Bush creates intellectual property czar; Lars Ulrich busts a nut in excitement

[The Ozzman]

http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSTRE49C7EI20081013?sp=true

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush signed into law on Monday a controversial bill that would stiffen penalties for movie and music piracy at the federal level.

The law creates an intellectual property czar who will report directly to the president on how to better protect copyrights both domestically and internationally. The Justice Department had argued that the creation of this position would undermine its authority.

The law also toughens criminal laws against piracy and counterfeiting, although critics have argued that the measure goes too far and risks punishing people who have not infringed.

The Recording Industry Association of America and Motion Picture Association of America backed the bill, as did the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

"By becoming law, the PRO-IP Act sends the message to IP criminals everywhere that the U.S. will go the extra mile to protect American innovation," said Tom Donohue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Counterfeiting and piracy costs the United States nearly $250 billion annually, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Rick Cotton, general counsel for NBC Universal, said the bill would give movie and music makers more tools to fight what he called a "tidal wave" of counterfeiting and piracy of everything from medical devices to automobile parts to media by organized crime.

"That is at the core of what this discussion is about," he said. "It is not about teenagers."

Cotton said he did not expect an IP czar to be named before Bush's term ended in January.

Richard Esguerra, spokesman for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said he was relieved to see lawmakers had stripped out a measure to have the Justice Department file civil lawsuits against pirates, which would have made the attorneys "pro bono personal lawyers for the content industry."

But the advocacy group Public Knowledge had argued that the law went too far, especially given that fair use of copyrighted material was already shrinking.

Public Knowledge particularly opposed a measure that allowed for the forfeiture of devices used in piracy.

"Let's suppose that there's one computer in the house, and one person uses it for downloads and one for homework. The whole computer goes," said Public Knowledge spokesman Art Brodsky.

Brodsky argued that, at best, the bill was unnecessary because the recording and movie industry had the right to take accused infringers to court.

"There's already lots and lots of penalties for copyright violations," he said. "They've got all the tools they need."

 

[zabu of nΩd]

Is Bush just trying to go down in history as the worst President ever at this point? He seems to fucking thrive on stupid decisions these days.

 

[Zephyrus]

That's how we're funding the bailout, by fining all of America's youth.

 

[zabu of nΩd]

Ah, I see. It all makes sense now.

 

[ThisIsACoolName]

So, I know you say the reason you post new threads for each news article you wish to share is that the news thread is "too hard" to follow, but the real reason is so that you can include make up zany titles, isn't it?

 

[Hubster]

I read about this earlier on. GWB is a total fucking waste of DNA.

 

[Zephyrus]

So, I know you say the reason you post new threads for each news article you wish to share is that the news thread is "too hard" to follow, but the real reason is so that you can include make up zany titles, isn't it?

For the semicolons mainly.

 

[The Ozzman]

So, I know you say the reason you post new threads for each news article you wish to share is that the news thread is "too hard" to follow, but the real reason is so that you can include make up zany titles, isn't it?

Both

 

[AchrisK]

Stealing is bad. Deal with it.

 

[zabu of nΩd]

Stealing is bad. Deal with it.

Guess what? Stealing is already a crime. Legislating civil rights into oblivion is not the fucking solution to the problem. The solution is actually enforcing the laws that already exist.

Besides, what the fuck is this going to do to reduce piracy overseas?

 

[The Ozzman]

Stealing is bad.

I guess those CD-Rs you have in your collection don't count, right?

 

[AchrisK]

Besides, what the fuck is this going to do to reduce piracy overseas?

I don't know, but I hope they can do something. Buying pirated copies sucks, and their drain on bands and companies sucks. We have had a lot of nice reissues lately, and I would like to see them continue. But when there are pirated "reissues" flooding the market, it takes away the incentive for companies to do legit reissues.

 

[AchrisK]

I guess those CD-Rs you have in your collection don't count, right?

Which CDRs? The ones of underground band demos? you'll find most of the original tapes for those CDRs listed right below that section in the cassette section.

 

[AchrisK]

...

Yeah! That's what I thought!!!

 

[The Ozzman]

itt AcK tries to stir up shit

 

[AchrisK]

 

[mutantllama]

Stealing is bad. Deal with it.

Stealing is taking something from some else, and they lose it. While pirating is copying it.

There is a difference.

 

[waif]

"That is at the core of what this discussion is about," he said. "It is not about teenagers."

Then why is this focusing on music and movies?
Because I strongly doubt that $250 billion is being lost annually to music pirates. If that's the case than those greedy fucks in the RIAA were making too much to be charging $18 for a fucking cd.

 

[zabu of nΩd]

Stealing is taking something from some else, and they lose it. While pirating is copying it.

There is a difference.

Since pirating often amounts to stealing money from the owner of the work, the "difference", if there is any, is negligible.

 

[cookiecutter]

Downloading music is legal in Canada ftw

Also, does anyone know why there are so many Czars in the US Government these days?