Thomas’s Techdirt Profile

On the post: TSA Declares Themselves Fashion & Funny Police

Thomas ( profile ), 29 Aug, 2012 @ 05:04pm

Mocking/humor

are totally out of place at airports, whether you are speaking to the TSA, the airlines, or the people who work there. Keep your mouth shut. Don't wear any kind of t-shirt with lettering or icons.

Sometimes I wonder if the TSA and airlines have a quota of how many people they have to have detained/arrested per week to show they are truly "fighting terrorism".

On the post: The Aftershock Of Stupidity: Lendink Reopens Only To Receive Trolling DMCA Notices

Thomas ( profile ), 29 Aug, 2012 @ 07:58am

False DMCA notices

should be charged a flat fee of $ 5,000 per notice. After filing a dozen or so, the trolls would be out of business.

Or maybe a flat fee of $5,000 to even send the notice, to be refunded if it really is a valid takedown?

On the post: Porn Copyright Troll's New Tactic: Maybe Public Humiliation Will Magically Make People Pay

Thomas ( profile ), 24 Aug, 2012 @ 09:57am

Would this not

be slander? What if the accusation is false? an IP address is not proof that an individual copied/downloaded something.

On the post: Rep. Nadler Proposes The RIAA Bailout Act Of 2012

Thomas ( profile ), 23 Aug, 2012 @ 12:43pm

So how much...

is the RIAA paying to have the law proposed/passed? I always wondered how much you have to pay, and do you pay cash or what.

On the post: Feds Back To Seizing Websites Over Claims Of Copyright Infringement

Thomas ( profile ), 22 Aug, 2012 @ 09:03am

The DOJ

is just an enforcement arm for the content industries. Their top priority is no longer protecting American citizens, but in helping businesses. Considering how much money the entertainment industry contributes yearly in "gifts" plus the number of attorneys from the content industries who now work for various parts of the DOJ. They would much rather take down some possibly infringing sites than capture some terrorists who might kill thousands of americans.

On the post: As Label Funds To RIAA Dry Up, Top Execs Still Make Over $1 Million

Thomas ( profile ), 18 Aug, 2012 @ 07:05am

I thought..

the only purpose of the RIAA was to prosecute "file sharers" and large salaries for the executives and big bonuses whenever they "caught" file sharers?

Was there some other thing the RIAA was supposed to do? I heard a rumor that some money was given to the artists, but I never saw any proof. It sounded about on par with the Loch Ness monster; nothing but a crazy rumor.

On the post: Boston Shuts Down Uber Because Massachusetts Doesn't Approve Of The GPS

Thomas ( profile ), 15 Aug, 2012 @ 01:21pm

Or is the real reason..

the cabbies and limo companies complained and slipped some money into the right pockets so as to get rid of potential competition?

On the post: Court: Feds Can Spy On Americans Without Warrants With No Legal Repurcussions

Thomas ( profile ), 09 Aug, 2012 @ 06:35pm

Fairness..

has not been a part of the U.S. government for a long long time. total disregard for the Constitution is considered acceptable by most federal agencies anyway. Imprisonment without trial? Perfectly fine. Imprisonment without counsel? Perfectly fine. Execution without trial? Perfectly fine. Illegal wiretapping? Perfectly fine. Holding people indefinitely and incommunicado? Perfectly fine.

People should not expect the U.S. government to pay attention to such things as laws and the constitution.

On the post: Judge Overturns $147.2 Million Jury Award Against RIM

Thomas ( profile ), 09 Aug, 2012 @ 06:10am

Money..

Mformation forgot to offer the judge a cut, so the judge vacated the whole shebang. In these cases, it's important to make sure you've paid off both the jury AND the judge if you want make sure things go your way.

This would never have happened in East Texas - the judges and juries have the mechanisms in place to make sure they get "benefits" and the plaintiffs know where to slip the envelopes.

On the post: Execs From Bankrupt Kodak To Make Millions For Giving The Company's Patents To Trolls

Thomas ( profile ), 07 Aug, 2012 @ 05:23pm

does the judge

who approved the bonuses get a cut? I wouldn't be surprised. Companies that are owed money by Kodak should be outraged. Giving away valuable patents instead of selling them is typical of the way executives work in these days.

On the post: US Has Ignored New Zealand Court Order To Return Data It Seized From Megaupload

Thomas ( profile ), 31 Jul, 2012 @ 01:36pm

The U.S.

firmly believes that the U.S. doesn't have to pay attention to the laws of other countries. We are just about the most arrogant and corrupt country in the world.

The bribes the DOJ receives from the entertainment industry encourage them to ignore the laws anyway. The DOJ knows that New Zealand doesn't have a military force strong enough to challenge the U.S. either.

