Amazon Spying On Your Ebook Highlighting >>
<< EA Continues To Piss Off Lots Of Customers By...
 tdicon 

Copyright

by Mike Masnick

Tue, May 11th 2010 1:36pm




Filed Under:
eu, markets, piracy


EU Digital Agenda Commissioner Admits That 'Piracy' Has Created The Market That Legislators Did Not

from the knocking-down-barriers dept

I've been reading the excellent book, Property Outlaws, which I'll write more about when I'm done, but it's main thesis is that oftentimes, people violating certain restrictions -- such as on copyright or civil rights -- actually are helping to refine the law in those areas by highlighting problems with the existing laws. Basically, it builds on the idea that people taking a stand are more able to change and to fix highly dynamic areas of law more efficiently than slow moving bureaucrats. Along those lines, it appears that the EU's Digital Agenda Commissioner, Neelie Kroes, is recognizing that unauthorized file sharing actually has been useful in building a single market, where politicians and bureaucrats have been unable to do so:
"We have effectively allowed illegal file-sharing to set up a single market where our usual policy channels have failed.... While the internet is borderless, Europe's online markets are not. It is often easier to buy something from a US website than online from the country next-door in Europe. Often you cannot buy it at all within Europe... Consumers can buy CDs in every shop but are often unable to buy music online across the EU because rights are licensed on a national basis. No wonder the US market for online music is five times bigger than Europe's."
Of course, she's saying this in an effort to pass the EU "digital agenda," which tries to make it easier to do licenses across the EU, rather than having to do individual licenses in each country. And, with that, she does go on to complain about various aspects of unauthorized file sharing, but it's nice to at least see a recognition that such forms of infringement are often useful in breaking down the barriers that bureaucrats are too slow to manage.

26 Comments | Leave a Comment

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments (rss)

(Flattened / Threaded)

  1.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, May 11th, 2010 @ 2:01pm

    heroin and crack dealers have done the same thing. lets all sing their praises too.

     

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

  2.  
    identicon
    robin, May 11th, 2010 @ 2:11pm

    market failures

    isn't this point quite similar to matt mason's proposition that historically "pirates" are those who are just quicker to find and exploit failures in an existing marketplace (i.e. web of economic relationships)?

    the pirate's dilemma:

    http://www.amazon.com/Downloading-Sneakers-Reinvented-Capitalism-Innovation/dp/141653218 8

     

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

  3.  
    icon
    Dark Helmet (profile), May 11th, 2010 @ 2:12pm

    Re:

    "heroin and crack dealers have done the same thing. lets all sing their praises too."

    Well, not quite. See, the problem with crack dealers is that their product licenses don't last long enough, making cross-border licensing issues rather moot. But I'll tell you what, if I could find a crack dealer selling crack w/a perpetual high license, I'd love to see it force fed to you so you could be reduced to a state of drooling nonsense, incapable of typing....

     

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

  4.  
    icon
    jjmsan (profile), May 11th, 2010 @ 2:20pm

    Re: Re:

    He seems to have already managed the first two.

     

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

  5.  
    icon
    Christopher Weigel (profile), May 11th, 2010 @ 2:37pm

    Re: market failures

    Which is, uh...

    One of the points that this blog exists to make. And has been making since well before that book was published, I believe.

     

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

  6.  
    identicon
    NAMELESS ONE, May 11th, 2010 @ 2:51pm

    there was a nice quote and hint form th enew leader

    he said its nice that liberal democrats and he will get along basically for the good for the country

    translation

    liberal democrats just sold out the principals for some power sharing in the cabinet.

    YOU wont see proportional representation which gives more power to the people

    you wont see the digital economy bill reprieved
    you wont see action against blackmailing law firms

    ha
    we the people should a button that attacks a taser to these fucktards, ZAP majority says BAAAAAD lil MP

     

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

  7.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, May 11th, 2010 @ 3:38pm

    Re:

    Law enforcement and medical care cost money. Legalizing and taxing drugs would drastically change the cost structure and benefit everyone. If crack was legal tomorrow would you smoke it? I did not think so.

     

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

  8.  
    identicon
    awd, May 11th, 2010 @ 4:14pm

    Deja vu... I'm sure I've seen this quote before, a *long* time ago.

     

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

  9.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, May 11th, 2010 @ 4:47pm

    Re: You are so sad

    It's all black and white for you, isn't it. There is no gray.

     

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

  10.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, May 11th, 2010 @ 5:47pm

    Re: Re: You are so sad

    no mike, there is plenty of grey. but breaking the law is breaking the law. an illegal market place of crack or stolen content is the same thing. they may be very slightly different shades of black, but in the end, they are on the same end of the scale.

     

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

  11.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, May 11th, 2010 @ 7:50pm

    blah blah blah infringement isn't stealing, fine, go into a store, open a CD or DVD, put it in your laptop and try to tell them your just copying it, your not stealing it, see how far that goes

    you didn't pay for it, but you want the content, theft is theft, no matter how you got it

     

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

  12.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, May 11th, 2010 @ 7:57pm

    Re: Re: Re: You are so sad

    Rosa Parks: LAWBREAKER!
    The Underground Railroad: LAWBREAKER!

     

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

  13.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, May 11th, 2010 @ 7:58pm

    Re:

    Your example is worthless.

     

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

  14.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, May 11th, 2010 @ 8:16pm

    Re: Re: Re: You are so sad

    So when the Egyptians ordered that all first born males be executed and people broke that law it's the same thing then. Got it.

     

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

  15.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, May 11th, 2010 @ 8:39pm

    Re: Re: Re: You are so sad

    "an illegal market place of crack or stolen content is the same thing"

    They are obviously not the same thing, otherwise they would be called the same thing - Duh.

