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The way I look at it the problem is a bit more subtle than that. In the interest of full disclosure, I'm not a US-citizen either. Recent technology is making s

The way I look at it the problem is a bit more subtle than that. In the interest of full disclosure, I'm not a US-citizen either. Recent technology is making several business models (of which the RIAA is a great example) obsolete. These businesses are powerful enough not to die the way the typewriter or the analog photo film did. These laws (like the DMCA) are a cry for help, a last resort from a dying industry. This is why their side of the argument has always appealed to emotions and not reason. ("How would the world be without movies?" - a complete straw man). I don't believe it's a conspiracy to make the rich even richer, it has more to do with the difficulty of renewing oneself when technology makes you obsolete. The problem is that a few (or more) innocent casualties are going to get hurt as the Hollywood Titanic (yay, a metaphor!) goes down, but ultimately this whole "technological protection measures" shenanigan is going to disappear. Hollywood is doomed and it knows it. That being said, I think the US is ahead of other countries when it comes to finding a solution to this problem. The effects of the SOPA/PIPA protests had on Congress is the obvious example, but more broadly, the constant ongoing debate looks promising. This debate is always avoided or dismissed as nonesense in France (where I currently live) and it cannot possibly be held in the Middle East (where I'm from). I just wished the judiciary system wasn't so harsh on the scapegoats of this whole mess. Because let's face it, the victims (again, obvious one is Schwartz, but there are many others) are scapegoats and everybody knows it.

Torn 14y ago
We have anti-copyright-theft trailers in cinemas, and they employ similar straw men. "Imagine a world with all cinemas... gone". As if piracy will stop people going to the cinema for films they really want to see.
alan_cx 14y ago
Yes, 99% agree. But a word for the BBC and its iPlayer. Well ahead of the game. I remember years ago chatting with some Americans who were literally gob smacked that we has such a thing, not only that, the bandwidth to make it generally usable. TV wise, the UK has been brilliant. So good that its almost not worth downloading UK TV shows at all. OK, if you want shows from pay channels you have to be paying, but I suppose that counts as fair enough. Not perfect, but, um, industry defensible, ish. Movies and music are still a mess though. Also, not so sure the technology is entirely responsible for the difficulties these businesses are having. I think it partly an excuse. One of the big things they have against them, is that our money now has more places for us to chose for it to go. There is a lot more to spend our money one, and many chose not to spend money on TV, movies and music. Especially when a huge opinion is that the quality had lowered to a lowest common denominator. In the past they (TV, music, movies) had a monopoly over our spare cash. They could dictate. I think history will see the last 50 years as a weird anomaly where the media had a disproportionate amount of control over the market. Look at the 70's, no competition from out side the industry. Total control. Cartel like pricing. The whole period was a joke in favour of these industries. It work and they liked it. Now, not only as you say the technology has over taken them, but there are now other things to spend money on. If they were to completely secure their medium, and we had no way round it, many would just do with out, still spending money on other things. Worse now in a recession as spare cash tightens up. Might even hurt them because the free advertising of illegal down loading would cease. For example, I might down load a movie, and tell others how great it was. I might never buy it, but some of my friends might. Well, I know that is true. Several movies I've torrented have been since bought on DVD or watch on a legit online paid for service as a result of me illegally seeing it and raving on about it to others. Heh, right now my son is paying to watch 24 online because I went on about how good it was. What is appalling about the whole thing is the governments colluding with the dying dinosaurs to use the instrument of law to keep the rotting failed businesses in business. If the US, etc, were really capitalists they would let capitalism work, supply and demand, and allow these businesses if necessary to go bust. Then people would have to innovate and create something new to move on. But this is strangled while the deluded government and businesses struggle on by criminalising and terrorising people with heavy handed laws that ruin lives. Its a complete abuse of power and democracy, leaving capitalism limp and useless. Oh. Too much. Sorry.... Hope no one has lapsed in to a coma. :)

Torn 14y ago

We have anti-copyright-theft trailers in cinemas, and they employ similar straw men. "Imagine a world with all cinemas... gone". As if piracy will stop people going to the cinema for films they really want to see.

alan_cx 14y ago

Yes, 99% agree. But a word for the BBC and its iPlayer. Well ahead of the game. I remember years ago chatting with some Americans who were literally gob smacked that we has such a thing, not only that, the bandwidth to make it generally usable. TV wise, the UK has been brilliant. So good that its almost not worth downloading UK TV shows at all. OK, if you want shows from pay channels you have to be paying, but I suppose that counts as fair enough. Not perfect, but, um, industry defensible, ish. Movies and music are still a mess though. Also, not so sure the technology is entirely responsible for the difficulties these businesses are having. I think it partly an excuse. One of the big things they have against them, is that our money now has more places for us to chose for it to go. There is a lot more to spend our money one, and many chose not to spend money on TV, movies and music. Especially when a huge opinion is that the quality had lowered to a lowest common denominator. In the past they (TV, music, movies) had a monopoly over our spare cash. They could dictate. I think history will see the last 50 years as a weird anomaly where the media had a disproportionate amount of control over the market. Look at the 70's, no competition from out side the industry. Total control. Cartel like pricing. The whole period was a joke in favour of these industries. It work and they liked it. Now, not only as you say the technology has over taken them, but there are now other things to spend money on. If they were to completely secure their medium, and we had no way round it, many would just do with out, still spending money on other things. Worse now in a recession as spare cash tightens up. Might even hurt them because the free advertising of illegal down loading would cease. For example, I might down load a movie, and tell others how great it was. I might never buy it, but some of my friends might. Well, I know that is true. Several movies I've torrented have been since bought on DVD or watch on a legit online paid for service as a result of me illegally seeing it and raving on about it to others. Heh, right now my son is paying to watch 24 online because I went on about how good it was. What is appalling about the whole thing is the governments colluding with the dying dinosaurs to use the instrument of law to keep the rotting failed businesses in business. If the US, etc, were really capitalists they would let capitalism work, supply and demand, and allow these businesses if necessary to go bust. Then people would have to innovate and create something new to move on. But this is strangled while the deluded government and businesses struggle on by criminalising and terrorising people with heavy handed laws that ruin lives. Its a complete abuse of power and democracy, leaving capitalism limp and useless. Oh. Too much. Sorry.... Hope no one has lapsed in to a coma. :)