Evan 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (21) comment rss

  • On the post: Jim Brown Appeals Case Over Whether Or Not EA Can Use His Likeness In A Video Game

    Evan ( profile ), 09 Jul, 2010 @ 06:11am

    Re: Re: Jim Brown ain't a football player

    Ah, well, maybe that is the case... well, there WAS a case regarding what I described in my post last year.

    Maybe I should pay more attention next time.

  • On the post: Jim Brown Appeals Case Over Whether Or Not EA Can Use His Likeness In A Video Game

    Evan ( profile ), 08 Jul, 2010 @ 05:11am

    Jim Brown ain't a football player

    Jim Brown isn't a football player. He's a football fan who wears a dog mask.

    The original case alleges that EA used his likeness (that of a football fan wearing a dog mask) in the last iteration of their Madden football series.

    God forbid that a football game portray a football fan wearing a mask - note that they did not use the man's actual likeness, rather they used an image of a football fan wearing a dog mask. Does this mean that if I attend a football game wearing a dog mask, I am infringing upon Jim Brown's absolutely original idea and that I owe him something?

    I don't think so.

  • On the post: UK Police Tell Cybercafe Owners 'We're Not Asking You To Spy On Users… But Spy On Users'

    Evan ( profile ), 29 Mar, 2010 @ 07:06am

    Non-issue

    This is a non-story. The police are only suggesting these things - there's no requirement that Internet cafe owners oblige to the request.

    And anyway, is this even surprising, coming from the land of CCTV?

    Really, everyone should just move on. There's nothing at stake here.

  • On the post: Another Battle: Can Teachers Sell Lesson Plans?

    Evan ( profile ), 16 Dec, 2009 @ 04:53am

    Re: NO

    Couldn't agree more.

  • On the post: Another Battle: Can Teachers Sell Lesson Plans?

    Evan ( profile ), 16 Dec, 2009 @ 04:51am

    Re:

    Yes! The schools pay the teachers to prepare for lessons, so the schools own any materials the teachers produce.

    Wrong. I have two friends who are teachers. The majority of their time OUTSIDE of school is spent grading papers and writing lesson plans. There isn't enough time in a school day for a teacher to be writing lesson plans while at school. Teachers get, at most, one prep period during the day.

    The schools do not PAY teachers to WRITE lesson plans, they PAY them to TEACH lessons. Lesson plans are written on the teacher's own time.

  • On the post: Duke Nukem Forever Wins The True Lifetime Achievement Award For Vaporware: Coming Out Never

    Evan ( profile ), 08 May, 2009 @ 06:38am

    Ironically,

    Duke Nukem Forever's initials are DNF, the same acronym used in racing to mean, 'Did Not Finish.'

  • On the post: Principal Installs Cellphone Jammer But Forgets To Check If It's Legal

    Evan ( profile ), 03 Apr, 2009 @ 05:18am

    Re: Re:

    Most of these arguments would make sense if landlines didn't exist.

    What did people do before cell phones and they had an emergency? They didn't run to get their cellphones, that's for sure. They ran to the nearest land line.

    Last I checked, cell phone jammers don't block landlines.

  • On the post: We Can't Own 'Sci Fi', So Let's Change Our Name To Something Stupid

    Evan ( profile ), 17 Mar, 2009 @ 07:41am

    Re: A name change does nothing for the station itself.

    Sci-Fi is a cable broadcast station. You AREN'T being charged for it, assuming you pay for basic cable. It's not a premium channel anywhere that I've ever heard of, anyway.

  • On the post: DEAR CITIBANK: I WOULD LIKE REQUEST TO YOU HELP IN SECURING 27 MILLION DOLLARS US

    Evan ( profile ), 23 Feb, 2009 @ 05:00am

    Whenever I get a 419 E-mail...

    I simply tell them I am a man of the cloth (not true), and as such, have taken a vow of poverty (not true), and then tell them they are in my thoughts and prayers (also not true), and that I wish them luck in their plight to save the riches they have amassed from the evil Nigerian banks (definitely not true).

  • On the post: Monty Python's Meaning Of Free: The Holy Grail Of Massively Increased Sales

    Evan ( profile ), 23 Jan, 2009 @ 02:08pm

    Re: Generation gap

    Being in the generation that first saw Monty Python on late night PBS. I can say that the generation that is after mine does not know who they are. They are just coming out of collage getting jobs and are hooked on the social networking sites. They also are now just getting a paycheck from somewhere other then fast food. I have to disagree there, Tom. I'm 22, I dropped out of college three years ago, and have been getting payed substantially more at my job than a fast food joint would pay me since then. I have also known about Monty Python and have been a fan since I was thirteen. I'm glad to know that you were 'one of the first' to see the Pythons on PBS, but you can't claim to be the only one, and you certainly can't claim that the 'generation after yours does not know who they are.' Get with the times, gramps.

  • On the post: 'The Video Game Made Me Kill My Parents' Defense Rejected

    Evan ( profile ), 13 Jan, 2009 @ 09:43am

    Re: Re: What the hell??!!

