-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1
Pure Mint boss resigns BPI committee over Digital Economy Bill
,----[ Quote ]
| Hall believes the proposed legislation has
| been rushed in a bid to get it through
| parliament before the next General
| Election, that it is in danger of
| disregarding some sacred legal principles
| (regarding process, presumption of
| innocence and burden of proof) and that it
| won't solve the record industry's piracy
| problems anyway.
|
| In his resignation letter to the BPI, Hall
| writes: "I have enjoyed contributing to
| both [the BPI's] Rights [Committee] and
| the [IFPI's] ILC, but increasingly feel
| that my contributions are falling on deaf
| ears as an agenda has already been reached
| that I now consider is unmovable. As you
| know, I do not think the Digital Economy
| Bill is a sensible or well thought out
| piece of legislation. In my view it is
| being rushed through the last months of a
| parliament of an unpopular government and
| it is not legislation that I support".
|
| Referencing clause 17 - the one that gives
| senior ministers the right to change
| copyright laws on whim - he continued: "I
| am particularly surprised that the record
| industry has chosen to endorse s.17 of the
| DEB, which I consider is wholly
| undemocratic and contrary to centuries of
| good practice regarding the forming of our
| copyright legislation. I also believe it
| may set a dangerous precedent going
| forwards (and could come back to haunt the
| industry)".
`----
http://newsblog.thecmuwebsite.com/post/Pure-Mint-boss-resigns-BPI-committee-over-Digital-Economy-Bill.aspx
Ambassador Kirk: People would be âwalking away from the tableâ
if the ACTA text is made public
,----[ Quote ]
| I brought up to Kirk that the USTR had
| shown ACTA text to dozens of corporate
| lobbyists and all of its trading partners
| in the ACTA negotiation, and the text was
| only secret from the public. Kirk did say
| USTR was discussing this issue with the
| White House and its trading partners, but
| that was about all he could say at that
| moment.
`----
http://keionline.org/node/706
The Politics of Piracy and Spicing the Political Life
,----[ Quote ]
| But what keeps me interested in the
| politics of piracy is how it can speak the
| language of spectacle, which can be a
| powerful tactic and technique for
| broadcasting a political message. Here I'm
| just paraphrasing and cribbing the work of
| Stephen Duncombe, who has argued, I think
| quite persuasively, that we cannot rely
| solely on reasoned debate for building
| political programs. Duncombe does not
| argue that we must toss out rationality
| and truth seeking (these are absolutely
| necessary) but notes how on their own or
| if not clothed in some other cloak, they
| may not be enough to convey and compel,
| especially in this day of total media
| saturation. Or to put a but more
| poetically by him "Reality needs fantasy
| to render it desirable, just as fantasy
| needs reality to make it believable."
|
| Much (though not all) of contemporary
| digital piracy follows the logic of
| spectacle. It builds and conveys a
| fantastical drama of right and wrong, of
| new possibilities, of freedom from the
| noose of the law; it signals and speaks to
| the thrill and fun in twisting, even
| breaking, existing structures and
| constraints; and provides a window into
| another way of acting/behaving. In many
| cases what it provides is a commons (and I
| will be exploring it in depth in my class
| next semester on the commons) and many
| folks, I imagine, turn to piracy simply
| for the free stuff, and a number of them
| come out of the other side transformed
| into copy fighters willing to engage in a
| politics beyond sharing stuff and waving
| the pirate flag.
`----
http://gabriellacoleman.org/blog/?p=1855
Recent:
Lords raise fears over Digital Economy Bill
,----[ Quote ]
| Several members of the House of Lords have
| raised fears over elements of the
| Government's controversial Digital Economy
| Bill.
|
| The wide-ranging bill covers everything
| from the future of Britain's broadband
| network to measures to deal with illegal
| file-sharing to broadcasting regulation.
`----
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/broadband/353842/lords-raise-fears-over-digital-economy-bill
Piracy Harming African Culture... Because Some Professor Says So
,----[ Quote ]
| This goes against numerous studies,
| including those by the WTO on how
| developing nations often should have less
| stringent intellectual property laws while
| they're developing. The article is based on
| some simple conjectures: that even with low
| budgets, films made in Nigeria are having
| trouble making money and it's all the fault
| of piracy -- first from lost sales, but
| also because people are pirating high
| budget American films as well. Basically,
| the argument is that if people can get
| those high budget films at the same
| "pirated" cost as local films, of course
| they'll go for the high budget films, and
| thus destroy the local film industry.
