Latest Techdirt Comments http://www.techdirt.com/ Easily digestible tech news.... Re: Re: Re: Drones http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/11032823096/how-low-can-drones-go.shtml#c902 Thu, 23 May 2013 02:17:55 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/11032823096/how-low-can-drones-go.shtml#c902 Look Around You http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/22543223166/modest-proposal-going-piracy-neutral.shtml#c314 Thu, 23 May 2013 02:12:06 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/22543223166/modest-proposal-going-piracy-neutral.shtml#c314 Look Around You.]]> Necessity is the mother of invention http://www.techdirt.com/blog/casestudies/articles/20130510/00083123031/cool-new-platform-supporting-artists-patreon-jack-conte.shtml#c62 Thu, 23 May 2013 02:11:51 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/blog/casestudies/articles/20130510/00083123031/cool-new-platform-supporting-artists-patreon-jack-conte.shtml#c62 http://digitalproductions.co.uk/index.php?id=233

It's amazing how these simple, but radical revenue mechanisms aren't believed as necessary until they are implemented, used, and successful. Only then are they eventually recognised as indispensable, and in hindsight people wonder "Why weren't these things in existence much sooner?"]]> Re: Re: Drones http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/11032823096/how-low-can-drones-go.shtml#c888 Thu, 23 May 2013 02:08:31 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/11032823096/how-low-can-drones-go.shtml#c888 Re: paywall http://www.techdirt.com/blog/casestudies/articles/20130510/00083123031/cool-new-platform-supporting-artists-patreon-jack-conte.shtml#c54 Thu, 23 May 2013 02:05:35 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/blog/casestudies/articles/20130510/00083123031/cool-new-platform-supporting-artists-patreon-jack-conte.shtml#c54
Perhaps the project will grow and have a life of its own, and in time be the origin of a hole line of creative offspring]]> Re: Teenagers http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130506/10364522962/eric-schmidt-still-fan-figuring-out-way-to-erase-past.shtml#c332 Thu, 23 May 2013 02:02:31 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130506/10364522962/eric-schmidt-still-fan-figuring-out-way-to-erase-past.shtml#c332 Why should I have to remove photos of a riotous party just because you want it forgotten while I don't?]]> Re: Bilderberg http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130506/10364522962/eric-schmidt-still-fan-figuring-out-way-to-erase-past.shtml#c319 Thu, 23 May 2013 02:01:38 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130506/10364522962/eric-schmidt-still-fan-figuring-out-way-to-erase-past.shtml#c319
Skeptoid.com: the Bilderberg Group

The Bilderberg Group tells us who they are, when and where they meet, what their purpose is, and in broad strokes what they discuss. Referring to it as some sort of secret society strains credibility. Their stated purpose obviously makes very good sense for people in their position. Which is more likely: They are what they say they are and what we'd expect them to be, or everything we see about them is an illusion and they're actually running our lives and planning our destruction? Beware any conspiracy theory that claims to predict future events. Not one has ever been right.
]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130425/17042522839/how-gema-is-still-worst-collective-rights-organization-world.shtml#c944 Thu, 23 May 2013 01:34:29 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130425/17042522839/how-gema-is-still-worst-collective-rights-organization-world.shtml#c944
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.

I'll be sitting there laughing my butt off.

And your reality distortion field as to what the revenues as a musician are/have been is incredibly strong. How many parents did you hear tell their children to take up a career as a composer/musician? Ever wonder why that is? Because it's a tough business and that's fine. But nowadays we have to deal with cheapskates such as yourself which is not making this market any better.

If you need backup numbers go read around on http://www.thetrichordist.com a bit. You'll find plenty of facts backing up my case.

You and the tech lobby are the ones fantasizing about some form of socialist culture society without even beginning to understand (or even wanting to understand) how the culture economy works.

