Al Bert 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (200)

• On the post: Does President Obama's Google Hangout Represent A Milestone?

  

  Al Bert ( profile ), 31 Jan, 2012 @ 10:33am

  Re:

  Yes it's an interesting experiment. Now everyone can watch the valid concerns of the public be ignored in real time!

• On the post: The SOPA/PIPA Protests Were Not Pro-Piracy… They Were Anti-Crony Capitalism

  

  Al Bert ( profile ), 31 Jan, 2012 @ 12:01am

  Re:

  "I never would've thought those shop owners would've been so brave as to go against the will of the mob. I'm hopeful that this will be a real shift of power."
  
  In unrelated news, a deli burned to the ground on Thursday.

• On the post: The SOPA/PIPA Protests Were Not Pro-Piracy… They Were Anti-Crony Capitalism

  

  Al Bert ( profile ), 30 Jan, 2012 @ 11:45pm

  Re: Re:

  devil's advocate here:
  The comment does not necessarily mean to imply justification for "all's fair in love and capitalism". It's possible (though the sentiment isn't seen here as often) that it's to imply cynically that capitalism itself is inherently corrupt and without greater merit.
  
  I could be wrong, but i've been around enough neo-marxists to be able to identify that snark.

• On the post: The SOPA/PIPA Protests Were Not Pro-Piracy… They Were Anti-Crony Capitalism

  

  Al Bert ( profile ), 30 Jan, 2012 @ 11:37pm

  Re:

  Why of course I can freeball forever.
  Just ask your mother.

• On the post: The SOPA/PIPA Protests Were Not Pro-Piracy… They Were Anti-Crony Capitalism

  

  Al Bert ( profile ), 30 Jan, 2012 @ 11:31pm

  Re: Re: Re:

  There needs to be a godwins law for mention of child porn, but i'll play your game.
  If a rapist of children and puppies were to say he felt murder was unethical, it would not be wrong to agree.
  If you think that morons might easily be misled into thinking the association invalidated the claim, you're right to suspect. If you took it upon yourself to think the association makes the assertion universally incorrect, you're one of the morons.

• On the post: The SOPA/PIPA Protests Were Not Pro-Piracy… They Were Anti-Crony Capitalism

  

  Al Bert ( profile ), 30 Jan, 2012 @ 11:16pm

  Re: Let's break this down real quick.

  The point has nothing to do with the validity of arguments, but their marketability. There are a lot of voters out there who have little or no understanding of the internet, copyright, copyfraud or the issues surrounding SOPA and the like. These people can easily be sold on the idea that yes, a false dichotomy exists. There are people that are sold on a false political dichotomy, and these are the same self-corrupting television media outlets that were slanting their reporting in this exact manner on Wednesday.

• On the post: The Sky Is Rising: The Entertainment Industry Is Large & Growing… Not Shrinking

  

  Al Bert ( profile ), 30 Jan, 2012 @ 10:46pm

  right

  I appreciate the new-model economics aspect of this whole topic, but for those who take these numbers as evidence against the false claims of industry: congratulations, you've discovered something both simple and obvious. They certainly aren't paupers if they buy congress and pollute our judicial system for decades. In fact, one might begin to think that they aren't likely engaged in any respectable form of business if they can even afford to continually spend so much on these often risky ventures.

• On the post: Apparently Veoh Isn't Dead Enough For Universal Music; Asks For Rehearing Of Its Bogus Copyright Lawsuit

  

  Al Bert ( profile ), 30 Jan, 2012 @ 09:55pm

  Re: We disagree with your opinion

  UMG had to win on its interpretation of the DMCA!!!

  
  UMG does not automatically have the right to a given verdict based on their interpretation of a bunch of purposely vague legislation. Check your debilitating sense of entitlement at the door, asshole.

• On the post: Apparently Veoh Isn't Dead Enough For Universal Music; Asks For Rehearing Of Its Bogus Copyright Lawsuit

  

  Al Bert ( profile ), 30 Jan, 2012 @ 09:45pm

  Re: Racketeering re-invented as copyright?

  This quite literally lives on in the form of patent NPE's. No need to reinvent what already exists... unless you want to extend the patent.