    Yes. Domestic abuse will absolutely solve the problem of video game violence leading to real violence.

  • On the post: Joe Satriani Sues Coldplay For Copyright Infringement

    Evan ( profile ), 08 Dec, 2008 @ 03:40am

    I'm willing to bet...

    ...that the melody from Satriani's song, that Coldplay allegedly copied, has been used before in another musician's recording.

    Hell, every story I've ever read has basically been a rehash of one of Shakespeare's works.

    Also - there's a clip of a comedian out there somewhere who plays Pachelbel's Canon on the guitar while singing almost every popular song from the past twenty years (I'm being hyperbolic) over the chord progression of Pachelbel's original, and every single song he sings follows Canon in D Major's chord progression.

    The point I'm trying to make is - well, if you don't see the point, then it's already too late for you.

  • On the post: A Market For Used MP3s… Or A Parody To Prove A Point?

    Evan ( profile ), 05 Dec, 2008 @ 01:48pm

    Illegal Copies

    So can I sell the mp3's that I (illegally) own? This seems like a quick way to make a buck - download a bunch of mp3's that I don't care for, sell them on this site, and get rich!

    Sounds like my dreams are coming true... money for nothing!

  • On the post: Cooking Mama Shows How To Respond To Critical Parody

    Evan ( profile ), 24 Nov, 2008 @ 02:22am

    PETA? More like...

    PUETA (People for the UnEthical Treatment of Animals). Last I checked, PETA euthanizes more cats and dogs than the ASPCA and ARL combined, yearly. They also keep the animals in much worse conditions than either the ASPCA or ARL before they euthanize them.

    Also - a lot of people have been saying, "Good for Nintendo for not suing!" I just have to say, RTFA. The company behind the game is Majesco, and they are the ones who issued the statement. The game is third party software, made for the Nintendo Wii.

    Pertaining to the legality of use - I would say that, regardless of the parody's content, the name alone is most definitely enough for trademark infringement. Cooking Mama is a registered trademark of Majesco, and it would seem like a no-brainer to me to NOT sue. Good for Majesco for having the junk to hold back and laugh at PETA, but I think PETA would back down right away if Majesco even threatened to sue.

  • On the post: The First Rule Of Product Placement In Songs: You Don't Talk About Product Placement In Songs

    Evan ( profile ), 21 Sep, 2008 @ 11:29pm

    Re: Mariah Carey

    Andy Warhol would like a word with you.

  • On the post: The First Rule Of Product Placement In Songs: You Don't Talk About Product Placement In Songs

    Evan ( profile ), 21 Sep, 2008 @ 11:29pm

    Re: My baloney has a first name...

    As much as I dislike Limp Bizkit, there is something good to be said about them-

    As commercialized as they were in their heyday, they have always been anti-censorship, anti-RIAA, and all for the promotion of and sharing of free music.

    When Napster first took hits from the RIAA and other organizations for facilitating P2P music sharing, Limp Bizkit was one of the first groups to hop on board the Napster train.

    They help multiple free concerts in support of Napster, along with other acts.

    Anyway, just pointing out that they aren't all bad.


    Also- your notion that "just you and some of your friends know about them and they are yours" screams of elitism.

    I, too, listen to underground music, but I share it with everybody I know every chance I get.

    If you are making music, isn't exposure a good thing?

  • On the post: The First Rule Of Product Placement In Songs: You Don't Talk About Product Placement In Songs

    Evan ( profile ), 19 Sep, 2008 @ 11:23pm

    You forgot to mention...

    ...that the recipient of the e-mail runs the Anti-Advertisement Agency.

    A e-mail from the Kluger Agency, which performs such product placements, mistakenly sent to Jeff Crouse of the Anti-Advertising Agency and Double Happiness Jeans, provides a rare glimpse into the secretive market for song lyric product placement.

  • On the post: Tiffany Still Confused About How Liability Works; Appeals eBay Decision

    Evan ( profile ), 12 Aug, 2008 @ 03:06am

    If you ask me...

    The age of eBay has long been dead. I've only used eBay maybe a handful of times in my life, and have found it to be nothing but a hassle.

    Regarding this issue, however - eBay, like any site, takes no liability for what its users post. As much as I'm not a fan, Tiffany is wrong, here. Even the flea market analogy made by Tiffany is wrong.

    My mother and sisters like to go to flea markets to get great deals on "designer" handbags and clothing. Dolce and Gabbana bags for $5? They'll take 'em!

    So, you see, flea market operators really don't care, either.

  • On the post: NY State Passes Video Game Labelling Law; About To Waste Taxpayer Money Defending It

    Evan ( profile ), 23 Jul, 2008 @ 05:53am

    Re: Re: so whats the difference

    Is this true? I worked at a movie theatre several years ago, and was always told that if we didn't ID people for R movies, the theatre could get fined.

    Then again, I suppose my boss may have been pulling chain to cover her own ass.

  • On the post: NY State Passes Video Game Labelling Law; About To Waste Taxpayer Money Defending It

    Evan ( profile ), 23 Jul, 2008 @ 05:51am

    Re: so whats the difference

    seconded! hear, hear.

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