AG Wright 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (120) comment rss

  • On the post: UN Wants Multi-Stakeholder Discussions On 'Rethinking Copyright' — Ignores That The Only Stakeholder That Matters Is The Public

    AG Wright ( profile ), 10 Nov, 2012 @ 04:18am

    The problem with forgetting the public

    The problem with forgetting the public in all of this is that, at least in the US the part of the whole bargain where we benefit from the agreement has been left out.
    I'm a musician. If I want to record out of copyright music, and I do sometimes I have to figure out if a song is still copyrighted, which is a not trivial exercise and even if I do record music that is out of copyright it is extremely likely that a corporation will claim that it is still there's even when it's not.
    Another problem is that, in general, corporations don't die. People do. Even when a corporation dies it's intellectual property is generally sold to another so it's still copyrighted and nothing is going into the public domain.
    NOTHING
    One more time, even though the corporations aren't really listening. NOTHING
    Part of the bargain to allow creators copyright is being violated.
    It's not a problem with creators not being compensated. It's a problem of the fact, one more time, it's a fact, that the bargain has been violated by the corporations.
    The corporations have NO natural right to perpetual copyright but with their lobbyists and bribes to legislators they have removed the public benefit and with our new global society they are trying to remove that benefit to the entire world.
    I know you won't but you corporate apologists should hang your heads in shame but this is your job so you will continue to be corporate lackeys.

  • On the post: DailyDirt: People Colored

    AG Wright ( profile ), 09 Nov, 2012 @ 04:08am

    Colors for kids

    Personally back in the day when I had babies I usually dressed them in yellow. Leave them guessing.

  • On the post: The Internet Didn't 'Kill' Carly Rae Jepsen's Career

    AG Wright ( profile ), 01 Nov, 2012 @ 09:30am

    Who?

    I can't help it.
    I've been a musician for 40 years, never had or even wanted a "hit".
    I've had a lot of fun though and I figure that anyone that has made any money at all is pretty lucky.
    Just think in 30 years she can join a reunion tour and be nostalgic with a bunch of other one hit wonders.

  • On the post: DailyDirt: Interstellar Travel — 'To Boldly Go Where No One Has Gone Before'

    AG Wright ( profile ), 18 Sep, 2012 @ 05:33pm

    "where no one has gone before"

    Only if there are no aliens there. If there are aliens there then they have already been there.

  • On the post: New Zealand Court Releases $4.83 Million To Kim Dotcom

    AG Wright ( profile ), 29 Aug, 2012 @ 02:42pm

    Where are?

    Where are all the posts about pirate Mike? This has been up for hours and nothing.
    I wonder if they all got laid off in the latest cuts?

  • On the post: Paper Suggests Letting The Government Use Your Router In An Emergency

    AG Wright ( profile ), 28 Aug, 2012 @ 04:06am

    Can't imagine it working

    First, within days of this being implemented someone would publish an exploit to take advantage of this.
    Second someone would make use of it to distribute some porn or malware and then it would make the old routers unstable.

  • On the post: Wilt Chamberlain's Family Tries To Block Film About His College Years, Claiming 'Publicity Rights'

    AG Wright ( profile ), 21 Aug, 2012 @ 10:58am

    Fame

    It seems to me that if the family wants to have a little control over what is going to happen in the movie and wet their beak a little they ought to cooperate with the movie makers, but no that would be too easy.

  • On the post: Dear Permission Culture: This Is Why No One Wants To Ask For Your OK

    AG Wright ( profile ), 30 Jul, 2012 @ 11:21am

    Re: Re: Re: Re:

    Now all we need is a web site and someone organized enough to start a movement.
    Then we can start the petitions.

  • On the post: RIAA's Backdoor Plan For Using 'Six Strikes' Plan To Cut Off Internet Access For People

    AG Wright ( profile ), 27 Jul, 2012 @ 02:56pm

    Re: Re:

    Actually I heard about the whole SOPA, PIPA, ACTA thing here on Techdirt first and then people, people who aren't even pirates or techies started sharing it on Facebook.
    I saw articles on CNet and such too and these are definitely not Google properties.
    Of course we all know that everybody here but you is a pirate, or at least you keep accusing us of it.

  • On the post: If You Go To The Olympics, You Can Bring Your iPhone Or Android Phone… But You Better Not Tether

    AG Wright ( profile ), 25 Jul, 2012 @ 02:32pm

    Excitement

    I know that I'm supposed to be excited about the uh the games in London, don't use the O word, might get sued, however in spite of TV and such trying to increase the suspense/excitement I frankly don't give a Damn.

  • On the post: Let The Judiciary Committee Know That Creating A Mini-SOPA Without Public Participation Is Unacceptable

    AG Wright ( profile ), 11 Jul, 2012 @ 04:05am

    New department now?

    I can't help to think that when we are supposedly in the process of shrinking the budget that now is not the proper time to establish a brand new department that will certainly cost millions if not billions of dollars.
    Of course they will probably just take the money from something like the Education Department or EPA that they don't like and the public does rather than actually raise the money.
    It's just a stupid idea all around.

  • On the post: Another Reason The Music Industry Won't Be Coming Back — The History Of Music Is More About Participation Than Compensation

    AG Wright ( profile ), 03 Jul, 2012 @ 04:49pm

    Music is fun

    As a musician for 40 some years I've been saying that we are lucky to have this job to professional musicians.
    Lots of others would like to make a living this way and don't get an opportunity to do so.
    We get paid to play. It's as simple as that.

