Congress Moves to Criminalize P2P

[mcvickj]

http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,62830,00.html

This makes me sick. Congress has nothing better to do than to draft up a bill that would throw John Q Public in jail for 10 YEARS for sharing just one file if it is determined that it is worth more than $10,000.

Let's direct our resources towards ending terrorism and getting the mass murders off our streets. What about all of the drug and gun problems? Why not crack down on those too.

Yes I do believe file sharing is wrong and something should be done but this sure isn't the way to go.

:whack:

 

[lykan]

Sickness.. make it pay per veiw.. or pay for the rights to watch the movie/listen to the song.

They have the opinion that the driving force behind it is something for nothing, or that P2P people want freee movies.

The fact is some people don't like to go to theaters. Some people don't like to go to movie rental houses.

Some people like to find what they are after without having to make 20 calls and 7 trips only to find out the movie is sold out or all rented.

Why go to a stuffy theater or watch 200 commercials, or pay late charges for something they might not even watch.

Go find a movie and start to download in less than 45 minutes that you can pruchase at a fair price.. it wont happen.

Until I can click on a link, zap my credit for a fair price, and download ANY media I want, I will be using P2P.

Fine shut down Imesh, Kazza, Napster..Open up a site I CAN get what I want and pay for it. Then promote it like you do the P2P networks. I'll be all over that.

 

[Rex2342]

I too will continue to use P2P file sharing and I will continue to share all 800+ music files on my computer.I don't see what the big deal is about file sharing anyway.Almost all my files are of songs I already own on CD except for a few live and bootlegged songs.I haven't bought a CD in a few years but I've only downloaded 1 whole album in that time.The rest I just DL to seeif they're any good and most of the time they're not and it goes to the recycle bin.

 

[Error401]

It's being tried with the iTunes music store and others for music downloads. Seems like a good idea, 99 cent music files, but the problem is that the stuff they offer is too mainstream for my tastes.

it would be nice to be able to go to a site and but a movie, maybe even burn it to disk for later viewing. And Lykan, you're right about the theater thing. Why would I want to pay $7-10 to go see a movie once, in an environment that is not all that I'd want, and not have the option to hit pause to take a piss. Not to mention getting raped on munchies and sippy-sips. Sure, the screen is bigger, and the sound may be a bit better than at home, but I can scoot up closer to the screen and turn the 5.1 up a little more and get the same effect. Tomorrow Matrix 3 hits Best Buy's shelves, and I'm gonna be there. New movies always come out on Tuesday, and are usually $15 instead of the normal $20 on the first day. I'm kind of picky about which dvd's I get, but it's worth it to me to wait and get them instead of going to the theater.

Another thing that gripes me about the movie industry is the "ticket sales" BS. They always post how much a movie made (in dollars) instead of how many tickets were sold. Sure, you could charge 1 billion dollars for a ticket, and if one ticket was sold, that movie would be the record setting movie of all time, but only 1 person would have seen it. I remember when the first Star Wars came out. People were sitting 2 per seat (alot of kids) and standing/sitting in the isles, for a couple weeks running. I have yet to see that happen since, and SW isn't the "biggest" movie of all time.

If more bands released "freebies" on sanctioned sites, I'd bet that their sales would skyrocket in the stores. I find tunes all the time and the ones I like, I look for at the store (never listened to Prodigy till I found it on my harddrive). But alas, music and movies are owned, distributed and controlled by large media companies, and their attitude is more like "buy our poop or piss off" than anything else. They also have large and powerful lobby groups that whisper sweet nothings into congressmen's ears. All in all, I'm not all that suprised.

 

[Waste Land]

Originally posted by mcvickj

Let's direct our resources towards ending terrorism and getting the mass murders off our streets. What about all of the drug and gun problems? Why not crack down on those too.:whack:

Because if congress got rid of crime they'd be out of buisness too!

 

[El Pirata]

Originally posted by mcvickj
Yes I do believe file sharing is wrong and something should be done but this sure isn't the way to go.

:whack:

Ok then what would you do to stop this? I'd gladly delete everything I have gotten from Kazaa if this really became a law. I mean face it we're stealing from the makers. A harsh penalty is really what they need to help stop this. I mean saying NO has obviously not gotten the message across. Shutting down Napster has not gotten the message across.

The one and only thing I would hope they could change taking that damn macrovision and the other anti-copy materials from the tapes/dvds. I mean I spent my hard earned cash on the original who's to say I am wrong for wanting to make a dupe of the stuff I have bought so that the original stays in tact or if the original gets lost, stolen or eaten I'm out the cost of another original copy.

 

[Error401]

DVD X Copy software does just that, allows a consumer to make backups of their DVD's. What they do with them after that is what is right or wrong, just like owning a gun.

 

[El Pirata]

Well point me in the right direction, remember I can and do break anything. You probably already have the software at home along with burning capabilities on your Mac, maybe Macs earned a little respect from me. Not much but a little.

 

[mcvickj]

EP - I am not sure what I would do to help bring P2P sharing to a stop. You are correct about telling people NO. That is not working. The whole RIAA scare tatics only worked for a month or two but P2P is starting to make a rebound. I just think that jail cells should be to house drug dealers, murders, rapists, ect. Not someone who decides to steal some software. We already have a problem with overcrowding jails. This surely won't help with that.

