Anonymous Howard 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (614)

• On the post: In Wake Of NSA Leaks, China Drops Major US Tech Companies From Its Approved Supplier List

  

  Anonymous Howard ( profile ), 27 Feb, 2015 @ 07:46am

  Re:

  They won't.
  If you owe someone 100 bucks, he has power over you. If you owe 100M bucks someone, you have power over him. And the US owes chine trillions.

• On the post: In Wake Of NSA Leaks, China Drops Major US Tech Companies From Its Approved Supplier List

  

  Anonymous Howard ( profile ), 27 Feb, 2015 @ 07:31am

  Re:

  Can't press enough Funny / (Sad) / Insightful buttons.

• On the post: Yes, Major Record Labels Are Keeping Nearly All The Money They Get From Spotify, Rather Than Giving It To Artists

  

  Anonymous Howard ( profile ), 06 Feb, 2015 @ 03:47am

  Re:

  I can rent a studio for my music to be recorded.
  I can commission an agency to run an advertising campaign for me.
  I can pay for hosting of my music (or in this case, spotify can pay me) to distribute it.
  I can hire a manager to do all this stuff for me.
  
  Nowhere in this process my copyright needs to be reassigned. It's high time artists forget viewing labels as a huge contributor to the release process, because they're no longer.

• On the post: Key Hepatitis C Patent Rejected In India, Clearing Way For Generic Treatment Costing A Thousand Times Less Than US Price

  

  Anonymous Howard ( profile ), 28 Jan, 2015 @ 02:10am

  Re:

  OR if they get into one of this ISDS shit, India should set a precedent on not considering "lost expected profits" as lost physical assets (which they are not) and fighting back secret corporate kangaroo courts.

• On the post: Australia Ratings Board Bans Hotline Miami 2; Developers Tell Australians To 'Just Pirate It'

  

  Anonymous Howard ( profile ), 27 Jan, 2015 @ 03:20am

  Re: Re:

  This only works if you don't want to burn the media it came on, because of the game is so shitty.
  
  Companies nowday use much hype and marketing to sell games, and less and less quality gameplay. If they allowed demos or sharewares, people would realize what a vaporware they're selling.

• On the post: Canada's Strict New Anti-Corruption Rules Might Lead To Yet More Corporate Sovereignty Lawsuits Against It

  

  Anonymous Howard ( profile ), 10 Dec, 2014 @ 03:32am

  Re: Unexpected to who?

  Funny how agreements to counter physical asset expropriation mutated into future profit guards and lawmaking coercion tools.
  
  High time to do away with this crap, once and for all.

• On the post: YouTube Briefly Shuts Down Blizzard's Own YouTube Channel For Copyright Infringement

  

  Anonymous Howard ( profile ), 27 Nov, 2014 @ 12:41am

  Re:

  Please point out any actual law that were enforced here.

• On the post: Germany's Top Publisher Admits Its Web Traffic Plummeted Without Google; Wants Politicians To 'Take Action'

  

  Anonymous Howard ( profile ), 06 Nov, 2014 @ 12:54am

  Re: Re: Geez.

  The day Google started omitting big sites from it's search results would be the start of googles downfall.
  
  It's essential for news sites to be indexed, but it's also essential for google to provide meaningful results for people who use it, or they'll look for a more relevant search engine.
  
  It's a two way symbiotic relation, and so far only one side tried to abuse it (and failed miserably).

• On the post: Former NSA Lawyer Says Reason Blackberry Failed Was 'Too Much Encryption' Warns Google/Apple Not To Make Same Mistake

  

  Anonymous Howard ( profile ), 05 Nov, 2014 @ 07:14am

  Subtle threat isn't subtle

  Blackberry pioneered the same business model that Google and Apple are doing now - that has not ended well for Blackberry
  
  Between the lines: "they didn't comply with us requesting no encryption, so we killed them off. That's a bad business model, right?"

• On the post: A Dystopian Future Of Ads That Won't Stop Until You Say 'McDonald's' Could Be Avoided With More Transparency

  

  Anonymous Howard ( profile ), 04 Nov, 2014 @ 01:37am

  Re: I don't want my TV to be smart

  The last time I bought a DVD were when I discovered there were unskippable ads on it. I was looking at the player like "I OWN YOU DAMNIT! DO WHAT I SAY!".
  
  If I had a TV that "permitted" me to skip an ad on conditions, I'd break it in a fit of fury.

• On the post: After Protests Continue, Hungary Dumps Stupid Internet Tax Idea

  

  Anonymous Howard ( profile ), 03 Nov, 2014 @ 01:02am

  Re:

  It was a good thing because it shook up the apathetic hungarian population a bit.
  
  Governments get away going opposite with the people because the masses believe they can do nothing against it. We showed Hungary that this is not the case.

