http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080328/ap_on_hi_te/mukasey_intellectual_property
I almost feel like I'm sputtering in frustration with this one. The MPAA/RIAA and software companies have completely hosed/bought off members of congress and other members of the government on both sides. The article concerns AG Mukasey believing that fighting thirteen year old girls who are downloading the newest Madonna album (yeah Hard Candy comes out in a few weeks, I don't admit why I know that), is fighting terrorism. The entertainment and software companies would have you believe that every copy of Adobe Photoshop downloaded by some pimply faced artist is one for lost sales, a ridiculous premise. That is how they reach their millions in lost sales figures, each copy downloaded was a sure sale if not for BT or Kazaa. I have a friend with so much music he can't possibly listen to it all...why? Cause he's like an old lady with cats. He never would have bought any of it. No it's not right he just downloaded it, but it sure isn't 'lost sales' to the RIAA. And to believe it somehow funds terrorism isn't even laughable, it's just sad that someone believes that. Most hardcore piracy occurs over seas in countries where copyright laws do not exist, in China etc. These are the places they are losing money. Not P2P servers running in Manchester. I'd like to make sure artists and programmers get paid like anyone else, sure I'd like to fight terrorism...but they aren't even in the same ballpark. As a side story, Patrick Wilson from Weezer was on macbreak weekly this week and at one point said he really didn't care if someone downloaded his songs for free. This was part of a larger conversation and I think work listening to from the perspective of an artist. Mike ************************************************************************* ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *************************************************************************
