I work for a Bank, I think everyday about my job being gone the next day.....of course we are screwed when it comes to that...but in regards to this "hobby" I have, I still think about things like copyright law and how it affects us a vloggers.....
Heath http://heathparks.com --- In [email protected], John Coffey <jimmycrackhead2...@...> wrote: > > I think we're screwed with many more things higher on the list than a copyright law. Health care, economy, energy...etc etc etc. > > Jimmy CraicHead TV Video Podcast about Sailing, Travel, Craic and Cocktails www.jchtv.com > > > --- On Thu, 2/5/09, Heath <heathpa...@...> wrote: > > > From: Heath <heathpa...@...> > > Subject: [videoblogging] Is Obama pro copryright? Are we screwed? > > To: [email protected] > > Date: Thursday, February 5, 2009, 8:09 AM > > Well, in case anyone was wondering where our new president > > stood on > > copyright laws and how best to change them....look no > > further... > > > > Understand this is a big deal, a really big deal, this was > > they guy > > who got the court to agree that putting your songs on your > > computer > > and "making them availible" on a peer to peer > > network violated the > > law, yes that was overturned but now this guy is in the > > Justice > > Department... > > > > Change we can believe in?.....time will tell... > > > > http://tech.yahoo.com/news/cnet/20090205/tc_cnet/83011357831015738138 > > > > "Obama's DOJ pick is RIAA lawyer who killed > > Grokster" > > > > - President Obama is continuing to fill the senior ranks of > > the U.S. > > Department of Justice with the copyright industry's > > favorite lawyers. > > > > Donald Verrilli announced Wednesday that he had been named > > associate > > deputy attorney general. Verrilli is the lawyer who pulled > > the plug > > on Grokster, sued Google on behalf of Viacom, and > > represented the > > Recording Industry Association of America against a > > Minnesota woman > > named Jammie Thomas who's accused of illicit file > > sharing. > > > > This follows a string of other pro-copyright industry picks > > that > > Obama has made. Last month, there was Obama's selection > > last month of > > a top RIAA lawyer--currently squaring off in court with > > Harvard > > University's Berkman Center--to be third-in-command at > > the Justice > > Department. > > > > Vice President Joe Biden has long been an ally of the > > recording > > industry, urging the criminal prosecutions of > > copyright-infringing > > peer-to-peer users and trying to create a new federal > > felony > > involving playing unauthorized music. And another senior > > Justice > > Department post has gone to the top antipiracy enforcer for > > the > > Business Software Alliance, a strong supporter of the > > Digital > > Millennium Copyright Act's anti-circumvention rules. > > > > Obama's latest choice, Verrilli, is a senior litigator > > in the > > Washington, D.C. offices of the Jenner & Block law > > firm. > > > > In technology circles, he's probably best known for > > arguing the > > Minnesota case called Capitol v. Thomas. In that case, the > > RIAA > > convinced the judge to accept jury instructions saying that > > > > the "making copyrighted sound recordings available for > > electronic > > distribution on a peer-to-peer network" violated the > > law, even if > > none had actually been transferred. > > > > Verrilli won the first round, with a federal jury saying in > > October > > 2007 that Thomas had to pay $220,000. But then the judge > > threw out > > the verdict, concluding the jury instructions he approved > > were > > misleading; the RIAA is hoping to hold on to the initial > > verdict and > > is currently appealing. > > > > One reason why this case is especially relevant to > > Verrilli's new job > > is that the Justice Department intervened in the Thomas > > case on > > behalf of the RIAA. > > > > That has already caused some tech lobbyists to wonder > > privately about > > whether or not Verrilli will recuse himself from matters > > that affect > > their former clients. Another example of a relevant case > > involves the > > Supreme Court asking the Justice Department for input on a > > case > > involving Cablevision--another lawsuit that Verrilli was > > part of on > > behalf of copyright holders. > > > > A Jenner & Block press release says that Verrilli > > "led the Jenner & > > Block team that is pursuing a $1 billion copyright case on > > behalf of > > Viacom Inc. against Google and YouTube, alleging massive > > violations > > of Viacom's copyrighted motion pictures and television > > shows." Last > > year, Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman even called YouTube a > > "rogue > > company." > > > > The lawsuit filed in New York in March 2007 accuses YouTube > > > > of "massive intentional copyright infringement" > > and seeks more than > > $1 billion in damages. Other plaintiffs include Country > > Music > > Television, Paramount Pictures Corporation, Black > > Entertainment > > Television (all of which are Viacom affiliates). > > > > From a legal perspective, Verrilli's zealous defense of > > large > > copyright holders reached its apogee in the Grokster case. > > > > MGM had sued Grokster, saying that it effectively induced > > its users > > to commit copyright infringement. When the Supreme Court > > heard > > arguments on March 29, 2005 in the most important copyright > > case that > > decade, MGM chose Verrilli to represent its side. > > > > "The recording industry has lost 25 percent of its > > revenue since the > > onslaught of these services," Verrilli told the > > justices. "And that's > > particularly critical, because, remember, this is really... > > a venture- > > capital business. Most of the records we put out don't > > make money. A > > few make a lot of money. Well, what do you think's > > getting traded on > > Grokster and StreamCast and the rest of them? It's the > > few that make > > all the money." > > > > It worked, or at least worked pretty well. The Supreme > > Court ruled > > that operators of peer-to-peer networks could be held > > liable for > > copyright infringement, and Grokster quickly settled with > > Hollywood > > studios and the record labels. > > > > During the campaign, when CNET News asked Obama for his > > views on > > copyright, he replied: "As policymakers, we are in a > > constant process > > of examining our laws to ensure that the protections we > > place on > > intellectual property are sufficient to encourage invention > > without > > hindering innovation that builds on previous work or > > unfairly > > limiting consumers from using the goods they purchase in a > > way that > > is fair to creators." > > > > That was, unfortunately, rather vague. Now it's a bit > > more clear > > where he stands. > > > > Heath > > http://heathparks.com >