`----
http://techdirt.com/articles/20091201/0927327148.shtml
Dismissing The Freeloading Myth
,----[ Quote ]
| Instead, she tries to lump all who file
| share into a single camp of people who are
| pure freeloaders. Of course, she even gets
| the basics of freeloading wrong, focusing
| on the sociological issues, but ignoring
| the economic research on freeloading and
| the value of commons and sharing. That's
| doubly odd considering that our recent
| Nobel Prize winning economist won that
| prize for her groundbreaking work showing
| that the simplistic thinking on "sharing"
| and "commons" simply isn't accurate, and
| that communities will quite frequently
| create models where sharing is seen as
| beneficial and other structures make sure
| that fair compensation occurs.
`----
http://techdirt.com/articles/20091130/0316557115.shtml
Dear Musicians â Please Be Brilliant or Get Out of The Way
,----[ Quote ]
| It has been more than a decade since I was
| last fully immersed in the recorded music
| business [and then only peripherally as GM
| of eMusic.com,] and I have long held out
| hope that musicians would ditch the old
| media model, both the business and the
| manufacturing sides, and fully embrace the
| huge possibilities that the unfettered
| social web allows them -- asymmetrical
| distribution as opposed to old media
| distribution silos, two-way communication
| with music fans as opposed to old media PR,
| and marketing tactics and an unparalleled
| universal sandbox in which to experiment.
|
| I am still waiting. Unfortunately my
| patience is now wearing thin. And my
| impatience is no longer with the record
| labels, it's with the musicians. Despite
| all the data and untold amounts of writing
| about the decline in music sales, mainly
| the fall off of CD sales, musicians appear
| to be sitting on their hands. The reason I
| am no longer impatient with record labels
| is because their business model is
| transparent -- they exist to make money
| from musicians. On the other hand,
| musicians are [or ought to be] immersed in
| their art; no one guarantees a living from
| the arts, but talk to the average musician
| about internet music distribution and you
| will often hear the same refrain --
| "downloading and file-sharing is killing
| music and denying me a living.."
`----
http://www.pampelmoose.com/2009/12/dear-musicians-please-be-brilliant-or-get-out-of-the-way
Will Movie Streaming Destroy Piracy?
,----[ Quote ]
| Next time, Mr. Washington Post article
| Writer, maybe you should do a little
| research on exactly what it is users are
| streaming before you make fantastic claims
| about the defeat of piracy and the triumph
| of all that is good and honest in this
| world. Because in this case, you were
| severely under-informed.
`----
http://freakbits.com/will-movie-streaming-destroy-piracy-1203
My Times editorial on British plan to cut relatives of accused infringers off from the net
,----[ Quote ]
| I have an op-ed in today's Times about the
| British plan to disconnect people from the
| internet if someone in their home is
| accused -- without proof -- of infringing
| copyright, and how utterly unjust this is.
`----
http://www.boingboing.net/2009/10/29/my-times-editorial-o.html
TalkTalk to fight net disconnection plan
,----[ Quote ]
| A major ISP has promised a court challenge
| to Government plans to allow the cutting
| off of internet connections used by people
| accused of illegal file sharing. TalkTalk
| said it will challenge the plans in the
| courts.
`----
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/11/02/net_disconnection_challenge/
Denying physics wonât save the video stars
,----[ Quote ]
| Peter Mandelsonâs proposal to disconnect
| the families of internet users who have
| been accused of file sharing will do great
| violence to British justice without
| delivering any reduction in copyright
| infringement.
`----
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article6896049.ece
Investor Bill Could Crack Down On ISPs
,----[ Quote ]
| According to the bill text, "any Internet
| service provider that, on or through a
| system or network controlled or operated
| by the Internet service provider,
| transmits, routes, provides connections
| for, or stores any material containing any
| misrepresentation... shall be liable for
| any damages caused thereby, including
| damages suffered" by the Securities
| Investor Protection Corporation, an entity
| that protects investors from financial
| harm if a broker-dealer company fails.
`----
http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/10/investor-bill-could-crack-down.php
Will Three Strikes Ever Really Get Implemented In The UK?
,----[ Quote ]
| On top of that, the idea is already
| incredibly unpopular with the majority of
| people in the UK... and (most importantly)
| there's an election coming up soon in the
| UK. Backing a massively disliked proposal
| to kick people off the internet based on
| accusations using weak evidence...
| probably isn't a savvy political move at
| this moment. Given all of that, I'm
| wondering if the plan ever really moves
| forward in the UK, or if it just makes a
| lot of noise so that Mandelson and his
| colleagues can tell the entertainment
| industry how they tried, to make sure the
| political donations keep coming in.
`----
http://techdirt.com/articles/20091030/0328096729.shtml
Anti-File Sharing Lobbyists/Lawyers Shove Each Other Aside To Blame
P2P Rather Than Dumb Guy For Congressional Leak
,----[ Quote ]
| So, of course, as the news broke that
| there was a leak of a Congressional ethics
| investigation, because a staffer put the
| document on his or her home machine that
| had file sharing software on it, the usual
| crowd of folks wasted no time at all in
| highlighting the use of P2P software and
| presenting file sharing as if it (rather
| than dumb employees and bad government
| security) was a huge national security
| threat and (of course) to urge Congresss
| to pass laws against file sharing
| programs. The one thing in common? All of
| those calls come from people who get
| paychecks from the entertainment industry.
