Keroberos 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (557) comment rss

  • On the post: So Many Similarities Between Copyright Law And Prohibition

    Keroberos ( profile ), 20 Aug, 2012 @ 10:15am

    Re: Re: Re:

    What enforcement did exist was very much low hanging fruit. The US legal system, slows as it is, is still trying to digest the Jammie Thomas fiasco. Enforcement has been spotty, and mostly left to the copyright holders to try to push things via lawsuits and not through criminal action.
    This is not low hanging fruit. It has been the copyright holders job to find relief through lawsuits because non-commercial copyright infringement is a civil infraction, not a criminal one. Only through the twisting of existing copyright laws and the usurping of the criminal justice system by the media companies have we now started to see prosecution (persecution?) of what would have been civil claims as criminal ones.

  • On the post: Why Copyright & Patent Laws Go Against How We Create

    Keroberos ( profile ), 13 Aug, 2012 @ 08:08pm

    Re:

    Of course you must have missed the part where most of those advancements have been in the realm of computer technology, which have had little to no patent protection until very recently.

  • On the post: It's Never Enough: Both RIAA & MPAA Aren't Satisfied With Google Punishing 'Pirate' Sites

    Keroberos ( profile ), 13 Aug, 2012 @ 08:35am

    We are optimistic that Google's actions will help steer consumers to the myriad legitimate ways for them to access movies and TV shows online, and away from the rogue cyberlockers, peer-to-peer sites, and other outlaw enterprises that steal the hard work of creators across the globe.
    This is their problem right here. They already think that there are "myriad legitimate ways for them to access movies and TV shows online". There isn't. You can't just go to Hulu or Netflix and watch any movie or TV show you want when you want, they don't have them all, or they are region restricted or windowed. Until this happens the "rogue cyberlockers, peer-to-peer sites, and other outlaw enterprises" will always provide the better service.

  • On the post: Indie Musician Zoe Keating Defines Transparency; Breaks Down Exactly How She Makes A Living

    Keroberos ( profile ), 10 Aug, 2012 @ 10:19am

    Re:

    Unless they can plaster their artist at the top of the chain
    This, plus they want the largest share of any revenue regardless of where their artists are at in the chain.

  • On the post: Gamestop Offers Glimpse Into Their Used-Games Facility

    Keroberos ( profile ), 08 Aug, 2012 @ 10:08am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

    Your arguments might be a little more reasonable sounding if you'd quit throwing around that "100% gross margin" line. It shows that you didn't actually read the linked article, nor have a clue what you're talking about. All that shipping, storing, processing, and re-shiping of the used games they buy is paid for out of Gamestop's "100% gross margin", but with new games all those costs are paid for by the distributer and are included in the wholesale price of the product, this usually includes the return shipping for unsold/damaged product. And you have to subtract all the used games they sell at a loss--or can't sell at all--plus any defective merchandise, so I wonder how much difference in profit there is for Gamestop between a new game and the same game used (it's probably not near as much as all the haters want to believe it is).

  • On the post: Gamestop Offers Glimpse Into Their Used-Games Facility

    Keroberos ( profile ), 08 Aug, 2012 @ 08:21am

    Re: Re: Re: I stopped reading at the first line.

    Same here. Thought it was on my end too.

  • On the post: Game Developers Concerned About A Potentially Closed Windows 8

    Keroberos ( profile ), 07 Aug, 2012 @ 08:02am

    Re: Re: Re: Eh

    This is the problem that Linux has with adoption at this point--user's first impressions of it. Yes, Linux had all these problems when most Windows users were first exposed to it. Many, if not most of these issues have been fixed in most distros at this point.

    Windows Vista was not shit, it just changed so many things that almost no software or hardware made for previous versions of Windows would work with it (of course added with the whole Vista Ready, Vista Capable debacle). Windows 7 is for the most part just a slightly tweaked Vista with a few years of third party support, so almost everything will run on it out of the box. Window XP had the exact same problems for people coming from Windows 9X. It took years for everything to be compatible with it.

  • On the post: Ukraine Takes Down Demonoid As A Gift To The US Government

    Keroberos ( profile ), 06 Aug, 2012 @ 03:05pm

    Re:

    Yeah, But at least the US government has the excuse of huge brib...er...campaign contributions, and the promise of lucrative employment once retired. What's in it for all these other governments?

  • On the post: More Anti-Youtube Whining: 'YouTube Complies With Our Takedown Requests Just To Make Us Look Bad'

    Keroberos ( profile ), 06 Aug, 2012 @ 10:19am

    Re:

    But it's only anonymous to us, the end viewer. YouTube knows exactly who that upload came from, well at least as far as an ip address can be used to identify a single person. If the IP holder wishes to sue the uploader, they can get a court order to have YouTube reveal that information to them.

