David Good 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (36) comment rss

  • On the post: Does A 27-Second Video Showing How To 'Hack' The NYT Paywall Violate The DMCA?

    David Good ( profile ), 28 Jun, 2011 @ 09:07am

    First ammendment

    I think the bigger issue here is that the DMCA blatantly violates the First Amendment. It's sort of like the law restricting the export of encryption software, but if you print the algorithm on a T-shirt you can walk across the US/Canada border with no problem while wearing it.

  • On the post: Is Copyright Needed To Stop Plagiarism?

    David Good ( profile ), 28 Jun, 2011 @ 09:02am

    Don't forget...

    Don't forget to credit Techdirt for hosting your post, or Mike for creating Techdirt. Or wait, maybe you should credit the inventors of the Web technology. Should you credit the creator of the canvas on which the Beethoven portrait was painted? What about the instructor who taught the artist?

  • On the post: Telstra Having Second Thoughts Over Censorship Plan; Fears Reprisals From Hactivists

    David Good ( profile ), 27 Jun, 2011 @ 08:23am

    It comes down to money

    A company like Telstra has investors, and if it doesn't, it has clients who have investors. By agreeing to censorship and potentially opening themselves up to retribution, they risk the stock prices of their investors should the hacking have an impact.

    So while their backpedalling may seem like they are scared of hackers, it's as close as they are going to get to saving face in the light of the possibility that a decision based on PR could affect them in the pocketbook.

  • On the post: Did Congressional Debate Over Patent Reform Bill Open Up A Backdoor For An Independent Inventor Defense?

    David Good ( profile ), 24 Jun, 2011 @ 10:56am

    clarification?

    I am a little confused. Does this mean that if an inventor works for a company, let's say GE for example, the inventor has to file the patent application? Or is GE the patent holder?

    Last time I checked if an inventor was doing work for hire the company he worked for would be the patent holder, not the inventor.

    What if an independent inventor is really busy and chooses to have a representative file the patent for him? This seems unclear.

  • On the post: ICE Declares 'Mission Accomplished' On Domain Seizures

    David Good ( profile ), 10 Jun, 2011 @ 01:12pm

    From reading Barnett's bio on the ICE web page, he strikes me as a lawyer/lobbyist who is far more interested in advancing his own career than anything else. It seems from his actions and words that ICE came up with a flawed plan, exectuted it badly, and Barnett has the choice of either falling on the sword or lying through his teeth.

    I'm guessing like a true lobbyist, he lied.

    I am deeply disappointed in the direction the current administration has taken on technology and IP issues. Barnett seems to typify the worst of those values. He's nothing but a pawn for the MPAA and RIAA.

  • On the post: Taipei Orders Google & Apple To Offer 7-Day Free Trials Of All Apps Offered Via App Markets

    David Good ( profile ), 07 Jun, 2011 @ 11:31am

    Bye bye Taiwan

    I'm thinking this will result in a few things.

    1. Apple and Google will close online marketplaces from being available in Taiwan.

    2. A seperate store will be opened that will have a smaller selections of apps that can have trial versions implemented, a subset of what is available on the full store.

    3. Public outcry will reverse the ruling altogether.

  • On the post: Universal Music: We Need PROTECT IP Because Musicians Are Dying!

    David Good ( profile ), 23 May, 2011 @ 10:24am

    My mom was a musician and piracy didn't kill her. Leukemia did.

  • On the post: California Politicians Want To Force All Social Networks To Be Private By Default

    David Good ( profile ), 19 May, 2011 @ 08:44am

    Perhaps if it was optional?

    Maybe instead of requiring this, if there was some sort of privacy certification from a private organization or the state, like "Certified to be Privacy Safe". Then in order to receive the certification, said site would have to meet whatever the default criteria was - like having privacy on by default.

    But I think requiring social media to be private by default would be onerous and unenforceable.

  • On the post: Philly Police Harass, Threaten To Shoot Man Legally Carrying Gun; Then Charge Him With Disorderly Conduct For Recording Them

    David Good ( profile ), 18 May, 2011 @ 01:35pm

    Carry laws

    Apparently in Pennsylvania it's legal to open carry, but in "cities of the first class" such as Philadelphia, a license is required. The officer was apparently ignorant of that.

  • On the post: It May Soon Be Illegal For Doctors In Florida To Ask About Gun Safety

    David Good ( profile ), 09 May, 2011 @ 01:47pm

    I can see the NRA's POV...

    OK I see what the NRA is going for here. But if the doctors simply don't ask "do you own a gun" and address every parent with gun safety info, whether or not they own one, it will bypass the issue altogether.

  • On the post: Band Complains About Massive Downloads Destroying Sales; Researchers Can't Find Any Downloads

    David Good ( profile ), 04 Apr, 2011 @ 10:44pm

    Re: Google search

    I'm inclined to agree. Any time I've searched for torrents, Google has not been the ideal search engine for me. I usually use another product.

    But that's not saying the article is inaccurate. It's just saying that it was proven badly.

  • On the post: The Changing Way That Math Is Taught To Children

    David Good ( profile ), 14 Mar, 2011 @ 12:37pm

    Binary

    This fascinates me because it's how binary is converted to decimal. It makes me think that instructors who come from a computer age realize it is a better way to teach multiplication and at the same time prepare students for working with binary.

  • On the post: Maintenance Report Shows Radiation Levels On Some TSA Scanners 10 Times Higher Than Promised

    David Good ( profile ), 14 Mar, 2011 @ 12:22pm

    Math mistakes

    Easy. No one pays attention to a result that is favorable. Why recheck your math when the result is what you were expecting?

    Rechecking your result would be an additional expense and we all know the TSA is a low-bid organization.

  • On the post: Questions About Copyright On Stormtrooper Costume Hit UK Supreme Court

    David Good ( profile ), 09 Mar, 2011 @ 11:04pm

    Ridiculous

    This is very straightforward. Unless he had a contract stipulating otherwise, Ainsworth did the work for hire, so Lucas owns the property.

    There's no evidence Ainsworth created the costumes independently then sold them to Lucas. Lucas hired him to specifically make them. So Ainsworth does not own the copyright on the costumes or merchandise. It all belongs to Lucas, who hired Ainsworth to make them.

  • On the post: US Government Pushing Pro And Anti-Privacy Internet Rules At The Same Time

    David Good ( profile ), 26 Jan, 2011 @ 11:22pm

    Re: do not track feature

    Most? Really, I am interested in what your definition of "most" is. A quick glance at Wikipedia reveals there are literally dozens of web browsers, and those are just the ones currently available. And what, 7 of them are listed as having "privacy" features? Oh yeah. That is soooo most.

    Wait, let's limit your comment to modern browsers (I'll be generous). Private browsing wasn't added to Explorer until IE8, wasn't in Firefox until 3.5, wasn't in Chrome until version 4. I don't want to go into how many people are using mobile browsers (God knows what's being passed over those connections), or how many people continue to use Opera on their Wii because they have no choice.

  • On the post: Rock & A Hard Place: Will Google Dropping H.264 Lead To Antitrust Questions?

    David Good ( profile ), 12 Jan, 2011 @ 09:35pm

    So let me get this straight. If google leaves h.264 out they get sued for antitrust. If they leave it in, Adobe pressures them about Flash support in Android.

    Seems to me Google is more concerned with the existing contracts, rather than possible suits that may never happen. Thus, easiest is to drop h.264 and make Adobe happy.