you need to do to foster your hate of Apple.
The kicker is, if you disagree with choices Apple makes, there's lots of legitimate reasons to dislike the company. Making crap up just seems utterly pointless when there's actual legitimate reasons to dislike the company. People might disagree with you or not feel your reasons are sufficient to hate the company, but you'd at least be basing your opinion on something real.
I am a content producer and have been, in one capacity or another, for my entire professional career over the last 20 years so, believe me when I say I agree that content producers should have the right to control the distribution of their creations.
But.
I believe, very strongly, that it should be balanced with the interests of the public domain. No idea is created in a vacuum. All ideas - every single one of them - are influenced by ideas that came before. The public domain shapes and influences every single creation from music to movies to books and onwards. Thus, I believe that all creations should eventually go to the public domain to pay back the creative history that helped form its own creation.
The problem is, as time goes by, the public domain is continually being robbed of content. The primary driver of this effort is Disney in its effort to protect their precious mouse but there are many, many, many other companies who are eager to ensure that "their" (*) creations never fall into the public domain. They are stealing from us - they are robbing the public domain which serves as inspiration for the creators that work for them. They are taking but not giving back. They complain about individuals downloading their content and accuse them of being thieves and pirates, stealing from the poor, poor, poor creators of content while they lobby for longer copyright terms so that their precious IPs never enter the public domain.
Sorry, but there are thieves out there who are robbing people of control of their ideas but they are not who you think they are - the true thieves are dressed in suits, have law degrees, and lobby government for stricter copyright laws while filing lawsuits design to ruin people's lives and destroy their futures. There are thieves and they are stealing from the public.
*I assume it's obvious why I quoted "their" - after all, the people fighting this fight haven't created anything in their lives other than laws to help them steal from the actual people creating content...
It's nice to see some politicians actually are looking out for the best interests of their society. I'm sure he's corrupt in other ways but, in this regard at least, he's doing the right thing. I hope more follow suit.
It's an interesting read but nothing terribly informative - it doesn't really provoke thought on the subject. For anyone who's interested in the topic, it's stuff that they've already encountered (and thus already thought about) and, for anyone who hasn't encountered these ideas, then it's almost certainly not a topic of interest. I think we're at a point where people who are interested in this subject have already heard all the arguments for/against their stance on the subject and nothing terribly new is being brought to the discussion (by either side). And others just don't care so any talk is largely wasted. Which is unfortunate because I care about this subject a great deal and would like a lot more involved and interesting debate regarding it but I just have not seen it happen in a while...
And what is Google doing during each of these cases. As the RIAA wages battle against these smaller search engines (because, really, that's what they are) and wins, they are building an ever-increasingly large portfolio of prior case law. Eventually the RIAA are going to decide that enough cases have gone their way that they can wage the real battle - to go after Google (and Bing and Yahoo). I am shocked that Google's legal department is just sitting and watching these cases unfold without offering assistance. Then again, I'm not a lawyer nor a multi-billion dollar corporation so what do I know?...
Slashdot Mirror
I really wish I had mod points - someone please mod parent up. The app, at version 1.2, is available on the app store. Mind you, I suspect that's exactly what they wanted - to have people go and look for their app. Some nice free advertising. Meh.
There are choices. Just like Apple (and thousands of other companies) has the choice to pay more and use Western companies to build their equipment you have the choice to not use equipment made by companies that support, as you call it, slavery (which the rest of us call excessive work hours, poor working conditions, and poverty-level wages). Your choice is simple - either do some research and find equipment made entirely in a western country that has acceptable minimum wage salaries and working conditions and buy that equipment. If you can't find equipment that meets that criteria you can choose to not support, as you call it, slavery and NOT BUY THAT EQUIPMENT.
But, of course, like so many people, you went with a different choice - you buy the equipment made in those Chinese factories that practice, as you call it, slavery while you stand on your soapbox and point your finger shouting "Apple supports slavery!" So, you go ahead and enjoy your reasonably-priced computer and cell phone and TV and toaster and alarm clock and all your other consumer electronics while you rail against the evil corporations who made your consumer goods because they support slavery while you, good and conscious consumer that you are, denounce slavery.
