This bill will allow the government to remove any content that promotes downloading or sharing copyright material.
What is your opinion of this bill? Does it give the government too much power? How easily can this bill be abused?
I am still looking more into this bill and I do not have an opinion on it yet. So far, it looks like this bill will do nothing more than give the government and big businesses unfair advantages in the marketing world. It will also allow the government to censor any sites that promote piracy including ThePirateBay, despite the fact that there is no evidence that shows any negative correlation between illegal downloads and profit. Basically, these downloads are not harming big businesses.
Smaller bands and film makers who are using file sharing to promote their art will be hurt tremendously. File sharing will be heavily restricted. Maybe the government is trying to make unfair deals with big businesses?
What's even more important is that the government will be allowed to shut down sites that are protected by fair use policies. Who's to stop them? The government won't need a jury, the judges will make the choices on their own.
What is your opinion on the bill? Should we be concerned?
We should be pooing in our pants. If the bill gets passed its another nail in the coffin for the normal person to share files. Not juts pirated but much much more. There is a huuuge underground sharing movement and they will only push it further under with this.
no evidence that shows any negative correlation between illegal downloads and profit. Basically, these downloads are not harming big businesses.
I made a thread that showed this and got bashed by people talking about the "moral" implications of stealing. I felt like bashing my head against a brick wall.
One thing that will happen is I will not be able to see nearly as many movies or play nearly as many games. Yes I DL them illegally but I guarentee I would not see them otherwise and studies have shown that most people would not bother to see them regardless of being able to get it online either.
My thread also talked about social manipulation to see crap movies, for example, The Expendables, and people argued that its the general populations fault for falling for it. I argued its not, and goes much deeper than stupid people paying for crap movies.
Btw the expendables is one of the worst movies I have ever seen. Download it
Need to pick up my son so in the words of a "good" actor(sarcasim) "Ill be back"
I know this isn't solely about music and file sharing, but that's where I'm going go. And my opinion is also not formed because I lack knowledge here.
Now, what I do have opinion on is culture and society. As a whole, we evolve and change over time. This just happens. What do we do when things change? We adjust whether we like it or not. (For the most part) The way I see the music world going is purely digital. CDs really don't have much a place anymore. So, I want to complain about all the BIG NAME artists out there that claim they are losing money to file sharing. I say, so what. It's the way the world works. They were never guaranteed to be rich. All they do is sign and perform. The internet is to broad to really control it in that manner of speaking. So, these artists need to adjust. If they want to make money, then put on a damn good show and sell tickets.
They are sure holding on with tooth and nail, also thru the expense of the poor.
The internet is to broad to really control it in that manner of speaking.
There are alternatives to the World Wide Web. There is something called Freeweb that is seperate. I dont know much about it but am tempted to try it.
Telephone companies have a stranglehold on the internet and they CAN control it because they laid the telephone lines that connect us all. So the problem is, how do we connect to a web without using the lines provided?
If they want to make money, then put on a **** good show and sell tickets.
Well if you wanna travel to Edinburgh we are playing at the Bongo Club this sunday at 1pm... I guarantee we will be putting on a darn good show and I dont even think we will be paid (depends how well the club does that night)
So it's not just music and file sharing but anything that is copyrighted? What about some of the research and development articles? How will we do appropriate research in school if we are "sharing" it with others? I mean, this goes beyond "you are going to be fined because you plagiarized", this is more like "you are going to be fined because you took copyrighted material".
Show me a positive correlation between file sharing and profits and I will consider thinking.
What we think as positive and what they the proposers think of positive seem to be opposite values. Yes, this bill will (hopefully) prevent excessive pirating that could damage X business. But such power would prevent us from simply downloading a song or an Oblivion mod made by Bethesda. If anything, make this bill have means to locate and prevent SUBSTANTIAL pirating.
Also I would like it noted that many companies are no longer selling their products to you. I believe EA does this already. What they say is you are buying a licence allowing usage of the software.
I call all of this the wedge in the door. Sure it looks nice on the outside, stop piracy and hacking etc but really it will allow big business to push further in and take more away.
I call all of this the wedge in the door. Sure it looks nice on the outside, stop piracy and hacking etc but really it will allow big business to push further in and take more away.
Exactly they are hiding there big business agenda by making it sound like it's a good thing.
It is one thing for the government to give themselves the power to prohibit file sharing, but quite another for it to actually be able to do so in a pragmatic sense. The thing about the internet is that it's largely uncontrollable. It's a pretty good example of direct democracy really. Where there is demand for something, someone will cater to it. Just look at the Chinese authorities, who have around 100,000 employees dedicated to shielding the Chinese people from the internet, and who still largely fail. Whenever one door is closed another is opened or rather created.
Really I don't think there is much to worry about. Aside from the obvious sites, file sharing will continue. It is impossible to prevent. I torrent the vast majority of my music (mostly out of necessity mind, electronic music isn't available legally most of the time), however I doubt this would hinder me at all. There are always different sites to go to, not that I'll promote them or condone my own behaviour, but I'm simply stating a fact.
It will also allow the government to censor any sites that promote piracy including ThePirateBay, despite the fact that there is no evidence that shows any negative correlation between illegal downloads and profit. Basically, these downloads are not harming big businesses.
Welcome to the United States of China, where if the government doesn't like it they can block it.
Here's my question: This bill is being proposed in the US correct? Yet the internet is for everyone in the world. Soooo the law can only apply to US companies, sites hosted with US based servers, with US based service. Even if there is infringement of US copyrights there are many nations which do not allow FBI intervention, and they are the ones who investigate and enforce copyright laws. All that's going to happen is these sites are going to outsource their storage to foreign countries where the US government can't legally do anything. That's going to mean that jobs, and money, are going to be sent to other nations. (But then, I'm sure that Congress thought of that one already.... /sarcasm)
