There are certain situations where the pure capitalistic model does not comply with the common good. Whenever there is a product or service that goes beyond "want" and transcends into "need", it may be beneficial for the public to have such a service regulated. This is especially important in areas where demand exceeds supply. Also, it may also greatly benefit the public to have certain services offered where there is no profit to be made, or worse, a loss incurred.
Some excellent examples of this are education, utilities, and libraries. Schools do not operate with profit in mind. As such, the whole amount given to the schools through your taxes are used solely to educate your children, as opposed to lining the pockets of the executives that would run them if they were a private organization. Regulated Electric Utilities operate in a much different version of this. In their case, their is an overseeing body that determines the maximum amount that they can charge for their goods or services, and that charge includes a modest profit margin built into the price. Libraries also do not operate with profit in mind.
The Internet has evolved to the point where it is a conglomeration of communication and information that necessary to do business in this world. If communications companies are allowed to charged based on the content of this service, prices will escalate without benefit to the public. The public will in turn use this service less, and the common good is now no longer being served.
I'm all for smaller government, and feel that corruption and pandering for the upper 4% has gone on long enough. However, leaving a necessary service that serves the public unprotected from price fixing and collusion is not the answer either. When a third party company demands money for a service that you may happen to use with no increased benefit for you, it has a name.
The average CEO makes 430 times what the average employee makes. THIS is the main problem with American technology today. When CEO's are mostly fly-by-night postions, and the only interests they are looking out for are their own, it's no surprise that productivity drops while actual employed workers decreases. What justifies making over 400 times what one employee does? Do CEO's perform 400 times the work? No, in actuality, they have become less effective than they were 15 years ago, when they made 107 times what the average employee makes. This is the rift that corporations are building. More greed, less production. This cannot end in any good way.
Unions are not the answer. Ending war profiteering, rampant handouts for the upper 4%, banning corporate lobbyists, and bringing power back to the middle class are the way to close the gap. Corporations should NOT have more power than citizens. Vote these fucking back talking assholes out of office. Normally, I'm all for the two party system, but libertarian is looking more and more sane every day.
Sources: http://www.faireconomy.org/press/2005/EE2005.pdf
Matt.
The major problem that I have with this article and action in general is that they bothered to invoke the DMCA at all. If this were just a question about a company deploying an XBox with 77 games, that would be fine. But here we are talking about arresting someone for using a product that is designed to circumvent copy protection through reverse engineering.
With that out in the open, I have two other scenarios that would fall into this category. We all know that XBox's have very weak DVD-Rom drives, which have a tennancy of failing. These drives typically fail outside of warrantly, which causes Microsoft to deliver you a "too bad" when you try to have it replaced. Now, a company sees that there is a demand here, so they start repairing XBox's with upgraded DVD drives at a small cost. Seeing as how you need to "reverse engineer" the hardware to figure out how to install the drive, and that the drive itself is an integral part of the copy protection routine, you have effectively broken the law. You can now be tried by Microsoft. Not that you would, but the option is there. This is unjust.
Taking this theory a step further, we also know that the XBox power supply is a questionable product. If Microsoft deems that you are not to qualify for the recall, and you still have a defective product, you still may have a company offer a third party supply. Seeing as how you need a power supply to enable the copy protection to funtion, and you had to "reverse engineer" a replacement supply, are you not in violation of the DMCA?
This action was never a question of copywright. It is a question of invoking an injust law that fucks consumers for the benefit of big business.
Government no longer functions for the greater good, it functions for the greatest dollar.
I myself have been boycotting CD's produced by the any label associated with the RIAA for the last three years. I have not purchased any CD's for myself, or as gifts for others. I do not plan to do so until three conditions are met.
First, artists are properly compensated for their music. By properly compensated, I mean more than a nickel a disc, which works out to less than that due to 'questionable' accounting practices.
Second, that that RIAA ceases all current lawsuits against users who "illegally" downloaded music, and returns all moneys garnered from users who "settled" with the racketeering, um, I mean consortium.
Third, that the RIAA cease to destroy both public domain, and fair use policy. In order for the public to respect the RIAA's property, the RIAA needs to stop illegally extending copyright by purchasing politicians. Oddly enough, all this purchasing power seems to stem from the 12-18 year old market. That same market does not possess the ability to vote, and I find it rather strange that all their hard earned dollars are being redirected towards buying our public officials for the highest dollar.
Sony products in general will no longer be purchased by me until these and many other wrongs are rectified. Their policies are criminal, their once good hardware products are now sub-par, and their greed is insurmountable.
This is no longer a free market question. This is now a corporation buying legal power to function as a makeshift mob. I for one will not stand for it by purchasing thier products.