In case you missed my point, let me be crystal clear - you're a hypocrite. Mod me troll or flamebait to your heart's content but if you're going to preach, you might want to practice. Apple supports slavery no more than you do so take your pick - either you're spouting bullshit or you're a hypocrite. The choice, as always, is yours.
I'm curious, Mr Jackie_Chan_Fan - what 100% American-built computer did you you to post to slashdot? I mean, if you're going to accuse Apple of supporting slavery and express outrage over companies not hiring American works then you clearly would never support companies that outsource labour to China so I'm curious what computer you use that was entirely made in America with American parts. I haven't done the research to find out what company uses 100% American parts and 100% American labour (or even Canadian would be acceptable) but I'm sure you have because you wouldn't possibly support slavery so, could you please share with the rest of slashdot which computer we should be using so that we can make it clear that we don't support slavery.
Graham Cluley ... offers advice on how to clean up affected Facebook profiles
Here. I'll offer the simplest advice you can get: Stop clicking on stupid shit.
Just by doing that, internet/computer security would be vastly improved. Once all of our moms and computer-illiterate uncles learn that one little gem, we'll be a long ways towards solving most of the computer-related security issues. Of course there are steps after that to really nail down security but, until people stop clicking on stupid shit, we're fighting a losing battle.
Until the poor bastard lost his prototype iPhone...
Seriously, people still believe that phone was lost? Seriously?
Here's a tip: when the guy who "found" it tries to sell it for an enormous amount of money _AND_ does his best to hide and/or destroy evidence once he thinks the cops are on to him, that's a pretty strong indication that the item wasn't found - it was stolen. Seriously, we all know the Apple does a lot of tricky marketing with leaking certain pieces of information before a new product release but let's look at all the pieces of this picture - the engineer didn't lose the phone - it was stolen.
As for the rest of your post, someone else already pointed out that Apple has use the #G approach to indicating major generation upgrades to hardware for quite a while now (just look at their towers - 3G, 4G, 5G) so it's not hard to imagine them doing the same for the iPhone. I do, however, agree that calling it the iPhone 4G might create confusion with 4G networks coming out. I don't know if they'll seek out that confusion or elect to call it something more obvious such as the iPhone HD - we'll find out in a week, however.
Sorry. We got here after the haters.
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2010/01/25results.html
Um, Apple generates billions of dollars in profits each quarter as well. Sorry, what was your point?
Leave Microsoft alone, and go after the real evil... Apple.
Seriously, evil? We neuter words when we use them casually in a way they are not intended. We rail against politicians and marketers for bandying about certain words in the wrong situation while people here on Slashdot call Apple evil! You may not like them; you may not like their products; you may not like their policies; you may not like their procedures but, let's be serious, the company is not evil.
Gawd. "I don't like them" is not the same thing as "evil!"
I know. I know. I must be new here...
So, by your definition, printers would be liable for copyright infringement should a publisher using their services produce a copyright-infringing book, right? After all, they reproduce the work and distribute it - the sections you highlighted. I realize the case you're making is that Apple isn't just selling the product because they actually make it (in the digital sense) so, fine, I'll change my example from B&N and go to the printer instead.
Now, ask yourself this - in a world where copyright holders are willing to sue everyone possible, including their customers - why hasn't a printer ever been sued for copyright infringement? Surely there are printers who have printed books that were infringing copyright - why haven't they been sued?
So, again, Apple is not at fault. The developers are.
If you want to hate Apple, there are plenty of reasons to justifiably dislike them. Making up reasons that aren't even vaguely founded in logic is pointless. Apple is not at fault. The developers are.
If Apple cannot comply with the terms of the GPL then they are first in violation of the GPL terms and second, they are in the copyright violation arena. It is totally immaterial WHY they cannot comply.
No. Apple is not in violation of copyright. The developers are.
If I publish a book with copyrighted material, without permission, and Barnes and Nobles sells that book, who is breaching copyright? Me or B&N?
Assuming you recognize the obvious answer that it is I who would have breached copyright in that example, then the next obvious question is "why is Apple any different from B&N?" Apple did not create the work - they sell it. They are no different than a book store selling a book which in breach of copyright law.
It is the developer's responsibility to respect copyright laws. If the GPL has requirements that must be followed, it is the developer's responsibility to respect those requirements.
Hate Apple if you want but at least try to base it on something founded in logic please. In this case, the developers are at fault. Sorry.
