Yeah. I feel really sorry for the MPAA and their supporters. I understand they are going broke and soon there will be no more movies for me not to see and no more music for me not listen to.
There will be plenty. For every studio that goes down in flames because nobody wanted to pay their marketing budgets through $30 DVD prices for a 10 cent DVD, 100 indipendant filmakers who simply rise or fall on the greatness of their product and it's ability to propogate viraly will emerge.
I'd really like to actively support the content industry in it's fight against what it believes are violations of U.S. copyright law in other countries and worlds, and join in their very ethical tactics against anyone anywhere who has ever copied copyrighted content for whatever reason, and prosecute them to the fullest extent of what the MPAA/RIAA thinks is the law. Even if they are not guilty.
Much like the US government thinks you should pay taxes on earnings in other countries, it's the simple way out to just assume that the rest of the world should be like your neck of the woods. We live here (or should) because we align well with the principles of this nation, and granted one of those seems to be imposing our will on other nations these days.....but that doesn't make it right.
Especially if they are not guilty - everyone should understand what it means to be guilty of a crime before they even think about committing it. I am really worried that these Pirate Bay guys are changing the world as we know it, and soon content will only be worth what it's worth.
That's the whole future isn't it? What's wrong with hastening the transition? Isn't that what open source is doing to the software world?
I'd do something about it, but, I just don't have the time to get involved as I still have a stoopid life. I know, someday, the rising vacuum will cause a major Blockbuster or Tower Records store to implode into itself, killing almost a half dozen if we don't stop this now. Maybe then I'll really be scared and agree to registering my eyes and ears with the government like the patriotik citizen I know I am. I may even stop telling others what I ever saw or heard.
Ahh inevitable change cometh....actually this has been happening for a while, it's nothing new. If a market player manages to make something easy and cost effective enough then it won't ever be a problem. If people really believe they are getting their money's worth then they'll buy whatever. The price for cigarettes, though inflated hugely by taxes doesn't really make THAT many people buy smuggled cigarettes does it? Ahh....but that's because there is COMPETITION! The fact is that we're definately in an inflection point where culture and laws are rapidly changing to reflect each other. I remember in the napster days, when I was in college I could download anything I've ever heard of....and I was really happy when I didn't have to pay $15-20 for a CD that sucks, that I can't return just like anytning else. When I can return a shitty CD that doesn't have content I enjoy, then I'll have an issue with people copying music. Til that day (odd to mention that MS has accepted returns on their software for qutie a while now >10 yrs, kinda makes me not mind that I have to activiate it), when music and movies are a returnable (not to mention fair use has been trampled on) and the market re-aligns itself then I'll believe that we have a problem. As long as media companies are allowed to limit competition, invade privacy, change the rules of retail that apply to mostly ALL other products, I won't really feel bad for any of them. And let's not thing that copy protection is the the answer. That'll never work....we should know by now that nothing will ever remain secure that long......that's why it all falls back to supply and demand......in the end without to much government interference things will probably work out just fine. -Tom -- [email protected] http://www.kernel-panic.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/kplug-list
