Latest Techdirt Comments http://www.techdirt.com/ Easily digestible tech news.... http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/00554723091/more-details-emerge-key-legal-fight-over-dmca-abuse.shtml#c18 Tue, 21 May 2013 14:27:53 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/00554723091/more-details-emerge-key-legal-fight-over-dmca-abuse.shtml#c18 Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/10401723156/if-you-think-you-should-actually-own-products-you-bought-now-would-be-good-time-to-call-congress.shtml#c966 Tue, 21 May 2013 14:27:09 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/10401723156/if-you-think-you-should-actually-own-products-you-bought-now-would-be-good-time-to-call-congress.shtml#c966 Our point is that the DMCA was intended to enforce copyright

At least in the context of section 1201 this isn't correct. From the start it wasn't about protecting copyright. It was about protecting DRM. Creators of DMCA 1201 knew it perfectly well. See below.]]> Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/19190923142/if-youre-going-to-illegally-seize-citizens-cell-phones-least-make-sure-youre-grabbing-right-ones.shtml#c783 Tue, 21 May 2013 14:26:03 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/19190923142/if-youre-going-to-illegally-seize-citizens-cell-phones-least-make-sure-youre-grabbing-right-ones.shtml#c783 Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/19190923142/if-youre-going-to-illegally-seize-citizens-cell-phones-least-make-sure-youre-grabbing-right-ones.shtml#c768 Tue, 21 May 2013 14:24:56 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/19190923142/if-youre-going-to-illegally-seize-citizens-cell-phones-least-make-sure-youre-grabbing-right-ones.shtml#c768 Re: Every day it's the same thing http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130520/01450023148/makers-nutella-force-fan-who-created-world-nutella-day-to-shut-it-down.shtml#c521 Tue, 21 May 2013 14:21:57 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130520/01450023148/makers-nutella-force-fan-who-created-world-nutella-day-to-shut-it-down.shtml#c521
Blizzard, who is known for being relatively lax on enforcement, went legal on Valve for the names of the heroes in DOTA 2.

I think there is something very wrong with the way enforcement is forced on companies to keep a consistent line on allowing use. To me it would seem relatively easy to make a standard contract describing what you will allow the product to be used for without needing licensing (which should be copyright as it stands today) and having standard licenses for the most common uses like non-corporate non-profit, commercial and transformative commercial.]]> Re: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/13573923121/retired-lt-col-violent-media-has-bred-generation-killers.shtml#c1087 Tue, 21 May 2013 14:21:01 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/13573923121/retired-lt-col-violent-media-has-bred-generation-killers.shtml#c1087 Good. Then we can say that artists of all stripes are grossly overpaid since their works are essentially worthless.

"Not impossible, but highly unlikely in the context of violent media. You need something more personal, or at least more profitable, to manipulate a person into killing."
If it is not impossible, then that is exactly what Grossman is and have been trying to explain. We do not live our lives in a moral and intellectual vacuum. If we do not receive those moral and intellectual education from our parents, we will receive them from elsewhere, from a family mentor or even a murderer. Entertainment and political commentaries are no different in that regard.

"Which no doubt lends validity to its content and leads to a much healthier attitude toward shooting the enemy in the head."
This tells me you have not read Grossman's books.

The difference between violent entertainment and the military is that the latter is a controlled environment. Under that is the difference that recruits in the military are of sufficient mental and intellectual maturity to understand the atrocity of killing another human being. For an an Air Force guy like myself, that atrociousness is more intellectual than emotional. But for an Army soldier and a Marine, either trooper are required to know killing at a much more physically personal level and that made the atrociousness of the act more emotional.