`----
http://techdirt.com/articles/20091030/1334356743.shtml
TalkTalk threatens legal action over Mandelson's filesharing plan
,----[ Quote ]
| TalkTalk, the second largest internet
| service provider in the UK, has threatened
| to launch legal action if business secretary
| Peter Mandelson follows through with his
| plan to cut off persistent illegal
| filesharers' internet connections.
`----
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/oct/29/talktalk-threatens-legal-action-mandelson
ISP's attack government anti-filesharing tactics
,----[ Quote ]
| THE UK'S TOP Internet service providers have
| opposed Business Secretary Lord Peter
| Mandelson's daft plan to cut off persistent
| illegal filesharers' Internet connections.
|
| Talktalk has even said that it feels the
| scheme infringes upon people's rights and it
| will be happy to go to court to have it
| struck down.
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1560307/isp-attack-government-anti-filesharing-tactics
Mandelson and âThree Strikesâ: Not So Much âDark Lordâ...
,----[ Quote ]
| Unjust, because it allows the media
| industries to function as prosecutor, judge
| and jury, with only minimal oversight by
| proper legal authorities; unjust because it
| cuts people off from what is fast becoming a
| necessity of modern life, as the UK
| government itself is promoting; unjust
| because it penalises an entire family for
| the alleged actions of one member: something
| that in war would amount to a
| disproportionate and vindictive act of
| reprisal - a war-crime, in fact.
|
| It is unworkable because it will be almost
| impossible to tell whether copyrighted
| material is being transmitted legally or
| not; and ultimately it is unworkable because
| people will simply start encrypting material
| before downloading.
`----
http://www.computerworlduk.com/community/blogs/index.cfm?entryid=2616&blogid=14
Mandy confirms he'll cut off filesharers
,----[ Quote ]
| Labour's plan is that the music industry
| will monitor what people are downloading,
| and on their say-so (not in any court of
| law), internet subscribers will receive two
| warning letters and then have their internet
| access cut off. The music industry will not
| have to prove that the subscribers have
| being doing anything wrong; instead
| Mandelson's plan is that they will act as
| judge, jury and executioner. And it's not
| just the subscriber who will be cut off,
| their whole household will be too; this
| collective punishment, if done in wartime,
| would be a war crime under the Geneva
| Convention.
`----
http://www.pirateparty.org.uk/blog/2009/oct/28/mandy-confirms-hell-cut-filesharers/
We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to abolish the proposed law that
will see alleged illegal filesharers disconnected from their broadband connections,
without a fair trial.
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/dontdisconnectus/
Parliamentary Comms Group Says âNoâ to UK 3-Strikes
,----[ Quote ]
| An increasing death-knell is sounding for Lord
| Mandelsonâs proposals for 3-strikes Internet
| disconnections. The latest blow comes from the All Party
| Parliamentary Communications Group. After a consultation
| earlier this year, they have now published their
| response, and itâs not one favorable to âDarth Mandyâ
| and his plans.
`----
http://torrentfreak.com/parliamentary-comms-group-says-no-to-uk-3-strikes-091017/
U.K. Minister Defends Internet Suspension In MPAA Speech
,----[ Quote ]
| Meanwhile, a joint statement from the Featured Artists Coalition, the British
| Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA) and the Music Producers
| Guild also condemns the plan.
`----
http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3ie0fe1e4b8826bd934c32abe14fad750c
Lammy appeals to film and music industries to help tackle online piracy
,----[ Quote ]
| Lammy cites apparent inconsistencies in copyright law, citing the example of
| a CD owner who wants a copy on his MP3 player. "Is he breaking the rules or
| just refusing to be ripped off?"
|
| "Something isn't right with copyright. Not just in the UK but as a whole. And
| I want to do something about that," he says.
`----
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/sep/03/david-lammy-speaks-out-on-online-piracy
An open letter to Lord Mandelson
,----[ Quote ]
| Your proposal is wrong for purely economic reasons. It is wrong because it
| will stifle a major opportunity for economic growth right at the point where
| we need it most. And it is wrong because as a government your role is not to
| legislate to protect business models but to regulate in a way that balances
| the risks of damage in one sector against the potential for encouraging new
| sectors to develop.
`----
http://blog.openwetware.org/scienceintheopen/2009/09/04/an-open-letter-to-lord-mandelson/
Creative industries and consumersâ rights
,----[ Quote ]
| We hope that the Government will consider genuinely consumersâ rights in its
| endeavours to protect the creative industries.
