http://www.techdirt.com/ Easily digestible tech news.... http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130227/14231422143/comcast-we-wont-terminate-your-account-under-six-strikes-well-just-block-every-single-website.shtml#c3847 Thu, 28 Feb 2013 12:48:00 PST http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130227/14231422143/comcast-we-wont-terminate-your-account-under-six-strikes-well-just-block-every-single-website.shtml#c3847 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120712/18255119679/mpaa-points-to-its-roster-crappy-online-services-asks-what-were-complaining-about.shtml#c1469 Fri, 13 Jul 2012 10:37:33 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120712/18255119679/mpaa-points-to-its-roster-crappy-online-services-asks-what-were-complaining-about.shtml#c1469 ads and anti-piracy warnings.

Mine: fast forwarding for 3 minutes while you watch the ads...

Yours: ...warnings...

Sure, the warnings only lasted between 5 & 10 seconds of that. Still far too long imho.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120712/18255119679/mpaa-points-to-its-roster-crappy-online-services-asks-what-were-complaining-about.shtml#c1216 Fri, 13 Jul 2012 08:46:24 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120712/18255119679/mpaa-points-to-its-roster-crappy-online-services-asks-what-were-complaining-about.shtml#c1216 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120712/18255119679/mpaa-points-to-its-roster-crappy-online-services-asks-what-were-complaining-about.shtml#c1126 Fri, 13 Jul 2012 08:32:46 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120712/18255119679/mpaa-points-to-its-roster-crappy-online-services-asks-what-were-complaining-about.shtml#c1126 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120621/02232219411/google-is-to-pink-slime-as-apples-are-to-airplanes.shtml#c378 Wed, 27 Jun 2012 07:26:30 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120621/02232219411/google-is-to-pink-slime-as-apples-are-to-airplanes.shtml#c378 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120624/14490119450/being-pissed-off-doesnt-mean-you-have-legal-claim.shtml#c87 Mon, 25 Jun 2012 13:54:15 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120624/14490119450/being-pissed-off-doesnt-mean-you-have-legal-claim.shtml#c87 If the innovator keeps innovating, as Apple and [YCombinator] have, they will do fine

Which explains the lawsuits. I haven't seen a whole lot of innovation from Apple the last couple years.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120624/13305419447/jimmy-wales-campaigns-to-stop-despicable-attempt-to-extradite-try-richard-o-dwyer.shtml#c368 Mon, 25 Jun 2012 10:12:44 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120624/13305419447/jimmy-wales-campaigns-to-stop-despicable-attempt-to-extradite-try-richard-o-dwyer.shtml#c368 Wales defending a criminal is a new low for him

Richard O'Dwyer is not a criminal, that's the point. I can do anything I like as long as I don't break the laws where I am at, and he should be able to as well.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120621/01282619409/why-do-people-who-always-ask-us-to-respect-artists-seem-to-have-so-little-respect-artists.shtml#c2344 Fri, 22 Jun 2012 06:49:54 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120621/01282619409/why-do-people-who-always-ask-us-to-respect-artists-seem-to-have-so-little-respect-artists.shtml#c2344 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120621/01282619409/why-do-people-who-always-ask-us-to-respect-artists-seem-to-have-so-little-respect-artists.shtml#c2301 Fri, 22 Jun 2012 06:41:21 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120621/01282619409/why-do-people-who-always-ask-us-to-respect-artists-seem-to-have-so-little-respect-artists.shtml#c2301
There are fewer comments that are uncensored(by the community) that meet all of those characteristics.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120427/18013118692/sad-state-copyright-guy-using-3-to-10-second-clips-music-viral-videos-accused-infringement.shtml#c1133 Tue, 1 May 2012 10:31:22 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120427/18013118692/sad-state-copyright-guy-using-3-to-10-second-clips-music-viral-videos-accused-infringement.shtml#c1133 So to be clear, you're not okay with Sony asserting its legal rights because such rights happen to be associated with copyright law. I guess this means you would deny Sony the right to proceed in an action against this user of excerpts from its music portfolio.

Oh, abso-freaking-lutely. I would go farther. I would assert that Sony should lose their copyright as a penalty for this abuse of the legal system. Maybe then they would use caution and thought before threatening or taking legal action.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120420/02424618573/australian-government-plans-to-continue-holding-secret-anti-piracy-stakeholder-meetings-with-industry-no-consumer-advocates.shtml#c852 Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:05:09 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120420/02424618573/australian-government-plans-to-continue-holding-secret-anti-piracy-stakeholder-meetings-with-industry-no-consumer-advocates.shtml#c852 http://www.techdirt.com/blog/wireless/articles/20120410/23381218447/is-corruption-responsible-for80-yourmobilephonebill-no-not-really.shtml#c309 Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:10:25 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/blog/wireless/articles/20120410/23381218447/is-corruption-responsible-for80-yourmobilephonebill-no-not-really.shtml#c309

public class Washington extends Republic implements corruption{
 private Discussion backRoomDealings;
 private Discussion jobOffers;
 private Discussion retreat;
 public Discussion lunch;
 public Discussion pressReleases;

 private Funding bribe;
 private CorporatePocket pocket;
 public Funding donation;
 public Servent politician;

 public boolean passed = false;

 public Lobbying getInfluence(Servent politician){
  Lobbying sucessfulLobbying = true;

  if (politician.isCorrupt() && backRoomDealings.schedule(politician)){
   try{
    politician.add(jobOffers);
    politician.add(bribe);
    pocket.add(politician);
    return sucessfulLobbying;
   }catch(NotEnoughOffered yet){
    getInfluence(politician);
   }
  }else{
   try{
    politician.add(donation);
    politician.add(lunch);
    politician.add(retreat);
    pocket.add(politician);
    return successfulLobbying;
   }catch(NotEnoughOffered yet){
    getInfluence(politician);
   }
  }
 }

 public void passLaw(){
  Law proposedLaw;