    I assume your flippant reference to "stolen content" is in reference to copyright infringement, and therefore I add that one is a felony and the other not. You are being ridiculous stating they are the same.

     

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

  16.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, May 11th, 2010 @ 8:43pm

    Re:

    You really are pathetic.

    It would be refreshing if you could come up with a reasonable argument for the draconian civil restrictions that you most certainly are attempting to defend.

    I know ... that is asking too much.

     

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

  17.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, May 11th, 2010 @ 9:03pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: You are so sad

    That's what happens when you stand on a principled bedrock of shiny plastic discs. They shift about as much as your position does.

     

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

  18.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, May 11th, 2010 @ 9:15pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: You are so sad

    Rosa Parks: LAWBREAKER!
    The Underground Railroad: LAWBREAKER!


    Oh look, another imbecile comparing piracy to the civil rights movement.

     

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

  19.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, May 11th, 2010 @ 9:26pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: You are so sad

    but breaking the law is breaking the law.

    The other imbecile started it.

     

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

  20.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, May 11th, 2010 @ 11:21pm

    Re:

    Blah blah blah irrelevant shill's flawed analogy.

    Try again next time (or save yourself the time and don't bother).

     

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

  21.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, May 12th, 2010 @ 1:26am

    lol, it isn't flawed, its exactly what your doing, you just don't want to admit it

    keep trying to defend theft, or maybe don't bother next time

     

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

  22.  
    icon
    Killer_Tofu (profile), May 12th, 2010 @ 6:27am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: You are so sad

    As opposed to you comparing piracy to the drug trade?
    Comparing it to Rosa Parks seems more accurate since both that and piracy are taking a stand against whats wrong.
    Compared to your drug comparison which only says "its illegal".

     

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

  23.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, May 12th, 2010 @ 7:17am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: You are so sad

    Drugs are bad because they are illegal and drugs are illegal because they are bad.

     

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

  24.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, May 12th, 2010 @ 7:20am

    Re:

    Theft is a criminal matter, while copyright infringement is a civil matter. And copyright infringement is not counterfeiting.

    Keep trying to defend stupidity, or maybe don't bother next time.

     

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

  25.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Yellow Belly, May 12th, 2010 @ 11:51am

    Resistance is NOT futile!

    Civil disobedience has always marked the very beginning of great change to come. It starts off as a small, but very intense fire that slowly grows and cannot easily be put out. The copyright industry, in their greed and infinite wisdom, chose to cross a line they really shouldn't have. As a result, civilians chose to cross a line of their own in response, their numbers continuing to build despite the ever growing threat of dire consequences (bankruptcy, jail time, etc). Sometimes civil disobedience is the only recourse the public has when their government fails to listen. Any government that disregards the very people whom allow it to exist should pay greater heed to history. Rosa Parks, while 100% valid as an example, is but only one lesson of many history has to teach. Like Michael Moore stated in his recent documentary "Capitalism: A Love Story", it always boils down to the wealthy 1% versus the 99% of whom the rest of us comprise. I think it isn't too much of a stretch to predict that over the next decade or so, governments will find themselves reminded more and more often which end of the leash it is they are on, and whom is truly holding the other end. Deep pockets and a silver tongue can only get you so far. Once the villagers are on to you, it's all torches and pitchforks from thereon out.

     

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

  26.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, May 12th, 2010 @ 8:07pm

    its only copyright infringement to you, because you don't want to admit your taking content without paying for it, if it isn't worth paying for, why do you want it?? oh yeah that's right you get it for free, bottom line

    you feel entitled to things for free because your worthless

     

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


Add Your Comment

Have a Techdirt Account? Sign in now. Want one? Register here
Get Techdirt’s Daily Email
Save me a cookie
  • Note: A CRLF will be replaced by a break tag (<br>), all other allowable HTML will remain intact
  • Allowed HTML Tags: <b> <i> <a> <em> <br> <strong> <blockquote> <hr> <tt>
Amazon Spying On Your Ebook Highlighting >>
<< EA Continues To Piss Off Lots Of Customers By...
 tdicon 
Follow Techdirt
Flattr rss rss
A word from our Sponsors...
Sponsored Resource
Essential Reading
Techdirt Reading List
Techdirt Insider Chat

A word from our Sponsors...
Recent Stories

Thursday

2:00pm: Magic Hat Brewery Sues West Sixth Brewing, Claiming 6 Looks Too Much Like 9 (1)
1:01pm: Filmmaker Behind The Pirate Bay Documentary Says Bogus DMCA Takedowns Take Away His Free Speech (27)
12:04pm: Vermont Declares War On Patent Trolls; Passes New Law And Sues Notorious Patent Troll (5)
11:05am: Prenda Lawyer Says Georgia Court Should Ignore Judge Wright's Order Because... Look! Hackers! (25)
10:01am: Chicago School System On FOIA Requests: Stonewalling, Obfuscation, & Paper-Shredding (17)
8:57am: VOD Service Acetrax Shutting Down, Forcing Customers Through DRM Hoops To Retain Their Purchased Movies (30)
7:58am: Man Butt Dials 911 While Discussing Murder Plot (17)
5:51am: Kim Dotcom Threatens To Sue Google, Facebook And Twitter Over 2-Factor Authentication Patent If They Don't Help Him (138)
3:44am: Amazon Wants To Sell Fan Fiction With It, Originator And FanFic Author All Sharing Profits (46)

Wednesday

11:54pm: Cool New Platform For Supporting Artists: Patreon, From Jack Conte (19)
More arrow
A word from our Sponsors...

Close

Email This