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11/13/09
11/13/09
11/13/09
Here's the real issue. Over free, public wifi networks, it's virtually impossible to find out who is committing the piracy. The MPAA is scared sh*tless that the trend towards public municipal networks like those proposed for big cities (New York, L.A., Las Vegas etc), some of which are currently under construction, will provide a safe haven for pirates, shielding them from any legal actions.
So we look at the MPAA's playbook. Find the most vunrable target and bring charges. Get a compromise ruling from a low level judge and build on the precident set by that case. This buys some time while they push for legislation requiring users of a public network to register to access the service, making them easier to ID.
Small town with only a few users... They have an ideal target there. The town officials decided to fall on this grenade for the rest of us. They'll comply with requests and back down from the fight, keeping it out of the courts for as long as they can. Rather than fight back through the courts, (where they may very well lose), they'll stall long enough to wage a PR war. Once the public is sufficiently outraged and the local jury pool influenced, their poised to win any legal battle. The MPAA will back down, declaring it a victory for themselves, but in reality, they won't get what they want. #wifi
11/15/09
11/13/09
11/13/09
11/13/09
The MPAA doesn't have any actual authority to shut it down themselves. This does, however, highlight the problem of targeting ISPs for individual abuse. It's what the MPAA relies on for identification of pirates, but it's ineffective at best. #wifi
11/13/09
yes, it currently is.
you are legally allowed to purchase broadband services.
it boggles my mind how people equate things as "rights". just because something exists and you want it, doesn't mean you are entitled to it.
you do not have a right to services provided by someone else, merely by existing. #wifi
11/13/09
For example, 3G is legal, if my area provides it I can use it. However, if it were a legal right, then my area would have to provide it. Remember, in parts of the U.S. there is no true broadband access (768kbps).
The Fins are being guaranteed 1mbps broadband and by 2015 they will be guaranteed 100mbps. That means every citizen in the entire country will, by right, have access to a 100mbps broadband connection. I think that's pretty sweet. #wifi
11/13/09
11/13/09
11/13/09
"Rights" and "Freedoms" are mutually exclusive ideals. If we all have the right to not be murdered, we all lose the freedom to murder someone else. That's a fair compromise in that case, but it illustrates my point.
If the government says "You have a right to free broadband access", you lose the freedom to:
1) ...opt out of paying for the government service, funded by taxes.
2) ...compete with the free service in the market. After all, who's going to pay for your service and cover your employee and infrastructure overhead when they HAVE to pay for the governments service anyway?
3) ...get similar quality service from another provider. The competition has likely either moved out of your area, shut down, or has to offer a higher tier of service at a higher price to distinguish themselves from the subsidized service.
Every right you are bestowed by government comes at a loss of freedom. Sometimes it's a fair trade, most of the time it's not. We have to choose our rights carefully, and ensure that the ones we choose are essential to the survival of our society. Declaring every convenience a Right, at the cost of our freedom, no matter how well intended the people are, will destroy everything that makes a society great. #wifi
11/13/09
The right to free speech means that the government cannot prohibit you from speaking. It doesn't mean they must provide you with a platform to disseminate your message.
It's sad to see people trading real rights for material privileges. When you force people to provide goods to others, and bestow that power of force on a group of people, true rights suffer. #wifi
11/13/09
Basically, Capitalism isn't always the best way to do things if you prefer complacency and mediocrity over the free market which rewards those who work harder than others.
Fixed that for you. Because if you let the government take 30% of your money just for INCOME TAX, you are *fucking insane*, 100mbps connection or not. #wifi
11/13/09
As for people who work harder getting ahead. I'd say that people who do manual labor work harder than I do, and pay a bigger price physically for that work, yet I make more money than I do.
Capitalism supposedly rewards people who work smarter by manipulating and using others to their advantage.
I'm not anti capitalism. Just believe that capitalism ignores that care and well being of its citizens much of the time. #wifi
11/13/09
11/13/09
Technically the only thing giving you a right to privacy (as it is not spelled out in the constitution) that I am aware of is Roe v Wade. Which, if overturned has far greater implications than just abortion being legal/illegal.