If I publish a book with copyrighted material in it without permission to do so and Barnes and Nobles sells that book, who is accountable for the copyright violation?
Why do you think Apple should be treated any differently?
Ok, I was making a bit of a joke, but I was also being serious.
No, there are not an infinite number of multi-word phrases. Unless we're allowed to make up things just for shits and giggles (hello The Artist Formerly Known as Prince), there are not _INFINITE_ phrases possible. There are a lot and, by a lot, I'd concede that it conceptually borders on infinite, but it most certainly is not infinite. There are not infinite atoms in the universe so there certainly are not infinite possible words to replace the random characters CBS used.
Remember, infinite means it cannot be counted - it does not mean "really really large number". Like I said, I was making a bit of a joke but it was a geek joke on a geek site. I shouldn't have to explain that... (And, gawd knows, explaining a joke always makes it funnier, after all...)
There are an infinite number of alternatives that CBS could have chosen but its desire to shock and offend is crystal clear in this decision.
I don't think we should take writing advice from someone who doesn't know the meaning of the word "infinite."
Well, unless a whole LOT of new words were added to human language without me knowing about it...
Jobs is going to loose the smart phone wars just like he lost the PC wars. My phone has a better resolution, a better network, tethering app, cheaper data plan, better data service...
*YAWN*
Sorry. Drifted off for a second there. You were saying something about it having less space than a Nomad and how lame it was. Please continue.
Is Apple just another patent troll now?
It is beginning to look like it to me. Apple is acting exactly like Microsoft. Apple feels threatened by Google. Instead of competing by making a better product, it's just lawsuits and Tonya Harding tactics.
I am quickly losing respect for Apple.
Further, from the summary:
...Larry Horn, CEO of MPEG-LA, the consortium that controls the AVC/H.264 video standard, says the group is looking at creating a patent pool...
So, the person to whom I was responding was going off on a tirade about Apple when the story is about MPEG-LA. I was pointing out that Apple =/= MPEG-LA. More so, nobody (neither myself nor walterbyrd, the person to whom I was replying) mentioned Flash. Not even a even a vague reference to it. No clue where you got that from...
I believe someone here is a dumbass but it may not be whom you think.
The following organizations hold one or more patents in the H.264/AVC patent pool.
* Apple Inc.
* DAEWOO
* Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
* Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
* France Télécom, société anonyme
* Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
* Fujitsu Limited
* Hitachi, Ltd.
* Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
* LG Electronics Inc.
* Microsoft Corporation
* Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
* NTT docomo
* Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
* Panasonic Corporation
* Robert Bosch GmbH GmbH
* Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
* Scientific-Atlanta Vancouver Company
* Sedna Patent Services, LLC
* Sharp Corporation
* Siemens AG
* Sony Corporation
* Ericsson
* The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
* Toshiba Corporation
* Victor Company of Japan, Limited
Oh, an in case it isn't clear, Apple is listed first because the list is ordered alphabetically.
How does this have anything to do with Apple? MPEG-LA is not Apple. Apple is a member of MPEG-LA but so are a lot of companies.
Jesus, is it really so hard for people to find legitimate reasons to hate Apple that they have to make stuff up? If you disagree with Apple's decisions and direction and don't want to like them, fine but could you at least make an effort to base it on something legitimate? They do things that lots of people disagree with - base your hatred on one of those things. MPEG-LA is not Apple. Apple is not MPEG-LA.
We tried too big a task and in the process wound up losing thousands of man hours of innovation
You wasted thousands of man-hours of innovation, but not for the reasons you think. You run a company with a long history and well-known culture of quashing real innovation (because, let's all be honest, Microsoft is big enough with enough smart people working there that real good ideas do see development - they just never seem to see release...). The development teams are so political (with the Office team at the top of the heap, as I understand it) resulting in corporate politics determining what ideas actually make it to market rather than the merits of the actual idea. How many innovative ideas have been canned by internal policy and infighting?
Vista was a dog but let's not blame Vista for lost man-hours of innovation - look at your corporate culture and you'll find the problem.
You mean the apologists who will point out that your quoted comment has no foundation in fact given that the iPhone has supported tethering for quite a long time? You mean the apologists who will point out that it's AT&T that doesn't support tethering with the iPhone on their network? You mean the apologists who just want people to bitch about legitimate complaints and direct their complaints at the right target?
