Overcast 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (1367)

• On the post: Hachette Hits Libraries With 220% Price Increase On Its Ebooks

  

  Overcast ( profile ), 17 Sep, 2012 @ 08:49am

  It's funny, a basic simple question on this whole concept here...
  
  Where would the music industry be without Radio?
  Where would the movie industry be without broadcast TV?
  Where would a publisher be without libraries?
  
  How do these 'geniuses' at these media companies think customers discover their product? Telepathy? Luck? Random Change?

• On the post: Hachette Hits Libraries With 220% Price Increase On Its Ebooks

  

  Overcast ( profile ), 17 Sep, 2012 @ 08:41am

  98% of media I have purchased - be it a movie, book, or music - I have seen, read, or heard first - for free, then later, I paid for a copy for myself.
  
  So - sure, don't put them in the libraries, doesn't matter to me. There is plenty of good, free content out there. Price yourself out of business, maybe it will leave more room for your competition, who's doing it better.

• On the post: Royal Canadian Mint Claims Copyright On One Cent Piece, Threatens Indie Musician Over Album Art

  

  Overcast ( profile ), 17 Sep, 2012 @ 06:48am

  Things are getting out of hand with the lawyers-driven "copyright" land grab. Mine! Mine! Mine!
  
  Exactly, like a bunch of spoiled rotten Jr. High level brats.

• On the post: New Research Sets The Stage For Next Round Of Cat-And-Mouse Between BitTorrent Users & Snoopers

  

  Overcast ( profile ), 05 Sep, 2012 @ 07:41am

  So if the 'monitoring company' (the authorized agents of the recording company) provide the data - it's then legal?
  
  :)

• On the post: Feds Back To Seizing Websites Over Claims Of Copyright Infringement

  

  Overcast ( profile ), 22 Aug, 2012 @ 10:57am

  All this other debate aside..
  
  It's obvious they (government/law enforcement) can't enforce the law properly, as we see a clear violation of due process - which is also 'law' - right? So they are breaking one in order to conceptually enforce another? How does that work in a society that's supposedly governed by 'the rule of law'?
  
  "The rule of law" is **clearly** breaking down, government can't be bothered to follow even *their own laws* now - so what's left is/will be defined as a tyranny, which, historically speaking - will most certainly fall apart eventually - like all others have, with no exceptions. But it'll be different this time, right? (Go use that concept in the stock market, hehe... )
  
  So there's no sense in trying to enforce these laws, as this type of enforcement will destroy the system it's trying to protect anyway.
  
  So why are they trying to enforce anything at all, if they are breaking other laws in the process?

• On the post: The Stupidity Of The 'Just Go Without' Argument

  

  Overcast ( profile ), 22 Aug, 2012 @ 10:47am

  Fine - I'll go without, I don't care. Radio's free - and you 'content creators' are the ones paying for it to boot! lol
  
  How's that dynamic work? And Radio is the driving force (free music) behind these 'content creators making any money at all - isn't it?
  
  So I guess whenever I listen to the radio, I'm "stealing too" Bob?
  
  Well?

• On the post: People Are Willing To Pay, Even If You Offer Something For Free

  

  Overcast ( profile ), 21 Aug, 2012 @ 04:16pm

  Broadcast TV is free - yet people choose to pay for cable.
  Radio is free - yet people choose to pay for Sirius.
  
  But naaa, no one would ever pay for something if there's an alternate for free, lol.

• On the post: FBI-Created 'Terrorist Plot' Fails To Produce A Single Terrorist — But Does Plenty Of Damage To Individual Liberties

  

  Overcast ( profile ), 21 Aug, 2012 @ 01:04pm

  Our 'government' is the largest threat to our freedom, safety, and security now.

• On the post: So Many Similarities Between Copyright Law And Prohibition

  

  Overcast ( profile ), 20 Aug, 2012 @ 09:44am

  Complete lack of enforcement on the internet from 2000-2010 apparently means 2012 equals over-enforcement. LOL
  
  You know nobody actually believes any of your bs, right Masnick?
  
  You're whistling in an echo chamber.
  
  Law, no law - hasn't and won't do a damn bit of good. The 'law' never stopped anyone from copying a cassette tape and it's not going to stop the masses from copying digital music.
  
  Sure, they'll bust a couple here and there - and likely waste 10 times what they *may* get in profits if every pirate paid what they could for media - because I suspect 90% of 'pirates' - can't afford what they are downloading - come hell or high water, they are likely just too poor.
  
  Most of us that make enough to buy media - do so anyway, as we want the physical media.
  
  I won't buy 'digital' - because it's too easy to get SCREWED by the companies - and I'll call one out, Blockbuster.
  
  Blockbuster sells a friend of mine a 'digital movie' = and yes, he PAID for it. With real money, you know?
  
  So Blockbuster takes their DRM crap offline and now he can't watch.. the movie... **HE PAID FOR**. Blockbuster 'doesn't offer it for streaming' and they won't ship him a copy - so basically, he's screwed. Sure, they offered to refund the money, to a card he hasn't had in two years... lot of good that does.
  
  So - this is a case of a media company screwing a customer - we don't hear about this now, in regards to DRM do we?
  
  This is WHY I only buy Physical media. If it's digital - and 'free' - I'll use it. Otherwise, I buy physical and rip to digital.
  
