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> it's completely ridiculous that DHS is enforcing IP The Secret Service was created by Lincoln to combat an extremely high rate of counterfeiting currency[1].

> it's completely ridiculous that DHS is enforcing IP The Secret Service was created by Lincoln to combat an extremely high rate of counterfeiting currency[1]. When the Department of Homeland Security was created, the Secret Service became part of that department. I'm sure you will be happy to know that the Secret Service also provides protection for "important" citizens traveling abroad. They also investigate cases involving child pornography and various types of fraud. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Secret_Service#Early_years http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Secret_Service#Ea...

larrik 15y ago
Defending currency is NOT anything like defending civil IP. It's not even covered by the same laws, for starters.
- scott_s 15y ago
  Bureaucracies are grown, not designed.
  - getsat 15y ago
    They also rarely stop growing. "Bureaucracy expands to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy." -- Oscar Wilde
    - joel_ms 15y ago
      That looks like a paraphrasing of Parkinson's Law[0] [0]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkinsons_Law http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkinsons_Law
  - rdtsc 15y ago
    Sometimes they grow by themselves, not unlike a cancer. For example, just found out not too long ago that TVA* still exists! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_Valley_Authority http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_Valley_Authority To me that is a prime example of a self perpetuating bureaucracy. It is like a self-aware organ of a larger organism that refuses to die and does all it can to fight back and stay alive. * For those who are wondering this is the Tennessee Valley Authority. Which was created during the Great Depression to help electrify the South. The South has pretty much been electrified but TVA still keeps on chugging along 80 years later.
    - yardie 15y ago
      It's a government chartered corporation. Like Fannie Mae or the Post Office. I was surprised to also found out they still existed when I got a call for a contracting gig with them. I believe the second sentence out my mouth after the introduction was, "I didn't know you guys were still here!". But it makes sense. It's not like all those dams, powerplants, and electrical lines continue to take care of themself once the installation is done. Unlike the governments law enforcement apparatus, TVA still works in the domain they were deployed for, managing water and electricity in the areas around Tennessee.
- jbermudes 15y ago
  While I agree with you, it is interesting to note that ACTA originally started out as an anti-counterfeiting agreement. But then again, counterfeiting currency might still be under different laws from counterfeiting designer jeans.
- deleted 15y ago
  [deleted]

larrik 15y ago

Defending currency is NOT anything like defending civil IP. It's not even covered by the same laws, for starters.

scott_s 15y ago
Bureaucracies are grown, not designed.
- getsat 15y ago
  They also rarely stop growing. "Bureaucracy expands to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy." -- Oscar Wilde
  - joel_ms 15y ago
    That looks like a paraphrasing of Parkinson's Law[0] [0]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkinsons_Law http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkinsons_Law
- rdtsc 15y ago
  Sometimes they grow by themselves, not unlike a cancer. For example, just found out not too long ago that TVA* still exists! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_Valley_Authority http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_Valley_Authority To me that is a prime example of a self perpetuating bureaucracy. It is like a self-aware organ of a larger organism that refuses to die and does all it can to fight back and stay alive. * For those who are wondering this is the Tennessee Valley Authority. Which was created during the Great Depression to help electrify the South. The South has pretty much been electrified but TVA still keeps on chugging along 80 years later.
  - yardie 15y ago
    It's a government chartered corporation. Like Fannie Mae or the Post Office. I was surprised to also found out they still existed when I got a call for a contracting gig with them. I believe the second sentence out my mouth after the introduction was, "I didn't know you guys were still here!". But it makes sense. It's not like all those dams, powerplants, and electrical lines continue to take care of themself once the installation is done. Unlike the governments law enforcement apparatus, TVA still works in the domain they were deployed for, managing water and electricity in the areas around Tennessee.
jbermudes 15y ago
While I agree with you, it is interesting to note that ACTA originally started out as an anti-counterfeiting agreement. But then again, counterfeiting currency might still be under different laws from counterfeiting designer jeans.
deleted 15y ago
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