Slashdot Mirror
There are certain situations where the pure capitalistic model does not comply with the common good. Whenever there is a product or service that goes beyond "want" and transcends into "need", it may be beneficial for the public to have such a service regulated. This is especially important in areas where demand exceeds supply. Also, it may also greatly benefit the public to have certain services offered where there is no profit to be made, or worse, a loss incurred.
Some excellent examples of this are education, utilities, and libraries. Schools do not operate with profit in mind. As such, the whole amount given to the schools through your taxes are used solely to educate your children, as opposed to lining the pockets of the executives that would run them if they were a private organization. Regulated Electric Utilities operate in a much different version of this. In their case, their is an overseeing body that determines the maximum amount that they can charge for their goods or services, and that charge includes a modest profit margin built into the price. Libraries also do not operate with profit in mind.
The Internet has evolved to the point where it is a conglomeration of communication and information that necessary to do business in this world. If communications companies are allowed to charged based on the content of this service, prices will escalate without benefit to the public. The public will in turn use this service less, and the common good is now no longer being served.
I'm all for smaller government, and feel that corruption and pandering for the upper 4% has gone on long enough. However, leaving a necessary service that serves the public unprotected from price fixing and collusion is not the answer either. When a third party company demands money for a service that you may happen to use with no increased benefit for you, it has a name.
It's called extortion.
The average CEO makes 430 times what the average employee makes. THIS is the main problem with American technology today. When CEO's are mostly fly-by-night postions, and the only interests they are looking out for are their own, it's no surprise that productivity drops while actual employed workers decreases. What justifies making over 400 times what one employee does? Do CEO's perform 400 times the work? No, in actuality, they have become less effective than they were 15 years ago, when they made 107 times what the average employee makes. This is the rift that corporations are building. More greed, less production. This cannot end in any good way. Unions are not the answer. Ending war profiteering, rampant handouts for the upper 4%, banning corporate lobbyists, and bringing power back to the middle class are the way to close the gap. Corporations should NOT have more power than citizens. Vote these fucking back talking assholes out of office. Normally, I'm all for the two party system, but libertarian is looking more and more sane every day. Sources: http://www.faireconomy.org/press/2005/EE2005.pdf Matt.
The major problem that I have with this article and action in general is that they bothered to invoke the DMCA at all. If this were just a question about a company deploying an XBox with 77 games, that would be fine. But here we are talking about arresting someone for using a product that is designed to circumvent copy protection through reverse engineering.
With that out in the open, I have two other scenarios that would fall into this category. We all know that XBox's have very weak DVD-Rom drives, which have a tennancy of failing. These drives typically fail outside of warrantly, which causes Microsoft to deliver you a "too bad" when you try to have it replaced. Now, a company sees that there is a demand here, so they start repairing XBox's with upgraded DVD drives at a small cost. Seeing as how you need to "reverse engineer" the hardware to figure out how to install the drive, and that the drive itself is an integral part of the copy protection routine, you have effectively broken the law. You can now be tried by Microsoft. Not that you would, but the option is there. This is unjust.
Taking this theory a step further, we also know that the XBox power supply is a questionable product. If Microsoft deems that you are not to qualify for the recall, and you still have a defective product, you still may have a company offer a third party supply. Seeing as how you need a power supply to enable the copy protection to funtion, and you had to "reverse engineer" a replacement supply, are you not in violation of the DMCA?
This action was never a question of copywright. It is a question of invoking an injust law that fucks consumers for the benefit of big business.
Government no longer functions for the greater good, it functions for the greatest dollar.
Matt.
I myself have been boycotting CD's produced by the any label associated with the RIAA for the last three years. I have not purchased any CD's for myself, or as gifts for others. I do not plan to do so until three conditions are met. First, artists are properly compensated for their music. By properly compensated, I mean more than a nickel a disc, which works out to less than that due to 'questionable' accounting practices. Second, that that RIAA ceases all current lawsuits against users who "illegally" downloaded music, and returns all moneys garnered from users who "settled" with the racketeering, um, I mean consortium. Third, that the RIAA cease to destroy both public domain, and fair use policy. In order for the public to respect the RIAA's property, the RIAA needs to stop illegally extending copyright by purchasing politicians. Oddly enough, all this purchasing power seems to stem from the 12-18 year old market. That same market does not possess the ability to vote, and I find it rather strange that all their hard earned dollars are being redirected towards buying our public officials for the highest dollar. Sony products in general will no longer be purchased by me until these and many other wrongs are rectified. Their policies are criminal, their once good hardware products are now sub-par, and their greed is insurmountable. This is no longer a free market question. This is now a corporation buying legal power to function as a makeshift mob. I for one will not stand for it by purchasing thier products.