Slashdot Log In
A Look At ACTA Wish Lists For RIAA, BSA, Others
Posted by
Soulskill
on Sat Jul 19, 2008 07:17 AM
from the alphabet-soup dept.
from the alphabet-soup dept.
I Don't Believe in Imaginary Property brings us an analysis of several organizations' goals for the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, which we've discussed previously. In particular, he points out the anti-privacy views of the Business Software Alliance: "While the ACTA itself is not public, the US Trade Representative has at least released the ACTA comments. While many of them are to be expected, such as the RIAA & co. wanting copyright filters, one item on the BSA's wish list really stands out: 'In a number of European countries one of the biggest impediments to efforts by rights holder to enforce their IP rights on the Internet is the overbroad interpretation of privacy laws by some European authorities.' They want ACTA to 'fix' that by neutering the privacy laws. Given the BSA's other questionable activities, it couldn't hurt to tell their member companies what you think of their participation. After all, organizations like the BSA exist in part to shield their members from bad PR."
Full documents of comments from the various organizations are available at Public Knowledge.
Related Stories
[+]
Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement 390 comments
SpaceAdmiral writes "The Canadian government is secretly negotiating to join the US and the EU in an Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. The agreement would give border guards the power to search iPods and cellphones for illegal downloads, as well as to force ISPs to hand over customer information without a warrant. David Fewer, staff counsel at the University of Ottawa's Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic, characterizes ACTA this way: 'If Hollywood could order intellectual property laws for Christmas what would they look like? This is pretty close.'"
[+]
Technology: Leaked ACTA Treaty to Outlaw P2P? 387 comments
miowpurr writes to tell us that a draft of the ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement) has been posted on Wikileaks. Among others, Boing Boing's Cory Doctorow has weighed in on the possible ramifications of this treaty. "Among other things, ACTA will outlaw P2P (even when used to share works that are legally available, like my books), and crack down on things like region-free DVD players. All of this is taking place out of the public eye, presumably with the intention of presenting it as a fait accompli just as the ink is drying on the treaty."
[+]
Technology: Flaws In a BSA Software Piracy Report? 288 comments
Ian Lamont writes "The Business Software Alliance has just released its state piracy study (full PDF also available). The BSA says that one in five pieces of software in use in the United States is unlicensed, and notes that piracy rates are highest in Ohio (27%). However, as noted by the Industry Standard, there are problems with the state study, and the way the BSA is presenting the data: the study only includes eight states, and it is making some questionable connections, including the claim that lost state and local tax revenue from piracy would have been enough to 'hire nearly 25,000 experienced police officers.'"
Submission: The Business Software Alliance Hates Privacy by Anonymous Coward
[+]
News: Wikileaks Releases ACTA Negotiations As "0-Day" 105 comments
An anonymous reader writes "Wikileaks has released a new document about the ACTA negotiations occurring in Washington over the next three days. This might be the shortest time between authorship of a document and its publication on Wikileaks so far. The brief 3-page memo, dated today, could add quite a bit of oil to the fire of the ACTA debate. It is titled Business Perspectives on Border Measures and Civil Enforcement and it contains a set of proposals to the 'ACTA negotiators' issued by 'Concerned business groups operating in ACTA nations.' Among many highly invasive methods and approaches proposed in this memorandum, the reader can find detailed demands for: full disclosure of relevant information by Customs to trademark holders so that they can mount private investigations; disclosure of identities and other information about copyright infringers; and increased inspection of goods. This document is especially important to raise public awareness on these negotiations and their implications for the future." We've been watching ACTA develop for a few months now.
[+]
EFF, Public Knowledge Sue Over Secret IP Pact 104 comments
Cowards Anonymous writes "The Electronic Frontier Foundation and Public Knowledge have filed a lawsuit against the Office of the US Trade Representative in an attempt to get the office to turn over information about a secret Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement treaty being negotiated to step up cross-border enforcement of copyright and piracy laws. ACTA could include an agreement for the US, Canada, the European Commission and other nations to enforce each others' IP laws, with residents of each country subject to criminal charges when violating the IP laws of another country, according to a supposed ACTA discussion paper [PDF] posted on Wikileaks.org in May."
This discussion has been archived.
No new comments can be posted.
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
Full
Abbreviated
Hidden
Loading... please wait.
