http://www.techdirt.com/ Easily digestible tech news.... http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/00174423181/kim-dotcom-threatens-to-sue-google-facebook-twitter-over-2-factor-authentication-patent-if-they-dont-help-him.shtml#c1 Thu, 23 May 2013 04:25:47 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/00174423181/kim-dotcom-threatens-to-sue-google-facebook-twitter-over-2-factor-authentication-patent-if-they-dont-help-him.shtml#c1 very large companies to be, a possible side-effect from something like this is that any argument made, either by the government or the companies, against this instance of 'pay me or get sued' would also work just as well against patent trolls, and anything that makes their lives more difficult is all for the better.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/11301723178/amazon-wants-to-sell-fan-fiction-with-it-originator-fanfic-author-all-sharing-profits.shtml#c65 Thu, 23 May 2013 04:24:31 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/11301723178/amazon-wants-to-sell-fan-fiction-with-it-originator-fanfic-author-all-sharing-profits.shtml#c65
It still worries me that it's very much a gatekeeper move.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/11301723178/amazon-wants-to-sell-fan-fiction-with-it-originator-fanfic-author-all-sharing-profits.shtml#c60 Thu, 23 May 2013 04:24:27 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/11301723178/amazon-wants-to-sell-fan-fiction-with-it-originator-fanfic-author-all-sharing-profits.shtml#c60
But my sense is that significant part of what makes it fun is the lack or restrictions and the ability to share it widely. So, I personally just don't see how there would be any market for paid-for fan-fiction, regardless of price. And if the originator thinks this will give them more control, they should think again. This isn't going to stop fans from writing fan-fiction and sharing it.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/11301723178/amazon-wants-to-sell-fan-fiction-with-it-originator-fanfic-author-all-sharing-profits.shtml#c53 Thu, 23 May 2013 04:24:20 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/11301723178/amazon-wants-to-sell-fan-fiction-with-it-originator-fanfic-author-all-sharing-profits.shtml#c53
Is it just me, or was that title unnecessarily hard to parse?

Might just be my bad English, though (not my first language).]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130425/17042522839/how-gema-is-still-worst-collective-rights-organization-world.shtml#c960 Thu, 23 May 2013 04:18:58 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130425/17042522839/how-gema-is-still-worst-collective-rights-organization-world.shtml#c960
..and the answer is to rape clubs so that they can't afford to operate any more, kill off avenue for independent musicians and charge organisations for music they haven't even played?

"Yeah, bank on Spotify and prepare for what will happen to your carefully curated playlists once Spotify doesn't work the way _you_ want it to work any longer."

If Spotify change their business or are forced to shut down, I will use an alternative service, or just revert to other ways of listening to music. I pay for Spotify (among other things) because it's convenient and gives me what I want as a consumer. Taking that away will not make me magically start buying CDs or spend 10x the money to get the same music. Is that through your thick skull yet?

You're a moron if you think that there's only one way to get music, but you're also a moron to demand that people who already pay for music should pay again because your cash cow of selling plastic discs is no longer enriching your beloved industry.

"But go on... dream..."

Judging by your comments in the paragraphs above that sentence, you're the one dreaming. You're living in a fantasy world. You have to invent strawmen to attack because the people you're addressing aren't as easy to attack as you wish they were. Virtually nothing you've accused me of bears any resemblance to fact.

You're inventing fiction. Why won't you debate reality? Too hard for you?]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/11301723178/amazon-wants-to-sell-fan-fiction-with-it-originator-fanfic-author-all-sharing-profits.shtml#c35 Thu, 23 May 2013 04:13:13 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/11301723178/amazon-wants-to-sell-fan-fiction-with-it-originator-fanfic-author-all-sharing-profits.shtml#c35
So, Amazon are going from distributor to gatekeeper with the same tricks of not giving the creator of the work the majority of profits from sales while keeping control of the work for themselves?

How is this different to traditional publishers?]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/11301723178/amazon-wants-to-sell-fan-fiction-with-it-originator-fanfic-author-all-sharing-profits.shtml#c28 Thu, 23 May 2013 04:10:35 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/11301723178/amazon-wants-to-sell-fan-fiction-with-it-originator-fanfic-author-all-sharing-profits.shtml#c28 Once again, if you just make it so that innovation can occur, people quite frequently figure out business models that build on what maximalists consider "piracy" if they give it time and let the business models shake out.

