Patent and copyright are both broken in that they reward mere firstness infinitely more than quality of implementation. They get the whole concept ass-backwards. Ideas are a dime a dozen. It's implementation and marketing where the real work lies. Any fool can have a brilliant idea, indeed we all have them every time we discover something that doesn't work as well as we would like, and in fact I had three yesterday. Probably all three have already been solved in one way or another by other people, but the fact that I don't have, or even know about, a solution implies that the solution isn't good enough or hasn't been marketed well enough. There may be plenty of possible better solutions than mine already thiught of, that the patent system is making non viable because some asshole got there *first* with their half-assed device.

The patent system is even worse than that. At least in the story in the article, the plaintiff has actually implemented *some* kind of solution, however ridiculously expensive. The current US patent system rewards trolling: *not* implementing *anything*, just sitting on the patent until some poor bastard actually bothers to think up a viable solution and produces it, then springing out to snatch a share of *their* work.

And this is the system the US is frantically, despertely attempting to foist onto the rest of the world.

Plutocracy, or kleptocracy, depending on whether you view them as merchants or thieves.

Just a guess, but I suspect your name is neither female nor visibly "ethnic".

The thing that really gives me the shudders about this is the 1984-style public recantation: "We understand Nintendo's right to protect its characters and trademarks and understand how in order to keep their property unspoiled by fan's interpretation of the franchise, Nintendo needs to protect itself -- even from fan-works with good intentions." You can just imagine the tearful, contrite speech through broken teeth ...

Sad? Sad? Dude, this is Rupert Fucking Murdoch we're talking about. The most evil man alive. Every second his foul influence remains on the earth is a second too long.

... is there anything stupid, evil or simply wrong that they will not do?

they're the ones who completely ignored Ron Paul's existence and went out of their way to paint McCain as a senile old man and Palin as a crazy country bumpkin.

That would have taken about a teaspoon of paint.

When you consider that it only takes two or three fundy whackjobs complaining about nipples or language to get TV and radio shows fined, it looks even more disgusting.

It is a hell of a lot less "wrong" to download a pirate copy of a game to see if it works properly, than it is to release a game that doesn't work properly.

Except that SSH solves the problem.

I'm sure as soon as the RIAA put out a press release that clarifies or contradicts their earlier statements, the "journalists" will print that without comment or analysis too.

Judge Judy is a bad choice there - she tends to go for the quick, harsh, and "obvious" (including a very strong implication that you are a fuckwit for thinking any differently) solution. That is very likely to be "don't steal songs". Do you think Judge Judy will recognize any human need for music?