http://www.techdirt.com/ Easily digestible tech news.... http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/10213023529/fbi-admits-to-using-drones-to-spy-americans.shtml#c792 Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:54:43 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/10213023529/fbi-admits-to-using-drones-to-spy-americans.shtml#c792 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/13581923535/microsoft-capitulates-removes-online-drm-xbox-one.shtml#c1042 Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:39:23 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/13581923535/microsoft-capitulates-removes-online-drm-xbox-one.shtml#c1042
Do you have a citation for those figures? A lot of early adopters bought a PS3 purely for that feature that was advertised on the box - including bulk purchases by the US military among others. Are you really saying people are wrong for buying a product to utilise an advertised feature?

"Secondly, there was a very good financial reason for Sony to pull the plug on Linux support. Sony was selling the consoles AT A LOSS"

Tough shit. People also buy them just to use as a media centre and Blu ray player and never buy games. People also buy 360s at a loss to Microsoft but only use them as a streaming device for Netflix and to play DVDs. People buy iPod/iPhones without buying any paid app from the app store, and people buy Kindles without paying a cent for content to Amazon. That's the risk they take. Don't like it? Charge the value of the product rather than trying to use it as a loss leader.

Some people go into Wal Mart, buy the items on loss leader offers then leave without buying anything profitable. That doesn't give Wal Mart licence to do things to you on your way out of the store because you didn't make them a profit.

"Would YOU continue offering a feature if it meant you lost money on every sale?"

Here's the problem - they could happily remove them from newly manufactured consoles. It's simple - adjust the firmware for newer models/SKUs, announce that no new PS3 will run Linux (as they already adjusted models to not allow PS2 backward compatibility). There's be some grumbling but not a major issue - people who wanted the functionality could still pick up used/older models.

But that wasn't the issue. The problem was that they removed the functionality from people who had ALREADY BOUGHT the console. It cost nothing for them to continue allowing the feature on existing models, but they removed it anyway. So your argument is totally invalid.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/18243923466/hollywoods-new-talking-point-gatekeepers-are-awesome.shtml#c890 Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:27:33 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/18243923466/hollywoods-new-talking-point-gatekeepers-are-awesome.shtml#c890 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/09064523528/germanys-spies-have-nsa-envy-working-their-own-comprehensive-snooping-system.shtml#c81 Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:26:06 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/09064523528/germanys-spies-have-nsa-envy-working-their-own-comprehensive-snooping-system.shtml#c81 http://www.techdirt.com/blog/innovation/articles/20130619/10395523531/next-time-someone-says-twitter-is-killing-deep-thinking-with-short-quick-messages-show-them-this.shtml#c489 Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:23:29 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/blog/innovation/articles/20130619/10395523531/next-time-someone-says-twitter-is-killing-deep-thinking-with-short-quick-messages-show-them-this.shtml#c489 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/09064523528/germanys-spies-have-nsa-envy-working-their-own-comprehensive-snooping-system.shtml#c75 Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:23:08 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/09064523528/germanys-spies-have-nsa-envy-working-their-own-comprehensive-snooping-system.shtml#c75 http://www.techdirt.com/blog/innovation/articles/20130618/11332223519/states-attorneys-general-want-to-special-exception-to-blame-sites-actions-users.shtml#c1130 Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:08:32 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/blog/innovation/articles/20130618/11332223519/states-attorneys-general-want-to-special-exception-to-blame-sites-actions-users.shtml#c1130
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Easy way to join the Illuminati brotherhood in the world.

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today and realize your dreams]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/09064523528/germanys-spies-have-nsa-envy-working-their-own-comprehensive-snooping-system.shtml#c57 Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:00:00 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/09064523528/germanys-spies-have-nsa-envy-working-their-own-comprehensive-snooping-system.shtml#c57 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130513/12113523062/monsanto-wins-case-seed-patents-planting-your-own-legally-purchased-grown-seeds-can-be-infringing.shtml#c1611 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 23:59:52 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130513/12113523062/monsanto-wins-case-seed-patents-planting-your-own-legally-purchased-grown-seeds-can-be-infringing.shtml#c1611 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130618/16530423522/arizona-court-skeptical-medical-excuse-prenda-lawyers.shtml#c191 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 23:58:35 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130618/16530423522/arizona-court-skeptical-medical-excuse-prenda-lawyers.shtml#c191 should be writing about, but has no interest in writing articles of its own.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/09064523528/germanys-spies-have-nsa-envy-working-their-own-comprehensive-snooping-system.shtml#c39 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 23:45:55 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/09064523528/germanys-spies-have-nsa-envy-working-their-own-comprehensive-snooping-system.shtml#c39 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/09064523528/germanys-spies-have-nsa-envy-working-their-own-comprehensive-snooping-system.shtml#c16 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 23:44:16 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/09064523528/germanys-spies-have-nsa-envy-working-their-own-comprehensive-snooping-system.shtml#c16 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130618/16530423522/arizona-court-skeptical-medical-excuse-prenda-lawyers.shtml#c171 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 23:39:58 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130618/16530423522/arizona-court-skeptical-medical-excuse-prenda-lawyers.shtml#c171
It seems that, currently at least, the 'justice' system is treating lawyers and non-lawyers dead opposite of how they should be treated.

