Targeting everyone else and making their lives miserable rather than targeting the problem.
I have found that usually rather than fix a problem, or punish an individual, they would rather make more onerous rules that not only do not help, but actively make it harder for anyone else to get anything done.
Likely rules already exist that were not followed, or they lack the resources to effectively follow their own rules. Doing something like this is just a show to make it seem like they are being effective. Its all just a PR campaign and has nothing to do with reality or actually being effective. Sad but true 9 times out of 10 it seems.
To their credit, many times they simply don't have the resources or the will to enable effective change, so this is the best they can do with what they got.
Anyway you look at this, it is trying to take the LAW to justify a business case.
These guys made money in the past, because they controlled distribution, they offered you a service of "recording" songs onto some sort of media, that you could use, such as records, tapes, CD's, etc...
Now there is no such thing as "media" (unless an iPod qualifies), and distribution is free and easily duplication. All this driven by consumer technology.
No they want to keep making money the old way, buy making stupid laws about it and extorting people on threat of punishment.
Its is all wrong. They need to come up with a viable model that works, not simply suing anyone into the stone age for not abiding to their old broken model of profit.
If you keep giving these people what they want, they will NEVER learn.
Bottom line, is these "middle men" distributors are not NEEDED anymore. They also make the MOST money, and have the most money. That is why there is a fight, these guys SHOULD be out of business.
Artists need to get paid. I have no quarrel with that. Some may wish to even pay for promotion. You should get something, some service for your money. That is the whole idea behind any monetary transaction. I see nothing wrong with iTunes type service, they give you higher quality, than you might find in the wild. Give consumers a reason to pay rather than just copy. Make it easy. Make it cheap. Make it searchable. Include all songs. Include bonus material. Do not DRM it. Present it in a good way.
I mean even what they are doing now, suing people, making stupid laws, is not a long term solution (even thought it has been going on for years now). Has it been working? Is there any evidence that it is working? I believe one definition of insane I have heard, is that it is doing something, and then doing the exact same thing again and again, and thinking you are going to get a different result somehow. All they are doing is slowing the inevitable change that is taking place.
I wonder what the fee structure is like. AKA if I go out and make a film using my camcorder I just bought and want to sell it, what would be their take? A flat fee or a percentage? Is it scalable I wonder? Does this target low end movie makers?
Also considering "Hollywood Accounting" define "commercial use". If I don't make any money at an endeavor and never intend to (on books) would the fee still be applicable? That would sure be a kick in the pants!
Ye another reason I am happy to live in Canada not the US.
BTW I had to actually Google who the hell "MPEGLA" was, and upon going to their website, and reading their about page I am no sooner closer to understanding who they are or what they do. However just looking at their website made me feel dirty and used all over. Excuse me while I go take a bleach bath...
"taking down a Costa Rican flag and raising the Nicaraguan flag"
I mean come on really?
"We were just walking along and we tripped, and as we we falling grabbed onto some sort of flag to keep from falling, but it wasn't strong enough so it got ripped down.... luckily I had our own flag in my back pocket, so I thew that up the flag pole just so I wouldn't hit the ground!"
"Then we burned the other flag because it was all broken and shit."
"The we cleaned a river for some reason, and dumped all the dirt and such in another country, er I mean... ah whatever screw you Costa Rica!"
Ya. Because after declaring bankruptcy because you are unable to pay 2 million to the record association goons, there is gonna be a lot left over for a law firm...
I have Cogeco which is basically Rogers. Same problem. They have a website to track consumption, but (and I am not kidding), it is only updated on a daily basis (if that), So you could start the day with 40/60GB and blow through all 20GB, and user another 30GB on top of that and you wouldn't know until it is too late. It baffles me that they are allowed to do this with caps at all and charge you.
I mean people compare it to the electric utility (which isn't fair to begin with), but at least with electricity there is a METER attached to my house, and if I really really want to I can walk my ass outside (some are even inside) and see exactly how much I have used, and even how fast I am currently using it. Amazing.
And I suppose you don't use the internet for anything else and enjoy paying 1.25$ month for anything over, even if it is automatic update and downloads from Microsoft and Blizzard....
Also 36GB/4.5gb = 8 movies. So 2-3 movies a week. Wow.
I guess you don't want to watch any TV online either.