Well then, consider me an apologist - if you're going to bitch about something, at least be knowledgeable enough to base your complaint on fact and ensure it's directed at the right target. Sorry (there's your apology), but there are literally millions of people around the world who have been able to tether with their (non-jailbroken) iPhone for quite a long time now. Just because AT&T treats you like crap doesn't mean all carriers (you know, those carriers who aren't based in the US) do the same thing.
Feel free to mod me troll. Feel free to write me off as an apologist. But, don't kid yourself - you know the complaints aren't vaguely founded in fact and are directed at the wrong target. Hate Apple all you want but at least try to base it on something legitimate. The tethering issue is a US-centered, AT&T-caused issue. It has nothing to do with Apple nor the iPhone, which has officially supported tethering for a long time.
How do people seriously think that was a marketing stunt? Are people seriously so blind to the realities of our world (namely that there are greedy fucks out there who will lie, cheat, and steal in order to make a buck) that they cannot see a crime for what it is? Hint: when a guy tries to hide and destroy evidence before the police get to them, that's a pretty clear sign that they did something wrong and they know it.
But, hey, keep pretending that a crime wasn't committed. Whatever you need to do to foster your hate of Apple.
The kicker is, if you disagree with choices Apple makes, there's lots of legitimate reasons to dislike the company. Making crap up just seems utterly pointless when there's actual legitimate reasons to dislike the company. People might disagree with you or not feel your reasons are sufficient to hate the company, but you'd at least be basing your opinion on something real.
I am a content producer and have been, in one capacity or another, for my entire professional career over the last 20 years so, believe me when I say I agree that content producers should have the right to control the distribution of their creations.
But.
I believe, very strongly, that it should be balanced with the interests of the public domain. No idea is created in a vacuum. All ideas - every single one of them - are influenced by ideas that came before. The public domain shapes and influences every single creation from music to movies to books and onwards. Thus, I believe that all creations should eventually go to the public domain to pay back the creative history that helped form its own creation.
The problem is, as time goes by, the public domain is continually being robbed of content. The primary driver of this effort is Disney in its effort to protect their precious mouse but there are many, many, many other companies who are eager to ensure that "their" (*) creations never fall into the public domain. They are stealing from us - they are robbing the public domain which serves as inspiration for the creators that work for them. They are taking but not giving back. They complain about individuals downloading their content and accuse them of being thieves and pirates, stealing from the poor, poor, poor creators of content while they lobby for longer copyright terms so that their precious IPs never enter the public domain.
Sorry, but there are thieves out there who are robbing people of control of their ideas but they are not who you think they are - the true thieves are dressed in suits, have law degrees, and lobby government for stricter copyright laws while filing lawsuits design to ruin people's lives and destroy their futures. There are thieves and they are stealing from the public.
*I assume it's obvious why I quoted "their" - after all, the people fighting this fight haven't created anything in their lives other than laws to help them steal from the actual people creating content...
If this works on my player, I may have to hunt you down and kiss you. Or just shake your hand and say thank you. :)
It's nice to see some politicians actually are looking out for the best interests of their society. I'm sure he's corrupt in other ways but, in this regard at least, he's doing the right thing. I hope more follow suit.
It's an interesting read but nothing terribly informative - it doesn't really provoke thought on the subject. For anyone who's interested in the topic, it's stuff that they've already encountered (and thus already thought about) and, for anyone who hasn't encountered these ideas, then it's almost certainly not a topic of interest. I think we're at a point where people who are interested in this subject have already heard all the arguments for/against their stance on the subject and nothing terribly new is being brought to the discussion (by either side). And others just don't care so any talk is largely wasted. Which is unfortunate because I care about this subject a great deal and would like a lot more involved and interesting debate regarding it but I just have not seen it happen in a while...
And what is Google doing during each of these cases. As the RIAA wages battle against these smaller search engines (because, really, that's what they are) and wins, they are building an ever-increasingly large portfolio of prior case law. Eventually the RIAA are going to decide that enough cases have gone their way that they can wage the real battle - to go after Google (and Bing and Yahoo). I am shocked that Google's legal department is just sitting and watching these cases unfold without offering assistance. Then again, I'm not a lawyer nor a multi-billion dollar corporation so what do I know?...