This crucial difference is exactly what Grossman tries to make clear but people in their knee-jerk reactions to any alleged infringement of the First Amendment rights immediately ignored.]]> Error in article http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/13573923121/retired-lt-col-violent-media-has-bred-generation-killers.shtml#c1074 Tue, 21 May 2013 14:20:22 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/13573923121/retired-lt-col-violent-media-has-bred-generation-killers.shtml#c1074 2. 2002 - 14 incidents, 15 killed
(note: the beltway sniper is counted as 11 separate incidents, which is stupid. This number should be 3 incidents total.)
Eleven plus three equals the total of fourteen, so shouldn't the total of incidents be four in a sensible world?]]> Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/10401723156/if-you-think-you-should-actually-own-products-you-bought-now-would-be-good-time-to-call-congress.shtml#c946 Tue, 21 May 2013 14:14:10 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/10401723156/if-you-think-you-should-actually-own-products-you-bought-now-would-be-good-time-to-call-congress.shtml#c946
So you are talking about some non tangible potential of affecting copyrights, while you ignore that DMCA/1201 very concretely violates users ability to exercise fair use. Therefore dropping DMCA/1201 will restore concrete users' rights and will not really affect any copyrights. Ignoring this is hypocrisy.]]> Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/10401723156/if-you-think-you-should-actually-own-products-you-bought-now-would-be-good-time-to-call-congress.shtml#c921 Tue, 21 May 2013 14:12:52 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/10401723156/if-you-think-you-should-actually-own-products-you-bought-now-would-be-good-time-to-call-congress.shtml#c921 Re: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/19190923142/if-youre-going-to-illegally-seize-citizens-cell-phones-least-make-sure-youre-grabbing-right-ones.shtml#c758 Tue, 21 May 2013 14:10:55 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/19190923142/if-youre-going-to-illegally-seize-citizens-cell-phones-least-make-sure-youre-grabbing-right-ones.shtml#c758
On a more serious note, police are not gods, they have a job, they are supposed to know how to do their job, they get paid to know how to do their job, they exist to serve and protect and if they fail to uphold the core mission of their existence then they've failed.

There's a bigger picture here. Stop smelling the flowers and pay attention. You're not all wrong but you must admit that neither were the police all right.

Cameras and questions are valid. Violence as a response is not. Especially so when the "law" is, by default, skewed to the wielder.

Those "same citizens" are the ones going out of their way, as mere citizens, to address the wrongs of power.]]> Setting the record straight http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/13573923121/retired-lt-col-violent-media-has-bred-generation-killers.shtml#c1050 Tue, 21 May 2013 14:02:46 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/13573923121/retired-lt-col-violent-media-has-bred-generation-killers.shtml#c1050
The US also implemented Saddam in Iraq to help in the 70s.

Both groups hated each other which can't be said enough.

The US, being run by neocons, ignored Afghanistan and Al Qaeda even though Rumsfeld was given Bin Laden on a silver platter and he opted to ignore it.

The public was lied to with Bush admitting that he committed the War effort to try to privatize Social Security (it's in his autobiography).

He never should have been president. He had the longest vacation of any president. He increased our deficit to fund two illegal wars. He destroyed civil liberties which Obama has continued when there are far better alternatives.

Saddam was nothing more than a target for neocons for oil and the US got kicked out for having a private force (Blackwater) running like an occupation and killing people in the name of the US.

Meanwhile, Cheney makes BILLIONS off of the war effort for guns and murder while the soldiers get the mental health issues.

And when we look at the costs.... The explosions of democracies from the removal of the status quo...

I can't say it was worth taking out a dictator that we installed in the first place.]]> Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/10401723156/if-you-think-you-should-actually-own-products-you-bought-now-would-be-good-time-to-call-congress.shtml#c912 Tue, 21 May 2013 14:01:13 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/10401723156/if-you-think-you-should-actually-own-products-you-bought-now-would-be-good-time-to-call-congress.shtml#c912
If you own something, you can DO WHAT YOU WANT WITH IT!

The first sale doctrine, the Supreme Court's ruling on the matter of buying something and then re-selling and doing what you want with it, states that copyright law does NOT trump a person's right to do with property as they please.]]> Re: You may be next, Pirate Mike! http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/16464823123/swedish-prosecutor-claims-registrar-se-domains-being-accomplice-infringement-because-pirate-bay-domain.shtml#c908 Tue, 21 May 2013 13:59:35 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/16464823123/swedish-prosecutor-claims-registrar-se-domains-being-accomplice-infringement-because-pirate-bay-domain.shtml#c908 your constant defense of KNOWN criminals like infringer-millionaire Dotcom of Mega;

If he was being tried in the UK your post would be in contempt of court.]]> Re: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/13573923121/retired-lt-col-violent-media-has-bred-generation-killers.shtml#c1031 Tue, 21 May 2013 13:58:56 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/13573923121/retired-lt-col-violent-media-has-bred-generation-killers.shtml#c1031 Given how much Grossman is ridiculed for his thesis, perhaps musicians in particular and people in general should abandon the belief in the phrase 'Music has charms to soothe the savage breast'?
Yes, they should.