Point is that technology wants to propel us into the new age, while monopolistic greedy companies would rather keep us in the stone age and line their pockets.
When other countries have cheaper internet, and more advanced communication infrastructure, and we have fat executives laughing all the way to the back, which will have a more productive economy into the future. Where do you think those fat executives will be investing their ill gotten gains? At some point it isn't only detrimental to a consumer, but a nation. I would say that line was already crossed.
IE users are good as while IE users tended to die earlier, the correlation was that is was because of of suicide due to using IE, and you don't have to pay out unless it was an accident.
Yes, TV and everything really, will try to market to the lowest common denominator. To try to appeal to the largest demographic of people, to market to as many as possible, to make as much money by not excluding others. Same reason why if you go to a big chain restaurant and order something "spicy" it really is quite mild, as they are playing to the general crowd.
No that is not only it.
It has to do with money (surprise). Shows like Battlestar are expensive to make. Reality shows, mindless game shows, and crappy sitcoms are cheap and easy to make. So if you make 12 ep of Battlestar for 3m a show, and 10m people watch your getting 120m people for 30m$. If you can make 24 ep of stupid idol for 1,000,000 a show, and 100m people watch, your getting 2,400,000,000 people for 24m$.
Its not surprise which type of show they wish to make. LOST is the only anomaly I can think of to this sort of equation, though its production levels were probably pretty high when compared to shows like the lyric game show, or make a deal, Survivor or other stupid programming.
Slashdot Mirror
Targeting everyone else and making their lives miserable rather than targeting the problem.
I have found that usually rather than fix a problem, or punish an individual, they would rather make more onerous rules that not only do not help, but actively make it harder for anyone else to get anything done.
Likely rules already exist that were not followed, or they lack the resources to effectively follow their own rules. Doing something like this is just a show to make it seem like they are being effective. Its all just a PR campaign and has nothing to do with reality or actually being effective. Sad but true 9 times out of 10 it seems.
To their credit, many times they simply don't have the resources or the will to enable effective change, so this is the best they can do with what they got.
"Honestly, I am surprised that TSA did not ban underpants after the last idiot that tried to smuggle a bomb in his shorts..."
If I had been drinking coffee, it would have just come out my nose...
The first rule of recursion club is the first rule of recursion club!
More likely this is just a manager and/or HR clone that is clueless than any sort of evil empire.
Anyway you look at this, it is trying to take the LAW to justify a business case.
These guys made money in the past, because they controlled distribution, they offered you a service of "recording" songs onto some sort of media, that you could use, such as records, tapes, CD's, etc...
Now there is no such thing as "media" (unless an iPod qualifies), and distribution is free and easily duplication. All this driven by consumer technology.
No they want to keep making money the old way, buy making stupid laws about it and extorting people on threat of punishment.
Its is all wrong. They need to come up with a viable model that works, not simply suing anyone into the stone age for not abiding to their old broken model of profit.
If you keep giving these people what they want, they will NEVER learn.
Bottom line, is these "middle men" distributors are not NEEDED anymore. They also make the MOST money, and have the most money. That is why there is a fight, these guys SHOULD be out of business.
Artists need to get paid. I have no quarrel with that. Some may wish to even pay for promotion. You should get something, some service for your money. That is the whole idea behind any monetary transaction. I see nothing wrong with iTunes type service, they give you higher quality, than you might find in the wild. Give consumers a reason to pay rather than just copy. Make it easy. Make it cheap. Make it searchable. Include all songs. Include bonus material. Do not DRM it. Present it in a good way.
I mean even what they are doing now, suing people, making stupid laws, is not a long term solution (even thought it has been going on for years now). Has it been working? Is there any evidence that it is working? I believe one definition of insane I have heard, is that it is doing something, and then doing the exact same thing again and again, and thinking you are going to get a different result somehow. All they are doing is slowing the inevitable change that is taking place.
Lol oh wow what a racket!
I wonder what the fee structure is like. AKA if I go out and make a film using my camcorder I just bought and want to sell it, what would be their take? A flat fee or a percentage? Is it scalable I wonder? Does this target low end movie makers?
Also considering "Hollywood Accounting" define "commercial use". If I don't make any money at an endeavor and never intend to (on books) would the fee still be applicable? That would sure be a kick in the pants!
Then what exactly are "law enforcement" for then?
Ye another reason I am happy to live in Canada not the US.
