Protect IP Act (PIPA - S.968) and Stop Online Privacy Act (SOPA – H.R.3261) and all that Megaupload

[Coeurli]

^:worried2::worried2::worried2:

 

But...but...THAT WOULD BE THE END OF THE WORLD! :worried2:

:cry:

[chuck kottke]

:rolleyes::laugh3: It is a bit ridiculous in the extreme, when one considers it, but I agree there needs to be more protection of intellectual property rights, probably though by other means. But also, after a certain period of time, the rights ought to end, since the whole idea of copyright as such is to foster creativity, innovation, and productivity of artistic matters i.e. music and literature.

Since copyright infringement is already illegal, maybe that should be made more a matter of international law and international courts, if suits are filed, rather than some censorship of the internet?

[Keddie]

So I suppose that makes Wikipedia, Google, et al full of a bunch of raving paranoids then, right? After all, they are making a big stink about a bill that will supposedly never pass.

The reason they are participating in the blackout is not because they are paranoid, as someone like you likely is, but because they are trying to get the message out that these types of things are and have been up for consideration, and could be again in the future, where they could pass under different leadership or if they are just changed around a little. I never once implied otherwise, but of course you just had to add your little dramatic spin to what I said.

If this "does" pass you would see Coldplaying.com go offline very quickly along with every other Fan Forum with outside links - media pics etc in it.

 

Coldplay.com would also be blocked due to the Exhibition Room and it's links to YouTube videos.

 

They would be forced to remove every link on there and many of the links they post in news updates.

 

Which of course would help solve the Piracy problem that the evil coldplaying.com and coldplay.com are happy to be involved with...

 

Just to relate this to Coldplay for a moment.

Coldplaying would not go offline very quickly at all, if ever. It's not well-known as a media sharing website.

 

Coldplay's site would absolutely NEVER be blocked, and I really don't know where you're getting this crazy idea from. It would still be perfectly fine for them to post youtube videos, as the ones they post are either ones made by fans or those uploaded by a band's official youtube account.

 

This is what I mean about paranoia. This is what needs to stop.

[Saffire]

Coldplay's site would absolutely NEVER be blocked, and I really don't know where you're getting this crazy idea from. It would still be perfectly fine for them to post youtube videos, as the ones they post are either ones made by fans or those uploaded by a band's official youtube account.

 

This is what I mean about paranoia. This is what needs to stop.

 

Your faith in government rivals Christians' faith in their savior Jesus.

[Kiame]

Your faith in government rivals Christians' faith in their savior Jesus.

 

Saffire, this has very little to do with Governance. It's got to do with traditional media companies and corporations who have billions and billions of dollars who want to protect their products. The best way they can think of doing this is by paying out congress to push their agenda.

 

The governmental employees who are cosigning PIPA are doing so because they are being bought out by media companies - and by bought out I mean have been given millions of dollars.

 

You've got the completely wrong focus on this.

 

SOPA being shelved and PIPA being on slanted ground is only the beginning. It doesn't matter if they pass or not. It doesn't matter if Obama agrees with them (which he certainly does not). All that matters that as long as traditional media companies exist - this pressure will continue to amount because they will continue to demand that congress does something.

 

And as long as these corporations continue to have billions of dollars - certain members of congress are going to continue to listen.

 

You seem to think that this is a case of Governance deliberately going out of their way to restrict the freedom of information and to infringe upon rights. It isn't. It's got to do with insanely wealthy companies pushing their agenda through greed and flashing cash.

 

Thanks to the 20th century, traditional media companies grew into greedy, hungry and selfish controllers of cash and industry. Being a television production company in the 1900s was akin to printing cash. All you had to do was make a television show better than the only other 2 or 3 shows on the air and you'd be rolling in money.

 

Things went this way for a long time, and now they aren't making as much as they used to be - they are fighting for survival and they are using congress as a weapon through hard cold cash.

 

They are the problem. Not government. Even if there was no government these companies would be etching at ways to control cyberspace and information.

 

The best way to combat this is to use government to our favour - and so far it is working. SOPA has been shelved because of public pressure and because of governance listening to its public.

