Josef Anvil's Favorite Techdirt Posts Of The Week
from the the-web-kids-revolution-was-not-televised dept
We've come to the end of another week at Techdirt, and I have to say that for once, I'm not completely outraged about "the system." The reason for my renewed sense of optimism comes from stringing together my favorite Techdirt posts for the week.
Hmmm. I just reread that and it didn't seem right, as I don't really have a list of favorite posts for the week. Instead I see quite a few posts that all support my single FAVORITE post of the week. Yes, there is one single clear winner this week that really needs to be addressed. Before I talk about that post, I want to look at the framework around it and will try to be quick.
Crowdsourcing an innovation agenda, sounds cool and it could be the start of something. It even seems that it's not a matter of "if" it develops but rather "how," since people are tackling the issue from different angles and with new platforms. Then we have crowdfunding which not only seems to be working but is picking up steam and is yet another one of those things that is just fun to watch.
Next we have the stories about the Bodog.com takedown and the aftermath of the Megaupload.com takedown and, as usual, the internet routes around the damage and most users of those services barely notice. They wake up and their service is gone, so they move to the next one. Then leading up to the big finish we have to look at being right vs being realistic, piracy vs innovation, and online vs offline rules, which are all looks at how the internet has changed the world in which we live.
So where does all of this lead? To Glyn Moody's article about the "We, the Web Kids" manifesto, my FAVORITE post of the week and possibly my favorite post EVER on Techdirt. This one article encapsulates almost everything that is discussed in this forum. Whether the debate is about SOPA/PIPA/ACTA/TPP or TSA or RIAA/MPAA or WIPO or Google or Facebook, we have to accept the fact that we are all far more connected than ever before, some of us are even hyperconnected, and it has changed us. We no longer just accept the opinions of "authority," we want FACTS, we want data, we want the truth (or close as possible). This article details a fundamental shift in the way people THINK, and it's not just the "web kids." Personally, I didn't grow up with the web, but I'm certainly not so blind as to miss how integrated into my life it is. Before the web, I didn't talk to people all over the world on a daily basis, now I do. How I consume media is completely different, as I get to choose what, when, how, and why. In other words, the way things are done has CHANGED because of the internet.
This manifesto is a wake up call to politicians and corporations around the world. Your citizens and consumers have changed. They are becoming or have become a part of the digital era. They Skype, Tweet, FB, and IM their ideas, opinions, and comments without giving much thought about the process. They Google everything, they shop on their phones, they record video and post it before the "real news" can, they text while in meetings, they create with Gimp and NVU, they work with OpenOffice, and they consume media thru Netflix, HULU, Spotify, Grooveshark, HuffPo, and YouTube. They want to throw away physical storage and move stuff into the "cloud," if you let them. They don't want to hear that consumers shouldn't dictate the market, because they know how to write reviews and share information. They don't want to hear about laws being bought, and are willing to speak out and challenge the "old ways."
One last point I would like to focus on, in the manifesto, which I found particularly engaging is the awareness of CwF + RtB, albeit heavily focused on RtB. In the digital world, we realize there isn't much of a cost for packaging or distribution and so naturally we don't see any reason to pay for those things. "But...but...but... the content is so valuable." NO, it's not. Charge me $9.99 for an ebook, and see how fast I discover new authors who will charge me $.99 or $.10 for content that is just as good. For $9.99, I want more than just pages of content that I can't resell.
Sadly, because the content industry controls the broadcast medium, the digital revolution was not televised.
A new first
Well this is a new one for me. So let me get this straight... NOT watching content is infringement now????
I can't stop laughing. So I'm a dirty pirate thief if I don't watch the content now. Nice one.
???
"Greek ISPs should take technical measures to make it impossible for their subscribers to access Web sites through which illegal posting and exchange of works can take place."
Ummm... so a Greek court is ordering the cutting off of all internet access????
Just one
Would have been nice for the RIAA to win a settlement of just 1 trillion dollars. Then they could leave the US and start running their own nation with that much capital. Or they could just buy a few Googles and Facebooks and Twitters.
Econ 101
The cable companies and the telcos could provide faster service, but that goes against their corporate greed. The could not maintain the bandwidth shortage myth if they suddenly offered faster service.
Verizon and ATT both have fiber offerings (FiOS and Lightspeed), but they are pricey compared to their DSL offerings and they don't want to cannibalize their own products, like when they didn't want to offer VoIP service.
It's basically that our broadband companies do not want to be good companies, they want to be wealthy companies. Yet another example of wanting to hold onto the old business models for as long as possible to the detriment of their customers.
The missing link
Ok now I'm officially confused. There are 12 members of the COG... and just why can't Senator Wyden (or any other senator) get what he wants from them?
Are the TPP negotiations classified as Top Secret???
Don't forget...
Keep in mind that Ron Kirk says that the TPP negotiations are the MOST transparent trade negotiations EVER.
Makes you think...
Maybe they should think before they speak
Did it ever occur to Ms. Clinton that the children who are at most risk and need the most protection, don't even have internet access?
As for the rest, why not let the parents decide what their children need protection from?
Criticism
While the gist of the article rings true, that people just don't feel they are breaking the law when they infringe on copyright, I think it misses an important point.
Copyright law and the ridiculous statutory damages were created to protect a business model. Basically copyright law was something that only companies had to deal with, so the public didn't really care about it. Now that we have companies waging legal wars on consumers, the public, has taken offense at the idea of being sued by companies they have long supported.
