Pirate Bay founders found guilty

[Moejoe]

Well well, this is good news The Swedish courts have just invigorated the file-sharing movement and turned the founders of the Pirate Bay into Rock Stars. Plus all the major media coverage (5 minute segment on Ch5 News in UK explaining in detail how to get "free stuff") and what you've got here is nothing but an EPIC win on the part of the Pirate Bay. They'll never see a day of jail, never pay a penny in compensation, and this will get thrown out in the Swedish higher courts just as it should have been thrown out in the first place.

Congratulations Major Media Corporations, you've just given the file sharing movement its biggest moment in the sun. This is the equivalent of arresting Mick Jagger for smoking pot. And we all know how that event turned a whole generation off the music of the Rolling Stones and smoking pot, don't we?

[Amalthia]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

They are not the only ones, for the record. There are a number of small pubs and independents that provide similarly customer-friendly service and value. And just as Napster influenced online music enterprise, hopefully the influence of indies and small pubs will eventually influence the big pubs to be more customer-friendly.

I think Baen is still the biggest publisher that offers such a nice service for the moment though.

I think Harlequin is another..but I'm not a big romance reader.

It's the other big publishers that are holding the industry at a standstill because a lot of the popular authors aren't signed onto the smaller publishers they are locked into contracts with the big name publishers.

I do hope what you predict will happen. Because this is getting quite frustrating wanting to buy ebooks but unable to find affordable copies of the ebooks I want to read.

[Good Old Neon]

Originally Posted by Sonist

Uhm, how open-minded to those with differing political views.... Would you like to line them up against the wall, too?

I guess you've never lived, or talked to, anyone who's had the joy to live in a socialist paradise.

BTW, both socialism and nazi-sm (as in the Nationalist Socialist Workers Party), often appeal to the same constituency. Except, that socialist powers never had fashionable uniforms, to appeal to the beer-sloshing unemployed of Europe's poorer parts. So, while throwing Molotov cocktails, they prefer to wear black shirts, rather than waiving red flags.

But, if you look at Greece and France, or at the regular violence at the G8 summits, the left can still burn a few cars and loot a few stores.

No, of course not. But much of the bile that spews from the mouths of Limbaugh, et al is deliberately misleading, much of it is simply untrue, consciously so, so in that sense, it hardly represents a point of view.

I’m more than willing to consider someone else’s point of view, when it's actually based on reality, however, when that point of view consists of scapegoating minorities and homosexuals for all that ills this country, well, my tolerance for that sort of hateful bullshit has reached its end.

Socialism, like capitalism, (or any form of governance for that matter – with, I think, the exception of Nazism.) can be used as both a tool of good or ill. However, within the US, outside of small, usually collegiate circles, a real socialist movement does not exist. And where they do, they are hardly violent, and do not espouse violence as a tool of protest or an impetus for change.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Can someone who is familiar with the Swedish legal system explain why it is that these four gentlemen are not now in prison, given that they have been found guilty and sentenced? Do you only actually go to prison when the appeals process has been exhausted in Sweden? For any crime?

The way it works in the UK, by contrast, is that you'd go to prison immediately. If you wish to appeal, you can do so - but from prison.

A sentence is not "fully concluded" ("laga kraft") until after three weeks and if the sentence is not appealed to the higher court inside this time period. A sentence that is appealed is usually not executed.

[Xenophon]

Originally Posted by Amalthia

I think Baen is still the biggest publisher that offers such a nice service for the moment though.

I think Harlequin is another..but I'm not a big romance reader.

It's the other big publishers that are holding the industry at a standstill because a lot of the popular authors aren't signed onto the smaller publishers they are locked into contracts with the big name publishers.

I do hope what you predict will happen. Because this is getting quite frustrating wanting to buy ebooks but unable to find affordable copies of the ebooks I want to read.

I continue to hear rumblings that Tor will have their eBooks up and running at a variety of outlets. And one of those outlets will apparently be Webscriptions -- with all the usual Baen/Webscriptions policies (e.g. low prices, no DRM, bundles for additional discounts, etc.).

