They are, though? If two groups offer the same product, they are competing. The fact piracy doesn’t cost money hardly changes that.

although I find the title slightly exaggerated, I still think Bill Maher is full of shit. it often seems obvious that he isn't informed well, but uses his smattering to feel validated.

another example would be his interview with Geert Wilders in Religulous, unfortunately I can't find the extract on the internet.

Bill Maher is a prick. I used to think he was the bee's nipples when I was like 14 and full of angst, but now I just think he's an ill-informed, cocksure contrarian.

Hey, was Microsoft supporting this bill?

No. You're thinking of Bill Gates.

To back up Phylum: No, they weren’t.

Okay, just asking. It would have made sense.

A lot of people who download stuff would never have bought it in the first place. Many people just download all new movie releases and watch them, somewhat enjoying them, but would not have bought them if they were in the store and limited by the money in their pocket. That's the difference. So I wouldn't say it's direct competition.

Also the MPAA is either getting desperate or getting frustrated, but they have publicly threatened to pull campaign funding for some politicians if they don't back the MPAA's ideas and bills. They basically admitted to bribery in public and there's a petition to the White House to investigate Chris Dodd and the MPAA in these matters. Sign it here. If the numbers get high enough the white house can't simply ignore it, which would mean another big blow against the MPAA and their influence in Washington.

As with SOPA and PIPA, I think people who support these kind of motions have no idea of the gravity of what they're actually doing. We've already seen the results of giving this kind of power to companies with the pulling of barely related videos from YouTube, etc. Enabling them to do this from basically anywhere they choose is a terrible, terrible idea.

Anyone who understands this, and then does not immediately oppose it, is barely a person but a spineless worm. It faults a lot of human principles, at least for this country. If I wanted to live in a place like China, I'd take a plane.

That's what you get when money can buy a government. The sad thing is that it's pretty much public knowledge that every important person in Washington is being backed up by some sort of large company and that nothing is being done about it. American government is as corrupt as it can possibly get.

Very true. And very saddening...

I'm not sure if this has been posted or not, and I'm too angry to actually read through the thread, so I apologize if I'm late on this.


So back in May, Lamar Smith wrote another shitty bill, that essentially requires all ISPs to record all of your internet usage, keep tabs on things like your name, address, bank account information, credit card numbers, and IP addresses. They then have to save all of that data for 18 months.

If you're then merely a suspect of any crime, the police have the right to access any and all information regarding everything you've done involving the internet for the past 18 months. Doesn't matter if they don't have a warrant. Doesn't even matter if they don't have probable cause. If you're suspected, they can look at all of those raunchy messages you sent your girlfriend on Facebook, or anything else they want.

And the best part? He's exploiting children who have been sexually abused in order to get it passed! Hooray for Lamar Smith, who has the balls to try and get something so thinly veiled passed under the radar.

I present to you, H.R. 1981.

Fuck, well of course he is from Texas.

Fuck.

Something similar was being pushed on Tennessee not too long ago. I think I even blogged about it. That one actually passed.

I feel too little attention is going to ACTA, BTW. That bill is even more dangerous than SOPA and PIPA together and is being pushed trough the EU right now. Unfortunatly the EU has a reputation for downright ignoring whatever their citizens want (years ago, almost every country voted against a EU constitution, they pushed it trough anyway). In Poland people even protested on the streets and shit and Poland is all like 'fuck you guys, gonna do this anyway'.

ACTA needs some serious attention before it gets approved.

For god sake, why can't they leave the internet alone! LEAVE IT ALOOONE!! ehm...sorry.

Yeah this bill is pretty scary. Worst part is, its already been passed in some countries.

According to the news, polish ambassador in japan or whoever signed ACTA today :( Sucks to be in our country...

Oh and they not only protested on the streets and web, the most hacker...y group got into gov websites and messed with them (closed some) which really jarateed our prime minister who said he'll make ACTA signed anyway (as he did)

Don't be so dramatic. ACTA is non-binding and most of what it recommends is current US law. It's only worrysome in conjunction with the Stop Child Pornography Online Act, which we really should be protesting.
(source)

If Havoc is overreacting, then most people in our country are as well: on polish news sites there are ACTA news after ACTA news, on TV the same - even people not usually using the web know about the problem


EDIT:

http://i.imgur.com/coGS6.jpg
It's one of political parties of less importance, I personally don't like them, but still lol

So is opposition to these bills based on legitimate concerns for freedom of speech; or do people just want free shit?

urgh

You're trying to say they can't have both?

I'd say about 40/60.

Note the one guy who didn't have a mask. XD

He's thinking "I'm surrounded by faggots".

He's a politician. I'm pretty sure he's not thinking.

Take that, establishment!

Man, what a dick.

Lol, with the ACTA thing. The people who design these bills are either ignorant and/or misinformed, or totally malicious. I literally don't know a single person who supports these things (personally). Just insane.

HAH. If he thought he had hacker problems before, the fact that people know this bodes very badly for him. :p

Something new:

Have you heard of Anonymous' "black march" ?
I can do this without even trying....