DVD X Copy is made by 321 Studios. I do not believe you can purchase DVD X Copy anymore because they lost in a recent court battle. It is currently being appealed. However, I am sure you can still find a copy at your local Best Buy.

http://www.dvdxcopy.com/

 

[Error401]

I really haven't explored the dvd copying thing on the mac, but I'm sure that they can. I did have an older copy of DVDXCopy, but it pissed me off with the one machine install BS, and all the BS hoops I had to go thru to install and run the damned thing. And on top of that, it took days to decode a disk. I just said screw it and gave up on the backing up my disks thing.

The OS of choice for backing up dvd's is linux, but. well, I just don't have that much patience to learn that one yet.

 

[El Pirata]

Originally posted by mcvickj
EP - I am not sure what I would do to help bring P2P sharing to a stop. You are correct about telling people NO. That is not working. The whole RIAA scare tatics only worked for a month or two but P2P is starting to make a rebound. I just think that jail cells should be to house drug dealers, murders, rapists, ect. Not someone who decides to steal some software. We already have a problem with overcrowding jails. This surely won't help with that.

Dude I'm not bashing that what I am bashing is the fact I get tired of people BITCHING about something and have absolutely NO solution to fix it. If theirs sucks, what's yours?

 

[Paintbug]

So far in 2004, Leahy has received $178,000 in campaign contributions from the entertainment industries -- the second-biggest source of donations to Leahy behind lawyers. Hatch has received $152,360.

see why congress is making a big deal! i personally think its BS. they can't stop piratcy. they never will! according to the bill they are only making it a crime if someone is sharing 2500+ files or 1 file that hasnt been released to the public. personally i buy alot of DVDs. I'm one of those people that hates going to the theater, sitting there beside or in front of some loud mouth kids or adults, after spending $7.50 to get in $3 on a flat Coke $3 on some popcorn, and still not enjoy the movie. i havent downloaded many movies but i have and if i liked it i would buy the DVD. as far as music i have 100+ CDs. if i download a few songs so what. alot of times i end up getting the CD unless its from a group that screams about piratcy, they can kiss off!!! METALLICA!!! just my 2 cents

 

[mattf]

$3 on a flat Coke $3 on some popcorn

Sneak your own food and drink in. That's what I do. But I know what you meant.-xmas-

 

[lykan]

I have a simple solution. Make the media availible in your home at a reasonable price. No more piracy.

If the media was availible at home at a fair price everyone would buy it period.

Their real and only problem with this is..

#1 They can't sell you crap. One band puts out three good songs. they make you pay for 17 others on the CD that will never be listened to. They know that no one is going to pay $20 for three songs, or $7.00 a song.

#2 They wont get as much per person for movies. Right now it costs about $60-$65 to take my family of 5 to the movies (if we snak in our food/drink). They know no one is going to pay $65 to download a movie

#3 They can't advertise their upcoming stuff we all skip the previews.

#4 Control right now they control the media. They control what movies are good and popular and what band is cool and popular. They can take somone with no talent, no charisma, and no morals. They make that person into an idol, and capitalize on the "IMAGE" (action figures clothes etc) they in essence can control fads, attitudes, and culture their influence is huge.

A perfect example is the movie "transporter" it's a fine movie good actors and a decent plot (not awesome but good). 90% of america never even heard of it. Then take the movie with Tom cruise and Nicole kidman, eyes wide shut. What a peice of crap. I bet you that movie scored big and they made tons off of it. Why? because they have control of promotion, and advertising.

It all boils down to Greed and control, and fear.

Greed
When you release things on the internet, you have to charge what people are going to pay you can't overcharge, they just won't pay it. You can't force 17 crap songs to a person for $20. You're going to get a maxx of $3.00 per song. With movies your going to get $5.00- $20.00 max per family. NO ONE is going to pay $65 for a movie. Right now they get both. You pay big bucks to see the movie, then you pay the little bucks to have it at home (dvd) You buy the movie twice, and they love it.

Control
If big names are putting out movies/music on the internet it would become the norm, people would be used to it. Total control is lost. Anyone with any song, or movie would have access to the market that only the big names have now. Put up a web site, charge $5.00 for a movie/song, and any independant could become a mega star overnight. Basically anyone could grab control of the media market. The could also release a good movie about the time a crap one is produced by a big name.

They spend 1 billion producing a crap moive, and some kid with a blair witch type movie steals the limelight with a good low budget movie, they are out 1 billion.

Fear
They are scared that once anyone can produce and market media that no one will pay for their crap songs and movies anymore opting for the true talent, and entertinment

They are afraid of loosing their jobs. No more publicity guys, no more contract negotiators. The middle man is out of the loop and out of a job.

They are afraid the that kid with talent they wouldn't give a contract to will make it big , and they won't get a their cut.

They are afraid of loosing the power and control they have had over American culture will be lost, and it will be handed over to where it belongs.. in the hands of the people who are paying for it Americans.

So the solution to piracy, make a reasonable product at a reasonable price. Make it avalible to the public in their homes.

That just won't happen. They would rather criminalize entertainment, and the sharing of it in the private home, than let the people decide what media they want to pay for.