  • On the post: More Anti-Youtube Whining: 'YouTube Complies With Our Takedown Requests Just To Make Us Look Bad'

    Keroberos ( profile ), 06 Aug, 2012 @ 10:04am

    Re: Malice or stupidity?

    This. And they also expect Google to somehow know the difference. How? By using magic I guess.

  • On the post: Apple's Argument: Samsung Could Have Made Its Phone Large, Thick, Bumpy, Sharp-Edged & Hexagonal

    Keroberos ( profile ), 06 Aug, 2012 @ 08:32am

    Re: Re: Apple is so funny it is pathetic

    True. Apple has never been innovative. Very good at taking the designs of others and making them allegedly better? Very good at that, but that's not innovation.

  • On the post: Apple's Argument: Samsung Could Have Made Its Phone Large, Thick, Bumpy, Sharp-Edged & Hexagonal

    Keroberos ( profile ), 06 Aug, 2012 @ 08:27am

    Re: Re: Re: Obviously...

    How about this as evidence of prior art? Front surfaces flat with rounded corners? Check. Rectangular display screen centered on the front flat surface? Double check. Overall shape rectangular with four flat sides and four rounded corners? Quadruple check. and lets see...the front surface is flat and the profile is thin. Not much left to that patent except the clear front surface. but I really don't think you can patent the physical properties of glass.

  • On the post: The Stats Used To Support Cybercrime 'Threats' Just As Bogus As Hollywood's 'Loss' Claims

    Keroberos ( profile ), 02 Aug, 2012 @ 03:25pm

    Re:

    In my study I have found that bad decisions by politions cost taxpayers 1 million$ a day for each taxpayer.

    Fixed that for ya ;)

  • On the post: Did You Know That Professional Writing Is Dying And Only Taxing The Public To Pay Writers Can Save It

    Keroberos ( profile ), 02 Aug, 2012 @ 11:42am

    I say, good, let the professional writing industry die. In any other consumer facing industry, if you tried to say that the only way for you to survive as an industry is to continue to not give your customers what they want, you would be laughed out of business. I can't understand how these allegedly smart and savvy business people can believe that giving the customer what they want is a bad idea.

  • On the post: Defensive Posturing: E-Book Author Takes On The 'Old Guard' At Crime Writing Festival [UPDATED]

    Keroberos ( profile ), 02 Aug, 2012 @ 09:46am

    Re:

    Dirty cheap / free is the easiest sale in the world, and that's why sellers with no imagination go there.
    Oh really? Amazon and Steam would disagree with that--In fact they do--they actually recommend "Dirty cheap" as the best price to maximize profitability. And I would say that those are two of the businesses in the digital area with some of the most imagination.

  • On the post: Defensive Posturing: E-Book Author Takes On The 'Old Guard' At Crime Writing Festival [UPDATED]

    Keroberos ( profile ), 02 Aug, 2012 @ 09:33am

    Re:

    That was probably intentional--much easier to defend your point of view if the opposition looks like it's a minority fringe.

    In the end, it will be neither the old guard (the publishing houses, agents, and authors who support them), or the upstarts (self publishing authors) who will decide what shape the publishing industry will take--the consumers will vote with their money on what model of publishing will work (and it will be something completely different than what exists now).

  • On the post: Defensive Posturing: E-Book Author Takes On The 'Old Guard' At Crime Writing Festival [UPDATED]

    Keroberos ( profile ), 02 Aug, 2012 @ 09:24am

    Re: Re:

    Yup, Almost all of the authors whose books I am willing to pay full price for, were discovered through cheap (used bookstores) or free (public library) books. And honestly, I don't think piracy losses can possibly amount to more than was lost to the authors and publishers through those two--seeing as you can't sell an e-book, and good luck finding many at your library (although it is getting better).

  • On the post: The Economist Shreds BSA Cloud Credentials Piracy Numbers

    Keroberos ( profile ), 01 Aug, 2012 @ 08:23pm

    Re: Re: Re: Surveys...

    Curse you, Perry the Platypus!!!

  • On the post: The Swedish Experiment: Spotify Helps Recording Industry Make Lots Of Money

    Keroberos ( profile ), 13 Jul, 2012 @ 12:22pm

    It's almost amusing how mystified record label execs seem to be over the most basic product marketing processes. With all these people they allegedly employ, you would think they would want to hire some with some product research/marketing skills. Even the most basic knowledge would suffice. What do our prospective customers want? How do they consume it? What other ways would they like to consume it? What are they willing to pay for it? How can we sell it to them at that price and still make enough profit to support growing our market?

  • On the post: FBI Wants To Make It Easier For You To Tell Your Customers They Might Be Felonious Pirates

    Keroberos ( profile ), 12 Jul, 2012 @ 01:50pm

    Re: And yet...

    Nope, nor do they have to deal with all the other great anti-piracy features like CD-Keys or on-line checks and the wonderfully buggy SecuROM that all the legitimate customers have such a fun time dealing with.

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