Misleading Metaphors That Drive The War On Online Sharing

[mr ploppy]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

I'll just say: Ha.

So do I. It's the corporations who leech from the content creator who have all the power. The creators have no say whatsoever over what happens to it once they sign the contraqct.

[carpetmojo]

[QUOTE=wizwor;1830587......... Afterall, if I play a song on my laptop in a public place, is anyone who is listening in violation? Am I 'illegally distributing' content? What if I am using a boom box in my backyard? Or a block party? In a public park? ........... [/QUOTE]

The answer is no, and I don't believe it has ever been mooted that you would be. That is one of the reasons musicians make music, after all.

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by HarryT

The belief of the majority of the populace is that it's wrong to take stuff you don't own without paying for it. It's only the minority who are dishonest.

Considering the topic maybe you would want to rephrase this since you are forgetting about freebies.

[Andrew H.]

Originally Posted by Pinecone

Can you be prosecuted (not sued, but proscuted by the state)?

Can you go to jail for it?

Is the answer to these is no, it is NOT theft.

Yes, and yes. It's a felony, even.

[Elfwreck]

Originally Posted by wizwor

The concept of protecting intellectual property needs to be revisited. Generally, the content creator has too many rights which, if enforced, would make everyone a criminal. Afterall, if I play a song on my laptop in a public place, is anyone who is listening in violation? Am I 'illegally distributing' content? What if I am using a boom box in my backyard? Or a block party? In a public park?

The RIAA attempted to sue to make cellphone ringtones "public performances" requiring an additional license fee.

A reasonable approach would have creators licensing redistribution to warehousers who would grant license to a library for a reasonable fee.

Are you aware that "creators" includes "everyone who posts on the internet?" How would you (who would pay to) catalog & license every blog post, flickr upload & YouTube home video? Or do you just ignore all content that's not polished for commercial resale?

How would Creative Commons-Noncommercial works be dealt with--could the library still charge a fee for hosting them?

[HansTWN]

Theft may not be a really appropriate word (though in some way it seems to be, since something is being taken that the "taker" has no right to) it seems true that the current words "copyright infringement" have lost their sting. It should be a word that is associated with wrongdoing to make people aware that a crime is being committed. So yes, the terms used tend to belittle the act and assuage the guilt, therefore contributing to piracy.

Calling it theft works better at the moment because nobody wants to be a thief, but many don't care about being called "you copyright infringer".

[Ntsimp]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

So yes, the terms used tend to belittle the act and assuage the guilt, therefore contributing to piracy.

I associate the word "piracy" with robbery, rape, and murder.

If anything, using "piracy" to refer to copying some bits without permission just belittles the term "piracy".

[HansTWN]

Originally Posted by Ntsimp

I associate the word "piracy" with robbery, rape, and murder.

If anything, using "piracy" to refer to copying some bits without permission just belittles the term "piracy".

The Somalis will tell you pirating ships is the only way they can feed their families. While digital piracy usually is done just to save a few bucks.

So it is all a matter of perspective.

[xg4bx]

i gave up on respecting copyright when i uploaded a 30 second clip to youtube of my wife dancing with her father at our wedding and got a notice that the sh*tty, recorded by cellphone cam quality song in the background may be in violation of copyright.

thats when i gave the middle finger to the whole thing. the new anti-piracy legislation winding its way through congress would make everything like that illegal because it may violate someones copyright. yup, that 10 second clip of lady gaga in the background of a birthday video you upload will be violating copyright.

[HansTWN]

Originally Posted by xg4bx

i gave up on respecting copyright when i uploaded a 30 second clip to youtube of my wife dancing with her father at our wedding and got a notice that the sh*tty, recorded by cellphone cam quality song in the background may be in violation of copyright.

thats when i gave the middle finger to the whole thing. the new anti-piracy legislation winding its way through congress would make everything like that illegal because it may violate someones copyright. yup, that 10 second clip of lady gaga in the background of a birthday video you upload will be violating copyright.

Copyright obviously isn't perfect. You pointed out just one of the problems. That doesn't mean that we should do away with it completely.

[Sil_liS]

Copyright infringement vs. theft is selling this in the U.S. vs. stealing it from a bookstore:

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Most of the costs associated with publishing a book are the same for a paper book as they are for an eBook; you save printing costs with the eBook, of course, but printing is a relatively minor constituent in the overall cost model.

This can be repeated indefinitely, but people still won't believe it.
In an industry where publishers have to accept returns of unsold paper books, eating the entire costs, and (on a 50% return rate) effectively doubling the per-unit cost of the copies that were sold, it is simply implausible.

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by HarryT

The belief of the majority of the populace is that it's wrong to take stuff you don't own without paying for it. It's only the minority who are dishonest.

The majority of the populace have never made a mix tape?
That is copyright infringement.
(I'm sure you have written permission to use your Dalek image? )

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

(I'm sure you have written permission to use your Dalek image? )

Yes, I have given myself permission. It's my photograph of my Dalek .

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Ntsimp

I associate the word "piracy" with robbery, rape, and murder.

If anything, using "piracy" to refer to copying some bits without permission just belittles the term "piracy".

The term "piracy" to refer to unauthorised copying has a very long history, going back as at least far as a pamphlet published in 1603 by a man called Thomas Dekker, in which he lamented the common practice of unauthorised reproduction of other peoples' works.