Rob Larsen 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (35) comment rss

  • On the post: Big Guns Come Out In Effort To Show RIAA's Lawsuits Are Unconstitutional

    Rob Larsen ( profile ), 30 Oct, 2008 @ 01:28pm

    Re: Etc.

    The point partially being made here that can sidestep a judicial bias towards the decisions of congress is the fact that the RIAA is self regulated and self policed.

    This is where a legal team should be able to hit the group the hardest, not necessarily in the level of fines that congress allowed them to go collect. If they take them out at the knees and make them no longer a police state someone else will have to collect all the money. That new someone would have to do it legally, though a court system, and have trials for each case.

    This alone would change so much that the very existence of the RIAA as a legal mob squad that almost all of the problems would be solved. The court cases would shift to gross theft or huge violations of copyright, as opposed to having something on a hard drive. The entire outlook would be changed as well as the court systems tie up, and something would finally be done about this entire situation.

    Just IMHO. The fact that he lost before has no bearing on this case, and the fact that the court voted 7-2 also has very little bearing. The issue that will be in play as this hits the real court circuit is not the same as the Eldred v. Ashcroft case, and it is also backed strongly by popular opinion now (as the RIAA has become EXTREMELY infamous). Hopefully this will be the catalyst to the changes we've all been looking for.

  • On the post: EA Sued For Copyright Infringement Over College Fight Song

    Rob Larsen ( profile ), 22 Oct, 2008 @ 05:16pm

    Re: HA HA

    I think EA should only be able to use the song 3 times, and the composer should be able to install a secuROM in EA's server to ensure that EA doesn't break this agreement. This is the best comment I've ever read on this site. Also, secuROM must be un-installable, to make sure that EA doesn't plan on stealing any fight songs in the future.

  • On the post: Judge Allows Kentucky To Seize Domain Names

    Rob Larsen ( profile ), 20 Oct, 2008 @ 11:27am

    TechDirt...

    depresses me every day. Seriously, when are our personal freedoms going to stop being trampled on. Thanks for being the messenger, even if its horrible news, day in and day out.

    Now, if these domain owners can prove residency outside of Kentucky, Hosting and Purchase outside of Kentucky, etc. etc., can they have their local / state / even the US government step up and stop this seizure?

    I mean, if they aren't residents, whats the difference between this and Kentucky just attacking another state and seizing a building; both are loss of personal property.

    Now, if they are in Kentucky, these owners are probably pretty hosed.

  • On the post: Let's Be Honest About Bandwidth Rationing

    Rob Larsen ( profile ), 07 Oct, 2008 @ 06:56pm

    One more thing Tom

    I think you're missing a main point here as well. All these broadband companies were seeking customers in droves when they realized they could triumph cheaply over dial up. They asked users to come by the millions, all their commercials ragging on dial up and, in the case of cable companies, DSL.

    Now they've overreached into the market and bandwidth is, apparently, "an issue" so they're putting it back on the customers that they went after aggressively.

    Sounds like bad business to me. If they're worried about infrastructure I really shouldn't see a single Comcast Broadband commercial until its fixed. Just MHO

  • On the post: Let's Be Honest About Bandwidth Rationing

    Rob Larsen ( profile ), 04 Oct, 2008 @ 06:40pm

    Has anyone noted...

    The fact that as more and more people turn to sites like Hulu and YouTube for entertainment (especially in college markets), Comcast gets more and more on top of setting bandwidth caps?

    Myself and thousands of others no longer even purchase cable television because I can replace it (at some loss of convenience, and some gain) with sites like Hulu. I think Comcast is just jumping early on the potential market loss here, and is nipping it in the butt before they see it as a real problem.

    Also, and I've said this time and time again, 250gb is NOTHING in bandwidth for a moderate to high user. If they jump me up to over $100 a month for mediocre service I'll just skip straight up to a T1 and share it with my neighbors. This is outrageous, its not even half my storage drive in bandwidth.

    Between class work (large video files, art files, etc.), internet TV, and some web design on the side I'll have filled my monthly quota, and that's without any gaming. Basically if these caps and tier systems become standard, the cable company can go stick it you know where and I wont live anywhere without a direct connection.