 

This is not happening because of Governmental control. A government has no motive to restrict thirteen year old's sharing Lady GaGa songs. This is happening because of the control the private entertainment industry has - so much control in fact that it can effectively buy out anyone who stands in its way. Including congress.

 

You're an American citizen. Sitting around and arguing on the internet isn't going to change or influence or do anything.

 

http://americancensorship.org/modal/call-form.html

 

Contact your representative and say you do not support PIPA/SOPA and you will not vote for someone who does. It takes 10 seconds. Use your government the way it is meant to be used. A huge part of the problem with US society is that not enough people do this. They sit around and complain but don't actually do anything. In the end, only 10% do something and no one cares. If 50% do something than a bill has no chance of passing because no congress member or politician - even if he is being bribed - is going to risk his career on it. The USA was a better country when more Americans took personal responsibility in their government. Because doing so ensures your government acts for you and is invested in your right to voice your opinion.

 

The enemy here are the newspaper companies, the film industries and the record industries. Traditional media. Money hungry assholes who only care about ensuring a profit. The enemy is not the government. The government have no desire to limit what music you can listen to and they have no interest in doing so. These corporations are trying to create an interest - and that interest is money. "You sign this act and you get 10 million to ensure our profit". Done.

[Kiame]

13 congressmen in favour of PIPA have stepped down due to backlash. Great news! The more of this that happens the harder it will be for the entertainment industries to manipulate the powerful. Chances of PIPA passing are slim.

[Saffire]

They are the problem. Not government. Even if there was no government these companies would be etching at ways to control cyberspace and information.

 

But they couldn't.

 

The existence of power necessitates the bidding for power. Money isn't the problem (as you and Chuck Kottke believe it is). You'll never get rid of money, because it's a natural effect of human trade. The real problem is the power.

 

Chances of PIPA passing are slim.

 

Maybe not in this form, but it'll be back. Governments are terrified of the internet (for obvious reasons).

 

A government has no motive to restrict thirteen year old's sharing Lady GaGa songs.

 

Yes they do. Sales of Lady Gaga CD's generate tax revenue.

 

The enemy here are the newspaper companies, the film industries and the record industries. Traditional media. Money hungry assholes who only care about ensuring a profit.

 

What about the government? Do people in government not care about money? Do they not have families with kids in their 20's who are looking for jobs? Do they not make a lot of friends high-up in corporations who might give these 20-year-olds jobs?

 

There is no grand conspiracy here. It's just the natural effects of having a monopolist cartel (government).

[an angel]

But also, after a certain period of time, the rights ought to end, since the whole idea of copyright as such is to foster creativity, innovation, and productivity of artistic matters i.e. music and literature.

 

Copyrights do end. 70 years + the lifetime of the author, or 95 years after publication if it's an anonymous work.

[Saffire]

Oh, just 95 years? Great! I can wait.

[Coeurli]

:worried2: uuh guys, I've just read reports that Megaupload (&Megavideo) has just been shut down by the FBI (not the SOPA/ PIPA thingy, I know it hasn't been voted yet, but I didn't know elsewhere to put it/ask what do you all think about that)

[busybeeburns]

 

Feds slam Megaupload with indictment and racketeering charges, Anonymous retaliates

 

The United States Department of Justice has issued a statement confirming that it has arrested seven individuals connected to popular file-sharing site Megaupload and its various subsidiaries. The alleged criminals and two corporations named in the complaint are charged with generating more than $175 million in profits through racketeering, conspiracy to commit copyright infringement, conspiring to commit money laundering, and two substantial counts of copyright infringement. The individuals, including Megaupload founder Kim Schmitz, face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

 

One might expect a file locker site to shield itself behind the DMCA’s “safe harbor” provision that protects websites from copyright infringement committed by their users so long as they comply with the copyright takedown notifications. According to the indictment, Megaupload was structured in a way that promoted the distribution of copyrighted material. (We have a PDF here, as the DoJ’s site is currently down.)

 

The indictment alleges that the site was structured to discourage the vast majority of its users from using Megaupload for long-term or personal storage by automatically deleting content that was not regularly downloaded. The conspirators further allegedly offered a rewards program that would provide users with financial incentives to upload popular content and drive web traffic to the site, often through user-generated websites known as linking sites. The conspirators allegedly paid users whom they specifically knew uploaded infringing content and publicized their links to users throughout the world.

