Downloaders’ be warned, you’re next—gov’t

[Yoda]

It's a complex world now with technology affecting almost every aspect of our lives. These people should develop ways to make the technology work for them rather than continue to push their Jurassic business models.

There will always be someone smarter. Look at how CSS, MacroVision, FairPlay and other copy-protection schemes were foiled.

[A121]

You no longer have to wait months for the latest TV shows. Though you may have to wait for certain movies, mahirap makakita ng "clear" copy na "film-transferred" (Obvious na piratang kopya) kahit sa *******s hehehe.

HD rips pa di ba? Salamat sa internet at nakumpleto ko ang The Big Bang Theory. The downside is, it's eating up my drivespace like there's no tomorrow.

Anyway, back then...

[Monseratto]

2009 piracy watchlist names usual suspects—including Canada

Each year the office of the US Trade Representative releases "Special 301" watch lists, identifying countries that it believes "deny adequate and effective protection for intellectual property rights," in order to pressure trading partners to strengthen IP laws or step up enforcement against piracy. The US-based International Intellectual Property Alliance—a consortium of copyright industry trade groups that includes the Business Software Alliance, Entertainment Software Association, Motion Picture Association of America, and Recording Industry Association of America—released its own humble recommendations for the lists this week, naming 38 countries that it believes need to do more to crack down in IP infringement—and once again singling out China, Russia, and (yes, really) Canada for special attention as "priority" offenders. The USTR must produce its final "watch list" and "priority watch list" by April 30.

The IIPA's 2009 report recommends 13 countries for the "priority" list: Argentina, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, and Thailand. A further 25 are nominated for the plain vanilla watch list, including Israel, which the group suggests downgrading from the priority list, as well as new additions Sweden, Bulgaria, and Kazakhstan, due to "recent troubling legislative and/or enforcement developments in their respective markets." Taiwan is dropped from the proposed watch lists entirely for the first time in a decade—though it remains on a shorter list of honorable-mention countries deserving "special monitoring."

Countries that find themselves on the list have raised their own objections in the past. Canadian officials have complained that the "Special 301" process "lacks reliable and objective analysis" and is "driven entirely by U.S. industry."

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/n...ing-canada.ars

[ghosthunter]

[Jun aka Pekto]

Maybe because that time you were living in the RP, internet connectivity was more based on the telephone than on broadband?

Actually, that was the time of the Commodore 64. Modems were still in their infancy. He He. But c'mon. Even then, music piracy was rampant. Where else did these jeepney drivers get their highlighter-labeled 8-track and cassette tapes. I remember jeepney drivers having stacks of 8-track tapes so high up front, his view outside was sometimes a narrow slit.

8-track...... Bwaaa Haaa Haaa Haaa! It's really been a while. A visit to the Philippines is long overdue.

Maybe that is where you and me are different. I don't consider downloading movies and other videos from the internet as piracy. I look at it as a shift in a global marketing and distribution system. If the music industry is embracing the download culture, I think the other industries can benefit more by embracing the movement than wasting time and money fighting it.

I'm actually quite selective about what's considered piracy. Games/commercial software are probably my biggest beef; much more than videos. The developer/programmers depend on revenues from sales for income. There's no excuse to bootleg games/commercial software. There's plenty of freeware/shareware/open source software out there. If there's no equivalent, then maybe it's time to pony up some cash.

That's been my approach since the demise of Commodore. If I was financially strapped, I'd be using Linux a lot more right now. As it is, I use Windows. But I also look for freeware/open source applications as much as possible.

Videos....... they come in all shapes and sizes. Some are recorded from tv shows while others are full-blown rips from discs. Recorded shows are easy to identify because of network logos. I have no problems with recorded shows because they're available to anyone who chooses to record them. But rips? They came from discs that someone's suppose to pay for. An example would be my Dogfights Season DVD. If there's no History Channel logo, then it's a rip.

The music industry may be embracing the download culture. But, you still need to pay for most downloads ala iTunes. I do agree the movie business should do the same. Download movies are much cheaper than their DVD/Blue ray counterparts. But the fact remains, you should pay for the privilege of watching them unless they're movies available for recording which normally appear months after the theater showings.

It's a matter of integrity. I stated my beliefs. But, I'm not one to impose them on anyone else. If people wishes to bootleg, that's their perogative. But, there will be consequences in the long run especially for those who choose to follow the rules.