Not a lot of innovation here. Amazon is paying for the rights to use the characters, and then turning around and taking ownership of the resulting works. Essentially, they are just middle-manning to clear rights to use the characters, at an insanely high cost to the writer.

Yet another success story where a modern company becomes a middleman. Perhaps they are a facilitator for the moment, but that will likely turn to greed if one of the works gets developed into an actual TV episode or movie.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/11301723178/amazon-wants-to-sell-fan-fiction-with-it-originator-fanfic-author-all-sharing-profits.shtml#c8 Thu, 23 May 2013 04:03:02 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/11301723178/amazon-wants-to-sell-fan-fiction-with-it-originator-fanfic-author-all-sharing-profits.shtml#c8 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/03160923172/chinese-hacks-google-database-surveillance-targets-highlight-how-dumb-technology-backdoors-are.shtml#c259 Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:32 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/03160923172/chinese-hacks-google-database-surveillance-targets-highlight-how-dumb-technology-backdoors-are.shtml#c259 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/02350923170/new-bill-would-stop-patent-trolls-hiding-behind-shell-companies.shtml#c264 Thu, 23 May 2013 03:58:51 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/02350923170/new-bill-would-stop-patent-trolls-hiding-behind-shell-companies.shtml#c264 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130520/00493523143/ridiculous-timing-obama-administration-responds-to-spying-ap-pushing-journalist-shield-law-that-wouldnt-matter.shtml#c518 Thu, 23 May 2013 03:57:27 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130520/00493523143/ridiculous-timing-obama-administration-responds-to-spying-ap-pushing-journalist-shield-law-that-wouldnt-matter.shtml#c518 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/02350923170/new-bill-would-stop-patent-trolls-hiding-behind-shell-companies.shtml#c259 Thu, 23 May 2013 03:45:51 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/02350923170/new-bill-would-stop-patent-trolls-hiding-behind-shell-companies.shtml#c259 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/02350923170/new-bill-would-stop-patent-trolls-hiding-behind-shell-companies.shtml#c246 Thu, 23 May 2013 03:44:22 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/02350923170/new-bill-would-stop-patent-trolls-hiding-behind-shell-companies.shtml#c246
I work for a company that calls dibs on anything I invent for as long as I work here. Walking away and taking that idea with me is considered theft even though I would be the one who did all the sweat-of-the-brow inventing.

The law itself permitted broader patents and patents on software, so your argument is invalid.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/22543223166/modest-proposal-going-piracy-neutral.shtml#c352 Thu, 23 May 2013 03:42:34 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/22543223166/modest-proposal-going-piracy-neutral.shtml#c352
Then again, if pirates were this kind of productive, they would have gotten together and lobbied assholes like OOTB out of existence years ago.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/22543223166/modest-proposal-going-piracy-neutral.shtml#c338 Thu, 23 May 2013 03:40:59 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/22543223166/modest-proposal-going-piracy-neutral.shtml#c338 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/17321623162/released-video-silva-beating-shows-his-last-moments-video-actual-beating-still-missing.shtml#c754 Thu, 23 May 2013 03:40:36 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/17321623162/released-video-silva-beating-shows-his-last-moments-video-actual-beating-still-missing.shtml#c754
I would use one of those services. If you 'run away' you may end up being beaten to death for 'resisting an officer'.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/18265123163/reporters-find-exposed-personal-data-via-google-threatened-with-cfaa-charges.shtml#c725 Thu, 23 May 2013 03:38:17 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/18265123163/reporters-find-exposed-personal-data-via-google-threatened-with-cfaa-charges.shtml#c725
If this fails, the next step would be to distribute printed copies of approved web pages.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/22543223166/modest-proposal-going-piracy-neutral.shtml#c325 Thu, 23 May 2013 03:25:47 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/22543223166/modest-proposal-going-piracy-neutral.shtml#c325
you are here

everyday

possibly every hour

hitting refresh

who is the joke now?

Perhaps...

you?]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/18102623141/so-its-come-to-this-seven-high-school-students-arrested-throwing-water-balloons.shtml#c1965 Thu, 23 May 2013 03:17:36 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/18102623141/so-its-come-to-this-seven-high-school-students-arrested-throwing-water-balloons.shtml#c1965 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/18102623141/so-its-come-to-this-seven-high-school-students-arrested-throwing-water-balloons.shtml#c1944 Thu, 23 May 2013 03:16:51 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/18102623141/so-its-come-to-this-seven-high-school-students-arrested-throwing-water-balloons.shtml#c1944