| I don't remember who it was here that was talking about MS and the quest to reverse injustice, but MS has filed a preference (from Yahoo News) seeking to stretch the appeals process out 5 months (you know, to 'prepare' <wink - wink>). I ask, if you were wrongly charged with something, would you want to get to appeals court ASAP, or drag it out as long as possible? --- Another, unrelated thing has to do with the dilution of IP. The declining dollar value of bits and bytes. I come from a music background. I remember, because of both a keen interest in copyright law and in mini-computers in the 1980s, watching with interest as the then relevant Bill Gates began lobbying the government for software specific law, and comparing the differences and similarities between music and software. Basically, they're quite similar. --- I was surprised tonight to learn that my 16 year old
straight arrow, 4.0+ normal Munster daughter has a little girlfriend who just got a CD burner. She's burning custom CDs for her friends and turning her PC into a virtual K-Tell music factory. --- Record store? Fahgetaboudit. --- I knew this went on. It goes on with my 17 year old step-son. Recently I gave him a long lecture about other people's IP, copyright, etc. He nodded and undoubtedly went ahead and digitally archived every Korn and Limp Biskut song in existance, etc, etc, and also has friends who actually routinely sell illegal custom CDs for cost to cost plus production time (under $5). The boys doing it was one thing. Theres only so many things you can do online with an adolescent non-working brain. My 16 year old daughter though made me sit up and say 'whoa - this stuff is main freakin' stream, here!' ---She's a talented amateur musician, and writes songs for her own amusement. I asked her: So, if you wrote a song, and that song became a hit, and you weren't getting money from it because people were
obtaining your song for free off of the Internet instead of buying the CD, wouldn't you be upset?'. She didn't even blink. "No. It's just music." (with an inflection of 'du-uh'). --- So, recorded 'music' is quickly losing it's perceived value (and these kids don't even have DSL/cable modems yet). They are to be sure 'pirates' in the Gates/Valenti context, but they are liberating music from the music industry. --- Likewise, software CDs are suffering a similar fate. The perceived value of software is in the process of dying by dilution across the Internet. --- You just can't prosecute this many 'pirates'. How far away can a CD burner internet MP3 appliance be? --- Sorry for the off-topic ramble. There's a connection though between the two industries (aside from JMHO that they're both toast). -JCJ |