[Horsepower]

very good points Jun.

Question, what is an 8-track? Is this like the small vinyl discs?

[ghosthunter]

very good points Jun.

Question, what is an 8-track? Is this like the small vinyl discs?

For the benefit of those too young to remember... 8 track is an early cassette tape type design before the emergence of the compact tape cassettes the younger generations are more familiar with. The size of a cartridge is somewhat slightly bigger than the 1st generation iPod music player.

Sound quality wasn't that good but the option would be to bring your vinyl records with you. :D

[ghosthunter]

In the earlier years, there was no option than to use pirated copies of software like MS Windows and MS Office. The licensed copy would cost P6500 and P16,000. There was no OpenOffice yet to give people an option of going freeware.

Pirated software gave a lot of people access to productivity softwares they would otherwise be unable to take advantage of. In the end, the Philippines has benefited in creating in population very familiar to IT. If we had strictly enforced anti-piracy laws back then, we would have ended up in a elitist society where the rich would have been educated in IT while the poor will not have access to even the most basic computer system if you were to follow the software EULA strictly to the letter.

Heck! ... Even today, the BSA is trying to enforce what is basically a MS mandated one sided contract agreement to use Windows on an annual lease agreement which have to be renewed and paid every year to all PC rental and internet cafes. The shops countered by saying they have bought LEGAL copies or licenses for Windows and those should be enough as long as they have 1 license per computer. MS and BSA countered that the EULA on the MS products doesn't include commercial use (as in a cafe scenario) so the licenses are good as void. The shops stood their ground and won by default against MS' sidekick BSA.

[Jun aka Pekto]

For the benefit of those too young to remember... 8 track is an early cassette tape type design before the emergence of the compact tape cassettes the younger generations are more familiar with. The size of a cartridge is somewhat slightly bigger than the 1st generation iPod music player.

Sound quality wasn't that good but the option would be to bring your vinyl records with you. :D

OT

It was good enough. Those jeepneys had bass speakers under the seats. Some of them were loud and shaked enough to give you a heart attack.

In fact when I was younger, I always picked the jeepney with the loudest music.

I've also seen my uncle buy 8-track tapes from someone with a HiFi set who bootlegged for a living. So, I'd have to conclude bootlegging is already an old culture in RP.

[Jun aka Pekto]

In the earlier years, there was no option than to use pirated copies of software like MS Windows and MS Office. The licensed copy would cost P6500 and P16,000. There was no OpenOffice yet to give people an option of going freeware.

Pirated software gave a lot of people access to productivity softwares they would otherwise be unable to take advantage of. In the end, the Philippines has benefited in creating in population very familiar to IT. If we had strictly enforced anti-piracy laws back then, we would have ended up in a elitist society where the rich would have been educated in IT while the poor will not have access to even the most basic computer system if you were to follow the software EULA strictly to the letter.

Heck! ... Even today, the BSA is trying to enforce what is basically a MS mandated one sided contract agreement to use Windows on an annual lease agreement which have to be renewed and paid every year to all PC rental and internet cafes. The shops countered by saying they have bought LEGAL copies or licenses for Windows and those should be enough as long as they have 1 license per computer. MS and BSA countered that the EULA on the MS products doesn't include commercial use (as in a cafe scenario) so the licenses are good as void. The shops stood their ground and won by default against MS' sidekick BSA.

MS is MS. They're entitled to dictating the terms of their software. For me, it's not bad enough yet. But if MS becomes too restrictive, I'll drop them and look for something else.

Times are different now. Open Office is available and most people should use them, especially in RP. The Philippines would make an excellent test case for Linux and other open source software. Personally, I think PC rentals and internet cafes should skip MS entirely. Commercial apps should be left to the individual customer. Me, I wouldn't buy MS Office on my own. I have Office for both Mac and pc. But, the only reason I have them is because I qualified for discounts and the work licenses are virtually free (from my end).

Otherwise, the other pc's/Mac have Open Office/Neo Office (Mac). Ask any Linux user here and they'll say for general pc use, there's no real need to pirate software. Just about everything is available via open source.

Here, pc rentals give the option of having an OS or none at all. Most leave the apps to the customer although like you said, some do have Office installed as an option.