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Legal Issues

by Mike Masnick

Wed, Oct 6th 2004 9:48pm





Ashcroft Equates File Sharing To Terrorism, Drugs And Corruption

from the yeah,-okay... dept

It's been rumored for a while that the Justice Department was looking to start helping the entertainment industry defend their outdated business model, and here it comes. Attorney General John Ashcroft is now saying that the FBI will begin cracking down on intellectual property violations. Showing just how far out of touch he is, Ashcroft claimed that the FBI's fight against intellectual property misuse "must be as forceful and aggressive and successful as our response to terrorism and violent crime and drugs and corruption has been." Of course, I'd imagine that plenty of people would laugh at the idea that any of those responses could be categorized as a "success." In fact, with many of them, you could make a credible case to call them dismal failures. Chances are, though, Ashcroft is right. The war against file sharing will be just as successful. In other words, a ton of our taxpayer money will go into fighting it, but the end result won't do a damn thing to stop what they're trying to stop. Personally, if we have to be throwing money away on such bogus "wars," there are plenty that belong well above the list before reaching file sharing.

7 Comments | Leave a Comment..


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  1.  

    And Your Solution Is?

    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Oct 7th, 2004 @ 1:49am

    Well, if the dems win next month, this won't be a problem since there is absolutely no connection between the democratic party and the entertainment industry

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  2.  

    Re: And Your Solution Is?

    icon
    Mike (profile), Oct 7th, 2004 @ 2:01am

    This wasn't a political statement. If you read Techdirt, you should be aware by now that there are very few politicians on either side of the aisle that I agree with. I'm sure the situation is going to get worse either way.

    The solution is for someone to knock some sense into politicians, so they realize that this is a business model issue that the market will settle -- and not one that somehow needs government protection.

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  3.  

    Pheer this

    identicon
    alternatives, Oct 7th, 2004 @ 5:27am

    For this is the same FBI who raided Steve Jackson games for 'writing a hacking manual'
    http://www.eff.org/legal/cases/SJG/

    And Craig Neidorf - the E911 document.
    http://www2.cddc.vt.edu/eff/pub/Legal/Cases/SJG/Phrack_Neidorf_Riggs/


    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  4.  

    so frustrating

    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Oct 7th, 2004 @ 7:11am

    the idiocy that our government (both parties) is inflicting on our freedoms is horrid.

    it just makes me sick... Not the get up and do something sick, but the "Bugger it to hell, nothings gonna change anyhow, i might as well accept it sick."

    all i see are erosions of freedom. Never rebuilding of freedom.

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  5.  

    Hit 'em where it hurts

    identicon
    Dragonman, Oct 7th, 2004 @ 7:27am

    The only way to get the entertainment industry to pay attention and *maybe* change their business it to hit them where it hurts: in the bottom line. Don't like the RIAA tactics? Quit buying their member companies' products and get your friends to do the same. I refuse to buy any music from any company associated with the RIAA and haven't bought any new CD's for a couple of years. I listen to my current collection or the radio.

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  6.  

    Re: And Your Solution Is... a reexamination of pol

    identicon
    Brian, Oct 7th, 2004 @ 7:30am

    Maybe I misread the original post, but what I think he's getting at is that some may see voting for Kerry as a way to force a change of attorney general. While I think there are a lot of similarities between the two candidates, in theory a new administration would at least examine the issue again. Whether or not they come to the same conclusion is unknown.

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  7.  

    No Subject Given

    identicon
    Jorgen, Oct 7th, 2004 @ 10:56pm

    The article referred to is not talking about the entertainment industry. It looks more like it is aimed at industrial espionage, copyright infringements etc.

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]


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