Avatar28’s Techdirt Profile

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  • May 15th, 2012 @ 3:06pm

    Re: Re: Just to clarify....

    It's actually a lot more than 5x speed. I think it's more like 32x speed. I believe each step doubles it.

    Also if you've got the Motorola DVR with the gray or silver remote you can program a button (I use the A button) to do a 30 second skip. Makes breezing through commercials a cinch. Skip skip skip skip skip skip oops, too far, jump back 10 seconds and there we go.

  • Apr 23rd, 2012 @ 7:34pm

    chargebacks?

    If a company does this can the person whose card was charged not dispute the charge as unauthorized and do a charge back? If the company starts getting a lot of these their processing rates increase and they even lose the ability to take credit cards. Obviously that would be a deal-breaker for them.

    Alternatively, how about crossing out the part of the part of the contract that talks about disparagement?

  • Mar 6th, 2012 @ 8:58am

    Re: Uggh, copyright for fashion design?

    Here's some absolutely terrifying thought about fashion design copyright. Think what the movie and video industries have done when someone has their IP in a YouTube video; they freak out completely. How long do you suppose before the first DMCA takedown occurs because someone was wearing some designer outfit or other. Pretty soon you will only be able to upload a YouTube video where the people are either naked or wearing some generic outfit. Now, I don't know about you but while there are certainly some people I wouldn't mind seeing naked the vast majority of them I definitely do NOT want to see that way.

    Also, shrinkwrap licenses:

    By wearing this article of clothing you are agreeing to a limited, non-transferrable license to display (wear) the enclosed item. This clothing may only be worn by the individual to which it was first licensed and may not be transferred to anywhere else. This license is only valid for a period of two years from the date of purchase. At the expiration of the license you may purchase an extension for $29.99 per year to a maximum of four years from date of purchase. If you elect not to renew the license or have reached the maximum display period then the clothing must be destroyed by burning or returned to us for recycling.

  • Feb 27th, 2012 @ 3:05pm

    Re: What RF owes

    Soooo. About 5 bucks then?

  • Feb 9th, 2012 @ 6:18pm

    I'm sort of shocked

    Honestly, I was starting to think that east Texas didn't know HOW to invalidate patent claims. Like Eolas, I figured a win there was pretty much a foregone conclusion.

  • Feb 9th, 2012 @ 1:25pm

    $1000/min

    Over $890,000 now. Watching it it seems to be climbing at the rate of about $1000/min. I haven't even kicked in my pledge yet. I wish I could prepay it so I don't have to worry about forgetting about the money coming out of my account in 30 days.

  • Dec 13th, 2011 @ 7:31am

    A correction

    The tool only covers about 4 to 6% of what's available on the networks it tracks, so it's possible that there's a lot more sharing evil piracy going on from their offices as well.


    You should really replace piracy with the word theft or stealing. That is, after all, what they insist on calling it isn't it?

  • Oct 18th, 2011 @ 11:27am

    What really happened

    Since I was in the subreddit when this started happening, I can shed a bit of light on it. Prufrock happened to be in the right place at the just the right time with his bit of flash fiction. Redditors ate it up and it got quickly bounced to the front page.

    Someone on Reddit had contacts in the industry and brought it to the attention of some folks in a position of power. They saw the idea and the response and flew Prufrock out to LA for a meeting.

    They didn't just buy the idea. They set him up with one of their development companies to develop the idea further. They helped him get it registered with WGA and are keeping him on as the head writer while developing his skills to turn it into a proper screenplay. One of the reasons that this is moving along so fast is that they don't have to go through all the focus group group. This idea effectively originated FROM a focus group.

    His not being on Reddit is the same as any writer. They simply can't accept outside ideas and pitches. It sucks but anyone who reads TechDirt can see why. Look at all stupid "U stoled my idea so give me all your monehs" lawsuits Mike reports on. If people wouldn't constantly file crap like that we might see more open collaboration on stuff.

    As far as the rights go, it has been discussed on Reddit. The license doesn't give Reddit ownership of the idea. It grants them a non-exclusive license to basically use it how they see fit. Reddit could go make their own movie based on what is already out there but Prufrock still owns what he wrote. Reddit has no say or rights to over any derivative content. My guess is that he will start over with the same basic concept but rewrite it with all new characters and details since I doubt any studio would be keen to share the rights to it.