Corporations want control of the internet now and they just can't have it and that is bringing things to the boiling point.
Wow
Ok this was just funny...
"You don't get to personally CHOOSE which laws you obey and which you don't. You get to vote at elections and have your say then."
Ummm yeah you do get to choose which laws you obey and which you don't. Breaking any law is an example of that choice.
I think he meant to say that you we do not get to personally choose what is legal and what is not, but had some trouble expressing himself.
LOL
The MPAA doesn't create anything. They simply receive money to further the profit of the movie industry. When your sole purpose is to lobby for the protection of an antiquated business model, you will do whatever you can to accomplish your goal, regardless of what the public thinks.
The problem Chris Dodd faces is that the distribution network and the communication platform are the same (the interwebs), effectively making it almost impossible to pass any enforcement legislation that would not trample the 1st and 4th Amendments. No matter how much money is thrown at the problem (lobbying); if legislation were to pass, it would eventually find its way to the Supreme Court.
Re: I don't get it
Ok so he is a slimy, weasely, back-stabbing asshole. So you just listed what was on the CV that got him hired to the label in the first place.
How exactly do his character flaws affect his smart ideas?
Or are you saying that his smart ideas are why he left the label?
Lobbying
This is the real problem...
"Although several commentators have already declared ACTA to be dead, I still see a lot of lobby efforts trying to get approval."
When politicians openly admit to noticing blatant bribery of their colleagues, it just amazes me. Of course the counter to that is, but...but... it's not bribery, it's lobbying. The reality is that lobbying is A LOT closer to bribery in definition and action than infringing is to stealing.
It would be nice if politicians would be as aggressive in an effort to eliminate lobbying.
Re: Thank you for saying it
I think many of us are scratching our heads and thinking the same thing. Why buy the milk when you can afford the whole dairy farm?
Giving lots of money to the people who love to sue you isn't the smartest business model.
Best story ever!!!
Is this an actual story or is Quentin Tarantino marketing a new movie?
Re: Glad it was finally voiced
"I can't wait to get my Pebble in September. At least I hope I get it...
This is the risk of investing in Kickstarter. If the project falls apart, you lose out, just like any investment in a startup. But if the Pebble takes off and becomes the next Apple II, all I get is the watch I donated towards. I guess some day I could sell the watch as a piece of history ("One of only 85,000!"), but I wish they had an option to buy actual stock in the company."
That comment was so beautiful that I had to repost it for any who missed. This is the actual argument AGAINST Kickstarter. It's not about the risk of losing cash, its the lack of control. It's the same argument that the web diverts cash directly to the creators. I'm guessing the full argument is: Creators deserve to get paid for their work, but ONLY when others get to latch on to their success.
Yes Kickstarter makes VCs work harder.
One last point that really made me laugh. "...all I get is the watch I donated toward." So can we assume that when you see a blockbuster movie that you are pissed off that you didn't get to invest in the making of the movie, since all you get is the experience of watching it?
Why?
Ok I just have to ask. Why is it that we hear so much from these trade groups and so little from the people that they "represent"?
Usually when you are at a protest for/against something and there is a leader speaking about the problem, you will find a bunch of followers cheering and offering support. So where are the musicians and actors (the actual content creators) in all of this? Why haven't they voiced their unwavering support? Where are the software developers and authors?
Why do we keep hearing from the gatekeepers, the people who stand to lose the most? I guess that answered itself.
FU HBO
I really don't care what HBO's business model is, but I'll give them some FREE advice. Stream the damn show from hbo.com for free. If 25 million eyes pirated it, then you should be able to capture at least 12.5 million of those eyes and THAT should be worth something to advertisers.
"but..but... that would cannibalize our revenue stream."
Well you say that cord cutters are some mythical species, so streaming it from your site shouldn't affect your core audience at all. To be fair, I seriously doubt the bulk of your current subscribers would cut the cord anyway. That's a generational trend that you will have to deal with in the next 10 years or so.
In the meantime, you can either a) complain about lost revenue that never existed, or b) make a new revenue stream and enjoy the profit.
We will understand if you choose to whine about loss while we enjoy the programming. Good luck.
Re: Thank you
Viacom, thank you for your attempts to protect us from the artists. Unfortunately the internet routes around damage.
Re: WTF???
"What is relevant here is whether or not the Nest product infringes one or more of the patents being asserted by Honeywell. If it does, all the "coolness" in the world is of no moment."
Comments like that are so insanely stupid they deserve a "moron award". If you looked into this story and the interview with Honeywell where Honeywell clearly states that they looked into the market and found that consumers do not want a learning thermostat and they scrapped the idea 20 years ago, then you wouldn't make comments like that.
Why do patents exist? So that people can bring things to market. If you get a patent and then decide that you don't want to bring something to market then you don't deserve the patent.
For all the shills out there. If you are holding onto a patent and waiting for someone else to get rich so you can swoop in and sue them after they did all the WORK bringing the product to market, then you are in essence the INFRINGER.
I hope they win
I'm actually hoping that Tuf America wins and hits Capitol Records with the statutory fine of $750 - $30,000 per infringement.
Maybe if Capitol Records has to pay $100 million + for the total amount of records they sold that were infringing, they would begin to understand the insanity of copyright law. They've OBVIOUSLY cost Tuf America at least $100 million in lost sales.
Who are Tuf America????