Got to see Bill Moyer’s show this evening copyright issues, on New Hampshire Public TV. It was a good presentation on the issues brought out in Eldred,but not a clear call to action on what to do next. There was also a great piece on “Responsible Wealth” featuring Bill Gates, Sr, and Chuck Collins, campaigning for the reinstatement of the estate tax as the most reasonable and progressive tax we have, essential in these times of deficit federal spending.
Archive | January 19, 2003
Broadband doesn’t cause piracy; people cause piracy
Reuters: “A top music industry representative says Internet service providers will be asked to pay up for giving their customers access to free song-swapping sites.” [Scripting News] Let’s get gun manufacturers to start paying for the damage done by gun violence. And tobacco companies to pay for lung and heart diseases. I don’t swap music. I rip my own CDs for my personal, fair-use clause enjoyment. But simply because people share files does not support the idea that the would otherwise buy them. They’d listen to the radio, borrow a tape, or do without. The record companies aren’t losing sales to pirates. They’re losing sales because they’re selling crap. To expect the rest of the market to support them, particularly those who don’t pirate their wares, is offensive.
How cold was it? It was so cold…
Sixteen below zero this morning; it keeps getting colder!