John David Galt 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (68)

• On the post: Yes, A Billionaire Looking To Destroy A Media Organization Through Lawsuits Is A Big Deal Even If You Don't Like The Media Organization

  

  John David Galt ( profile ), 26 May, 2016 @ 11:12am

  How far does this principle reach?

  Would you equally want to prohibit this suit by Greenpeace in retaliation for surveillance? Or prohibit Bill Gates from financing SCO v. Linux?
  
  There used to be legal principles, champerty and maintenance, that forbade third parties from financing lawsuits. But the courts have pretty much abandoned those two principles, and I think they were right -- it's simply too unfair to allow one side of a lawsuit, but not the other, to seek outside help.
  
  What Techdirt and other media can constructively do is to seek to unmask such donors, as early as possible, so that if they are (or own) companies, the public can respond by giving them more or less business.

• On the post: Copyright As Censorship: Questionable Copyright Claim Forces Indie Musician To Destroy All Physical Copies Of New Album

  

  John David Galt ( profile ), 25 May, 2016 @ 03:40pm

  Speaking of Weird Al...

  I would suggest that Will Toledo just call his version a parody of the original. Then it's legal.

• On the post: Revenge Porn Creep Kevin Bollaert's Appeal Underway… And Actually Raises Some Important Issues

  

  John David Galt ( profile ), 09 May, 2016 @ 07:29pm

  Re:

  No. A protection racket (extortion) is when a perp threatens, or at least hints, that he or his friends will harm the victim or his property unless he obeys orders.
  
  This perp is only threatening to leave information up on his web site until paid to take it down. Hence, blackmail.

• On the post: Revenge Porn Creep Kevin Bollaert's Appeal Underway… And Actually Raises Some Important Issues

  

  John David Galt ( profile ), 09 May, 2016 @ 07:08pm

  It seems to me that the court is conflating two issues here.

  In the judge's shoes, I would rule that Section 230 protects the posting of the images themselves (unless it were shown that they pose an ongoing danger to someone's health or life, which would justify a takedown order). But even if posting the images and information is legal, requiring a payment to take them down is blackmail, and Bollaert should go to prison for that crime. 18 years seems overboard, though. Two or three years should be enough to deter this crime.
  
  Don't get me wrong, I would prefer doxing someone without cause to be more broadly illegal, but that would require constitutional change. The 1st Amendment forbids it.

• On the post: Redaction Failure In FTC/Amazon Decision Inadvertently Allows Public To See Stuff It Should Have Been Able To See Anyway

  

  John David Galt ( profile ), 29 Apr, 2016 @ 08:38pm

  It's about time!

  The law ought to require that every system that allows this type of purchase, also enable the device owner to password-protect against ANY purchase. The problem is not just Amazon; it's Android, iOS, and probably all their competitors and most of the apps on them. I've also experienced it with Dish Network. A system set up in the hope of causing accidental purchases is a case of open-and-shut fraud.

• On the post: Let's All Talk About The Stuff That UC Davis Spent $175k Trying To Keep Off These Internets

  

  John David Galt ( profile ), 21 Apr, 2016 @ 04:31pm

  Re: Oops nearly forgot!!!

  Careful. We don't want the badge-lickers awarding Pike another $30k for hurt fee-fees.

• On the post: PayPal Continues To Drive People To Bitcoin And Other Solutions As It Starts Cutting Off VPNs & Open Internet Solutions

  

  John David Galt ( profile ), 06 Feb, 2016 @ 07:13pm

  What we need is another service like PayPal ...

  ... but which allows payment for any legal product or service. Anyone know of one?

• On the post: Funniest/Most Insightful Comments Of The Week At Techdirt

  

  John David Galt ( profile ), 25 Jan, 2016 @ 12:47pm

  Banning Adblock from attending that conference...

  ... was not merely killing the messenger. The Adblock people need to know what their opponents are up to, so that they can continue to defeat their attempts to circumvent blocking.

• On the post: Why Is The Federal Government Shutting Down A CES Booth Over A Patent Dispute?

  

  John David Galt ( profile ), 08 Jan, 2016 @ 02:39pm

  How can this thing work?

  It looks to me like in order to balance/stay on this "scooter" and also propel it, you'd have to have 3 legs.

