Order of Kilopi
Software patents? I think that, among other things, patents were issued -- in the early 2000s -- for several sorting algorithms that were known art by the early 1970s. I believe somebody even was awarded a software patent for theconcept of sorting with a computer.
Yes, the USPTO: great protector of IP.
Order of Kilopi
I guess you heard the news. The feds just shut down "Megaupload.com", one of the biggest file sharing sites, charging the owners with criminal copyright infrigement. The hacker group Anonymous went nuts and retaliated, launching the biggest DDoS attack in their history, targetting the DoJ itself, the RIAA, MPAA, and even the US copyright office. All those sites went down for a while.
I understand Hollywood was pretty upset that various players were withdrawing support for SOPA/PIPA.
Order of Kilopi
I'd never heard of MegaUpload before yesterday. Thus, I don't know anything about the service or the history, so this next part is speaking generally.
I have no problem with a service being shut down if it's used to traffic illegal content and they aren't at least pretending to put effort into stopping it. "It's not what the service was for, not our fault if it's used that way" isn't a good enough argument to me. If it was being used to transfer terrorist messages or child pornography, people would be up in arms. Why should pirated material be left unchecked just because it's "less illegal"?
That said, it's difficult to determine a "requisite level of diligence" for these services.
Regardless, I do not agree with Anonymous and their tactics one bit. Not for this escapade. Not for their past "demonstrations." None of it. They pretend to be the "avengers of internet justice!!!" or whatever, but they're no better than the people they crusade against. Dictatorial rule is what it is, regardless of whether or not you believe you're good and your enemy is evil.
"Corporations are dictating how people live by pushing us around with their evil money!"
"We're going to dictate how people live by subversion and brute-force tactics!"
Additionally, anyone who really thinks a DDOS attack is a good way to stop politicians who clearly don't understand technology from passing a law that they think will fight "bad activity" online is a complete moron. That's like going out at midnight and burning buildings down to protest a proposed curfew law. It's idiotic thuggery.
Order of Kilopi
Actually, Megaupload and a few of its kind DO self police for copyrighted material. Every so often, a user (in this case me) would follow a link to a removed piece of media due to copyright violation. The problem isn't that they didn't do it, the sheer volume of data to monitor was simply overwhelming. Its like shooting the little Dutch boy between the eyes because he had five fingers to deal with fifty million holes...
Order of Kilopi
Like I said, I wasn't particularly referring to Medgaupload since I wasn't familiar with how they handled copyrighted material. The problem is somebody is going to have to set an arbitrary bar for what are acceptable anti-piracy measures. Personally, my bar would be fairly low. Maybe just have a system in place that lets users report something as a violation, and a team that handles those reports. But how much is enough is really a matter of opinion.Originally Posted by Doodler
A system that has no means to check and simply says "Hey, not up to us what people do with it"? I just don't have a problem going after them. There again, it's just a matter of opinion though.
Order of Kilopi
All good, just thought I'd fill in that particular blank, since I was aware.
Order of Kilopi
I believe that there was a change in technology that is causing Megauploads problems.
I think Megauploads was created to allow users to remote access or share access to files with a link. Upload the files or share the link and you are connected to the data that was uploaded. You could in theory upload something with a dummy account at a public hotspot, but someone would still have to share the link. Under this system, once the intended transaction takes place the uploader may take his stuff down. That is pretty inefficient as a piracy scheme goes - it is about the same as making audio tapes of music for your friends.
Now there are search engines that will rifle through the content on megauploads and allow anyone to access it. Since you can hide behind a dummy account at a public hotspot and upload to your hearts content, piracy is a problem. There is no longer a link between information and uploader. There is also no reason for the uploader to remove the material. (I am sure you could track someone down at a public hotspot, but exactly how much effort do you want to put into this?)
The staff who handles infringement are likely buried in complaints or perhaps there are a lack of complaints because copyright owners can't sift through all of the junk that get their name/label slapped on it erroneously.
Solfe
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'That was tops! Who's not good at math? I was all, "Four!"' - Finn, Adventure Time.
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MegaUpLoads is not exactly blameless here, at least according to some reports.
Dwight Silverman writes about "computer stuff" for the Houston Chronicle. He has an article about this on their website.
http://blog.chron.com/techblog/2012/...d-destruction/
He quotes some of the allegations against MUL:
• Other emails show how executives discussed cash rewards for uploaders who had provided specific DVDs and other copyrighted works.
• Further emails show how some of the executives scoured their own service to download copies of The Sopranos and various music albums.
• The indictment even includes chat logs with conversations between company executives, which include statements like: “we have a funny business . . . modern days pirates
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Thanks for clarification about Megauploads. Makes me think twice before starting an online business.
Order of Kilopi
Another one I saw on another story said that they would delete user's files if there wasn't enough download activity.
If that's the case, then claiming it's for cloud storage is definitely out.
Order of Kilopi
They have an article on the issues here:
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/n...megaupload.ars
There was a reporting process, but apparently it was pretty much a gimmick. Somebody could report a link as pointing to a violating file, and that particular link would be taken down, but there could be a hundred more links to the same file on the same site.