Lawyers are expected to know the law backwards and forwards and what is and is not acceptable, so you'd the the judicial system would hold them to quite the high standard, going after them harshly for screw-ups and abusing the system like the trolls pull regularly, and yet they don't, instead treating them as though they had no idea what they were doing, and therefor deserved the benefit of the doubt, and multiple chances to 'get it right'.

Conversely, it would be insane to expect non-lawyers to know all the little bits and rules of current law, given how much there is to learn and know, so you'd expect the system would be more lenient on them for any mistakes they make(whether accidental or intentional) in their actions, and yet they are held to exacting standards, far higher than those a lawyer has to deal with.

Defendant lies on the stand? He just committed perjury and is sentence accordingly.

Lawyer lies when presenting his case? He 'misremembered the facts', or 'was mistaken when he was presenting evidence', or something similarly mild.

Defendant is evasive on questions posed to him by the prosecution/judge? Considered to be 'in contempt of court', and punished accordingly.

Lawyer is evasive regarding questions posed to him by opposition/judge? Maybe gets, at most, a chewing out by the judge for dodging the questions, but unlikely to suffer more beyond that.

Basically the people who should know the law are treated as though they don't, while those that don't know the law are treated as though they should... it's no wonder the system is such a mess these days.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/13581923535/microsoft-capitulates-removes-online-drm-xbox-one.shtml#c1038 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 23:35:30 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/13581923535/microsoft-capitulates-removes-online-drm-xbox-one.shtml#c1038 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130618/16530423522/arizona-court-skeptical-medical-excuse-prenda-lawyers.shtml#c158 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 23:23:52 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130618/16530423522/arizona-court-skeptical-medical-excuse-prenda-lawyers.shtml#c158
Hopefully they'll react the same way this time around too, nothing starts the circus act that is 'Prenda in a court-room desperately trying to get out alive and without saying a word' quite like trying to get a judge dismissed for having the audacity of asking question.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/02025423448/company-claims-patent-pop-up-ads-sues-porn-travel-companies.shtml#c377 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 23:22:59 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/02025423448/company-claims-patent-pop-up-ads-sues-porn-travel-companies.shtml#c377
If you read the patent, it is for "Pop-Under" advertising.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130618/16530423522/arizona-court-skeptical-medical-excuse-prenda-lawyers.shtml#c150 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 23:18:17 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130618/16530423522/arizona-court-skeptical-medical-excuse-prenda-lawyers.shtml#c150 Oh the court will frown on this or that, always missing the bigger picture of many of the lawyers in these cases are being much more disrespectful to the courts.

A Doe has to be extra careful to not anger a Judge but when you can show repeated fraud committed by lawyers you often see a slight tongue lashing and nothing else. If a Doe had faked a signature you'd expect all sorts of holy hell from the bench... but a troll got a tiny smack on the nose and the ability to refile the case in the future.

The legal system is failing the public, copyright trolls are just making it painfully obvious how broken the system has gotten.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/02025423448/company-claims-patent-pop-up-ads-sues-porn-travel-companies.shtml#c373 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 23:16:37 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/02025423448/company-claims-patent-pop-up-ads-sues-porn-travel-companies.shtml#c373
"most Internet businesses use interrupting advertisements such as pop-up windows"


So can you patent something that already has a name?]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/13581923535/microsoft-capitulates-removes-online-drm-xbox-one.shtml#c1037 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 23:14:42 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130619/13581923535/microsoft-capitulates-removes-online-drm-xbox-one.shtml#c1037