3 ms·

It's not DMCA that's broken, it's the people that run those companies implementing the policies that are broken.

dmix 7y ago
It was always economically impossible for Google or Youtube or Reddit or any major website with thousands of new user-generated posts a day (let alone millions) to review each of these cases. I'm not even blaming the companies like Reddit, it really is an unrealistic thing to ask of them. What is going to stop these professional "copyright companies" or people exploiting it from existing? Better laws against people who file "false" claims? Maybe... but even then only people with the funds and time and jurisdictional ability (a very important one for anyone who knows civil law) to file the suits will ever get justice. Still something needs to be done here obviously.
- tmpz22 7y ago
  If you’re going to allow internet bullies to curbstomp your user bases maybe your product sucks and you should go out of business. “There’s nothing we could’ve done” - bullshit. You sent that message from your fourth Lake Tahoe vacation this quarter. (You as in the metaphorical person who said “there’s nothing we could’ve done” not the comment above me).
  - dmix 7y ago
    I think the important thing here is not many people have figured this out yet where it's a major problem on Reddit, one probably only a threat to smaller subreddits but certainly possible with individual posts on bigger ones. There's probably thousands of angry users getting banned every day with way too much time who would love to know this fact. I was quite impressed by how clever the person was for figuring out how to take down an entire subreddit he didn't like, but the implications were quite scary and it made me realize how dangerous DMCA is. Especially in an age where political groups and sites like Twitter encourage outrage mobs looking for mob justice. But I agree Reddit, Google, etc should be working towards solving this, through lobbying or whatnot. I haven't figured out a good solution I just know it's a massive problem.
    - matheusmoreira 7y ago
      Anyone with significant social media influence can take down subreddits they don't like. All they have to do is make enough noise on social media until advertisers notice. When they refuse to associate with Reddit because of the controversial community, it will be summarily neutralized by either quarantine or deletion. If a website has a business model at all, it's safe to assume it has no integrity and will censor anything if that business model is threatened.
- tzs 7y ago
  > It was always economically impossible for Google or Youtube or Reddit or any major website with thousands of new user-generated posts a day (let alone millions) to review each of these cases. The only review required is that the notices and counter-notices are signed, identify the work in question, have the filer's contact information, include a statement that the filer has a good faith belief about the infringement or lack of infringement, and include a statement (in notices) that the information in the filing is accurate or (in counter-notices) that you consent to jurisdiction of the Federal District Court in the district the address in your contact information is in. This level of review should not require much effort, and the people doing it just need basic literacy. They don't need any legal training.
matheusmoreira 7y ago
The DMCA doesn't just enable abuse, it also prohibits security research, reverse engineering...

dmix 7y ago

It was always economically impossible for Google or Youtube or Reddit or any major website with thousands of new user-generated posts a day (let alone millions) to review each of these cases. I'm not even blaming the companies like Reddit, it really is an unrealistic thing to ask of them. What is going to stop these professional "copyright companies" or people exploiting it from existing? Better laws against people who file "false" claims? Maybe... but even then only people with the funds and time and jurisdictional ability (a very important one for anyone who knows civil law) to file the suits will ever get justice. Still something needs to be done here obviously.

tmpz22 7y ago
If you’re going to allow internet bullies to curbstomp your user bases maybe your product sucks and you should go out of business. “There’s nothing we could’ve done” - bullshit. You sent that message from your fourth Lake Tahoe vacation this quarter. (You as in the metaphorical person who said “there’s nothing we could’ve done” not the comment above me).
- dmix 7y ago
  I think the important thing here is not many people have figured this out yet where it's a major problem on Reddit, one probably only a threat to smaller subreddits but certainly possible with individual posts on bigger ones. There's probably thousands of angry users getting banned every day with way too much time who would love to know this fact. I was quite impressed by how clever the person was for figuring out how to take down an entire subreddit he didn't like, but the implications were quite scary and it made me realize how dangerous DMCA is. Especially in an age where political groups and sites like Twitter encourage outrage mobs looking for mob justice. But I agree Reddit, Google, etc should be working towards solving this, through lobbying or whatnot. I haven't figured out a good solution I just know it's a massive problem.
  - matheusmoreira 7y ago
    Anyone with significant social media influence can take down subreddits they don't like. All they have to do is make enough noise on social media until advertisers notice. When they refuse to associate with Reddit because of the controversial community, it will be summarily neutralized by either quarantine or deletion. If a website has a business model at all, it's safe to assume it has no integrity and will censor anything if that business model is threatened.
tzs 7y ago
> It was always economically impossible for Google or Youtube or Reddit or any major website with thousands of new user-generated posts a day (let alone millions) to review each of these cases. The only review required is that the notices and counter-notices are signed, identify the work in question, have the filer's contact information, include a statement that the filer has a good faith belief about the infringement or lack of infringement, and include a statement (in notices) that the information in the filing is accurate or (in counter-notices) that you consent to jurisdiction of the Federal District Court in the district the address in your contact information is in. This level of review should not require much effort, and the people doing it just need basic literacy. They don't need any legal training.

matheusmoreira 7y ago

The DMCA doesn't just enable abuse, it also prohibits security research, reverse engineering...