They also say there was a doctored top 100 list that didn't show the actual top 100 downloads, and they did other tricks to make the site look more legitimate.
I say there is an invisible elf in my backyard. How do you prove that I am wrong?
The Leif Ericson Cruiser
Order of Kilopi
All of this is just making Anonymous' actions sound all the more like a glorified "Hey, you can't tell US what to do!" That's not admirable.
Order of Kilopi
No, and it's exactly what we don't need. It's just the sort of stuff that's used as an excuse for bad legislation, and it isn't fun being compared to them when you argue against bad legislation.
I say there is an invisible elf in my backyard. How do you prove that I am wrong?
The Leif Ericson Cruiser
Order of Kilopi
From what I've read both SOPA and PIPA follow the paradigm "accusation is sufficient evidence to convict"; this is absolutely unacceptable. Period. We don't live in the Stalinist USSR; we live in a country where that sort of star chamber system was one of several causes for a rather messy political protest.
Bluntly, if the members of the MPAA and RIAA want to deal with illegal copying, they've got to follow the same sort of rules that I have to follow if somebody steals some of my physical property.
Order of Kilopi
This Anonymous bunch attacking US govt sites is like a gnat buzzing around a giant. It's of no consequence to the giant at all, but if they manage to annoy the giant enough, the giant will swat him hard. The gnat indeed could be just the excuse they would need to do some really nasty crackdowns.
Order of Kilopi
Anonymous is nothing more than a group of nihilistic anarchists with a modicum of technical skill and a barely concealed herd mentality. I have a great deal of difficulty seeing the value of a "revolutionary" army with a battlecry amounting to "OOOH! A SHINY!"
Order of Kilopi
Script kiddies in their mothers' basements wearing Guy Fawkes masks imagining themselves to be some great revolutionaries.
Established Member
Since Megauploads was taken down without SOPA, it sort of removes the argument that existing law is insufficient. I think the real reason that the hollywood folks want it is because under existing law only real violators are at risk. They need evidence!! It would be so much easier if you only had to make the accusation.
Order of Kilopi
That's basically what the TED talk said (I *think* I linked it here earlier. If not google "TED talk SOPA") MPAA and RIAA already can prosecute this stuff, but to do it the legal way is a long and expensive process. Basically they're asking, "Can't we please just convict without all this pesky evidence stuff?"
To be honest, being ensured to a fair trial while innocent until proven guilty is one tenant that I'd fight to the death to protect. It's very important to me. I'm not saying it'd be impossible for me to ever change my mind, but it'd have to be something more dire and desperate than protecting multibillion-dollar entertainment industry pocketbooks.
Order of Kilopi
In the same vein, now the Supreme Court has issued a ruling that public domain works can be re-copyrighted at their whim: http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/n...main-works.ars -- with the usual "It's for the artists" excuse and "We'd never abuse it because that's not what it's meant for" caveat.
STARGAZING: All I see are the lights of a billion places I'll never go. --Howard Tayler, Schlock Mercenary
Order of Kilopi
Bit hard to justify "it's for the artists' benefit" when copyright doesn't expire until several decades after the artist's death. It may be justifiable for cases of lost copyright.
As for Anonymous? Vigilantism is antithetical to any legal system. There is, in my opinion, no moral difference between the stated desires of the MPAA and RIAA and Anonymous in this regard: "we decide, not your nasty court system."
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Here in Texas we get to shoot 'em.
Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by ignorance or stupidity.
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Order of Kilopi
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The best quote about this legislation I have seen so far:-
Order of Kilopi
The head of the MPAA just went so far as to publicly threaten to cut off campaign contributions for politicians who don't support them:
http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-va...ng-politicians
That is extraordinary, and shows the mask is off. Usually they like to maintain a little air of indirectness, but there he just flat out said it.
Order of Kilopi
Doesn't a quid pro quo change these from campaign contributions to bribes? Doesn't bribery violate quite a few laws? While accepting bribes is a crime, so is offering them. A few felony convictions may be quite have quite salutary effects on the body politic. Maybe we could even apply MPAA/RIAA standards of evidence, and immediately shut them both down.
Order of Kilopi
That JERK!
Order of Kilopi
Basically, you can consider campaign contributions to be a sort of legalized bribery. The ones who receive the money write the laws, and they write the laws to make it legal.
It's a complicated mess, but basically legal. There have been cases where prosecutors have successfully prosecuted campaing contributions as bribery, but it's very hard to prove. You've got to prove the politician's vote was the direct result of the campaign contribution. IIRC, they've done it with sting operations where they've recorded the politician making it clear that he will vote a certain way in exchange for the "donation". Absent something like that, it's near impossible to prove.
Order of Kilopi
Splitting hairs at the quantum level.
If they MPAA had paid them outright, cash in hand, for their support, that would be bribery. Donating to their campaigns keeps the cash at sufficient legal arm's length to prevent it from being outright bribery. Seems that handing someone money for a thirty second smear spot on during prime time is less criminal than handing them money for "lifestyle" considerations.
It's also somewhat of a chicken and egg scenario, are they being paid to support the bill, or are they being paid because they support the bill?
Order of Kilopi
Caught this right after I posted my last.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46072484...ence-security/
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