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  • (January 12, 2023, 01:18:11 AM)

Author Topic: Another example of government running amok  (Read 3205 times)

Demosthenes

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Another example of government running amok
« on: June 24, 2004, 10:24:53 AM »

THIS is so fucking retarded it defies description.

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hackess

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Another example of government running amok
« Reply #1 on: June 24, 2004, 10:28:25 AM »



...the hell?
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xolik

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Another example of government running amok
« Reply #2 on: June 24, 2004, 10:34:35 AM »

BASTARDS! Do they have any idea how much the retail is on some of the 'cultural epics' that are available online? "Enjoys broad support from both Republicans and Democrats..."  :roll: Like these nutjobs don't have sixteen different versions of the Paris Hilton tape on their own laptops.
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Demosthenes

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Another example of government running amok
« Reply #3 on: June 24, 2004, 10:48:11 AM »

They haven't released the bill to the public yet, but from the sounds of it, I'm betting that the wording of this bill is so vague and nebulous, it could be easily construed to include companies that produce FTP clients, IM clients that have file transfer capabilities, mIRC, you name it.

Great.  Let's just outlaw the whole fucking internet.  :roll:


EDIT, my mistake, a PDF of the bill is available for download here.


Also, I just cringed when I read the following passage from this Wired.com article on the same subject:

Quote
Supporters of the Induce Act will likely have a hard time convincing a majority of the Senate to go along, said Gigi Sohn, president of the technology policy group Public Knowledge, who predicts a battle royal over its passage between the recording and computer technology industries.

For her part, Sohn believes the bill would essentially "take the guts out of" a legal standard that has been used over the last two decades to determine whether a technology developer can be held liable in infringement cases. That standard, upheld in a landmark Supreme Court ruling in a suit challenging the legality of the Sony Betamax, states that technologies that can be used for copyright infringement but also have substantial non-infringing uses do not violate the law.

"This (new) bill applies to all technologies, whether it's hardware or software. It doesn't make a difference whether your technology has substantial non-infringing uses," Sohn said. Theoretically, makers of devices with a broad variety of uses, including computers and copying machines, could be held liable for inducing infringement.

Another problem with the bill, said Will Rodger, director of public policy at the Computer and Communications Industry Association, which is pressing to block its passage, is that its authors do not provide a clear definition of what constitutes inducement.

"As we read it, reporters who wrote about peer-to-peer file-trading networks could well be charged with inducing infringement," he said. "Their definition of inducement seems to cover almost anything."
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phyre

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Another example of government running amok
« Reply #4 on: June 24, 2004, 11:33:57 AM »

Orrin Hatch needs to go away. Preferably forced retirement, though I'd accept having every one of his constituents bitchslap him.

Too bad they're all Mormon.
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Rico

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Another example of government running amok
« Reply #5 on: June 25, 2004, 07:51:42 AM »

I was trying to look at the other side of the fence on this one.  I can understand why this bill has even been drafted.  It's another attempt my large corperations to control their product and prevent piracy.

However, I agree with you, Demo.  It is pretty much an attack against a medium that can be used as much for legal purposes as illegal.

*looks around*

...and anyone says some smart comment about me agreeing with Demo gets it.   :evil:
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LadyGendom

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Another example of government running amok
« Reply #6 on: June 25, 2004, 07:59:59 AM »

I know this might be a bit out there but...

Under this bill, wouldn't MTV, radio stations and anyone/thing promoting music (as an example) also be inducing illegal file downloads?  By the same token, might the actual artists and producing companies be accused of inducing?

It has to start somewhere right? Can't we just blame the source and be done with it?   :roll:
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12AX7

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Another example of government running amok
« Reply #7 on: June 25, 2004, 08:05:42 AM »

Quote from: LadyGendom
might the actual artists and producing companies be accused of inducing?

It has to start somewhere right? Can't we just blame the source and be done with it?   :roll:


  :shock:  :shock:  :shock: HEY!!  :evil:





























 :wink:
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LadyGendom

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Another example of government running amok
« Reply #8 on: June 25, 2004, 08:15:01 AM »

:: chuckle ::
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Law

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Another example of government running amok
« Reply #9 on: June 25, 2004, 08:22:15 AM »

Why doesn't this Congress just pass a bill that states simply:

It's Illegal.

That's all, no explanation, totally open to interpretation. That would save them the time of criminalizing everything they can think of, one item at a time.

 :roll:

November can't come fast enough.
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Demosthenes

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Another example of government running amok
« Reply #10 on: June 25, 2004, 08:46:53 AM »

Well that's just it... they make it so open to interpretation that "inducement" can pretty much be construed to mean anything.

*writes down the words from page 137 of the book he's reading*

*sells piece of paper he wrote them on for a dollar*

*watches Bic get sued for 'inducing copyright infringement' by providing me with a tool to commit the crime*


:roll:
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Rico

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Another example of government running amok
« Reply #11 on: June 25, 2004, 08:53:58 AM »

I've said before that the problem goes all the way back to our people.  We're a nation of folks that want what's theirs and they couldn't care less about anyone else.  What do you expect?  That kind of thinking is what makes industries try to figure out how to shut down the competition, rather than making their product or service more attractive to the consumer.

I think another big problem is the habit our courts have gotten into of ruling with the letter of the law, rather than the intent of the law.  Our Founding Fathers established courts to be the buffer between the ultimate justice dictated by the law and common sense.  People are afraid to stick their necks out and say, "that's stupid," so we get burned by coffee, sue McD's, and win.
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Law

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Another example of government running amok
« Reply #12 on: June 25, 2004, 09:23:05 AM »

Quote from: Rico
People are afraid to stick their necks out and say, "that's stupid," so we get burned by coffee, sue McD's, and win.

But then lose. Some courts see the errors of their brethren and correct them.
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Rico

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Another example of government running amok
« Reply #13 on: June 25, 2004, 09:26:23 AM »

Quote from: Law

But then lose. Some courts see the errors of their brethren and correct them.


Some, but how many?  It seems too few, or maybe I'm guilty of just not paying enough attention.
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MISTER MASSACRE

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Another example of government running amok
« Reply #14 on: June 25, 2004, 10:35:53 AM »

You are in violation of your listeners license and your creativity permit may be revoked.

IT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING NOOO
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