• On the post: Street Demonstrations Against Hungary's Plan To Tax Internet Data Lead To A Partial Climbdown By Government

  

  Anonymous Howard ( profile ), 29 Oct, 2014 @ 07:45am

  Re: the hidden hand

  Taxing the internet were only the last straw of a string of new taxes introduced by his majesty Orban Viktor, who figures himself our glorious ruler.
  
  People are fed up by the government's ad-hoc, incompetent, corrupt politics.
  
  The fact that people were there from every kind of age group and political affiliations is a good indication that this movement is not initiated by one party or organization. I don't think any political party could rally much people, because most of the hungarians doesn't believe in politics anymore.

• On the post: Street Demonstrations Against Hungary's Plan To Tax Internet Data Lead To A Partial Climbdown By Government

  

  Anonymous Howard ( profile ), 29 Oct, 2014 @ 07:40am

  Re: Re:

  You're mistaken in two points:
  
  1. The first demonstration were about the planned tax. One day later the govt. "agreed" (they "planned" this all along) to cap the tax for 700Ft / person, and that it'll be paid by the ISP (lol). The second demonstration were to remind the government, that we don't want cap on the tax, we don't want assurances that the ISP will pay it, we want the tax gone entirely.
  
  2. Theoretically they don't demand the full amount from the ISP. They demand the capped amount per person from the ISP. (which they say won't be shifted to the customers, but that's a complete utter bullshit)
  
  So you see, we're still angry, still up in arms, and the government got another deadline to think this through. If they won't, the next event is scheduled to november, when they vote on the taxes.

• On the post: Street Demonstrations Against Hungary's Plan To Tax Internet Data Lead To A Partial Climbdown By Government

  

  Anonymous Howard ( profile ), 29 Oct, 2014 @ 06:31am

  Re:

  The amount of the tax is not THAT big, but it's not the point. The point is that it is a foot-in-the-door tax, set without any kind of consultation with the people of Hungary (democracy? what's that?). That's why people want it gone completely.
  It's a battle of wills, to remind the government that it (should) serve the people, and not the other way.

• On the post: Street Demonstrations Against Hungary's Plan To Tax Internet Data Lead To A Partial Climbdown By Government

  

  Anonymous Howard ( profile ), 29 Oct, 2014 @ 06:27am

  Re:

  Which is exactly happened with the "bank transaction tax" and all the previous "we tax the multinational companies" ones.
  
  It's a technique to sway stupid people into accepting another burden, and the govt. washes it's hands after the companies pass the costs.

• On the post: Swedish Company Uses Corporate Sovereignty Clause To Demand 4.7 Billion Euros From German Public

  

  Anonymous Howard ( profile ), 16 Oct, 2014 @ 05:02am

  Re: Does that company have an army?

  That's where Shadowrunners come into play!

• On the post: Swedish Company Uses Corporate Sovereignty Clause To Demand 4.7 Billion Euros From German Public

  

  Anonymous Howard ( profile ), 16 Oct, 2014 @ 02:10am

  Right for expected future profits?

  Paint me confused, but ISDS isn't supposed to counter expropriation of material assets of a company?
  
  What the fuck does this has to do with patents, regulations and other imaginary "assets".
  
  Not to mention "expected future profits"?

• On the post: Street Demonstrations In 21 European Countries Held To Protest Against TAFTA/TTIP; Another ACTA Revolt Brewing?

  

  Anonymous Howard ( profile ), 15 Oct, 2014 @ 06:16am

  Re: Escalating the situation

  no matter how big and widespread the protests get
  
  In Hungary I searched for TTIP protests in the news, and could only find fringe sites mentioning it, sparsely. No mainstream media, nothing fancy.
  I wouldn't even know about save for techdirt and some other foreign news sites.

• On the post: Behind the Veil Part 6: Comcast Informs Employer Of Complaining Customer

  

  Anonymous Howard ( profile ), 09 Oct, 2014 @ 06:26am

  Re: However ...

  He weren't working at Comcast's accounting firm. He contacted the firm over-watching Comcast's accounting because he thought (rightfully) that they were sloppy.

• On the post: Lawyer For Victims Of Nude Celebrity Hacks Threatens Google With $100 Million Lawsuit

  

  Anonymous Howard ( profile ), 03 Oct, 2014 @ 12:55am

  Re:

  I'm not surprised that said celebrities go after the hacker guy, although he damaged only their self-respect so far (no credit card abuse etc)-
  
  What I'm surprised at is that not one said celebrities are mad and suing apple for knowingly leaving such a gaping security hole in their system.
  
  But to sue a search engine.. that's baffling. Ridiculous. Shows plainly the clueless witch-hunt this leak is becoming, while the real culprits escape scrutiny.

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