This long awaited deal has been hanging fire for several years! Back when Jim Baen was still alive, he reached agreement with the good folks at Tor. Said agreement was then shot down by a high-level bean counter at Tor's corporate parent. The deal stayed dead until there was a major upheaval in senior management at Tor's parent. The new CEO asked all his units to tell him what they were doing to remain relevant in the coming decades. The Tor folks pointed out the deal with Baen/Webscriptions as an example, and got it revived. There followed another long delay while lawyers wrestled out the contractual details. After yet more delay, we're now hearing that the only remaining issues are "techincal" (as in servers, workflows, eCommerce issues, and so on) and not either business or legal. So we should see another SF/Fantasy publisher doing things right any year now... er... Real Soon Now.

Xenophon

[zerospinboson]

Originally Posted by Good Old Neon

No, of course not. But much of the bile that spews from the mouths of Limbaugh, et al is deliberately misleading, much of it is simply untrue, consciously so, so in that sense, it hardly represents a point of view.

I’m more than willing to consider someone else’s point of view, when it's actually based on reality, however, when that point of view consists of scapegoating minorities and homosexuals for all that ills this country, well, my tolerance for that sort of hateful bullshit has reached its end.

Socialism, like capitalism, (or any form of governance for that matter – with, I think, the exception of Nazism.) can be used as both a tool of good or ill. However, within the US, outside of small, usually collegiate circles, a real socialist movement does not exist. And where they do, they are hardly violent, and do not espouse violence as a tool of protest or an impetus for change.

And weren't the few who did hurt by that silly move to get the national guard to put them down some decades ago?

Anyway, I found it very amusing to see FN talking about a tax evasion "mass movement" on yesterday's the daily show episode. They've completely lost their marbles, apparently. Oh, and you really shouldn't forget about Glenn Beck in that list of yours. I really found his "questioning" of that muslim congressman's "loyalty" to the USA particularly disturbing (which he did while still at CNN). His move to FN seems logical in that manner.

[Xenophon]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

They are not the only ones, for the record. There are a number of small pubs and independents that provide similarly customer-friendly service and value. And just as Napster influenced online music enterprise, hopefully the influence of indies and small pubs will eventually influence the big pubs to be more customer-friendly.
[SNIP]

And Steve Jordan Books is one such independent. Decent books, excellent value and service.

Xenophon

[Good Old Neon]

Originally Posted by Moejoe

Well well, this is good news The Swedish courts have just invigorated the file-sharing movement and turned the founders of the Pirate Bay into Rock Stars. Plus all the major media coverage (5 minute segment on Ch5 News in UK explaining in detail how to get "free stuff") and what you've got here is nothing but an EPIC win on the part of the Pirate Bay. They'll never see a day of jail, never pay a penny in compensation, and this will get thrown out in the Swedish higher courts just as it should have been thrown out in the first place.

Congratulations Major Media Corporations, you've just given the file sharing movement its biggest moment in the sun. This is the equivalent of arresting Mick Jagger for smoking pot. And we all know how that event turned a whole generation off the music of the Rolling Stones and smoking pot, don't we?

Really, you want to see them turned into rock stars simply because they’re breaking the law – wow, that strikes me as dangerously irresponsible and shortsighted. Given the ubiquity of digital media, and the increasing saturation of filesharing outlets, your little dream world may very well end with writers and musicians unable to ply their trades – filesharing may save you a little money, but ultimately, that savings comes at the expense of the person responsible for writing that book, making that music, filming that movies, creating that piece of software, etc.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by Good Old Neon

Really, you want to see them turned into rock stars simply because they’re breaking the law

How can you think something like that was referred to? Was this an intended straw man or just an honest mistake?

[Sparrow]

Originally Posted by tompe

How can you think something like that was referred to? Was this an intended straw man or just an honest mistake?

Well said!! Misrepresenting each other's points doesn't help the debate.

