Posts by Mark Harris

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  • Hard News: Dear Prudence,

    I was tickled by the fact that there was an animated ad for Vodaphone interrupting Drinnan's drivel, as well as one for the NBZ in the top right corner, plus contextual Google ads down the right hand side.

    Also, from the last section, Drinnan has a fixation on dirty toilet bowls, which kind of loses any credibility his arguments might have mustered.

    Waikanae • Since Jul 2008 • 1343 posts Report

  • Speaker: Copyright Must Change,

    And whether they win or lose in the next round of court, he's right, this is a nightmare for those that forced the prosecution.

    Yup. And as you say, will they never learn?

    Waikanae • Since Jul 2008 • 1343 posts Report

  • Speaker: Copyright Must Change,

    From the Grauniad

    Elevator Pitch: Record Union lets artists sell straight to their fans online

    Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, Record Unionis one of very many startups trying to crack the potential of a new music business on the web. Set up in February last year, the site launched this month offering a distribution network for music artists looking to sell their work online through iTunes, Amazon, Spotify and other big name retail sites.

    Record Union employs ten staff and is funded privately. Co-founder Daniel Nilsson explains what drives them, and where they hope to be in five years...

    Waikanae • Since Jul 2008 • 1343 posts Report

  • Speaker: Copyright Must Change,

    Metric's decision to work without a label was made easier because it tapped a nonprofit funding entity available to Canadian artists and some government aid. With a little help from the Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent on Recordings, Metric was able to receive a loan of about $50,000 to help cover recording costs. Drouin said the band also received a smaller federal grant.

    "Everything is a grant, except the money for the album, which is a loan," Drouin said. "Metric will pay back 100% of the loan, by virtue of the sales we already have."

    Is there a similar funding entity in NZ? If not, should there be?

    Waikanae • Since Jul 2008 • 1343 posts Report

  • Speaker: Copyright Must Change,

    Metric counts its iTunes success

    The rock act that has gone without a label's backing sees digital downloads from its new release put 'Fantasies' in the middle of the U.S. pop chart.
    By Todd Martens April 16, 2009
    For its first album in four years, electronic-tinged rock act Metric opted to go without the backing of a music label, a move that in the past would have been daring.

    But the Canadian quartet's new release, "Fantasies," popped up in the middle of the U.S. pop chart last week. Metric accomplished that thanks in large measure to iTunes and a nonprofit Canadian arts funding entity...

    Waikanae • Since Jul 2008 • 1343 posts Report

  • Speaker: Copyright Must Change,

    Classic.

    Isn't it, though? ;-)

    Waikanae • Since Jul 2008 • 1343 posts Report

  • Speaker: Copyright Must Change,

    From TorrentFreak

    Pirate Bay Judge Accused of Bias, Calls for a Retrial
    Written by enigmax on April 23, 2009

    One of the biggest cases in file-sharing history ended last week with
    The Pirate Bay Four sentenced to huge fines and jail time. Today it is
    revealed that far from being impartial, the judge in the case is a
    member of pro-copyright groups - along with Henrik Pontén, Monique
    Wadsted and Peter Danowsky. There are loud calls for a retrial...."

    Waikanae • Since Jul 2008 • 1343 posts Report

  • Hard News: Deconstruct This,

    Something else to deconstruct for your Thursday, courtesy of the Dim-Post.

    Someone's not been taking their medication.

    Waikanae • Since Jul 2008 • 1343 posts Report

  • Hard News: It would be polite to ask,

    Whether or not you're fighting crime.

    Waikanae • Since Jul 2008 • 1343 posts Report

  • Speaker: Copyright Must Change,

    Good god, this thing still going?

    Yes, and we aim to be moderately polite, most of the time. Your aim will help ;-) Welcome back.

    </quote>The day the law comes into my house, after snooping my private communications, to say the things I did for my own enjoyment, at my own cost, using my own ordinary everyday tools, ... that it's illegal because two very distant parties agreed in contract to limit my rights to safely and professionally do things for myself they would rather have me pay them to do? Fuck that.</quote>

    The law can already do this in a vast number of ways, not least of which is the suspicion that you might be illegally fishing (MFish officers have HUGE powers to operate, above and beyond the police). Please try to address the actual issues without the emotional stuff. Robbery will undoubtedly inform you that that's MY prerogative. ;-)

    The internet is a library of everything (assuming anyone gives the slightest toss out it), which makes unlimited copies of any part of itself on demand for free (for most purposes).

    I dispute the "for free" assumption, if you mean "at no charge". There is a vast amount of material and services on the Internet that are not free (as in beer) and justifiably so. These things are not free off the Internet either. The Internet is not a special case, in that it invalidates law - but it does need some special consideration when creating new law or enforcing old, pre-digital law. The technical nature of the Internet is not going to change, so the law must acknowledge that and accommodate it, if it's to remain relevant.

    That said, there is a lot of stuff on the Internet that IS free (both in speech and beer).

    These laws seek to transform that, the greatest machine mankind has ever made, into a tightly constrained commercial set of monopoly properties to organise the flow of information for maximum profit. Fuck that too.

    To which specific laws are you referring?

    And what Sacha said about performers.

    Waikanae • Since Jul 2008 • 1343 posts Report

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