PathOS: It's somewhere near Greece. Roll on Troy
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US Congress will decide if video streaming is a felony
THE WHITE HOUSE will ask the US Congress to decide that streaming media content along with downloading it can be classed as felony offences.
The Obama administration will make the recommendation following a report by Victoria Espinel, the intellectual property enforcement coordinator for intellectual property (IP) enforcement and protection. The administration will proposes to levy a "performance tax" on radio broadcasts.
According to Espinel, the current law makes it unclear whether streaming copyrighted works is subject to felony penalties, meaning prison time, because the penalty is "predicated on the defendant either illegally reproducing or distributing the copyrighted work". The question lies in the legal definition of "distribution", as streaming isn't the transfer of complete files.
Apparently the clarification will, says Espinel, "ensure that DOJ and US law enforcement agencies are able to effectively combat infringement involving new technology". And there are no prizes for guessing which other organisation was also on hand for comment.
Bob Pisano, president of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) said, "Closing the legal gap between two methods of equally destructive illegal behaviour - unauthorised downloading and streaming, adds more clarity to intellectual property law and, frankly, makes good common sense."
You weren't expecting Pisano to just lend comforting words were you? He continued, "We look closely to working with them and the administration to combat this escalating threat."
So the MPAA, an organisation that represents multi-billion dollar corporations, and the administration will be working on something together that is billed by the MPAA as an "escalating threat". Wonder what the results of that will be. µ
Tags: Software
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So the stupid are asking the ethically bankrupt for a definition of a crime. We bailed out billionaires, who gave loans to people to people who could not afford them and then repossessed the homes and resold them again what do you call that???
So you record off cable TV, off air transmission, satellite, rip a CD / DVD you own, what's the difference. Yea we're all criminals lock us up eh?
Some of the comments here are clearly the ramblings of Charlie Sheen or similar crack addicts. Since copyright laws are recognized world wide I'd say the pirates are facing a losing battle. Imprisonment will get some of these criminals off the streets for awhile. Maybe they'll get in touch with reality or die.
@ooFie....... Prisons are a big money maker for the communities where they are found as well as the companies who supply them................... of course this means money for the Politicians who build the prisons and the more people incarcerated in them the more money to be made.
Intellectual Property is a fraudulent and violent notion to begin with that can only be enforced at the end of a gun barrel held to your head by the government. There's no such thing as "piracy" in reality - that is a purely fictional construct created for the sole purpose of maintaining fascist, authoritarian control over the proletariat.
Now that we have that settled, my main point: I am firmly convinced that the Ruling Elite aka Ruling Class is composed chiefly of suicidal nihilists. These suicidal nihilists have every intention and desire of pushing the populace to the point of violent revolt, such that the masses accomplish what the nihilists cannot bring themselves to do - granting themselves final and everlasting release from the burden of material existence.
We've seen this pattern enough times in history for even a half-wit, nay, a quarter-wit to figure out what has happened before and what will happen again.
Step 1: Violent revolt kills off the Old Ruling Elite.
Step 2: A New Ruling Elite is born out of random variation in the population's genetics (or from migration/conquest).
Step 3: The New Ruling Elite gradually (always gradually) seizes more and more power over the lives of every day folk. Every day folk accept this creeping encroachment due to a desire to avoid conflict in the near-term.
Step 4: The New Ruling Elite become just the Old Ruling Elite - corrupt, decadent, out of touch. The every day folk begin to stir.
Step 5: Violent revolt kills off the Old Ruling Elite.
Rinse and repeat.
Right now we're about crossing through Step 4 and well on our way to Step 5. I'm not sure if I should look forward to the ensuing chaos and downfall of All That is Stupid and Evil in The World, or if I should dread the inevitable repeat of another of these idiotic cycles that humanity hasn't yet evolved its intelligence enough to break.
Laws are not private contracts. Using the flawed logic of some, the judicial system should only enforce laws that some folks view as important and of course that doesn't include piracy. Life doesn't work that way. Laws are meant to maintain order and protect society from scumbags - including pirates be they at sea or in cyberspace.
As long as pirates fail to abide by law they will end up in prison and that's the way it should be. Courts all over the world will continue to enforce copyright laws.
@Boris and Jim - of course, it's a wonderful idea to have US taxpayer money be used to enforce civil contracts (because that is what copyrights are - contracts between rights-holders and consumers). It's a brilliant idea. It's brilliant in the same way that whales tap-dance.
Let me put it another way: There are hundreds of thousands of us who are capable of setting up streaming services, but haven't bothered to do so because what's the point? Well, if this law is passed, the point will be civil disobedience. And you can bet the streaming servers will be in Russia, China, and other places that remain hostile to US law (as I am becoming, truth be told), and they'll be out of reach, and once again make fools of the Federal Government. Meanwhile, the crooked politicians will get their thirty (million) pieces of silver.
But the UK government DONT lock up every single person that commits a crime, in fact they hardly lock anyone up! They lock up serious offenders for what, 4 years (Get out after 2 for "good behaviour") and then let non serious offenders just keep on offending.
Lock them up and make them all do hard labour, i say!
The only thing that pirates understand is prison time so I say give'em what they desire. Every pirate knows it's a crime to download or distribute copyright protected works so they deserve exactly what they get, which soon will be a room at the Iron Bar Hotel. Being in denial can be very painful.
Of course the corrupt melon-heads are going to decide it is a felony. They've already been bribed I mean campaign contributed by the MPAA et al. And the prison system is basically the same scam as sports arenas: the taxpayers pay for the prison/stadium and private corporations operate them and make the profits.
Seriously! If its NOT a violent crime then being placed into a prison (a violent place) is simply ludicrous.
Why the U.S & the U.K for that matter insist in locking everyone up for every little offence escapes me.
As it doesnt really solve anything, if anything it makes things worse. Over-crowding and spiraling cost to name but 2.
There are plenty of methods of punishments which could be inforced which would be more cost effect and lightern the load of our exploding prison populations.
I cant help noticing that the Netherlands in closing prisons and the U.K / U.S cant seem to built them quick enough to bung people in.
You'd think someone from our government would go see what it is their doing over there... or maybe it is just because everyone is too stoned to nick anything or get into a fight over there... either way, solutions are available!
Mind you, if there is profit to be made from locking people up (and there is) and plenty of large corporations with plenty of cash for lobby groups greasing the back pocket of any corrupt politician, it may only be a matter of time before we're all in there!
"Wonder what the results of that will be"
The usual: A law that will be so ridiculous that it will ridicule the whole American legal system in front of the eyes of the kids.
Just like the DMCA did. "If downloading a Britney Spears song is the same as stealing a car, and i download Britney spears songs all day, why shouldn't i steal a car?" The kid said.