I was trying to think of the logistics of tracking which artists get paid based on which recordings the venue decides to play, and basically, it's impossible to do with an umbrella organization like SOCAN or Re:Sound. There's no way for SOCAN or Re:Sound to keep tabs on this stuff, so my assumption is that they just plan on cutting a check to the various record corporations. Really, if you wanted to compensate the artists, a "fee-collecting agency" isn't necessary. Pay them directly. This is just a ruse to cash in on other people's work, i.e. theft.

Most people don't mind being an asshole online. Some people revel in it.

Define doomed. If Greece goes bankrupt and the foreign debts never get paid, are they doomed? The debt will eventually be repudiated and life will go on, somehow. I don't think Germany or France are quite ready to invade Greece to recoup their investments.

You joke, but if there was some kind of contest or brownie points for regular users who find and tag infringing videos, then this could be done a lot cheaper, I think.

Advanced preparations are always underway. That's what our generals do. Plan out future conflicts. Right now, US troops are training in war games to invade Iran, and probably many other countries, including the US.

Let's get this in perspective. Our government is using drones to launching missiles at buildings housing suspected militants and you are worried about the crime of hacking? I'm pretty sure it's a crime to bomb civilians, too.

If you need more than 500 email addresses you are doing something illegal.

Isn't the onus on the manufacturer of a drug to prove it is safe before putting it to market, rather than on the citizens to prove it is unsafe?

Yeah. Most people aren't sociopaths. The stores would be much better off with face recognition software and a database of CEO photos, which triggers an alarm.

I'm only clicking on this story because I wanted to hear slashdot opinions on prenups. I don't give a damn about Zuckerburg.