And, I'm not saying their government is "better" just that socialism and capitalism can co-exist in an ethical manner. Were capitalism "ethical" now we wouldn't be in the financial morass we find ourselves in now. #wifi
11/13/09
While industry cabals and multinational corporations hire think analysts and consultants to find new and exciting ways to figuratively, if not literally rape every man, woman and child. And, as corrupt and inefficient as it can be, "big government" is the only thing that comes close to stopping them. And in this case, it seems to have failed.
What I don't understand is why the city would listen to the MPAA at all. What terrible precedent does this set? Who gave the MPAA this sort of power over government?
Furthermore. How does the MPAA actually know about the download? There is zero information concerning how the MPAA became aware of the download. #wifi
11/13/09
11/13/09
"The MPAA focuses most of its efforts on catching the source of the [pirated] movies." -- Heh, sure.
""We target piracy at its source," she [the VP of corporate communications for the MPAA] said. "We really focus on keeping the product out of the market in the first place."" -- I'll say.
"LaVigne has done some homework and found a program that would prevent the illegal downloads from happening in the future; however, it would cost the cash-strapped county about $2,900 to implement, $2,000 for equipment and then $900 annually for the filtering program." -- I'm sure that's a sacrifice the MPAA is more than willing for you to make.
Good read if you wanna see what everyone else outside our little tech circle is hearing. #wifi
11/13/09
11/13/09
The idea that the MPAA would have the authority to do anything but whine and moan bothers me. That they could sue an ISP for allowing one of the dozens or hundreds of users to get away with piracy. This is why safe harbor provisions exist. So that the misguided requirements of copyright owners don't bankrupt ISPs or (in this case) small town governments.
If you follow to the article BoingBoing linked to, they say they could set up a system that would cost $2900 initially, and $900 annually to monitor the traffic that goes through the network. Arguments about "Big Brother" aside, it's ridiculous that they should have to do that for one person that won't get stopped anyways.
This escalation is needless and wastes resources. #wifi
11/13/09
@MPAA, how can it not be a necessity? Our entire civilization, world and everything else is based or on the internet. #wifi
11/13/09
11/13/09
11/13/09
Also, since when do you have a right to power, water and gas? #wifi
11/13/09
You can barely live a life without internet affecting or being part of your life.
Sooner or later you will be required to do many things online. And jobs are already using online applications ONLY.
Finland is just smart about it and moving ahead. Why not do what we did with landlines but with fiber-optics? #wifi
11/13/09
I'm not saying that the Internet isn't important, which seems to be the bulk of your argument. #wifi
11/13/09
11/13/09
@Kirkaiya:
@not_a_virus.exe.vbs:
The MPAA don't have the power to do this, likely they just bullied the administration into doing it. They don't have the ability to actually pull the plug though. If the town administration stood up to them and said no this wouldn't have happened. #wifi
11/13/09
As much as I like Boing Boing, and as much as I hate the MPAA, this strikes me as a very misleading article. #wifi
11/13/09
11/13/09
11/13/09
11/14/09
11/13/09
Unless he used a laptop with solar panels...
Alright everybody, time to shut down the sun. #wifi
11/13/09
11/13/09
Read the article linked in the one on Boing... They got a letter telling them to stop sharing the movie and in response the owner shut it down.
11/13/09
We must not forget, as cool as he may be, Cory Doctorow (and boingboing) is prone to the most extreme hyperbole that the universe has ever witnessed, ever. #wifi
11/13/09
And - worse - doesn't this just open the door to a new form of vandalism, where bored miscreants with laptops can drive around any town (or airport, whatever) with free WiFi, and *intentionally* download something, with the intent of pissing off the entire town.
In fact... I have a car. And a laptop. And those people over in Shelbyville really suck!
11/13/09
Even better,
People around the states should start downloading stuff in wireless networks around MPAA and RIAA people.
Make the downloads extra nasty in content to sic cops on them too! #wifi
11/13/09
11/13/09
Step 1: Download torrent file.
Step 2: Open torrent file in favorite torrent client.
Step 3: proceed to download contents of said torrent file.
Step 4: ?????????
Step 5: PROFIT! #wifi
11/13/09
@RuBBa_cHiKiN: The real question is can it fit in the Batmobile?: Forwarded at the request of the MPAA...
#wifi
11/13/09
nah, who am i kidding? seabiscuit was a terrible movie. #wifi