  • Oct 11th, 2011 @ 8:46am

    Re: Seems fair.

    Time for the U.S to extradite all of Hollywood to be hanged and stoned in Iran for being sinful


    So, um, yay?

  • Oct 5th, 2011 @ 1:26pm

    Re: MC Blacklist

    Also facebook and sears.com.

  • Aug 4th, 2011 @ 4:48pm

    (untitled comment)

    Wow. It's been three hours and nobody has yet posted "Arthur Alan Wolks is a pedophile / zoophile who rapes children / pets." Raping Adolph Hitler with a frying pan is the closest I've seen. Usually there are at least two or three such comments after a few hours. I guess his campaign of legal tyranny was successful.

    If only someone would give him a reason to make legal threats against 4chan, the internet could rid itself of another pestilence.

  • Jul 19th, 2011 @ 11:47am

    Bust 'em with child porn?

    Seriously, find someone over the age of consent in their state (16 in many states) but under the age of 18. Get them to have sex in front of the webcam when it's on. What do you know, Aaron's just got busted with kiddie porn.

  • Jul 14th, 2011 @ 5:36pm

    And therein lies the rub

    Comcast's data caps have already prevented me from investing in one of those cloud backup services. Trying to back up my files would quickly result in me blowing through my bandwidth caps. Well maybe not quickly since upload sucks but you know what I mean.

  • Jul 14th, 2011 @ 5:33pm

    Re: Personal Experience

    Panic, I wouldn't worry too much about the Pandora streaming. Pandora One is a 192kbps stream. That works out to about 86 MB/hr or 62 GB if you kept it going 24 hours a day for 30 days.

  • Jul 11th, 2011 @ 7:23pm

    World upside down

    Wow, Microsoft is being open and releasing their source code while Google sits back and hangs on to theirs. Seems almost backwards doesn't it? What is the world coming to?

  • Jul 11th, 2011 @ 8:01am

    (untitled comment)

    This should be interesting. She just painted a big ol target on herself. I've seen the other CC roasts and there's no way these guys are going to hold back on her now. Really, her best bet might have been to ask to be a presenter. Sure, they would have still made fun of her just like they do each other, but at least she could have struck back.

    I don't think there's much she will be able to do about it, at least in the US though. Unless the other presenters where signatories to the divorce decree they cannot be bound by it. At that point, free speech, public figure, and all that. She can send all the demand letters to Comedy Central she wants but might want to keep in mind that this is the network that brings us South Park every week. I'm sure they've had their share of pissed off celebrities sending legal nastygrams.

  • Apr 6th, 2011 @ 8:49am

    Re: New twist on old saying

    Build a better mouse trap and the patent attorneys will beat a path to your checkbook.

    There, fixed that for you.

  • Apr 5th, 2011 @ 6:31pm

    Hope they have REALLY good IP lawyers

    Cause I know that these companies they're suing do and they get plenty of practice. Let's see, Microsoft, Google, Nokia, Apple; yes, yes, yes, and very yes.

    Those guys probably pay their IP lawyers more than the entire net worth of H-W Technology.

  • Mar 8th, 2011 @ 3:49pm

    so many villes

    So, I suppose if Nashville had a Facebook game Zynga would try to sue them for daring to use their own name. Never mind that I'm pretty sure the city has about 200 years of prior claim on the name. Or even the TV show "Nashville Star" for that matter. Wonder if they will start trying to extort real life cities and events for using a city name ending in ville in the title. I'd sort of like to see that argument in court.

    "Your honor, this municipality is unfairly using our client's trademarked 'ville' in their name, causing them irreparable harm."

    "The city has been there for 200 years, your client has only had the trademark for 2 years."

    "But..but trademark."

  • Mar 8th, 2011 @ 8:49am

    Re:

    Depends on the drugs, really. Some, like cocaine, are metric but our biggest one (pot) is still measured with imperial units (dime = 1/10 oz, quarter = 1/4 oz, etc).

    Oh, wait. You meant LEGAL drugs. Okay, then, yeah, those are metric. Let's not forget two of the most important things. Liquor is sold in metric volumes and Coke and other soft drinks have come in 2 liter bottles forever and now they also sell liter and .5 liter sizes. Of course, you still have 12 oz and 20 oz sizes too so, eh.

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