BTW I had to actually Google who the hell "MPEGLA" was, and upon going to their website, and reading their about page I am no sooner closer to understanding who they are or what they do. However just looking at their website made me feel dirty and used all over. Excuse me while I go take a bleach bath...
That's not the point.
Can Picasso sue you or put you in jail for burning his painting after you paid him 10 million for it?
Microsoft say yes you can. Which I disagree with. That is the point.
BS.
I am not licensing this product. Your not renting it to me. I am not leasing it. I am buying it, and I'll do with it what I damn well please.
640kb should be enough for anyone eh?
So your wife put a vibrator under your mattress and told you its an alarm clock eh? And you believe that? Whatever works... :)
"taking down a Costa Rican flag and raising the Nicaraguan flag"
I mean come on really?
"We were just walking along and we tripped, and as we we falling grabbed onto some sort of flag to keep from falling, but it wasn't strong enough so it got ripped down.... luckily I had our own flag in my back pocket, so I thew that up the flag pole just so I wouldn't hit the ground!"
"Then we burned the other flag because it was all broken and shit."
"The we cleaned a river for some reason, and dumped all the dirt and such in another country, er I mean... ah whatever screw you Costa Rica!"
They already did. Its called "Insurance"... :)
If they eventually win, they can be known as the firm that beat the RIAA...
Ya. Because after declaring bankruptcy because you are unable to pay 2 million to the record association goons, there is gonna be a lot left over for a law firm...
I saw a kid with a Discman the other day walking down the street and was like "Holy shit is that a discman?!"
I have Cogeco which is basically Rogers. Same problem. They have a website to track consumption, but (and I am not kidding), it is only updated on a daily basis (if that), So you could start the day with 40/60GB and blow through all 20GB, and user another 30GB on top of that and you wouldn't know until it is too late. It baffles me that they are allowed to do this with caps at all and charge you.
I mean people compare it to the electric utility (which isn't fair to begin with), but at least with electricity there is a METER attached to my house, and if I really really want to I can walk my ass outside (some are even inside) and see exactly how much I have used, and even how fast I am currently using it. Amazing.
And I suppose you don't use the internet for anything else and enjoy paying 1.25$ month for anything over, even if it is automatic update and downloads from Microsoft and Blizzard....
Also 36GB /4.5gb = 8 movies. So 2-3 movies a week. Wow.
I guess you don't want to watch any TV online either.
Point is that technology wants to propel us into the new age, while monopolistic greedy companies would rather keep us in the stone age and line their pockets.
When other countries have cheaper internet, and more advanced communication infrastructure, and we have fat executives laughing all the way to the back, which will have a more productive economy into the future. Where do you think those fat executives will be investing their ill gotten gains? At some point it isn't only detrimental to a consumer, but a nation. I would say that line was already crossed.
IE users are good as while IE users tended to die earlier, the correlation was that is was because of of suicide due to using IE, and you don't have to pay out unless it was an accident.
Netscape users are not good because they are likely so old, that they are libel to die soon anyway causing you to pay out...
Gopher users are not good because they are dead, and the dead don't pay premiums.
Mosaic users...
Exactly what does that mean anyway?
That said the new Dr. Who is really good, and has a large following (not sure about the US), and it doesn't really look like it has a huge budget.
Yes and no.
Yes, TV and everything really, will try to market to the lowest common denominator. To try to appeal to the largest demographic of people, to market to as many as possible, to make as much money by not excluding others. Same reason why if you go to a big chain restaurant and order something "spicy" it really is quite mild, as they are playing to the general crowd.
No that is not only it.
It has to do with money (surprise). Shows like Battlestar are expensive to make. Reality shows, mindless game shows, and crappy sitcoms are cheap and easy to make. So if you make 12 ep of Battlestar for 3m a show, and 10m people watch your getting 120m people for 30m$. If you can make 24 ep of stupid idol for 1,000,000 a show, and 100m people watch, your getting 2,400,000,000 people for 24m$.
Its not surprise which type of show they wish to make. LOST is the only anomaly I can think of to this sort of equation, though its production levels were probably pretty high when compared to shows like the lyric game show, or make a deal, Survivor or other stupid programming.
I think my imagination was more literal.
I see Bill Gates/Ballmer laughing maniacally at a big red button with my name under it ready to detonate the 3oz of C4 I have next to my ear...