  //maybe implement this as multi-threaded...
  while(proposedLaw != passed){
   for(Servent politician : congress){
    getInfluence(politician);
   }
  }
 }

 public boolean isABribe(){
  if (donation > 0 && politician.HadDiscussionWith() == true){
   return true;
  }else{
   return false;
  }
 }
}]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120415/02354118491/difference-between-nuanced-discussion-evil-underbelly-internet-is-apparently-fine-line-indeed.shtml#c7041 Sun, 22 Apr 2012 18:09:02 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120415/02354118491/difference-between-nuanced-discussion-evil-underbelly-internet-is-apparently-fine-line-indeed.shtml#c7041 But your piracy hits the average musician you claim to be angry was lied to and cheated on by the labels. Nice double uppercut on the muso.

Um no. It doesn't. That's kind of the point.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120416/12020318506/copyright-maximalists-try-to-regroup-figure-out-how-to-fight-back-against-public.shtml#c242 Tue, 17 Apr 2012 09:00:13 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120416/12020318506/copyright-maximalists-try-to-regroup-figure-out-how-to-fight-back-against-public.shtml#c242 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120416/12020318506/copyright-maximalists-try-to-regroup-figure-out-how-to-fight-back-against-public.shtml#c220 Tue, 17 Apr 2012 08:57:46 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120416/12020318506/copyright-maximalists-try-to-regroup-figure-out-how-to-fight-back-against-public.shtml#c220
The truth is that we've already taken back copyright because IP maximalists have abused it for decades(centuries?). We are just now getting around to making those changes a part of law.

It's the old camel analogy. You know the one. Let a camel stick his nose in your tent and soon you'll have the whole camel. In this case, it was our idiot elected servants who let the camel in and now the owner of the tent is using a stick to beat it back outside again.

Stop whining. It's your own fault. Stay out of my tent.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120416/13563918516/judge-preserves-megaupload-evidence-now-while-govt-tries-to-pin-blame-hosting-company.shtml#c919 Tue, 17 Apr 2012 08:44:24 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120416/13563918516/judge-preserves-megaupload-evidence-now-while-govt-tries-to-pin-blame-hosting-company.shtml#c919 The result would be the internet running the world at the lowest common denominator level of law.

Because the lowest common denominator is always something to aim for, right?

Your ideas are completely untenable and shows an absolute lack of comprehension of the reality of a worldwide internet. You should really step back and think of a few flaws in your own argument before you hit submit. You might just rethink a few things. Like:

How many lawyers versed in how many different countries laws will your company have to have on retainer to figure out what laws you are breaking?

How many of those countries are you offering a service which is legal until someone else (completely separate from you and without your knowledge) does something illegal with it? How do you control the actions of millions of users? (Keep in mind that BILLIONs of dollars have been unsuccessfully thrown at the question.)

Why is it so unreasonable for someone to just be responsible for obeying the laws of the country they are in, but it's reasonable for someone to be responsible for obeying all laws everywhere?

Why are internet storage lockers more liable than their physical world equivalents?

I really think you should ask yourself some of those questions. If you already have, just acknowledge that you want to kill the world wide internet and replace it with smaller intranets that don't inter-operate with incompatible jurisdictions.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120321/17385918193/our-gift-to-authors-guild-ad-brick-mortar-book-stores.shtml#c413 Wed, 28 Mar 2012 09:10:58 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120321/17385918193/our-gift-to-authors-guild-ad-brick-mortar-book-stores.shtml#c413 wooden pitchfork. Stylish and deadly.]]> http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120321/14383118190/should-we-outlaw-employers-asking-social-networking-logins.shtml#c319 Thu, 22 Mar 2012 08:48:00 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120321/14383118190/should-we-outlaw-employers-asking-social-networking-logins.shtml#c319 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120321/14022718188/parent-claims-enders-game-is-pornographic-teacher-who-read-it-to-students-put-temporary-leave.shtml#c305 Wed, 21 Mar 2012 16:29:02 PDT http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120321/14022718188/parent-claims-enders-game-is-pornographic-teacher-who-read-it-to-students-put-temporary-leave.shtml#c305 http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111212/03463017042/tsa-continues-to-embarass-elderly-with-unnecessarily-degrading-search-procedures.shtml#c415 Mon, 12 Dec 2011 22:25:21 PST http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111212/03463017042/tsa-continues-to-embarass-elderly-with-unnecessarily-degrading-search-procedures.shtml#c415
Both of which could have been prevented if only we had been in the habit of humiliating the elderly prior to the attacks.]]>