 

The DOJ also alleges that the conspirators failed to terminate the accounts of known copyright infringers, “selectively complied” with orders to remove copyrighted content, and misrepresented whether content had actually been deleted by disabling particular identified links to a file rather than erasing the file itself. These allegations go far beyond the normal scope of copyright infringement lawsuits — such cases are nearly always civil rather than criminal.

 

Not all publicity is good publicity

 

Megaupload was in the news last month after UMG abused the DMCA to force YouTube to withdraw a music video praising the service that featured a number of prominent musicians. Megaupload came out the winner as far as the court of public opinion was concerned, but the federal indictment makes note of the websites 150 million registered users, 50 million daily visitors, and 4% share of Internet traffic — all of which were disclosed in the music video.

 

Furthermore, the site’s founder, Kim Schmitz (aka Kimble, Kim Dotcom, and Kim Tim Jim Vestor) isn’t likely to cut a sympathetic figure at trial. Schmitz was convicted of computer fraud and handling stolen goods in 1998 and of embezzlement and insider trading in 2003 (his pump-and-dump stock scam left two other companies bankrupt). In 2010, he bought a $30 million house in New Zealand, said to be one of the most expensive in the country.

 

This is not a man who understands the value of being small, and his personal history adds credence to the idea that the Feds aren’t blowing smoke on this own or acting on behalf of the entertainment industry. Not that such minutiae stopped Anonymous.

 

Mega $@#$-up

 

Less than two hours after the Feds announced they’d arrested Schmitz and taken MegaUpload offline, Anonymous retaliated by attacking riaa.org, universalmusic.com and justice.gov. All four sites are currently offline.

 

Anonymous “operative” Barret Brown told RT.com that ““It was in retaliation for Megaupload,” that “more is coming” and that this was part of an effort to “damage campaign raising abilities of remaining Democrats who support SOPA.”

 

Slow down, folks.

 

We’ve written quite a bit about SOPA here at ExtremeTech and I’ve made my own opinion clear: It’s a terribly written law. It’s also got nothing to do with the DoJ’s execution of this indictment. The decision in question was handed down on January 5. That means the case went before a grand jury for discussion and deliberation at some prior date.

 

Grand jury indictments don’t get handed out on the basis of a 30 minute PowerPoint presentation and the US doesn’t coordinate extensively with New Zealand law enforcement to make arrests at the drop of a hat. This isn’t a knee-jerk retaliation for the SOPA protests. It’s possible that some of the Congressional debates were scheduled to coincide with the government’s arrests, but these are scarcely trumped up charges.

 

There’s a difference between putting unjust power in the hands of private actors and achieving millionaire status on the backs of artists and filmmakers who aren’t being paid for their work. There’s a difference between hauling individual citizens into court and charging them outrageous infringement fees and asking the law to properly protect your company from mass theft. All too often, the RIAA and MPAA have been on the wrong side of that line — but that doesn’t mean they’re on the wrong side of it today.

 

http://www.extremetech.com/internet/114741-feds-slam-megaupload-with-indictment

[R23]

I don't feel comfortable with all this news about the freedom and privacy on the internet. Megaupload was huge, you have to ask what's next. And I don't want to think about what happens when the PIPA and/or SOPA acts come through... :confused:

[Kiame]

But they couldn't.

 

The existence of power necessitates the bidding for power. Money isn't the problem (as you and Chuck Kottke believe it is). You'll never get rid of money, because it's a natural effect of human trade. The real problem is the power.

 

Money is power. Money allows you to buy out half of congress to vote for you.

 

Money is the sole reason this has happening.

 

Every piece of anti-piracy legislation that has been passed to date has been instigated and lobbied for by private companies who are manipulating government. Not one act, bill or statue dealing with piracy has been passed solely off the back of the Government without intervention by the private sector.

 

Governments are terrified of the internet (for obvious reasons).