`----
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/letters/article6819093.ece
Good Thoughts on Naughty Lord Mandelson
http://opendotdotdot.blogspot.com/2009/09/good-thoughts-on-naughty-lord-mandelson.html
The Right to Science and Culture
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1354788
Peter Mandelson Defends His Sudden Conversion To Kicking People Off The
Internet
,----[ Quote ]
| You do realize that a UK-based music organization (PRS) recently released a
| report noting that the music industry in the UK is actually growing? Right?
| These are the sort of facts the Secretary of Business knows, right? And if
| the industry is growing, despite complaining about file sharing, isn't it
| possible that the real issue is just focusing on business model improvement,
| rather than the hand of gov't stepping in and slapping people around?
`----
http://techdirt.com/articles/20090831/0134186048.shtml
BSA Jumps Onto The Three Strikes Bandwagon
,----[ Quote ]
| More troubling, however, is that when questioned about the new statement by
| Ars Technica, the BSA said it was necessary because "last year our industry
| lost over $50 billion (USD) worldwide." Hmm. It's really quite troubling that
| the BSA still stands by these numbers when they've been debunked so
| thoroughly over and over again. They count the "retail value" of every piece
| of software as being "lost," which is clearly a lie. Five years ago, the
| research company that runs these studies for the BSA, IDG, flat out said that
| the BSA was wrong in claiming that "the retail value" of the software is the
| same as "losses." So why does the BSA continue to get away with claiming it?
`----
http://techdirt.com/articles/20090831/0230056052.shtml
UK "Three Strikes": Please Write to Your MP
,----[ Quote ]
| Yesterday I wrote a quick analysis of the insane U-turn effected by the UK
| government over "three strikes and you're out". Below I've posted the
| corresponding letter that I've sent to my MP on the subject.
`----
http://opendotdotdot.blogspot.com/2009/08/uk-three-strikes-please-write-to-your.html
Fon and Games with "Three Strikes"
,----[ Quote ]
| Suppose, now, that people use some of those million hotspots to download
| copyright material: how easy is it going to be (a) establishing exactly who
| downloaded it and (b) cutting off that person?
|
| Gives a new meaning to the term "hotspot"...
`----
http://opendotdotdot.blogspot.com/2009/08/fon-and-games-with-three-strikes.html
Lord Mandelson pays off his Â750,000 mortgage within a year
,----[ Quote ]
| The mystery of how Lord Mandelson managed to afford a Â2.4 million town house
| in Regent's Park took a new twist this week with his claim in a newspaper
| interview that he did not possess a mortgage on the property.
`----
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/6011346/Lord-Mandelson-pays-off-his-750000-mortgage-within-a-year.html
38 Degrees backs campaign against âDigital Dictatorâ Mandelson
,----[ Quote ]
| Online campaigners 38 Degrees have launched an attack on Mandelsonâs plans to
| give himself the power to order internet cut-offs without trial. Other
| campaigners from a range of NGOs are getting in touch with us about this:
| there is a growing sense of outrage among people who know that the internet
| is the most important political tool we have.
`----
http://www.openrightsgroup.org/2009/08/38-degrees-backs-campaign-against-digital-dictator-mandelson/
Taking something for nothing is wrong . . .
,----[ Quote ]
| [by] Peter Mandelson
`----
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article6814187.ece
UK Wants to Zap File-Sharers
,----[ Quote ]
| It seems the British government is going loony for anti-piracy rhetoric from
| the likes of U2 and David Geffen.
`----
http://newteevee.com/2009/08/25/uk-wants-to-zap-file-sharers/
Mandelson goes to war on teenagers downloading their music and movies... just
days after dining with anti-piracy billionaire
,----[ Quote ]
| Lord Mandelson launched a crackdown on internet piracy just days after
| meeting a leading Hollywood critic of illegal file sharing.
|
| The business secretary plans to criminalise the estimated seven million
| people - one in 12 of the population - who illicitly download music and films
| over the internet.
`----
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1206901/Mandelson-launches-crackdown-file-sharing--just-days-meeting-record-producer.html
âTaking something for nothing is wrongâ â No, not expenses, data.
,----[ Quote ]
| In the meantime I am going to increase my sharing of Linux distros and hope
| that someone tries to accuse me of sharing files illegallyâ..lets see how
| much of my unlimited monthly broadband I can use. Maybe time is up for the
| proprietary model? Maybe you should now be looking towards FOSS and the GPL?
| You certainly donât have to worry about sharing issues then.
`----
http://openbytes.wordpress.com/2009/08/29/taking-something-for-nothing-is-wrong-no-not-expenses-data/
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.4.9 (GNU/Linux)
iEYEARECAAYFAksbr1gACgkQU4xAY3RXLo4xggCfSgZZ3ZtMkAwGPYRq5AltAxzO
xGwAoKdPCSp6TngGy0K4KAgqIEC3wImf
=5ftU
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
|
|
