"Attempted" copyright infringement bill

[dblaine2]

Another round of expanding on the DCMA, read this

http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9719339-7.html

[Opus4]

That reminds me... CNN recently had a headline of "Chips on DVDs May Prevent Theft". I didn't read the article, so maybe I'm misunderstanding something, but if putting an episode of CHiPs on each DVD can prevent theft, that would be a great solution to the whole problem. Maybe it would be something like 7-11 type stores playing classical music outside to run loiterers away -- once someone sees that CHiPs is on the DVD, who is going to want to steal or copy it?

- Andy

[millers_35]

I like chips.

Miller

[Menehune]

chocolate enrobed chips aren't too bad

[Opus4]

In case anyone had comments on the first post: I didn't really mean to completely derail the topic. (hmmm. Not completely. Does that mean only partially derail it?) I'll have to say, though, that every time I hear a certain type of music, I expect to see a CHiPs style multi-car crash somewhere, with at least one car acceleratinig instead of braking. Anyway...

I can understand the point of saying that if stealing something is illegal, the attempt to steal it should also be illegal. The problem seems to be wanting to move towards making it illegal to watch something in a room other than where you first viewed it, unless you buy it again. (And, yes, that is an intentional exaggeration. At least I think it is an exaggeration.) I suppose that would actually be a DRM issue, instead of a copyright issue, but isn't that what they want to cover too?

- Andy

[Menehune]

Life imprisonment for pirated software? So if I purchase a used HD that was removed from a Dell and I don't have a receipt for purchase of said Dell showing the Windows authentication code or the Windows sticker from the case, I can go to prison for life because the seller didn't erase the HD?

Sounds like "guilty until proven innocent" to me.

And it sounds like homeland security is turning into the KGB by actively looking for bootleg CDs. How a bootleg CDs is the same or more important than a cargo container full of biological or chemical weapons is beyond me I'm not a lawyer, but I'm pretty certain that in civil court cases, it is up to the prosecution (the RIAA) to present evidence, not Homeland Security.

[FidgetyRat]

Just another fine example of the bush administration putting taxpayer dollars to good use.


Take the people's money... [SUCCESS]
Use the people's money to appease big business... [SUCCESS]
The people get something good from this... [FAILED]
The people get anything out of this... [FAILED]
We care about the people in general... [FAILED]

[dblaine2]

Originally Posted by FidgetyRat

Just another fine example of the bush administration putting taxpayer dollars to good use.


Take the people's money... [SUCCESS]
Use the people's money to appease big business... [SUCCESS]
The people get something good from this... [FAILED]
The people get anything out of this... [FAILED]
We care about the people in general... [FAILED]

Exactly. It's just another ridiculous day in the White House.

[samgreco]

What I don't understand is where Hollywood has gotten all of this power over Washington? Aren't there bigger issues to solve than this?

If the general public knew about these issues and their ramifications, it would never happen, because there would be massive opposition. But only those of us involved in this hobby seem to ever really hear about it.

Oh, I forget who controls the media.

[tmiranda]

No politics please. I hear that all day and don't want to read it here. Besides, you'll get me off on a rant about how insane the left/democratic party has become......

[sakker]

Originally Posted by samgreco

What I don't understand is where Hollywood has gotten all of this power over Washington? Aren't there bigger issues to solve than this?

If the general public knew about these issues and their ramifications, it would never happen, because there would be massive opposition. But only those of us involved in this hobby seem to ever really hear about it.

Oh, I forget who controls the media.

The general public doesn't care. If they did we would have greater than a 50% turnout for presidential elections, and greater than 5 or 10% turnout for local and mid term elections. It really is pathetic on the left and right side of the isle that the lack of caring a large portion of the population has for who runs our local, state, and federal governments.

The leaders follow the money and the people that get them elected. Neither a republican or democrat, typically, is going to go against the grain and support something that they know will garner them 60% approval, but only 5% of that 60% is going to bother to remember to vote on election day. Plus by doing that, they then endanger a big chunk of their change ($) from other donors.

[pat_smith1969]

What I find comical (in a morbid way) is that you can get 1 to 10 years for a copyright infringement (or life if a death occurs) but you only get 4 to 5 years for murder.

So the moral of the story here is if someone sees you attempting to infringe a copyright, SHOOT THEM. You will get less jail time than if they report you.

Clearly there are some priorities out of order here.

[sakker]

I think a lot of laws of this sort get put on the books because of heavy lobbying from whatever different groups. The fact of the matter is we have way too many laws on the books now that are not enforced. Every time a crime is committed, especially the real big ones, VT shootings, Columbine, name a big one, a huge number of laws was broken before and during the offense. Making new laws, especially when they are made just for the sake one large incident is pointless because all of the existing laws are not being enforced.
edit - with the exception of when that event opens peoples eyes to the fact that there was a big legal loophole that was brought to light that needed to be fixed, or updated because of the technology of today.

I sort of look at this in that way, they are going to get a law passed, and every once in a blue moon they will arrest and convict someone on it, usually someone high up the food chain to keep it in the news and the RIAA/MPAA can toot their press releases, but for the most part it will sit with all the other laws that are ignored by law enforcement, as well as the people committing the act. Eventually it will resurface, probably sometime down the line when some new group needs some kind of protection and they will use this law as the example of old technology that was protected, so now we need to update the law to conform to new technology, just like this one is doing compared to the last one with vcr's.

Overall I think this bill is pretty dumb, however the whole idea really needs to be updated and brought into the current time, just like a lot of laws/ideas. This isn't the mid 1900's now, but quite a number of companies are trying to keep it that way.

[Razillian]

I read the article and I am almost speechless. So instead we will play a musical meoldy <INSERT MUSIC>Dumb da dumb dumb DUUUUUUMMMMB</INSERT MUSIC>

Ooops, that musical score might have been copyrighten. Please pretend you did not hear that in your mind.

[elaw]

I read on The Onion once that the RIAA considers having a song "stuck in your head" to be a copyright violation... so make sure you don't do that.

[samgreco]

If I read the article correctly, just the act of copying a CD to my server, could theoretically, be enough to have me put away. As long as some prosecutor with a bug up his/her @#* could find a way to convince a judge/jury that my "intent" was to put this stuff out on the internet.

Scares the hell out of me.

EDIT: Or, if my server is connected to the internet, and it is, and some hacker gets in and copies stuff, even though it's not really open to the net, ....gees.

[Halstead]

I wrote a blog post on this subject a few weeks ago, but it still irks me- since when is it the government's job to prop up failing business models with criminal enforcement?

DRM me up the wazzoo- if you're stupid enough to think that a DVD acting like a breifling for Mr. Phelps helps you sell, then god bless. I'll get my content elsewhere. But the least the government can do is let the RIAA and MPAA hang themselves on all that rope they've been stockpiling...

It's amazing how protectionist our so-called free-market politicians can be when its time to hit the grindstone.

[BobPhoenix]

Face it guys we live in a Fascist country. The Axis didn't disappear it just changed location.

[Menehune]

Didn't they already try "self destructing DVDs" already. Circuit City's DIVX-locked DVD format was a commercial flop. I guess special interest wants laws to force their poor business decisions/poor engineering/failed rootkits onto consumers by any means possible.

[samgreco]

Originally Posted by Menehune

Didn't they already try "self destructing DVDs" already. Circuit City's DIVX-locked DVD format was a commercial flop. I guess special interest wants laws to force their poor business decisions/poor engineering/failed rootkits onto consumers by any means possible.

Yup. When free market doesn't work, get government to fix it for you.

This country has shifted solidly into the corporate camp. Individual rights are disappearing faster than the polar icecaps.