http://www.techdirt.com/ Easily digestible tech news.... http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130108/08214421605/contractors-lining-up-against-free-speech.shtml#c832 Fri, 24 May 2013 15:08:04 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130108/08214421605/contractors-lining-up-against-free-speech.shtml#c832 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/19133923200/copyright-patent-its-all-same-to-worlds-third-largest-news-agency.shtml#c673 Fri, 24 May 2013 15:07:51 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/19133923200/copyright-patent-its-all-same-to-worlds-third-largest-news-agency.shtml#c673 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/12122823187/guy-sues-twitter-taking-away-his-twitter-handle.shtml#c132 Fri, 24 May 2013 15:05:57 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/12122823187/guy-sues-twitter-taking-away-his-twitter-handle.shtml#c132 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130524/10542823205/another-court-tells-prenda-to-pay-up-attorneys-fees.shtml#c84 Fri, 24 May 2013 15:01:09 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130524/10542823205/another-court-tells-prenda-to-pay-up-attorneys-fees.shtml#c84 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/19133923200/copyright-patent-its-all-same-to-worlds-third-largest-news-agency.shtml#c672 Fri, 24 May 2013 15:00:13 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/19133923200/copyright-patent-its-all-same-to-worlds-third-largest-news-agency.shtml#c672 And yes, a factual error in report is precisely "a systemic failure of the entire enterprise" because accurate reporting of the news is, explicitly and exactly, what the system of a news enterprise is set up to do.

No, it's a single mistake. A systemic failure happens when you can demonstrate that the whole system has failed, and you sure as hell can't do that with a single mistake in a single article. Please get over yourself.

And do you really believe that is the singular purpose of a news organization? I am sure that is high on their list of priorities, but even the French government has been having trouble figuring out what AFP is and isn't, and should and shouldn't be. They can quote idealistic mission statements about exactitude all they want but the fact is that organizations are motivated by ideals AND money AND politics AND a desire for self-preservation AND egos AND practical constraints.

I can't believe I'm reading a Techdirt article where the squeaky-clean Disney's Main Street USA Edward R. Murrow-and-Walter Cronkite idealization of journalism as being a superhuman endeavor is being defended as fact.

If that's the case, maybe we should make Google subsidize all the newspapers!]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130524/00583723201/if-you-thought-copyright-was-mess-earth-what-does-it-look-like-space.shtml#c258 Fri, 24 May 2013 14:59:26 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130524/00583723201/if-you-thought-copyright-was-mess-earth-what-does-it-look-like-space.shtml#c258 However I am pretty sure that the sum of all copyright is significantly more restrictive, making France or Germaby look like a piracy paradise. I mean, combine EU laws with almost complete control for the copyright holder and a demand for a warrent to be able to remove infringing content (officially...) with the US where there are lawgiven fair use and DMCA. The sum would be almost complete control for the copyright holder and DMCA-systems to remove content (which is close to how it really works!). Add to that the japanese anticircumvention laws on DRM, the three strike model of the kiwis, with Swedens nasty federal offence infringement, use of US intelligence data to discover infringers and the ITU DPI standard to control data submission. Then we are dealing with extremely nasty stuff.

Of course the copyright industry will find it insufficient, since nothing should be spared to defend their livelyhood. They will ask for protected top-level domains (.music for all music and removal on sight on any other domain, combined with national domain-names being 100% restricted to only local traffic), a DRM-standard in HTML5, a complete 3rd party liability for sites, ISPs and advertisement agencies and better content ID markers.