  • On the post: Google's Browser Is A Warning Shot At Windows, Not At Internet Explorer

    Rob Larsen ( profile ), 02 Sep, 2008 @ 01:01pm

    This browser...

    is pretty dang clean.

    Though I don't know if I could ever replace Firefox, using chrome kind of feels like I'm in a Kiosk mode.

  • On the post: Comcast Officially Caps Broadband That It Had Already Secretly Capped

    Rob Larsen ( profile ), 29 Aug, 2008 @ 12:49am

    This is awful...

    Seriously, if you work from home, do backups, web design, w/e, this is literally awful.

    I dont think many of you realize how fast you can burn through 250 gigs with 100% legal use. Hopefully this is the rise of the T1 in home. Cable internet companies have officially become cell phone bastards... the net is going down the tube.

  • On the post: Getting A Record Deal Through Second Life?

    Rob Larsen ( profile ), 15 Aug, 2008 @ 10:12am

    Weird...

    I didn't know that, aside from this musician, the only other person in the world actively using Second Life was someone that could hand out record deals.

  • On the post: Can We Send A Moron In A Hurry With A Mini Golf Club Over To Monster Cable?

    Rob Larsen ( profile ), 16 May, 2008 @ 09:32pm

    Perhaps Moster...

    ... should worry more about making a cable with distinguishable audio quality vs. a coat hanger, and less about a word they didn't invent, weren't the first to use, and won't be the last to claim.

  • On the post: Can You Copyright The Idea Of Dancing On Treadmills?

    Rob Larsen ( profile ), 22 Apr, 2008 @ 10:57am

    I Danced on a Treadmill

    I danced on a treadmill actually when I was about six so both parties should pay me. On another note, no idea is original, people had indeed danced on treadmills long before Ok, Go.

  • On the post: Warner Brothers Hires Lead Police Investigator On The Pirate Bay Lawsuit

    Rob Larsen ( profile ), 18 Apr, 2008 @ 03:08pm

    How this is not...

    a complete conflict of interest really shocks me. The two fields aren't even related. Its one thing if he does the investigation then gets set up with a sweet federal level government job; its another when he does the investigation then immediately gets hired by a party with direct interest to the case.

    I would be yelling louder than those guys at the Pirate Bay on this one, this seriously looks like Warner is just taking care of an inside man for some favors he pulled previously. That or they promised to take care of him, and something about this case is so botched that it would cost this officer his job, and they owe him one. Either way - this is beyond any reasonable law enforcement practice, and this man should be held from testimony.

  • On the post: Comcast Tests DVR That Watches You… Literally

    Rob Larsen ( profile ), 21 Mar, 2008 @ 12:40pm

    I promise you...

    That I would never watch TV with my pants on again. I wonder what filters that would automatically turn on...

  • On the post: Cities Put Revenue Over Driver Safety

    Rob Larsen ( profile ), 27 Feb, 2007 @ 09:48am

    It's amazing...

    That we still have murder/theft/rape in this country after we do everything possible to make it so police don't have to sit idle at an intersection and watch for people running reds. We give them RADAR detectors so they don't have to pace cars and they sit on the side of the road talking on a cell phone, we give them cameras in intersections and now all they have to do is wait until someone slams on the brakes and gets into an accident, at least the response will be fast.

  • On the post: RIAA, Again, Sues Family Without A Computer

    Rob Larsen ( profile ), 24 Apr, 2006 @ 02:46pm

    Indie Music

    "About 90% of that 85% is pure crud, so you're not missing much. Find some alternative/indie music and expand your horizons"

    Because everything underground is good, right?

  • On the post: Ubisoft Ditches Starforce… But Looks For A Replacement

    Rob Larsen ( profile ), 14 Apr, 2006 @ 11:58am

    Re: Steam model

    That, and regardless of which Steam game you're running (be it CS, HL2, DOD, online or offline) Steam is eating system resources in the background. I'd really prefer games without launch pads, its just more buttons to click when I'm trying to get some quick entertainment before classes.

    Anyone else notice that Ubisoft's public drama with Starforce started pretty much the same time they decided to kill Shadowbane? Maybe they planned on killing Starforce anyway, but they waited a while until they could have a story to cover up firing one of their development teams.