This may have been a genuine mistake, but it has bedeviled this thread.

[Good Old Neon]

Originally Posted by tompe

How can you think something like that was referred to? Was this an intended straw man or just an honest mistake?

Originally Posted by Moejoe
Well well, this is good news The Swedish courts have just invigorated the file-sharing movement and turned the founders of the Pirate Bay into Rock Stars. Plus all the major media coverage (5 minute segment on Ch5 News in UK explaining in detail how to get "free stuff") and what you've got here is nothing but an EPIC win on the part of the Pirate Bay. They'll never see a day of jail, never pay a penny in compensation, and this will get thrown out in the Swedish higher courts just as it should have been thrown out in the first place.

Congratulations Major Media Corporations, you've just given the file sharing movement its biggest moment in the sun. This is the equivalent of arresting Mick Jagger for smoking pot. And we all know how that event turned a whole generation off the music of the Rolling Stones and smoking pot, don't we?

[kad032000]

The Pirate Bay verdict is being criticized by the Swedish public and protests are being planned. Opposition to the decision is widespread, indicated partly by the surge in new memberships to Sweden’s Pirate Party. It has seen its ranks grow by 20% in the handful of hours since the verdict and the number of members is increasing by the minute.

http://torrentfreak.com/pirate-party...erdict-090417/

[zerospinboson]

Originally Posted by Good Old Neon

Really, you want to see them turned into rock stars simply because they’re breaking the law – wow, that strikes me as dangerously irresponsible and shortsighted. Given the ubiquity of digital media, and the increasing saturation of filesharing outlets, your little dream world may very well end with writers and musicians unable to ply their trades – filesharing may save you a little money, but ultimately, that savings comes at the expense of the person responsible for writing that book, making that music, filming that movies, creating that piece of software, etc.

What's with all the hyperbole, though? It's annoying to have to read through.
As with the hippie movement, the goal was, I believe, to cut out the middle man. (that is, "corporations are bad, m'kay?").
Why is it always about the authors when we're talking about copyright, and never about the whole system? It's pretty easy to argue that they will suffer unduly, and you might even feel sorry for them, as they're usually individuals, but the big guy standing behind them forcing them to sign their extortionist contracts is always ignored in the debate. Very convenient, that. Businesses come, go, die, and resurrect. This is capitalism.
Why are copyright-businesses different? Why should they stay alive? It's not like some other business won't pop up to take it's place, to "serve" the content creator.
Copyright is excusable when it's in the interest of individuals, but when it's being used to prop up an entire industry, something has gone wrong, and protectionism (that is, favoring of specific, usually national, corporations) is happening.
While I don't at all believe in unfettered capitalism, I sure do believe in the pointlessness of protectionism.

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by kad032000

http://torrentfreak.com/pirate-party...erdict-090417/

Power to the people?

[Good Old Neon]

Originally Posted by zerospinboson

What's with all the hyperbole, though? It's annoying to have to read through.
As with the hippie movement, the goal was, I believe, to cut out the middle man. (that is, "corporations are bad, m'kay?").
Why is it always about the authors when we're talking about copyright, and never about the whole system? It's pretty easy to argue that they will suffer unduly, and you might even feel sorry for them, as they're usually individuals, but the big guy standing behind them forcing them to sign their extortionist contracts is always ignored in the debate. Very convenient, that. Businesses come, go, die, and resurrect. This is capitalism.
Why are copyright-businesses different? Why should they stay alive? It's not like some other business won't pop up to take it's place, to "serve" the content creator.
Copyright is excusable when it's in the interest of individuals, but when it's being used to prop up an entire industry, something has gone wrong, and protectionism (that is, favoring of specific, usually national, corporations) is happening.
While I don't at all believe in unfettered capitalism, I sure do believe in the pointlessness of protectionism.

It would be hyperbole if, on multiple occasions, he hadn’t already expressed the view that copyright law is some sort of impediment to freedom, and that all art should just be like, free for the taking, man.