Imagine that world...]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130108/08214421605/contractors-lining-up-against-free-speech.shtml#c820 Fri, 24 May 2013 14:55:53 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130108/08214421605/contractors-lining-up-against-free-speech.shtml#c820 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130524/10542823205/another-court-tells-prenda-to-pay-up-attorneys-fees.shtml#c82 Fri, 24 May 2013 14:54:51 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130524/10542823205/another-court-tells-prenda-to-pay-up-attorneys-fees.shtml#c82 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/00412423167/fair-use-me-not-thee.shtml#c6 Fri, 24 May 2013 14:52:54 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/00412423167/fair-use-me-not-thee.shtml#c6 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/17515223193/riaa-copyright-reform-we-need-is-to-make-everyone-else-copyright-cops.shtml#c1152 Fri, 24 May 2013 14:50:47 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/17515223193/riaa-copyright-reform-we-need-is-to-make-everyone-else-copyright-cops.shtml#c1152 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/18103323179/filmmaker-behind-pirate-bay-documentary-says-bogus-dmca-takedowns-take-away-his-free-speech.shtml#c1153 Fri, 24 May 2013 14:50:34 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/18103323179/filmmaker-behind-pirate-bay-documentary-says-bogus-dmca-takedowns-take-away-his-free-speech.shtml#c1153
So quit watching or start buying!]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130524/01462423203/ex-prenda-lawyer-brett-gibbs-pleads-poverty-to-judge-wright.shtml#c494 Fri, 24 May 2013 14:49:25 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130524/01462423203/ex-prenda-lawyer-brett-gibbs-pleads-poverty-to-judge-wright.shtml#c494
How many of the people these clowns extorted/blackmailed money from were broke or had serious medical problems or financial burdens and paid up despite not being able to afford to? He didn't think about, or care, about any of them, so why should any of us care about the fact he is now in the same boat.

Mainly, though, I have no sympathy because after all the lies and BS he has peddled, I don't believe for a minute he's actually broke. Let the IRS do an audit and come back and say he's really broke, then I might believe him.

And if it turns out he is, indeed broke, then on top of everything else, he's a dumbass for letting his "partners" screw him out of a decent share of their spoils.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/21222323165/another-ca-cop-thinks-cell-phone-might-be-dangerous-weapon.shtml#c653 Fri, 24 May 2013 14:47:38 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/21222323165/another-ca-cop-thinks-cell-phone-might-be-dangerous-weapon.shtml#c653 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/19133923200/copyright-patent-its-all-same-to-worlds-third-largest-news-agency.shtml#c648 Fri, 24 May 2013 14:46:32 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/19133923200/copyright-patent-its-all-same-to-worlds-third-largest-news-agency.shtml#c648
Again, you have zero idea of how this actually happened. The pot is awfully fervent about the kettle's blackness today. Why don't you call up the newsroom and talk to the principals involved? Are journalists the only ones who can do investigation?]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130524/00583723201/if-you-thought-copyright-was-mess-earth-what-does-it-look-like-space.shtml#c251 Fri, 24 May 2013 14:45:41 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130524/00583723201/if-you-thought-copyright-was-mess-earth-what-does-it-look-like-space.shtml#c251 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130524/10542823205/another-court-tells-prenda-to-pay-up-attorneys-fees.shtml#c77 Fri, 24 May 2013 14:43:19 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130524/10542823205/another-court-tells-prenda-to-pay-up-attorneys-fees.shtml#c77 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130524/10542823205/another-court-tells-prenda-to-pay-up-attorneys-fees.shtml#c69 Fri, 24 May 2013 14:42:38 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130524/10542823205/another-court-tells-prenda-to-pay-up-attorneys-fees.shtml#c69 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/18102623141/so-its-come-to-this-seven-high-school-students-arrested-throwing-water-balloons.shtml#c2238 Fri, 24 May 2013 14:42:36 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/18102623141/so-its-come-to-this-seven-high-school-students-arrested-throwing-water-balloons.shtml#c2238
But you have a point, now that this major crime has been dealt with the "disadvantaged" "problem" school can go back to the usual drive bys, drug deals, and gang fights without further disruption to the school day.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/19133923200/copyright-patent-its-all-same-to-worlds-third-largest-news-agency.shtml#c646 Fri, 24 May 2013 14:41:25 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/19133923200/copyright-patent-its-all-same-to-worlds-third-largest-news-agency.shtml#c646
Nothing in this post claims AFP is entirely in shambles -- it's just deservedly harsh criticism over a specific major error. And yes, a factual error in report is precisely "a systemic failure of the entire enterprise" because accurate reporting of the news is, explicitly and exactly, what the system of a news enterprise is set up to do.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/18102623141/so-its-come-to-this-seven-high-school-students-arrested-throwing-water-balloons.shtml#c2223 Fri, 24 May 2013 14:38:31 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/18102623141/so-its-come-to-this-seven-high-school-students-arrested-throwing-water-balloons.shtml#c2223
I invite everyone to learn about this dangerous omnipresent substance at:
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