346 replies to this topic

[Bcm27]

it has begun: http://uk.news.yahoo...-195854378.html

No it hasn't begun.

This has nothing to do with SOPA/PIPA. The Megaupload shutdown has nothing to do with it. Existing laws are being used to shutdown and prosecute the sites owners.

As much as I detest SOPA/PIPA, I recognise that electronic copyright violations is a problem. Protesting SOPA/PIPA is one thing, but the protest should not also be based on shielding the sites that facilitate the mass copyright violations that are occurring. As much as Megaupload had legitimate uses, it's business model was dependant on piracy.

Some sites should be shutdown. Megaupload will have due process.

I think that we can all agree that copyright laws are very important, some people just like to take things to far however.

[makerofthegames]

SOPA and PIPA may be misguided, BUT the problems they attempt to tackle are very real, and won't go away because Wikipedia and others "shut down" for a day.

I don't think the point of wikipedia shutting down was to shock congress into sacking the bill but instead to inform many users of their site that can do something to help to like, do something to help. Calling their representatives, etc.

[Smarty]

I think that we can all agree that copyright laws are very important,

The problem is that hardly anyone thinks copyright itself is very important, unless it concerns their own.

some people just like to take things to far however.

Yet nothing that was tried so far was really effective.

[Rusky]

Let's put the copyright violation problem in perspective. Every time the media industries try to shut something down (like ripping CDs to put on MP3 players, or VCRs taping shows on television), it turns out that their revenues have grown massively because of the very thing they're trying to get rid of. They're making record profits because of the Internet.

I'm not saying anything about the morality of piracy, but really. It's being portrayed as a much bigger problem than it really is.

[Rusky]

oops

Edited by Rusky, 19 January 2012 - 10:47 PM.

[Nocturne]

Thanks to Megaupload being shutdown, some of the fools in Anonymous have decided to take action :

http://rt.com/usa/ne...ersal-sopa-235/

So far its "adios!" to the US Justice dept, the RIAA, The Motion Picture Assoc., The US governments Copyright.org and Universal Pictures... this is like WWIII but on the internet!


EDIT: The french governent site http://hadopi.fr/ is down too and they say that next up is the FBI... 2012 really IS the end of the world...

Edited by Nocturne, 19 January 2012 - 10:57 PM.

[Smarty]

So far its "adios!" to the US Justice dept, the RIAA, The Motion Picture Assoc., The US governments Copyright.org and Universal Pictures... this is like WWIII but on the internet!


EDIT: The french governent site http://hadopi.fr/ is down too and they say that next up is the FBI... 2012 really IS the end of the world...

Let's not get too dramatic about a bunch of computers not working.

[Nocturne]

Actually, I think this is really very serious and dramatic... You see, all these peaceful protests, letters and petitions that have so far made the American Government back down have just been turned into so much wet paper. Now ALL governements can point to this event and say "See? We DO NEED MORE CONTROL OVER INTERNET". Anonymous have just given them all a wonderful excuse to create newer legislation (and lets not kid ourselves, SOPA and PIPA are really only superficially about copyright. At it's heart it's about control and censureship).

[icuurd12b42]

Let's put the copyright violation problem in perspective. Every time the media industries try to shut something down (like ripping CDs to put on MP3 players, or VCRs taping shows on television), it turns out that their revenues have grown massively because of the very thing they're trying to get rid of. They're making record profits because of the Internet.

I'm not saying anything about the morality of piracy, but really. It's being portrayed as a much bigger problem than it really is.

I agree with that, like when I used to make mixed cassettes for my friends (I'm so old), they'd go and buy the album of one or 2 artists they liked for themselves. But what about the artists they hated and did not get the album, should they get compensated? I think in Canada we are taxed extra for buying recording medium to help compensate to piracy factors. One could think of the tax as carte blanche to copy anything we want since we paid for it via the tax (LOL)

Here is an interesting thought... I watch a movie I like on TV and record it to my vcr, tbo, PC, I'm allowed according to the 1992 act. Or I like my movie DVD collection to be on my hard drive. I have a ton of DVDs but it takes 3-4 hours each to rip. It's all for personal use and all from content I lawfully own or grabbed (recorded from tv). What if instead of popping in my Matrix DVD and get ripping, I decide to grab it from a pirate site...

[nujuat]

This doesn't make sence at all. YoYo games is pretty much (apart from the publishing and the of developing GM which doesn't contain copyrighted material or they would be in big trouble) a place to host not-for-profit windows games and a place to talk about them. They aren't selling illegal movies or anything.

[Rusky]

Plenty of those not-for-profit windows games do contain copyrighted material.

[makerofthegames]

I suppose worst worst case scenario is they'll have to take down the sandbox.

[Smarty]

Actually, I think this is really very serious and dramatic... You see, all these peaceful protests, letters and petitions that have so far made the American Government back down have just been turned into so much wet paper. Now ALL governements can point to this event and say "See? We DO NEED MORE CONTROL OVER INTERNET".

Until someone points out there's not really much you can do against DDoS attacks, obviously.

Meanwhile, if you'd switch off your computer and walk outside, you'd notice that millions of people completely fail to be killed in some kind of war or apocalyptic event.

[makerofthegames]

Until someone points out there's not really much you can do against DDoS attacks, obviously.

They're politicians, I don't expect them to know anything about computers.

This is probably ignorance on my part, actually.

[Smarty]

They're politicians, I don't expect them to know anything about computers.

And you voted for them why?

[makerofthegames]

I'm not even eighteen yet, I can't vote. But as for people around me who can vote, I dunno.

Edited by makerofthegames, 20 January 2012 - 12:04 AM.

[masterofhisowndomain]

Let's not get too dramatic about a bunch of computers not working.

...momentarily. I mean these sites will be back up if not today then tomorrow... and the damage done? Nothing for the mega corporations and government bureaus to handle... But the change in attitude is damaging to those who want to deal with this appropriately and maturely (i.e., not like a bunch of prepubescents with a few lines of script).

(and lets not kid ourselves, SOPA and PIPA are really only superficially about copyright. At it's heart it's about control and censureship).

I disagree. Those politicians are sitting down and having formal dinners with people who do care about copyright, because it harms their profits. I mean the US government itself has plenty of reasons it would like this (not least being it could remove Wikileaks instantly), but I don't think that's primary.

[jtyler]

I myself used Wiki's congress finder and contacted one of them with the form.

[greep]

They're politicians, I don't expect them to know anything about computers.

And you voted for them why?

Because computer scientists don't run for office Also, if 2 arbitrary people run for an office there is a roughly 50/50 chance that the person you voted for didn't win.

But yeah, all this armageddon talk is just getting silly. Even if the internet "died", there once was a time with no internet. Unsurprisingly, there weren't many global takeovers.

Edited by greep, 20 January 2012 - 01:51 AM.

[ean]

They're politicians, I don't expect them to know anything about computers.

And you voted for them why?

Because computer scientists don't run for office Also, if 2 arbitrary people run for an office there is a roughly 50/50 chance that the person you voted for didn't win.

But yeah, all this armageddon talk is just getting silly. Even if the internet "died", there once was a time with no internet. Unsurprisingly, there weren't many global takeovers.

Not really. Obama just recently declared martial law. Our armeggedon talks may not be far off base. In the meantime, I suggest rigourous amounts of Bablyon 5.