[Fwd: RE: [ale] [OT] Georgia Super-DMCA Update]

[da Black Baron]

On Tuesday 22 April 2003 09:52 pm, Robert Heaven wrote:
> Seems to me that this would also make VPN's illegal which would make
> teleworking illegal. Maybe we should remind the legislature that they
> have been pushing companies to promote teleworking. Also, think of all
> the corp-to-corp VPN's that would become illegal.


An easy solution- rather than passing draconian laws which invade people's 
privacy, and restrict their freedom- is to embrace the technology.  Release 
all their libraries on the net as MP3/MPEG,  but with a small encrypted tag 
(a network "bar-code") encoded in the headers which is read by the 
intervening servers and a record kept of the transaction-  a small charge 
added to your internet bill each month or something could take care of 
payment.  

No-one has Unca Bill snooping on their computers, the artists get their 
royalties, and everybody is happy.  

Of course, this takes the monopoly on distribution out of the hands of the 
record-companies (which is all they've really ever offered an artist, a 
distribution service), and precludes an excuse to radically mark-up an 
offering way above cost like they do with CD sales- but they're going to have 
to swallow the pill, and realize they're just not going to make as much money 
for the corporate structure as they do now.  But if any artist is smart, 
they're going to keep their copyrights in their own names (or their own 
corporate names), rather than giving their copyright over for a pittance of 
an advance from a recording company, and make deals with several distributors 
to retail their wares.

Movies are a bit more complex, since it takes more than 4-5 guys with 
instruments and recording gear to make a movie- and should hence cost a bit 
more per copy- but it should still really cost less than a showing at a 
theatre to download a movie.

If they don't play it smart, and embrace the technology rather than fighting 
the currents of change, they deserve to sink, in my book.

-- 
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"Here's my family tree.  As far as I can tell, my relatives were 
carnival folk who were touring this place called Hiroshima in 
the summer of 1945.  Because they lost most of their hair, they 
mostly married each other.  And here I am"

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 Wylde Bill                                               ||||          
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