Avatar28 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (263)

• On the post: Schools Are Using Phone-Cracking Tech To Access The Contents Of Students' Devices

  

  Avatar28 ( profile ), 17 Dec, 2020 @ 06:56am

  Re:

  The concept of ex loco parentis probably applies here. Still doesn't make it right, IMHO. As the article notes, too many cops will look at it as permission to go on a fishing expedition. Intimate pictures? That's kiddie porn. Evidence of accessing a porn site where you had to certify you're 18? Enjoy your CFAA prosecution. Mentioned smoking weed in a group message with friends? Now everyone is getting their shit searched.

• On the post: Trump Makes It Official: He's Going To Pull Military Funding, Because Congress Won't Kill The Open Internet

  

  Avatar28 ( profile ), 08 Dec, 2020 @ 03:56pm

  Re: Veto proof

  He can still veto it. If he does it goes back to congress and they have to pass it again with a 2/3 majority in each chamber. "Veto-proof" just means it passed with a least 2/3 of the members voting yes and they will (presumably) vote yes again.

• On the post: Publisher Decries Damn Libraries Entertaining The Masses Stuck At Home For Free

  

  Avatar28 ( profile ), 28 Jul, 2020 @ 11:35am

  Still not convinced that copyright holders won't try to sue them

  I'm going to be honest here. It's obvious that libraries would never be allowed to exist if they were invented today, at least not without paying a ton more money to the publishers (a la ebooks), we know that. I'm not completely convinced that one or more publishers won't eventually decide it's worth the risk and start trying to sue libraries for lending books without paying for a license fee for it. It might not fly in the United States thanks to the first-sale doctrine but in other countries without that it might game on.

• On the post: No, CDA 230 Isn't The Only Thing Keeping Conservatives Off YouTube

  

  Avatar28 ( profile ), 19 May, 2020 @ 03:16pm

  Any site that just published virtually everything users posted (that’s the true “First Amendment standard”) would be an unusable hellhole. No site is going to do that — and, again . . .

  So...4chan then?

• On the post: SoftBank Owned Patent Troll, Using Monkey Selfie Law Firm, Sues To Block Covid-19 Testing, Using Theranos Patents

  

  Avatar28 ( profile ), 16 Mar, 2020 @ 08:08pm

  Do you want your patents seized for the public good?

  Cause this is how you get your patents seized for the public good.

• On the post: Former Refrigerator Manufacturer Says Companies Using Open Source, Royalty-Free Video Technology Must Pay To License 2,000 Patents

  

  Avatar28 ( profile ), 13 Mar, 2020 @ 08:02am

  Re: Re:

  Amazon, Cisco, Google, Intel Corporation, Microsoft, Mozilla and Netflix

  Yeah, I'm going to go with each of those (except maybe Mozilla) have much more money than Sisvel. That's to say nothing of patents able to be wielded as weapons.
  Amazon: 12,000
  Cisco: 15,000
  Google: 21,000
  Intel: 42,000
  Microsoft: 43,000
  Mozilla: 6
  Netflix: 205 (okay these last two are a little weak here)

• On the post: Netflix Seeks Cancellation Of "Choose Your Own Adventure" Trademark

  

  Avatar28 ( profile ), 28 Feb, 2020 @ 06:26pm

  One more benefit for Netflix

  By putting this on the table it raises the stakes for Chooseco if they choose to go through with this. They can continue the lawsuit and risk losing their trademark or they can settle out of court or dismiss the lawsuit entirely and their trademark, however questionable, is still intact for now.

• On the post: Woman Threatens Rep. Steve King With A Lawsuit For Using A 12-Year-Old Meme On His Facebook Page

  

  Avatar28 ( profile ), 05 Feb, 2020 @ 03:11pm

  Re:

  Except that bands technically have no real say on if someone uses their music at a rally or whatever. They might not like it and they should definitely make it known that they don't endorse it and aren't okay with it but at the end of the day compulsory licensing means that as long as the venue is paying their appropriate PRO licensing fees they're free to play basically whatever music they want. Most candidates will back down when called out on it by the artist.

• On the post: You Don't Own What You Buy: The Tetris Edition

  

  Avatar28 ( profile ), 28 Jan, 2020 @ 10:42am

  Re:

  Well in this particular case, it's rather difficult to impossible to pirate it. You can jailbreak your phone (maybe) but that's really about the only option.

