Monday May 28, 2012

JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION

Europeans protest controversial Internet pact

World Feb. 12, 2012 - 05:56AM JST ( 6 )

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ACTA was signed last year in Tokyo, and aims to bolster international standards for intellectual property protection

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6 Comments

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nukeprotestFeb. 12, 2012 - 10:38AM JST

We must ensure that billionaires do not lose thousands of euros to net piracy even if it means the end of our freedom!
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skipbeatFeb. 12, 2012 - 11:31AM JST

In the near future net neutrality will be obsolete if the government and corporations have their way. The music industry, media industry, movies industry, and corporations would like to see the internet become privatized.
-1

FadamorFeb. 12, 2012 - 12:34PM JST

Many Bulgarian musicians were also among the crowd, claiming that they rarely get copyright royalties anyway but were ready to sacrifice whatever little they do earn for the sake of Internet freedom.

LOL. "We don't get royalties, so ACTA doesn't affect us at all. But, hey! It looked like a good party going on so we decided to join in."

Just a couple of points: Internet users have NEVER had the "right" to download copyrighted material without paying for it. EVER. "Internet Freedom" to these people means they can do what they want, when they want, no matter what laws are broken. If they're so keen on this kind of freedom, why aren't they walking around town smashing car windshields? It's. The. Same. Thing. I'll tell you why. It's because they would not be anonymous if they were breaking windshields. That's what they're REALLY scared of, losing their anonymity. Darn, they might have to actually act like civilized people on the internet if this gets ratified.
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nukeprotestFeb. 12, 2012 - 02:52PM JST

Fadamore said: Internet users have NEVER had the "right" to download copyrighted material without paying for it. EVER.

False. Fair use doctrine.

Fadamor said: "We don't get royalties, so ACTA doesn't affect us at all.

In theory, it could mean finally getting those royalties. But I think most of us know that no one will get more money and all that will happen is that general freedom on the net will be damaged right along with pirating. This is a classic example of wanting to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Fadamore said: "Internet Freedom" to these people means they can do what they want, when they want, no matter what laws are broken.

A vote against a police state is not the same as a vote for chaos. Most of us realize that freedom means there will be some crime, and deal with that fact that like mature adults. A lot of us also realize that a great bulk of illegal downloads are instigated by the copyright holders as they don't just offer their products fairly but try to divide us by region, overcharge, or otherwise pull unnecessary stunts. If they want to curb pirating there is plenty they could do on their end without punishing the innocent and the guilty with blanket controls on the net.
0

SuperLibFeb. 12, 2012 - 09:22PM JST

On one side you have a bunch of idiots in the government who are out of touch with what downloading is and are believing just about everything the corporations tell them. On the other you have people who don't seem to get that piracy is a problem and stealing is stealing no matter what justification you think you have.
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HonestDictatorFeb. 13, 2012 - 07:13AM JST

I'm against piracy but I'm also against the ACTA and SOPA as well. The ACTA and SOPA should NEVER be enacted, and those found pirating copyrighted material should be charged for their crimes. But if these two things were enacted we'd be censored and spied on every single turn we take. Literally we'd be like China's internet, where special interests can legally spy and target you for the websites you go to, or block websites because it doesn't agree with what they want you to see or have access to. Piracy is stealing, but spying on normal citizens and making up ones own rules on how those citizens should surf the internet will lead to bigger brother dictatorships.