It is possible to persuade people to buy and to soothe their rage, but impossible to provoke passion and persuade to kill?

Not impossible, but highly unlikely in the context of violent media. You need something more personal, or at least more profitable, to manipulate a person into killing.

On Killing is on the Marine Corps Commandant required reading list.

Which no doubt lends validity to its content and leads to a much healthier attitude toward shooting the enemy in the head.]]> Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/10401723156/if-you-think-you-should-actually-own-products-you-bought-now-would-be-good-time-to-call-congress.shtml#c900 Tue, 21 May 2013 13:58:18 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/10401723156/if-you-think-you-should-actually-own-products-you-bought-now-would-be-good-time-to-call-congress.shtml#c900
Because, honestly, AJ, if you buy something, shouldn't you *OWN* the thing?

And, according to the First Sale Doctrine, which TRUMPS copyright law, once you buy something, you can do what you WANT to it, no questions asked.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130502/18364622931/ma-teen-arrested-held-without-bail-posting-supposed-terrorist-threat-facebook.shtml#c964 Tue, 21 May 2013 13:55:49 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130502/18364622931/ma-teen-arrested-held-without-bail-posting-supposed-terrorist-threat-facebook.shtml#c964 www.facebook.com/pages/Mayor-Steve-Zanni/285400194822570 if anyone would like to leave a comment :)]]> Re: Re: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130507/06201422976/chicago-blackhawks-fire-reporter-over-silly-old-youtube-videos.shtml#c753 Tue, 21 May 2013 13:54:42 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130507/06201422976/chicago-blackhawks-fire-reporter-over-silly-old-youtube-videos.shtml#c753 Re: worker factories http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/18345423136/doj-dept-education-to-colleges-start-restricting-free-speech-campus-kiss-your-federal-funding-goodbye.shtml#c1125 Tue, 21 May 2013 13:53:51 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130517/18345423136/doj-dept-education-to-colleges-start-restricting-free-speech-campus-kiss-your-federal-funding-goodbye.shtml#c1125
But I think we need pushback from more than First Amendment grounds, because that only protects the *right* to express potentially objectionable or offensive ideas. Universities have a *duty* to expose minds to such things, IMO. To my mind, that's a core mission of universities: to intellectually challenge its students. And a necessary part of that is to make them uncomfortable with their present beliefs & attitudes, so they are motivated to examine them carefully. Of course, there are promising ways to do this, and there are crude ways... and there is actual harassment. But I wouldn't rely on a hastily drawn-up law to distinguish between those.]]> Re: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/19190923142/if-youre-going-to-illegally-seize-citizens-cell-phones-least-make-sure-youre-grabbing-right-ones.shtml#c741 Tue, 21 May 2013 13:53:00 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/19190923142/if-youre-going-to-illegally-seize-citizens-cell-phones-least-make-sure-youre-grabbing-right-ones.shtml#c741
everytime I read these stories, no matter how obnoxious the person recording is [claimed to be]....

i put 100% of the blame/fault on the cop when these things happen.

these guys are walking around with a very easy to use tool capable of ending your life in a split second. if cops cannot keep their cool with someone filming them.. what do the same cops do when things get even more heated? beat someone to death?]]> Re: http://www.techdirt.com/blog/innovation/articles/20130521/12175523157/nyc-says-renting-out-your-place-via-airbnb-is-running-illegal-hotel.shtml#c79 Tue, 21 May 2013 13:52:49 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/blog/innovation/articles/20130521/12175523157/nyc-says-renting-out-your-place-via-airbnb-is-running-illegal-hotel.shtml#c79