mitchfeatherston 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (52)

• On the post: Rep. Zoe Lofgren Quizzes US Register Of Copyrights Over Close Connection To Industry

  

  mitchfeatherston ( profile ), 20 Apr, 2012 @ 10:22am

  Funny...

  Yes, I am sure Pallante is really worried about books. Books existed before our moronic copyright system was instituted, and they will ALWAYS exist in multiple ways and formats. You DO NOT need copyright to have books.

• On the post: London 2012 Olympics Win Gold Medal For Cluelessness By Banning Video And Photo Uploads To Social Media During Games

  

  mitchfeatherston ( profile ), 20 Apr, 2012 @ 10:09am

  Who DIDN'T see this coming???!!!

  Yet another sad, disturbing and pathetic example of big media squashing free expression.

• On the post: Hollywood Still Trying To Kill The Golden Netflix Goose

  

  mitchfeatherston ( profile ), 20 Apr, 2012 @ 05:45am

  Sickening...

  Hollywood simply can't handle today or the future.

• On the post: HBO Decides It Still Isn't Difficult Enough To Watch HBO Shows

  

  mitchfeatherston ( profile ), 19 Apr, 2012 @ 05:04am

  H... D.. M... I...

  Gotta love the HDMI "Standard" -- lots of way for content companies to goof around with access.

• On the post: If Piracy Is So Devastating, Why Are We Seeing An Unprecedented Outpouring Of Creativity?

  

  mitchfeatherston ( profile ), 10 Apr, 2012 @ 07:01am

  Big Media...

  This is an excellent post with good, solid data, but BIG MEDIA (Hollywood) will say that user-generated content is not all that good... of course, I disagree. UGC can be good, and the main thing is that ANYONE can create today.
  
  YouTube alone levels many playing fields, but still, Hollywood dislikes anything other than what it creates. Of course Hollywood gave us such gems as "Sucker Punch" and "Dude, Where's My Car?" -- such awesome stuff that deserves 95 years of "protection."

• On the post: Australia To Explore Adding Greater Copyright Exceptions

  

  mitchfeatherston ( profile ), 02 Apr, 2012 @ 09:46am

  Backdoor...

  Looking at this set of exceptions it brings up a potentially interesting way to loosen the grip of our US Copyright system. Basically allowing non-commercial uses of works is a gigantic move. of course, we would need to spell out what that means, but the concept is amazing. Imagine applying the same fair use right to copy a legally purchased CD, turning them into MP3's or whatever... imagine that being applied to Blu-ray content, to material you have on your DVR, etc.
  
  I think at the core of this type of idea is that copyright holders, in the future, may not be able to rely on monetizing EVERY SINGLE TRANSACTION of their material... like it or not.

• On the post: Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc. Using Trademark Law To Prevent The Use Of Public Domain Stories

  

  mitchfeatherston ( profile ), 09 Mar, 2012 @ 01:42pm

  Unfortunate...

  This is yet another case of IP law out of control. In theory, would it help the comic publisher to simply re-name the characters (I am not familiar with the comic series)? How about using "Joe Cartier" -- probably TOO SIMILAR.
  
  I can see this very thing happen decades from now when Marvel character's stories begin to enter the public domain... Disney will use every trick in the book, including trademark, to kill off attempts at using their characters.

• On the post: Chris Dodd: The Internet Developed Because Of Strict Copyright Enforcement

  

  mitchfeatherston ( profile ), 08 Mar, 2012 @ 04:41am

  Never Ending...

  I don't think we are going to see this guy's direction change... there's too much money on the table. It's sad, but it's true.

• On the post: Columnist Accuses EA Of 'Identity Theft' For Using Player Likenesses

  

  mitchfeatherston ( profile ), 07 Mar, 2012 @ 07:47am

  Contract???

  Let's also look at the possibility that these players may have signed away their likeness by agreeing to some sort of weird contract. It's idiotic to call this identity theft but it's not idiotic to think that if the player DID NOT agree to their likeness being used, they might have a case.
  
  The right of publicity is a strange law, and I sort of understand it in terms of living people wanting to protect themselves from corporations using their likeness w/o consent... WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR PICTURE TO BE ON A BOX OF WHEATIES w/o being paid, or at least being asked? Where the law falls apart for me is right of publicity and dead people. The estate of James Dean racks up a lot of money every year from a really crackpot concept that the likeness of a dead celebrity can be "PROTECTED" and licensed. This is totally stupid, and it needs to end. I should be able to print tee shirts with James Dean's face on it all day and not be threatened with a lawsuit.

• On the post: Dear Big Newspapers: Keep Putting Up Silly Paywalls And Clear The Internet Field For Us 'Newcomers'

  

  mitchfeatherston ( profile ), 03 Mar, 2012 @ 05:53pm

  Idiots

  Well, at least they are speeding up their eventual demise. I have zero sympathy for any of them.

• On the post: Microsoft Hires Key Anti-Google FTC Lawyer To Be Its New Chief Anti-Google Lobbyist

  

  mitchfeatherston ( profile ), 02 Mar, 2012 @ 01:42pm

  Wonderful

  This is our system at work... love it, hate, whatever.

• On the post: There Can Be No 'Balance' In The Entirely Unbalanced System Of Copyright

  

  mitchfeatherston ( profile ), 01 Mar, 2012 @ 12:02pm

  Terrible

  By not being able to REDUCE the duration of copyright, it basically makes this entire situation one sided. Of course, that's what Hollywood and the other proponents of PERPETUAL copyright terms want.
  
  You have to wonder, how did it get to this point? Sickening.

• On the post: Angry Birds CEO Explains How The Company Embraces Piracy

  

  mitchfeatherston ( profile ), 01 Feb, 2012 @ 10:07am

  Community

  In other words: COMMUNITY.

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

  

  mitchfeatherston ( profile ), 30 Jan, 2012 @ 07:21am

  As usual, Mike gets it right.

• On the post: Homage Is Expensive: Rihanna Pays Up To Settle Photographer's Lawsuit

  

  mitchfeatherston ( profile ), 21 Oct, 2011 @ 06:40pm

  Can you say "chilling effect"?

  This is unbelievable. We live in a twisted world.

• On the post: Why Didn't UK Deal With Ridiculous Copyright Term Lengths?

  

  mitchfeatherston ( profile ), 05 Aug, 2011 @ 07:53am

  Absolutely

  The duration of copyright is not just an issue in the UK, it's an issue worldwide.

• On the post: Hulu Sued For Violating 'TV Guide' Patent

  

  mitchfeatherston ( profile ), 02 Aug, 2011 @ 12:45pm

  Unbelievable

  I guess it's easier for companies to sue or threaten legal action than to actually innovate. At some point, this has to end. How long does a technology/software patent last?

• On the post: Hulu Sued For Violating 'TV Guide' Patent

  

  mitchfeatherston ( profile ), 02 Aug, 2011 @ 12:45pm

  Unbelievable

  I guess it's easier for companies to sue or threaten legal action than to actually innovate. At some point, this has to end. How long does a technology/software patent last?

• On the post: Pro-IP Blogger Feels Raising The Level Of Debate Means Locking Up Your Comments And Throwing Around The Word 'Freetard'

  

  mitchfeatherston ( profile ), 13 Jul, 2011 @ 05:40pm

  Sad

  This is a bad way to handle this sort of issue. The comment issue alone pretty much destroys the argument. Name calling is also fairly pathetic.

• On the post: Law Professors Come Out Against PROTECT IP

  

  mitchfeatherston ( profile ), 05 Jul, 2011 @ 12:00pm

  Stop the insanity

  At some point this type of legislation efforts need to end. What a waste of time.

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