 

No they aren't. If this were true than PIPA and SOPA and all the others would be passed already. Government and a small group of US citizens are the only people fighting for this right now. Even Obama is - who has released two official statements saying he does not and will not support something that restricts the freedom of information.

 

But of course, when someone tells you this you just roll your eyes and say "HE IS LYING" and ignore how much resistance towards these acts actually exists inside government.

 

Yes they do. Sales of Lady Gaga CD's generate tax revenue.

 

Exactly and they will continue to do so whether piracy legislation is in place or not. A lot of data suggests that anti-piracy laws seldom even effect music sales. The only people who suffer when there is freedom of sharing music are the music companies themselves because if does effect their hold on the industry.

 

And that's what this issue is about. It's about having control of media and setting up a monopoly. I've explained to you how during the 20th centuries several film, TV, music and print companies virtually had a monopoly because of the limited amount of competition.

 

The government aren't hurting because of digital sharing. Not even one bit. You only say this because you say government is to blame about every single issue. It's incredibly ironic considering in this issue many members of government are actually helping a lot and are our only shot.

 

What about the government? Do people in government not care about money?.

 

Of course they do and that's why a small few of them accept "sponsorship" (bribes) from people like Rupert Murdoch.

 

Do they not have families with kids in their 20's who are looking for jobs? Do they not make a lot of friends high-up in corporations who might give these 20-year-olds jobs?.

 

This issue could all be fixed by making it illegal for congressmen to accept donations from third parties. Do that, and the whole thing is over. Give congressmen a salary and take "sponsorship" out of the question. Make congressmen accountable to the people from their electorate. No more PIPA or SOPA.

 

"Sponsorship" is nothing but a way for a private entity to manipulate power through their money. It is never in the interests of the middle-lower classes. NEVER.

 

Get rid of it. Getting rid of it would also prevent people from getting into congress in an attempt to find ludicrous amounts of fortune and it would keep their motives pure. They'd be there because they care about issues and they care about representing their electorate. They wouldn't simply be in place to take millions from Sony to co sponsor PIPA. Or take millions from investment banking firms (Goldman Sachs) to vote in line with their selfish ideas.

 

There is no grand conspiracy here. It's just the natural effects of having a monopolist cartel (government).

 

Oh this isn't a conspiracy at all. It's all in the open and attempts to hide it are non existent. This is reality.

[Saffire]

Money is power.

 

Money is a medium of exchange. Stop trying to redefine words to suit your arguments.

 

Every piece of anti-piracy legislation that has been passed to date has been instigated and lobbied for by private companies who are manipulating government. Not one act, bill or statue dealing with piracy has been passed solely off the back of the Government without intervention by the private sector.

 

"Private" and "public" are not clear distinctions.

 

All individual humans are "private" people who are working to further their self-interests. They will use the government (a territorial monopolist of coercion) to accomplish their ends.

 

You cannot abolish mediums of exchange (money) without destroying the structures of production that allow us to live in a society of abundance. However, you can limit the power of government by reducing its size. This is the goal of libertarians like Ron Paul.

 

But of course, when someone tells you this you just roll your eyes and say "HE IS LYING" and ignore how much resistance towards these acts actually exists inside government.

 

Your problem is you find it unfathomable that people might not trust someone who has lied dramatically and publicly for years, only to get into office and do the exact opposite of what he said he'd do.

 

The government aren't hurting because of digital sharing. Not even one bit. You only say this because you say government is to blame about every single issue. It's incredibly ironic considering in this issue many members of government are actually helping a lot and are our only shot.

 

Without the government there wouldn't be a problem. The government is the enforcement apparatus. It forces taxpayers to finance its operations, something corporations cannot do.

 

Of course they do and that's why a small few of them accept "sponsorship" (bribes) from people like Rupert Murdoch.

 

And maybe George Soros? Goldman Sachs? Solyndra?

 

You're revealing yourself to be a leftist, here.

 

What's your solution to this problem? "Pass more laws." Sorry, tried that. Didn't work.

 

Statists always use circular arguments to support their theory of ideal government - "We can force them to pass laws to keep themselves well-behaved!" No, you can't.