• On the post: Civil FOSTA Suits Start Showing Up In Court; Prove That FOSTA Supporters Were 100% Wrong About Who Would Be Targeted

  

  Avatar28 ( profile ), 10 Jan, 2020 @ 12:34pm

  Re: Re:

  A bunch of hotels ARE being sued. So prepare for a bunch of ridiculous restrictions on hotel stays while they try to cover their ass. Want to stay in a room by yourself? Hmm, you might bring in a sex worker, can't allow that. Unmarried couple wanting a room? She might be sex trafficked, better alert the authorities to investigate before renting.

• On the post: DHS Wanted To Add US Citizens To The Long List Of People Subjected To Mandatory Face Scans At Airports… But Has Backed Down For Now

  

  Avatar28 ( profile ), 06 Dec, 2019 @ 08:02am

  Re: There's other ways in and out of the country

  You have to go through a checkpoint to get into Canada or Mexico, right? So either they make a deal with them to have Canada do it and pass the information on or they expand their inbound checkpoint to cover both sides of the road and when you leave you have to stop and get scanned and then stop again at the Canadian immigration station.

• On the post: Federal Elections Committee Chair Is Sick Of Donald Trump's Bullshit: Put Up Or Shut Up About Voter Fraud

  

  Avatar28 ( profile ), 26 Aug, 2019 @ 08:58am

  Re: Re: Re: Electoral Fraud evidence

  Or to quote the article, there comes a time when you need to lay your cards on the table or fold.

• On the post: Josh Hawley Wants To Appoint Himself Product Manager For The Internet

  

  Avatar28 ( profile ), 30 Jul, 2019 @ 02:22pm

  Re: Re: Re: Re:

  Then they just make it illegal to use or distribute them in the US. Sure, you could probably side-load something but say goodbye to them being available as plug-ins from the Chrome Store or whatever.

• On the post: Texas Senator Pushing A Bill That Would Allow The State To Sue Twitter For Banning Conservatives

  

  Avatar28 ( profile ), 29 Apr, 2019 @ 02:19pm

  Re:

  We'll forgive you. If you'll forgive us for the crap the idiots in the Tennessee legislature like to pull.

• On the post: Texas Senator Pushing A Bill That Would Allow The State To Sue Twitter For Banning Conservatives

  

  Avatar28 ( profile ), 29 Apr, 2019 @ 02:18pm

  Re:

  But they just want the Muslim terrorists banned. Brown people are scary. It's not like you have to worry about white people going around and shooting up or bombing a place. Wait...

• On the post: Tennessee Senate Unanimously Passes Actual Anti-SLAPP Bill

  

  Avatar28 ( profile ), 09 Apr, 2019 @ 02:14pm

  Re:

  Your guess is as good as mine. Most of the time this state drives me nuts trying to shut down anything progressive that Nashville and Memphis do but they occasionally have their breakthrough moments like this and being the first to offer free college tuition to all adult residents who don't have a degree.

• On the post: TSA Sending Air Marshals All Over The US To Tail Non-Terrorist US Citizens

  

  Avatar28 ( profile ), 31 Jul, 2018 @ 02:22pm

  Re: 'You are so going on MORE lists!'

  When everybody is on a list, nobody is on a list.

• On the post: FlightSimLabs Installs More Questionable Stuff On Users' Machines, Then Threatens Reddit

  

  Avatar28 ( profile ), 06 Jun, 2018 @ 06:57am

  Brilliant tactics

  Trying to bully/threaten users on Reddit is only about one or two steps less stupid than threatening 4chan. I can't imagine this works out well for them.

• On the post: 11th Circuit Says No Reasonable Suspicion Needed For Invasive Device Searches At The Border

  

  Avatar28 ( profile ), 01 Jun, 2018 @ 02:30pm

  Re:

  It's kind of at the point that if I ever go to Canada or another country I'm just going to wipe my phone before I leave. Don't want to get caught with MP3 files on it, I can't prove they aren't pirated (and some might be), or naughty pictures of myself and my fiancee). Just wipe it before I go and then wipe it again after I get back and spend a day restoring the backup.

• On the post: Senators Ask FCC Why It Did Nothing To Stop Their Names From Being Fraudulently Used During Net Neutrality Repeal

  

  Avatar28 ( profile ), 23 May, 2018 @ 07:36am

  Re:

  That is, of course, exactly what it was. It was pretty clear even then that their minds were likely already made up.

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