    For the past couple of generations some people that weren't performers got lucky to be paid to promote us on recordings but it seems that that is over. This is a good thing.
    Now we can make music for our community again and darned if our community isn't the whole world.
    How cool is that?

  • On the post: Another Reason The Music Industry Won't Be Coming Back — The History Of Music Is More About Participation Than Compensation

    AG Wright ( profile ), 03 Jul, 2012 @ 04:40pm

    Re: Re:

    It's a Bb. They proved it scientifically.

  • On the post: Get Ready For The Political Fight Against Encryption

    AG Wright ( profile ), 22 Jun, 2012 @ 11:36am

    Backdoors.

    What they really need to do is require back doors in all communications. Nobody will ever figure out what they are. Really. I mean it's never happened before has it?

    The above is sarcasm, just in case you can't tell.

  • On the post: Get Ready For The Political Fight Against Encryption

    AG Wright ( profile ), 22 Jun, 2012 @ 11:34am

    Re: Campaign finance

    "But how do we get politicians to understand the dire consequences without a $5000 check saying "You must vote as we tell you to or we'll use the money against you!""

    That should be $50,000. $5,000 is small potatoes.

  • On the post: Why Do The People Who Always Ask Us To 'Respect' Artists Seem To Have So Little Respect For Artists?

    AG Wright ( profile ), 21 Jun, 2012 @ 12:34pm

    In answer to your question

    The answer is simple and already noted above. If an artist isn't making money for big entertainment they aren't an artist. Period.
    I have to admire any artist that is making a living in the present or any past environment doing what they want to do to make a living. Selling out?
    Artists have always had to make stuff, music, paintings, plays... that are to the taste of someone that is willing to pay for it. Now it's just easier for those artists to find an audience.

  • On the post: A Broken System: Einstein Wouldn't Have Been 'Qualified' To Teach High School Physics

    AG Wright ( profile ), 20 Jun, 2012 @ 03:35am

    My dad the unqualified teacher

    My dad taught science and math at the college level for over 30 years and was unqualified to teach at the high school level.
    He was unqualified because he didn't ever take the courses that the education department teaches during the block semester, which is the first part of the semester when teachers practice teach.
    I can't tell you how many teachers have told me that they learned more about how to teach from him in the Science for Elementary Teachers class that he taught during the block time for all potential elementary teachers than any other class.
    That's right he wasn't qualified to teach in an elementary school but he was qualified to teach elementary teachers.
    So, in short, Einstein wasn't qualified to teach anything but college.
    Frankly I think it would have been a waste of his time but that's just an opinion.
    He would have had to take about a semester of classes in teaching to get the certifications he needed.
    He could have taken those certifications, if he had been interested in teaching at a lower level.
    Those classes do NOT make a person a good teacher but they do give them some good techniques for teaching.
    Nothing ensures that a person will be a good teacher. Some are, some aren't and I don't think that will ever change.

  • On the post: Dutch Appeals Court Says eBay Subsidiary Not Liable For Infringement By Users

    AG Wright ( profile ), 05 Jun, 2012 @ 05:03am

    Re: Re: Re:

    What is hilarious is your demonizing your potential customers after setting up a system that continues copyright for such a long time that whole lifetimes of music and books are locked up by Disney and other rights holders.
    Truthfully, nobody cares about Steamboat Willie and it's copyright. We don't care if Disney is worried about their trademark on the mouse. We'd like to have permission to use our musical and literary heritage without paying people for that use who are not only not heirs of the original artists but haven't even ever met the artists.
    Just because some of us are pirates doesn't mean that we don't have a legitimate gripe with the system and your demonizing the word "pirate" is like some people demonizing the word "liberal". Because you don't like it you demonize it all the while thinking that makes it bad.
    We are trying to start a movement to reform a system that is totally screwed up and unsustainable due to the simple fact that now there is a system that is world wide and you can't regulate it.
    That must really gripe the heck out of you and those that pay you for your minionhood.

  • On the post: Not Only Can You 'Compete With Free' You Have To If You Don't Want Your Business Overrun By Piracy

    AG Wright ( profile ), 04 Jun, 2012 @ 12:52pm

    The difference between industry and musicians

    On interesting thing to me is that though the music industry has fought digitization tooth and nail musicians have adopted it like crazy and the same thing has happened with writers.
    Many smaller writers have also published books electronically that would never ever be published by a major publisher and for a very small amount of money invested by the writer,
    Musicians are doing the same. The little senior adult group that I used to play with had an album. About 20 copies were made.
    The thing is that people have something to say, whether it is through a book or music and now there is a medium to say it with.
    Hooray for electrons!!!

  • On the post: News Corp. Wonders If There Could Possibly Be Any Arguments Against Anti-Piracy Efforts

    AG Wright ( profile ), 31 May, 2012 @ 05:32am

    Re:

    And your point is? Coming on here and posting insults calling people pirates is "intellectually honest"?
    If you have an argument to make say something. Argue with us. PLEASE SAY SOMETHING NEW! We'd like to hear it but coming on a site that supports copyright reform and going neener neener neener doesn't make your point or convince anyone of anything.

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