 

Do that, and the whole thing is over. Give congressmen a salary and take "sponsorship" out of the question. Make congressmen accountable to the people from their electorate. No more PIPA or SOPA.

 

How easy do you think this would be, in the current structure?

 

My guess is, a bloody revolution would actually require less friction to implement than the utopian laws you and Chuck regularly propose on these forums.

 

Get rid of it. Getting rid of it would also prevent people from getting into congress in an attempt to find ludicrous amounts of fortune and it would keep their motives pure.

 

A long time ago, congressmen didn't earn that much. Yet they still started unnecessary wars, committed genocides, raised taxes, banned peaceful trade/substances, and unilaterally raised their own salaries.

 

I think you're confused about the "chicken/egg" - which comes first? The money or the power?

 

Here's a hint: Do you see money naturally flowing toward people who have very little political power? Or do you see it flowing naturally toward people who *already* have power?

 

Or take millions from investment banking firms (Goldman Sachs) to vote in line with their selfish ideas.

 

Didn't you say you supported Obama in the other thread? How do you square that with your acknowledgement that he takes millions from Goldman Sachs? Just curious.

 

Oh this isn't a conspiracy at all. It's all in the open and attempts to hide it are non existent. This is reality.

 

Something tells me you don't really believe it, though. You're still under the illusion that government can be tamed, and made to serve the masses...

[chuck kottke]

It is the excess of money coming from a few that is corrupting our democracy. When legislation is written by and for interest groups, often consortiums of industry, and then pushed through congress, one has only to connect the dots to see who wants what, who's campaigns they paid for, and what lobbying jobs will they dole out when those elected to office "retire" to the big money as lobbyists. So it is with these acts as well - they're fronts for a particular set of big interests. They should get no better or worse billing than the average citizen when it comes to asking for a redress of grievances with our elected government.

 

There is a legitimate problem, but first the government needs to be equally representative of all constituents, of all citizens. Then it will better play the role of fair arbiter and sensible promoter of the general good as it was intended to do.

 

And those wars before the big bucks rolled in - corruption is as old as humanity. US sugar in Cuba, big rubber companies in SE Asia, control of shipping through Panama, and the list goes on.. It's time we clamp a lid on the influence of greed in government, and return our government to we, the citizens.

Indeed it is lucrative for those elected to keep taking the legalized bribes, but it isn't beyond the realm of possibilities to replace much of their earnings with legitimate earnings; it would be far more practical than allowing the unchecked system of corruption which allows the wealthiest and least ethical to use our government as a battering ram for their own means against the common good.

[busybeeburns]

Kim DotCom, aka Kim Schmitz, appears in a New Zealand court to answer to piracy and racketeering charges made against him in the U.S. Click on the photo to watch a news report from New Zealand.

 

Megaupload assembles worldwide criminal defense

 

The FBI has begun extradition proceedings in New Zealand to bring Kim Dotcom, aka Kim Schmitz, to the United States to face charges of racketeering, money laundering, and Internet piracy.

 

DotCom and three associates are in custody and are being held without bail until Monday, when a new hearing is scheduled. Three other alleged accomplices are still at large. During a hearing yesterday, DotCom told the court he didn't object to allowing photographers in the courtroom. He said: "We have nothing to hide."

In an interview with CNET, Ira Rothken, an attorney well known in the tech sector for defending Web sites accused of copyright violations, said that his clients are assembling a team of crack copyright, criminal and technology attorneys to defend them in courts across the globe.

 

"There are significant issues of due process," Rothken said early this morning. "The government has taken down one of the world's largest storage providers and have done so without giving Megaupload an opportunity to be heard in court."

 

The U.S. Justice Department has accused DotCom, 37, along with six other people, of operating a huge criminal enterprise as part of his cyberlocker service Megaupload, which over the past several years has emerged as one of the most popular destinations for online video. Federal officials say DotCom and his alleged accomplices pocketed millions of dollars in loot and cost the film industry more than $600 million in damages.

 

Rothken dismissed the government's attempt to file criminal charges against his clients. "Many of the allegations made are similar to those in the copyright case filed against YouTube and that was a civil case....and YouTube won."

