Protect IP & SOPA: The Internet Blacklist

[Tchay]

I agree with Robm. And he is totally right about republicans screaming bloody murder whenever the govt tries to get more involved. I can say that because I was raised republican and sorta still am.

I personally think pirating is VERY detrimental to sales for music. Movies probably too. Its SO easy to get music for free its not even funny. You don't even need to visit pirating sites to pirate. Youtube or any other video sites give you everything you need. Most of my friends don't even buy albums anymore. I have heard that most of a bands income comes from touring, but even so, album sales are still a very important part of a bands funding.

 

[Kickback]

Most of the album sales goes to the record label, I don't pay for them because any legal downloading site doesn't give a high enough bitrate and CDs are too expensive for what they are.

 

[XCVG]

The problem is that nearly all measures to combat piracy either do nothing at best or actually promote it at worst. Ubisoft's infamous DRM is probably one of the better examples of this. Cracked within days, guess which version people are going to go for? It seems to me that PROTECT IP and SOPA will destroy legitimate sites, some big ones like Facebook and smaller ones as well, because they can't filter their content well enough- which is pretty much impossible to do. Meanwhile, P2P systems like BitTorrent and offshore-based sites remain unaffected. Dealing with the latter is one of the intents of the bill from what I read, and that's what's got a lot of people worked up. There is provision for blocking sites, which basically amounts to censorship. There is not much stopping them from declaring a site in violation of copyright when they're really trying to block the flow of information. I'm not saying it's going to happen, but that's what a lot of people are worried about.

Bye, fair use. Bye, freedom of information. Hello, virtual underground.

 

[bic]

Its SO easy to get music for free its not even funny.

I buy used CDs for $2 a pop. (Sometimes even less than that at yard sales.) If there are two good tracks on that CD you're only paying a $0.02 premium over iTunes. Additional good tracks are just icing on the cake. You can rip them to whatever format and bitrate you Dang well please, not worry about DRM, and you still have a physical copy. And best of all, you don't have to worry about the po-po dragging you off to prison for searching "Creedence Clearwater Revival mp3 free" on Google.

Used DVDs are generally pretty cheap too. MovieStop tends to unload the caseless discs they get pretty cheap (I found all four discs for seasons 1 and 2 of The Venture Bros for a total of $12), and even the thrift stores have a decent selection, depending on where you go.

Of course I'm probably still the scum of the earth in the eyes of the entertainment industry because I'm giving my money to Goodwill and Savers instead of them but hey they're the ones who want to charge $25 per disc for crap.

 

[robm]

Of course I'm probably still the scum of the earth in the eyes of the entertainment industry because I'm giving my money to Goodwill and Savers instead of them but hey they're the ones who want to charge $25 per disc for crap.

Eh, not really. You're buying a used, actual retail disc, which means at some point it WAS already paid for (unless it was stolen, of course.)

 

[bic]

Well the pirated rips on BitTorrent and Usenet had to come from something, too.

 

[robm]

Yeah, but those are copies - which is the illegal part.

Buying the actual disc means you're not buying a copy, you're buying a used version, which isn't illegal.

 

[ShockSlayer]

Speaking of all things legal, my dad got an email from comcast today about my recent bittorrent download of Saints Row: The Third.

Too new, I suppose. Guess I should start using SOME forms of protection instead of the absolute ZERO that I have been using.

SS

 

[Zero]

http://www.peerblock.com/

That should help you out.

 

[bic]

There's another really good way to protect yourself from DMCA takedown notices here.

This thread should probably be renamed "Protect IP & SOPA: YOU WOULDN'T DOWNLOAD A CAR"

 

[Zero]

There's another really good way to protect yourself from DMCA takedown notices here.

This thread should probably be renamed "Protect IP & SOPA: YOU WOULDN'T DOWNLOAD A CAR"

 

[Ashen]

I got a certified letter from verizon once for some stupid chick flick I downloaded for the wife saying about copyright infringment, blah, BLAH. I've been using peerblock ever since. It rocks.

 

[ShockSlayer]

 

[Ashen]

Yea, I've been keeping up with all this and doing a bit of participation also.

Today I got a CC response from my state rep that read something like this:

Dear Ashen,

Thanks for contacting me about you concerns over this flaxty legislation where we (the stupid *Can'tSayThisOnTV*s who run this country) will pretty much rule the interwebs. Sorry to hear how you feel, but big corporations have sent me lots of money. Thanks for your time.

Dickcheese of the state.

Pretty much verbatim. Yea...

Keep up the good work you washed up old geezers, you're doing a bang up job as everyone knows the country's pretty much *Can'tSayThisOnTV*ed already anyway. Trillions of dollars in debt: CHECK. Americans taxed out their assholes to line your greedy pockets: CHECK. Misrepresentation by greedy Segaes who only care about themselves: CHECK. Legislation in place to be passed so the military can pretty much patrol American streets and detain anyone they want without reason: CHECK. Glad I can raise my children knowing they have a good future ahead of them in this great great country.

 

[Tchay]

I've always wanted to check out australia....

In all the wars and conflicts I've learned about in history. I never ONCE heard a Dang thing about australia. And I hear they have hot women there.

 

[Zero]

That's because Australians are too busy surviving and fending off the horrible horrible wildlife there to be in a war.

 

[robm]

yeah seriously, *Can'tSayThisOnTV* australia.

 

[ShockSlayer]

SAXTON HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALE

 

[bud]

*Can'tSayThisOnTV* this flax, I'm going to Sweden.

 

[ShockSlayer]

If anyone DOES visit Australia, make sure to say hi to H360 for me.