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Posted on Techdirt - 9 June 2012 @ 12:00pm

Silverscarcat's Favorite Techdirt Posts Of The Week

from the stay-frosty dept

Hey, Techdirt readers. What's up? Yeah, looks like it's my turn to pick my favorite posts of the week. Lots of stuff was covered this week, so how about we get into it?

I've always been interested in various copyright laws, since I, like many fans, tend to use the "gray" area of copyright known as fanfiction and fanart. Really, it's just a good story or good artwork that can get me interested in a show easier than anything else.

And it's because of that that when I see stuff like SOPA, PIPA, ACTA and TPP that I get worried. Stuff that I and many others enjoy would suddenly no longer be protected by safe harbors that's afforded by the DMCA.

Which is why when I see the weak response that the White House puts out about their stance about ACTA, it's both worrying and angering. After all, the internet should be free and not limited because businesses can't innovate.

Speaking of things that can't innovate, the RIAA seems to think that making new laws will stop piracy. I think we need to get the RIAA and MPAA execs in a room and give them a full history of Prohibition and the results of that. Or maybe the war on drugs, which has done nothing to stop people from getting the drugs and instead just increased the prison populations.

Of course, when they realize that stakeholders are no longer able to fit in one room, maybe then they'll start to understand the internet a little more. This is the internet and information age, we're connected all over the world and people force businesses to increase their customer service or lose business.

Speaking of the internet, it's pretty sad that there's all these data caps on information. What? Does information that comes from the government taste better than the information from Google and Wikipedia?

I used to watch the Simpsons a lot when I was younger, so when I see that Fox News is making an idiot out of itself, I can't help but think of Kent Brockman going "This just in, flying birds are attacking ugly pigs, more at 11, but first, a word from our sponsor."

Speaking of television, it saddens me that television is slowly starting to die off. Television could do so much better if they would put better shows on the air. I admit, the most popular shows on the air are stuff like Survivor and American Idol, and you wouldn't believe how long it took me to remember the names of those shows. The problem is, while they're the most popular, how often do you hear people the next day talk about the shows at work? You don't. Give me good shows like Avatar the Last Airbender, Transformers Prime, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Gate SG1. Sure, you don't have people talking too much about them the next day, but they are, in my opinion, way more engaging. That doesn't mean I don't watch reality-like shows, I love Mythbusters, Ninja Warrior, Storage Wars and Pawn Stars after all, but there's no forced drama there, like there is in most reality TV series.

When I saw that copyright might just be to keep Hollywood from competing with itself, it does make me think a little. After all, who wants to compete with themselves. It's like if you cloned yourself and you and your clone went after the same person. Boy, wouldn't that be awkward.

Speaking of cloning yourself, imagine how complicated death will become when we can easily clone ourselves or transfer our minds into robot bodies. By the way, if we can do that before Stephen Hawking dies, I recommend that he gets to be the first in a robot body so we can clone him a new one.

Ironically, the day after that came out and I thought about it, it looks like some SciFi writers are thinking the same thing.

You know, if the government taxes stuff, does that mean that piracy is now legal in Germany? After all, you can only tax stuff that's legal, right? And if piracy isn't legal in Germany, then why are people getting taxed for it? That makes no sense to me.

I couldn't think of anything for this next one, but, just call Congress, call them now, get this passed somehow. Hey, that rhymes.

While Congress might be out of touch with the internet, it looks like the White House really can't understand anything, not that it's surprising, since when do politicians know anything about technology. I bet Mr. Rogers could have gotten Congress to stop trying to lock down the internet like he did with the Betamax and the VCR before.

Until next time, stay frosty.

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