But go on... dream...]]> Re: Drones http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/11032823096/how-low-can-drones-go.shtml#c874 Thu, 23 May 2013 01:32:23 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/11032823096/how-low-can-drones-go.shtml#c874 Great http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/02350923170/new-bill-would-stop-patent-trolls-hiding-behind-shell-companies.shtml#c199 Thu, 23 May 2013 01:28:26 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/02350923170/new-bill-would-stop-patent-trolls-hiding-behind-shell-companies.shtml#c199 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/22543223166/modest-proposal-going-piracy-neutral.shtml#c296 Thu, 23 May 2013 01:27:28 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/22543223166/modest-proposal-going-piracy-neutral.shtml#c296 Re: Re: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/22543223166/modest-proposal-going-piracy-neutral.shtml#c272 Thu, 23 May 2013 01:25:53 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/22543223166/modest-proposal-going-piracy-neutral.shtml#c272 Re: That's assuming pirates could make anywhere near equal value. http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/22543223166/modest-proposal-going-piracy-neutral.shtml#c251 Thu, 23 May 2013 01:23:07 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/22543223166/modest-proposal-going-piracy-neutral.shtml#c251
Blue even when you try to re-frame the issue you do it wrong.]]> Re: http://www.techdirt.com/blog/casestudies/articles/20130510/00083123031/cool-new-platform-supporting-artists-patreon-jack-conte.shtml#c47 Thu, 23 May 2013 01:22:28 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/blog/casestudies/articles/20130510/00083123031/cool-new-platform-supporting-artists-patreon-jack-conte.shtml#c47 http://www.techdirt.com/blog/casestudies/articles/20130510/00083123031/cool-new-platform-supporting-artists-patreon-jack-conte.shtml#c42 Thu, 23 May 2013 01:21:16 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/blog/casestudies/articles/20130510/00083123031/cool-new-platform-supporting-artists-patreon-jack-conte.shtml#c42
PledgeMusic works just fine for that.]]> 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#c1902 Thu, 23 May 2013 00:59:12 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#c1902 I'm asking Mike to admit that this would weaken some of the rights that copyright holders have as far as anticircumvention is concerned.

So, Joe, can you point to anywhere in the copyright statutes that says that copyright holders have a right to control all access to the works that they authored?

No, you can't, because that was never a right that was granted to them.

And, clearly, Congress did not intend to grant copyright holders those rights. That's why they explicitly included a "savings clause" in 1201(c): "Nothing in this section shall affect rights, remedies, limitations, or defenses to copyright infringement, including fair use, under this title."

This bill would merely clarify that intent - nothing more.

Furthermore, as it stands, this statute applies to much more than copyrighted material. Let's take the classic example: "jailbreaking" your phone so that you are able to switch to a different carrier. If you did this, what access to copyrighted works are you gaining?

The answer: none. "Jailbreaking" your phone does not result in access to any material whatsoever that is within the scope of copyright, as defined in 17 USC 102.

In other words: the DMCA anti-circumvention provisions grant rights to people who have no copyright interests whatsoever.

This is a major flaw in the law as it stands. You said, and I agree, that the intent is to allow copyright holders to protect themselves against infringement. But it is overreaching as it stands, and this bill would simply rectify the situation.

As far as the 106 rights go, all I've heard are conclusory statements that DRM does absolutely nothing to prevent piracy.

That's not really the issue. Anti-circumvention measures (not merely DRM) may help prevent piracy - but, of course, shutting down public libraries would also help prevent piracy. The plain fact is that anti-circumvention provisions do not serve the public welfare. Anti-circumvention measures may help prevent activity that is infringing, but they also bypass all of the limitations on copyright rights that are Constitutionally necessary.

Plus, as I said, anti-circumvention measures are unlawful even regarding material that is not covered by copyright law.

Also, replying to another comment:

making it legal to traffic in technologies that can be used to circumvent access controls would make it easier to infringe.

This is aboslutely false. How easy it is to infringe depends entirely upon how easy it is to actually circumvent the particular access controls. Whether that is legal or illegal makes little difference. I mean, for fuck's sake, people print DeCSS on T-shirts. It can't get more easy than that.

What it would do is make it easier to "traffic in technologies" that don't infringe. But nothing in this bill would make it any more difficult for copyright holders to enforce their rights. It would simply legalize activities that never infringed on their rights in the first place. If someone makes something that can bypass copy protection for the purposes of infringement, they can still get sued, and they can still face criminal charges. And it is not any harder for either copyright holder or the govenrnment to bring these charges against them.]]> Re: Pirate the Beatles, Upload Crap of Your Own... Awesome... http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/22543223166/modest-proposal-going-piracy-neutral.shtml#c249 Thu, 23 May 2013 00:57:43 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/22543223166/modest-proposal-going-piracy-neutral.shtml#c249 Re: Re: Re: Re: whatever http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/22543223166/modest-proposal-going-piracy-neutral.shtml#c239 Thu, 23 May 2013 00:55:32 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/22543223166/modest-proposal-going-piracy-neutral.shtml#c239
RIAA mathematics, ladies and gentlemen!]]> Re: Re: Police State http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/18102623141/so-its-come-to-this-seven-high-school-students-arrested-throwing-water-balloons.shtml#c1932 Thu, 23 May 2013 00:55:25 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130519/18102623141/so-its-come-to-this-seven-high-school-students-arrested-throwing-water-balloons.shtml#c1932 at least the videos exist still http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/17321623162/released-video-silva-beating-shows-his-last-moments-video-actual-beating-still-missing.shtml#c720 Thu, 23 May 2013 00:50:29 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130521/17321623162/released-video-silva-beating-shows-his-last-moments-video-actual-beating-still-missing.shtml#c720