  See - even when people pay - they get the shaft. So explain again why people should pay for digital media - please try to make a sensible argument, if there is one. Especially when the 'seller' can screw you at will because they decide to just take their DRM servers offline....
  
  So sure, I buy the media I use - but that is very little. Most all I get now is Pandora, Satellite Radio and On-Demand. Hell, almost no reason to even 'buy' now anyway.
  
  And yes, the blockbuster story is 100% true. Sadly.

• On the post: So Many Similarities Between Copyright Law And Prohibition

  

  Overcast ( profile ), 20 Aug, 2012 @ 09:35am

  I'll DRINK TO THAT!!
  
  *hic*

• On the post: US, UK Betray Basic Values To Get Assange At Any Cost

  

  Overcast ( profile ), 20 Aug, 2012 @ 09:34am

  To HELL with right and all that! This made some politicians and rich bastards look BAD - we can't have that!!
  
  I suspect these tyrants would blow up the world to make themselves look good. Problem is - a tyrant can never, ever look 'good' or be 'safe'.
  
  That's the funny thing about it - those in supposed 'power' - the tyrants of the world... for all their 'power' they still must cower behind guards, bullet proof glass, and in bunkers. Wow, impressive 'power' - indeed!
  
  If that's "Power" - I'd prefer to be a piss-ant.. :)

• On the post: Horrifying: Surfthechannel Criminal Conviction Driven By Hollywood Money — Not The Government

  

  Overcast ( profile ), 20 Aug, 2012 @ 09:30am

  I guess the corporations are just wanting to skip the 'middleman' - aka politicians - and just start being tyrants directly.
  
  After all; there's no doubt that buying politicians gets expensive! And right now, with all the piracy out-right DESTROYING the bottom lines of their blessed companies - they need to pinch every dime!
  
  Praise be the almighty dollar! I wonder how much longer before we are expected to show up at a corporation on Sundays to worship them?

• On the post: US, UK Betray Basic Values To Get Assange At Any Cost

  

  Overcast ( profile ), 17 Aug, 2012 @ 07:11pm

  Of course, our so-called "leaders" are trying to turn our society into a tyranny - just like in the middle ages.
  
  Funny how technology moves forwards, but politics really never 'improves' much - well, maybe a bell curve with the peak being around 1776.
  
  Wouldn't it be nice to have leaders that actually progressed like technology does?

• On the post: Where Do Teens Discover New Music? YouTube.

  

  Overcast ( profile ), 17 Aug, 2012 @ 07:08pm

  As it's pretty much always been for the recording industry - people hear music for 'free' - you know, like.. on the radio - and then, if it's worth it, they buy it.
  
  Some of them do - some are content to just copy it from the radio on Cassette and some dub a copy from a friend, and others like to buy the original - if it's good enough. Lackluster music, well - isn't worth buying, but that varies according to personal taste.
  
  And heck - who needs Torrent? You can copy music from Satellite Radio, YouTube, or wherever now. But again, I prefer physical media myself. I rip - and put the CD up, I'd say 80% of my CD's have only been in a CD drive once or twice..

• On the post: Why People Pirate: The Story Of Avatar

  

  Overcast ( profile ), 17 Aug, 2012 @ 11:16am

  Seen it twice at the theater for the 3D thrill - past that, it's not all that great of a movie - so no worry about me pirating it - or buying it...
  
  If it comes on on-demand, and I'm bored, I might watch it.
  
  And we all well know that the movie companies don't care about us - they only care about our dollars, but hey, it's just business.

• On the post: Perhaps The Dumbest Idea We've Heard Yet: Nationalize Facebook

  

  Overcast ( profile ), 17 Aug, 2012 @ 10:58am

  That's fine - go for it, I was looking for a reason to delete my profile anyway, lol.

• On the post: Australia Wants To Join The Snooper's Club: Why That's Bad For All Of Us

  

  Overcast ( profile ), 21 Jul, 2012 @ 06:54am

  Australian Attorney General Nicola Roxon submitted to Parliament a package of proposals intended to advance a National Security Inquiry in an effort to expand governmental surveillance powers.
  
  But wait, there's more!
  
  **BONUS!!!** Free Hint to clueless lawyer type politician:
  
  Get a life of your VERY OWN, then you won't feel so compelled to watch everyone else's.
  
  And if you act now, you might just be able to toss in a free family!

• On the post: Big ISPs Expected To Start Six Strikes Program This Weekend [Updated]

  

  Overcast ( profile ), 27 Jun, 2012 @ 10:25am

  Does this apply to a business too? I wonder how much longer you'll see 'free WiFi' at places... it's getting to be too much of a liability.
  
  After all; a rule like this is just apt to have people go torrent at some free hot-spot instead of home.
  
  In the end, this could create a new industry of 'hosts' that offer a VPN tunnel to block data from the ISP.... lol

• On the post: Former Righthaven CEO Secretly Hires Lawyers For The Company He No Longer Has Anything To Do With

  

  Overcast ( profile ), 25 Jun, 2012 @ 03:26pm

  Do they own the copyright on 'poetic justice'? :)

• On the post: Miami Heat Owner Sues Blogger & Google Over 'Unflattering' Photo

  

  Overcast ( profile ), 25 Jun, 2012 @ 12:26pm

  This will vault this 'unflattering photo' into the memory of millions, lol.
  
  Good job buddy :)

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