My fellow internet denizens.
It seems that every single day we are getting rammed by new legislation and international agreements that are so insane and ridiculously out of touch with where technology is actually taking us, mere words fail to properly describe my feelings on the matter. The quicker we are able to share/sync the entirety of human culture the less useful copyright becomes for the well being of the human race. How useful will copyright be for our race once the complete collection of all human culture can be synced or downloaded in mere seconds to your phone?
It is our nature to share news, gossip and other bits of our collective culture where ever we go; and now that we have to ability to all talk with one another (or YELL!) through the internet the old gatekeepers of culture have collectively gone INSANE!

I could go on and on about how the old copyright deal with the public (authors get exclusive temporary right to copy their works and through greater incentive to create the public benefits from increased production of culture) is completely useless today but I am just too disgusted to bother right now. Besides, it's all been said before in all the other new stories about all the other recent times the keystone cops of copyright terrorized Gotham city while cackling insanely.
I guess what I'm really asking is: why is it that despite all the anger about these issues from those who are in favor of sharing, we are loosing ground so badly? Is there no one who writes legislation who agrees that easy sharing is good for the human race?

One mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter.

http://www.google.com/trends?q=microsoft+fun&ctab=0&geo=all&date=all&sort=0
I don't know what happaned at Microsoft's headquarters in 2005 but I suspect that Steve Ballmer must have used it all up during this charming episode: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvsboPUjrGc

'From a technical perspective we're more than confident that if the government decided to roll out a mandatory Internet filter based on or around an Australian Communications and Media Authority blacklist or subset thereof, then it can be done without any impact whatsoever to the speed of the Internet,' [said Webshield managing director Anthony Pillion].

"From a technical perspective we're more than confident that if the government decided to roll out a mandatory train schedule for the jews around the third reich and and any subset thereof, then it can be done without any impact whatsoever on the speed of the rest of the trains in Germany", [said SS managing director Anofluthzen Pillikartoflen].

In all seriousness though. It just seems so strange to me how someone can talk about restricting the freedom of thought or speech with such glee. It's like ethics is an alien concept to these people. This guy completely misses the whole point. He seems to think that the problem with censorship is that it might affect how youtube videos with cute kitties in them perform and not that freedom is being curtailed.
Yes, yes. Godwins law bla bla bla. Knock yourself out.

There was a pre-showing here in Iceland that I attended and I can attest that this movie is great. I was expecting it to suck or at least to be so-so. I especially liked the witty dialog :)

I just can't stand one more bullshit copyright-gone-bat-shit-crazy story! What drugs are these copywrong thugs on anyways? It is is an intrinsic part of copyright to be able to borrow, give and/or lend copyrighted material. These people and organizations are such fucking hypocrites. When the law favors them they whine about how people aren't obeying the law, but when they don't like some new better organized way of sharing legally under fair use they complain because whey want to have their moneycake and eat it too.

Many moons ago I thought that it might to possible for the copyright-happy authors to make a new cultural-sharing bargain with the public. After all, that is supposedly what copyright is. Something to help enrich the common culture the fastest and best way for everyone.

Now, after an endless barrage of stories and every news outlet for all these years about how the copyright people are fucking over everyone in their hunt for the great big white whale of total control of culture I have had ENOUGH!

FUCK COPYRIGHT AND FUCK THOSE PEOPLE!
If they don't want the public to disseminate their works I suggest they hide them where the sun don't shine and that way we, the "pirates" will never get our hands on them... ever.

Thank you for your attention.

Also, the tooth fairy isn't real. Sorry :-/
However! Don't you DARE insinuate that the holiest of holies, Santa Claus, is just a children's story! Your feeble words will only make my faith in dear Santa stronger! Evidence smevidence!

I think you are mistaking "microsoft completely compatible in in every detail" with "comparable features and extendability". Putting openoffice in the hands of a long time microsoft user who has "lived and breathed" microsoft all the way is like animal activists liberating a flock of chickens. They just don't know how to handle freedom. They have been in the matrix for too long and can't possibly bother to learn how to use anything that is in any way different from microsoft products.

Here is how you can use google to find files of the mp3 and ogg kind. Who knows what license those files have? Should google have to know? Is it their job to police all web sites and remove copyrighted material or only their own, like youtube?

If piratebay is guilty then google is guilty therefore by the "logic" of ifpi: if you use teh googleh you ares terrorerist!

You might say something like:
"Duh. The piratebay indexes mostly copyrighted stuff while google only indexes wholesome family entertainment. Also I am stupid."
So, if the piratebay had a bunch of legal material indexed like google then it's hunky dory? What should the ratio between those two be?
In fact the is a lot of legal material there.

In the end, almost all of this discussion is pointless because the real problem is that publishers and some authors still think that despite technology democratizing distribution of culture for everyone they still want to maintain their monopoly on it.

If we wish to live in a just society ruled by law and not by men then we have to be able to respect the law and feel that they are just for everyone.

"To make laws that man cannot and will not obey, servers to bring all law into contemt."
You can't respect the law if they don't respect you.

Fuck the cultural monopoly.

I delight in reminding your that gnus don't have hands, they have hoofs!