When Even The Simpsons Make Fun Of E-Voting Machines...

from the and-yet-we-still-rely-on-them dept

Remember back when people first started questioning the reliability of e-voting machines? It was initially focused on Diebold, though later reports have all shown that Sequoia and ES&S are equally as bad. Yet, initially those critics were all brushed off by the e-voting firms as wild-eyed, conspiracy theory. lunatic activists. The only problem is that they keep being proven correct time and time again, and the story has certainly crossed over into the mainstream. If you need proof, look no further than The Simpsons recent clip about e-voting that a ton of you have sent in:

Clearly, the issue has gone beyond the "fringe" and into the mainstream. So, it's really too bad that judges seem to think that the public can't handle a research report on these machines.

42 Comments | Leave a Comment..

Too Much Free Time

by Mike Masnick

Tue, Oct 16th 2007 8:37am

Will Fox Sue Congress For Simpsons Parody?

from the d'oh! dept

If you follow politics outside of the tech world you've probably seen plenty of talk in the last week or so about the battle over SCHIP, the State Children's Health Insurance Program. The details of the debate really aren't worth getting into on a tech/business news site, but a bunch of Republican Congressmen put out what can only be considered a parody press release using characters from the TV show The Simpsons to try to highlight their side of the debate. This was so random and bizarre that a few people actually wondered if the Republican site had been hacked. That turned out not to be the case, but apparently none of the Representatives who put together the mock press release sought the approval of Twentieth Century Fox, who apparently is not at all happy that Simpsons characters are being used in this manner: "Twentieth Century Fox was unaware of the illegal use of characters from The Simpsons in this press release. Let me assure you, Fox did not authorize this use. Characters from The Simpsons may not be used in this manner…" Some would argue that parody is covered by fair use, but that may only be true if the parody is of The Simpsons itself, rather than using them for a parody of something else. Either way, while Congress has been bending over backwards to give the entertainment industry everything it wishes when it comes to keeping control over their creative works, it seems that even those same Representatives can think of cases where it made perfect sense to them to make use of characters without having to first license them. Somehow, why do I get the feeling this lesson won't stick and these same Reps will have no problem putting in place more stringent copyright laws that eat away at fair use?

31 Comments | Leave a Comment..

Search Techdirt

And now, a word from our Sponsors..

15% off discount for Techdirt Readers

Popular Posts

Poll

Add Techdirt RSS To Your Reader

Subscribe to Techdirt's Daily Email Newsletter

Older Stuff

Thursday
10:37pm:	The Lobbyists' Ability To Control The Message (29)
8:11pm:	In Going Free, London Evening Standard Doubles Circulation While Slashing Costs (26)
6:10pm:	Senate Exploring Med School Profs Putting Names On Ghostwritten Journal Articles In Favor Of Drugs (22)
4:52pm:	What Does It Say When A Comedy Show Does More Fact Checking Than News Programs? (56)
3:33pm:	Nordic Music Week: Optimism Galore And Found Songs (11)
2:10pm:	Would Top Sites Really Opt-Out Of Google Based On A Microsoft Bribe? (37)
12:57pm:	Intel Lawyers Again Go Too Far In Trademark Bullying (22)
11:43am:	Mandelson Wants Gov't To Have Sweeping Powers To Protect Copyright Holders (40)
10:47am:	Once Again, Walmart Stops People From Printing Family Photos Due To Copyright Law Claims (42)
9:39am:	Essayist Writes Popular Essay... Then Sends 'Non-Negotiable' Invoice To Church Who Posts It Online (59)
8:23am:	ASCAP, BMI And SESAC Continue To Screw Over Most Songwriters: 'Write A Hit Song If You Want Money' (78)
7:07am:	Kicking People Off The Internet Not Enough In South Korea, Copyright Lobbyists Demand More (26)
5:33am:	Are The Record Labels Using Bluebeat's Bogus Copyright Defense To Avoid Having To Give Copyrights Back To Artists? (42)
3:53am:	Larry Magid Calls For News Tax To Fund Failing Newspapers (29)
1:35am:	Judge Says 'There's An Ad For That...' And It's Ok For Now (14)
Wednesday
11:01pm:	Oh Look, Some Police Do Know How To Use Craigslist As A Tool (8)
8:43pm:	Netherlands The Latest To Propose Mileage Tax That Requires GPS For Tracking Driving (30)
6:40pm:	Spain Says Broadband Is A Basic Right (12)
4:22pm:	Entertainment Industry Wants More People To Know About OpenBitTorrent Tracker (25)
3:00pm:	It's The TSA, Not CSI: Actions Limited To Security, Not Crime Investigation (25)
1:49pm:	The More Innovative You Are, The More You Get Sued; Yet Another Patent Lawsuit Over Shazam (7)
12:36pm:	Oh No! Nobody Reads! Oh No! It's Too Cheap For Everyone To Read! (18)
11:15am:	We See Your 'Copyright Contributes $1.5 Trillion' And Raise You 'Fair Use Contributes $2.2 Trillion' (17)
9:55am:	Cable Industry Joins MPAA In Asking FCC To Allow Them To Stop Your DVR From Recording Movies (45)
8:44am:	Sony Pictures Having Its Best Box Office Year Ever... Still Blaming Piracy For Killing The Business (38)
7:30am:	Jenzabar Finds 'Expert Witness' Who Will Claim Google Relies On Metatags, Despite Google Saying It Does Not (38)
5:52am:	China Says Microsoft Violates IP With Windows, Bars Sales (26)
4:01am:	Don't Post Comments On StlToday.com Or They Might Tell Your Boss (45)
1:50am:	Recording Industry Making It Impossible For Any Legit Online Music Service To Survive Without Being Too Expensive (45)
Tuesday
11:01pm:	Crackdown On Loyalty Program Scams Shows How Ridiculously Successful They Were (11)

Quick Links

Current Insight Community Cases

When Even The Simpsons Make Fun Of E-Voting Machines...

from the and-yet-we-still-rely-on-them dept

Will Fox Sue Congress For Simpsons Parody?

from the d'oh! dept

Which Internet Concern Worries You The Most?

Techdirt's Daily Email Newsletter

Thursday

Wednesday

Tuesday

More