It used to be that the DOJ prided itself in being a guardian for the law, but now it's become a joke. The federal spooks have nothing but contempt for the law or the Constitution; they do whatever they d*** well please.

On the post: DC Police Chief Lays Down New Cell/Camera Policy: 'Don't Seize. Don't Delete. Don't Interfere.'

Thomas ( profile ), 28 Jul, 2012 @ 07:34pm

and the day

after this...yet another cop in Washington DC confiscated a woman's camera and returned it later minus the SD card which contained the pictures.

Obviously the police chief is just grandstanding and trying to look good to the press while in fact it's business as usual for the cops. Cops still believe that no one has a right to photograph/video them. They want to prevent people from getting evidence when they beat the crap out of innocent people.

Photographing/taking video of a cop is a good way to get arrested or lose your camera or get beaten or all three. Never never photograph/video around a cop if you value your phone/camera and your health.

On the post: Feds Wait Until Late Friday To Admit That, Yeah, They Ignored The 4th Amendment

Thomas ( profile ), 23 Jul, 2012 @ 12:22pm

It matters not one whit..

The government spook agencies (aka Gestapo) will continue to violate any provision in the Constitution that they believe gets in their way. The Gestapo is totally committed to the principle that the end justifies the means, and the constitution is not an obstacle at all.

On the post: WIPO: Giving Computers For 'Patents' To North Korea And Iran Didn't Violate UN Sanctions… But We'll Stop Doing It

Thomas ( profile ), 21 Jul, 2012 @ 01:42pm

It's simply greed

they want the money, North Korea and Iran pay them. so they get whatever they want that the WIPO can get their hands on. They would probably be willing to sell equipment to help make and use biological warfare too. Greed always trumps laws. corporations will sell anything to anyone if they can make money and get away with it. The corporations know full well that the executives will never be prosecuted, so they don't worry about the laws.

On the post: US Now Supporting Ridiculous Broadcast Treaty; Suggests It Could Cover The Internet Too

Thomas ( profile ), 20 Jul, 2012 @ 12:32pm

Bribery at work!

The government is just doing what the entertainment industry is bribing them to do. Businesses control the government, so why is anyone surprised at the stupidity of proposed laws? The DOJ is pretty much owned by the entertainment industry - just look at how many ex-RIAA/MPAA attorneys work "for" the DOJ and are probably still receiving paychecks from the RIAA/MPAA, but perhaps in swiss accounts to cover the bribery.

On the post: DOJ Tries To Explain How It Can Get Around Requirement To Serve Megaupload In The US

Thomas ( profile ), 18 Jul, 2012 @ 01:10pm

Just what they are paid to do..

the entertainment industry owns enough attorneys in the DOJ and slips LOTs of money into the right pockets so that DOJ will come up with whatever contorted explanation they think will be believed.

I used to think government agencies like DOJ (and FBI/NSA/CIA) were not open to bribes, but I guess those days are long gone. Still wonder what size of bribes are needed?

On the post: Olympics Can't Hire Enough Actual Security, But Fully Staffed With 'Brand Police'

Thomas ( profile ), 17 Jul, 2012 @ 08:07am

The Olympics

are no longer about sports; it is all about businesses making money. "Brand Police" sounds silly; they obviously don't care about the physical security of the athletes; they only care about making money and intimidating businesses. It's typical of businesses today; the only thing they care about is money; they don't care about people being injured or killed.

The chaos of the Olympics is a perfect opportunity for terrorists.

On the post: In The Patent Battle Over Speech Devices, The Real 'Irreparable Harm' Is A Child Losing Her Only Voice

Thomas ( profile ), 16 Jul, 2012 @ 01:46pm

To a corporation..

irreparable harm only applies to their products. They don't care about anyone else. The corporation wouldn't care if ten thousand children lost their ability to speak as long as the app got removed. Corporations only care about themselves and profits anyway.

On the post: NYPD Put Couple On 'Wanted' Poster For Videotaping Police

Thomas ( profile ), 09 Jul, 2012 @ 08:34pm

Very Simple..

the cops hate people who videotape them. They fully believe that it is or should be a crime to videotape the police anyway.

The cops see no reason why they should not harras people who annoy them. Civil rights are not the concern of the cops anyway.

On the post: Mobile Operators Responded To An Astounding 1.3 Million Requests For Subscriber Info

Thomas ( profile ), 09 Jul, 2012 @ 12:12pm

one would think...

we have criminals and terrorists everywhere. Wonder how many of the requests were really worth it or were they just fishing expeditions hoping to find something.

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