 

The attorney declined to name any of the other lawyers he is talking to about joining his team but said Megaupload and DotCom will be represented by lawyers who are expert in criminal, copyright and technology law.

 

"We don't think Megaupload did anything wrong as it regards to copyright issues," Rothken said. "This government's case is wrong on the merits."

 

Megaupload's site has been shut down and after the arrests were announced, an online group known as Anonymous launched denial-of-service attacks on a number of music and film industry sites as well as the Web site of the Justice Department.

 

This story is shaping up to be one of the most sensational copyright cases of all time. We have hackers staging online protests at the doorstep of U.S. law enforcement. We have Kim DotCom, a former illegal street racer, hacker, and convicted felon who operates one of the most popular video sites on the Web and who lives in a $30 million mansion in New Zealand.

 

Finally, we have the U.S. government attempting to test its ability to make criminal copyright cases.

 

The case appears to have begun when the FBI oversaw raids around the globe. Search warrants were executed in at least 8 countries: across Europe, in Hong Kong, and in New Zealand.

 

In New Zealand today, TV news was filled with images of police removing property from Schmitz's home, which he named The Dotcom Mansion. Police seized 18 vehicles, including a vintage pink Cadillac, a Lamborghini, a 2010 Maserati, and 2008 Rolls Royce Phantom with a personalized license plate that reads "God."

Some of the other license plates found on the cars read, "Stoned," "Mafia Hacker" and "Guilty."

 

DotCom was known for his flamboyant lifestyle and partying. He was certainly not hiding out in New Zealand. He threw a New Year's party and paid for a huge fireworks show over Auckland.

 

Nonetheless, when police came to his door, DotCom tried to evade arrest, according to authorities. "Despite our staff clearly identifying themselves, Mr Dotcom retreated into the house and activated a number of electronic locking mechanisms," Detective Inspector Grant Wormald said in a report from New Zealand news outlet TVNZ. "While police neutralized these locks he then further barricaded himself into a safe room within the house which officers had to cut their way into."

 

They said they found Dotcom near a sawed-off shotgun but he was arrested without further incident.

 

http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-57362609-261/megaupload-assembles-worldwide-criminal-defense/

[busybeeburns]

(as this is nothing to do with SOPA if you want me to split the threads I will)

[para-para-parrotdies]

SOPA Is Dead: Bill is Dropped

 

http://mashable.com/2012/01/20/sopa-is-dead-smith-pulls-bill/

[Saffire]

Some of the other license plates found on the cars read, "Stoned," "Mafia Hacker" and "Guilty."

 

Oh, oh, let me guess: They also found another license plate that reads, "I'm guilty of distributing copyrighted material for personal profit and I rape babies while declaring a War on Christmas and I watch MSNBC".

[Black Rose]

SOPA Is Dead: Bill is Dropped

 

http://mashable.com/2012/01/20/sopa-is-dead-smith-pulls-bill/

 

[Black Rose]

The record companies can not get around that the simple fact that 1 "illegal" download does not equal 1 lost sale, even though studies have shown that people whom download illegally buy more music.

[Saffire]

The record companies can not get around that the simple fact that 1 "illegal" download does not equal 1 lost sale, even though studies have shown that people whom download illegally buy more music.

 

Exactly, exactly, exactly.

 

This point can't be emphasized enough.

[Megalomania]

The record companies can not get around that the simple fact that 1 "illegal" download does not equal 1 lost sale, even though studies have shown that people whom download illegally buy more music.

 

So true. Illegal downloading of material is good advertisement for companies - if someone likes what they hear/see on a download it pushes them to go buy it.

[Italian Plastic]

the shutting down of Megaupload was fucking stupid

 

it'd be like shutting down Facebook because someone uploaded porn or something? not their fault at all

 

i hate the world

 

 

 

also, i had no idea he lived in a crazy mansion in new zealand. that's so cool :cheesy:

[chuck kottke]

I want the pink Cadillac!:P

It's a little strange, having officers from New Zealand arrest someone for extradition to the US to stand trial, I think, for everyone's sake, this ought to be a matter of the international courts. And to think that those with the money to write the laws in their favor rarely ever stand trial, but those who don't do - another reason to take the big money out of politics.