• On the post: Apparently Veoh Isn't Dead Enough For Universal Music; Asks For Rehearing Of Its Bogus Copyright Lawsuit

  

  Al Bert ( profile ), 30 Jan, 2012 @ 09:41pm

  Re:

  if they did that, they'd be suing themselves

• On the post: Apparently Veoh Isn't Dead Enough For Universal Music; Asks For Rehearing Of Its Bogus Copyright Lawsuit

  

  Al Bert ( profile ), 30 Jan, 2012 @ 09:32pm

  Re: Re: Re:

  Right, precedents only work in favor of the industry that has a (actual) profit margin which allows them to have a sufficiently large expendable income with which they can pursue any trivial goal indefinitely. I don't know how many other real industries could get away with what the entertainment industry spends on legal abuse. They either have actual costs that dilute their returns or they're subject to more financial oversight.

• On the post: Apparently Veoh Isn't Dead Enough For Universal Music; Asks For Rehearing Of Its Bogus Copyright Lawsuit

  

  Al Bert ( profile ), 30 Jan, 2012 @ 09:18pm

  Re: Re:

  Oh, i'd hope for that regardless.

• On the post: Megaupload Users Plan To Sue… As Their Files & Data Are About To Be Destroyed

  

  Al Bert ( profile ), 30 Jan, 2012 @ 09:10pm

  Re: A Senator worthy anology

  close, but i'd like to adjust the analogy:
  the threat of SOPA and similar legislation equates to the destruction of the transport infrastructure (i.e. roads)
  the public execution of megaupload is equivalent to burning down the crackhouse and shooting the junkies in the street as they flee and then threatening everyone in the town that you have the power and aren't afraid of burning down any house in the city for any reason at all.

• On the post: Megaupload Users Plan To Sue… As Their Files & Data Are About To Be Destroyed

  

  Al Bert ( profile ), 30 Jan, 2012 @ 08:46pm

  Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Of course this doesn't make sense...

  oops
  sed 's/n't//g'

• On the post: Megaupload Users Plan To Sue… As Their Files & Data Are About To Be Destroyed

  

  Al Bert ( profile ), 30 Jan, 2012 @ 08:43pm

  Re: Re: Re: Re: Of course this doesn't make sense...

  ideally, yes... but who owns this judge?
  i can't imagine they wouldn't bring this to anything but a stacked court.

• On the post: Knowledge Is A Universal Natural Resource — And Locking It Up Hurts Everyone

  

  Al Bert ( profile ), 29 Jan, 2012 @ 12:58pm

  Honest Mistake

  I read the headline "Knowledge is a Universal Natural Resource" and immediately got pissed off thinking "holy hell, what is UMG claiming rights to now?"

• On the post: Another Interesting White House Petition: Reduce The Term Of Copyright

  

  Al Bert ( profile ), 27 Jan, 2012 @ 05:18pm

  Re: Re:

  this * 10^6
  56 years might be at least in the right direction, but that's like telling an attacker that you would appreciate it if he'd just strangle you half as much as he is now.

• On the post: People In Poland Come Out To Protest ACTA In Large Numbers; Polish Gov't Calls It 'Blackmail'

  

  Al Bert ( profile ), 26 Jan, 2012 @ 10:38am

  Re: Re: Democracy in Action

  add to that NDAA and PATRIOT and the rest of the DIY fascism kit they've been building lately.

• On the post: People In Poland Come Out To Protest ACTA In Large Numbers; Polish Gov't Calls It 'Blackmail'

  

  Al Bert ( profile ), 26 Jan, 2012 @ 10:33am

  display of criminal pride

  Wow, so this is the topsy-turvy world in which we live now -- where the voice of the people is 'blackmail' and 'abuse of power' and corporate influence and government corruption is 'democracy'. I guess I'd better start revising my vocabulary.

• On the post: Judge Says Americans Can Be Forced To Decrypt Laptops

  

  Al Bert ( profile ), 25 Jan, 2012 @ 08:46pm

  well, shit

  This is getting ridiculous. Every time i turn around, they're finding new ways to better institute fascism.

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