• On the post: Funniest/Most Insightful Comments Of The Week At Techdirt

  

  John David Galt ( profile ), 13 Dec, 2015 @ 12:49pm

  Things you can't un-read

  If Silicon Valley were to make a magic backdoor that only opened for the good guys with pure intentions, the government wouldn't be able to access it anyway, so I'm not sure why they're pushing for it.
  
  Why does this make "Sleeping Beauty does Anal" pop into my head?

• On the post: Techdirt Reading List: The Little Book Of Plagiarism

  

  John David Galt ( profile ), 03 Dec, 2015 @ 02:39pm

  Plagiarism does violate the law, even in the US:

  It's a form of fraud, actionable by both the consumer and the real author, even if the material is not under copyright.

• On the post: YouTube Puts Some Monetary Weight Behind Fighting For Fair Use: Others Should Too

  

  John David Galt ( profile ), 21 Nov, 2015 @ 12:15pm

  I'll believe they mean it...

  ... when they reverse their actions taking down the "Photography Is Not A Crime" site!

• On the post: Bill Adding A Warrant Requirement For Aerial Surveillance Introduced In The House

  

  John David Galt ( profile ), 09 Nov, 2015 @ 08:59pm

  Re: Re: "probable cause" is a lot tougher than "relevant"

  As far as I'm concerned the standard should be what they could have seen in 1800. In other words, any capabilities from tech newer than the Bill of Rights should be denied to police by default unless they get a warrant. (And banned to private snoops as well.)

• On the post: 'Hundreds' Of Teens Found Sexting At A Single School And Everyone Seems Unsure Of How To Proceed

  

  John David Galt ( profile ), 09 Nov, 2015 @ 12:11pm

  Re: Re: Dumbest Law award

  The way the law is written today, possession is a felony, period. Intent is not required. If some hacker in Russia thinks it's funny to write a virus that loads child porn on your computer and then calls the cops on you, you're a felon.
  
  If the appeals courts had any humanity at all, they'd change that and require proof of intent for any felony conviction. (And put some teeth in the 8th Amendment, so prosecutors couldn't just force you to confess by threatening you with life-without-parole if you go to trial.) But so far, the Supreme Court continues to have a majority of monsters on it.

• On the post: Bill Adding A Warrant Requirement For Aerial Surveillance Introduced In The House

  

  John David Galt ( profile ), 09 Nov, 2015 @ 05:32pm

  If you're going to run a story about a new bill, please post the bill number so that we can write our Congresscritters.
  
  This one is H.R. 3962.

• On the post: Sorry Net Neutrality Chicken Littles, Title II & Net Neutrality Still Haven't Hurt Broadband Investment In The Slightest

  

  John David Galt ( profile ), 04 Nov, 2015 @ 09:44am

  Re: Re: Well, you see...

  If government "invests" (actually forces you and me to invest OUR money) in anything, it means no one was willing to invest his own. If it were a worthwhile investment that would not need to happen.

• On the post: Sorry Net Neutrality Chicken Littles, Title II & Net Neutrality Still Haven't Hurt Broadband Investment In The Slightest

  

  John David Galt ( profile ), 03 Nov, 2015 @ 01:37pm

  The author of this piece must be psychic...

  if he can count the amount of investments that did NOT occur because of NN. I call bullshit.

• On the post: Kim Davis's Approach To Email More Outdated Than Her Views On Marriage

  

  John David Galt ( profile ), 14 Oct, 2015 @ 06:28pm

  Re: WWJD?

  I personally believe He would treat her as he did the money-changers in the temple.

• On the post: 3 California Cities Blocking Parking Ticket App For Being, Like, Way Too Useful

  

  John David Galt ( profile ), 14 Oct, 2015 @ 06:24pm

  And the cities don't even like the fact that the app helps you pay tickets on time. For the same reason. The harder they can make the process, the more late fees they rake in. Ka-Ching!

• On the post: Kim Davis's Approach To Email More Outdated Than Her Views On Marriage

  

  John David Galt ( profile ), 14 Oct, 2015 @ 06:27pm

  Why hasn't the state legislature just impeached her by now? No one disputes that she is determined not to do her job.

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