"Fixing" privacy (Score:3, Insightful)
They want to "fix" privacy in the EU to fix the industry they are killing all by themselves, no problem, the EU = EUSSR. There is no democracy in the EU.
Under bullsh*t of terror, privacy, freedom, and democracy has been rapidly hacked to pieces at the hands of the EU, it makes for a very unpleasant place to live. Hell, to can't even elect the rulers of the EUSSR, so they are free to pass whatever law they like, with impunity.
Re: (Score:2)
The surest sign something is amiss is that they so desperately want the Lisbon Treaty that they wish to skip anything but national rubber-stamping of it.
Re:"Fixing" privacy (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm sorry but that is the most incoherent rant I've ever read.
I don't know where in the EU you live but you seem to have a widely inflated belief in the amount of power it wields. Having lived in the UK all my adult life, other than the tabloid's insistance on reporting (almost entirely incorrectly) "loony EU rules" I cannot name anything that has directly affected my life, in the same way in which I can mention dozens of examples of my own government - fuel prices; taxation; VAT on fuel; no investment in public transport, despite the environment being used as a reason to increase road taxes and make explain why refuse collection is so poor; unelected quangos; politicians raining in obscene expenses with impunity; a legal system that doesn't punish and a police force that is impotant; strikes and trade unionism; all wrapped up in the impending recession despite the huge amounts of money pissed away on stupid schemes and huge amounts of beaurocrats in London.
And if you want to talk about "out of touch" then no need to look as far as the EU, how about a centralised government in London, the most unrepresentative city of the UK where all your decesions are based upon what you see out your little window on a city so seperate to the UK it might as well be an island.
In short, given the complete arse that our own government and most other European governments are making of things, to blame the EU is insane, especially when in real terms they have so little impact on most of us. I'd love it if you were to site examples of where the EU has passed laws "with impunity" or examples of "bullshit of terror" - except in the UK of course where the government has used it as an excuse to chip away at freedom (despite the fact that we all had perfectly normal lives during thirty years of republican mainland terrorism).
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
A wholesaler has been banned from selling a consignment of kiwi fruits because EU laws deemed them too small.
Tim Down, a market trader for 25 years, said he was not permitted even to give away the 5,000 Chilean fruits, each of which is about the size of a small hen's egg and weighs about 60g.
Mr Down said his family run firm would lose several hundred pounds in sales because of the ban.[/p]
"It is bureaucratic nonsense, they are perfectly fit to eat," Mr Down said at his stall at the Wholesale Fruit Centre in Bristol.
Inspectors from the Rural Payments Agency, an executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), made a random check on his stall, and found a number of his kiwis weighed 58g, four grams below the required minimum of 62g.
Mr Down said that 4g in weight was the equivalent of about one millimeter in diameter.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2199214/EU-rules-ban-sale-of-'too-small'-kiwis.html [telegraph.co.uk]
Re: (Score:2)
I didn't say anything about food shortage. Do believe rules such as the one quoted are causing prices to rise any where near as much as the effect of hauliers being taxed into oblivion, not to mention £1.35 a litre for fuel?
Re: (Score:2)
The article in your own link also says:
"He said: "They (the inspectors) went through a lot of my stock using their own little scales.
"These regulations are enforced in the United Kingdom with a higher level of rigour than is applied in mainland Europe. There is not a level playing field.""
So, as is usual with such things, the problem does not in fact lie with the EC rules, which the rest of Europe manages to interpret quite sensibly, but is actually due to the peculiarly British penchant for producing legio
is all of them (Score:3, Informative)
crap, the list contains pretty much every company that I know of, including those that I work for.. Alright, Google is not there, but our beloved Apple is in, so what's up with that?
From the wiki:
* Adobe Systems
* Apple Inc.
* Autodesk
* Avid Technology
* Bentley Systems
* Borland
* CA, Inc.
* Cadence Design Systems
* Cisco Systems
* CNC Software/Mastercam
* Corel Corporation
* Dell
* EMC Corporation
* Entrust
* Hewlett-Packard
* IBM
* Intel Corporation
* Intuit
* McAfee
* Microsoft
* Monotype Imaging
* Network Associates
* Oracle Corporation
* PTC
* Quark
* Quest Software
* RSA Security
* SAP
* SolidWorks
* Sybase
* Symantec
* Synopsys
* The Mathworks
* UGS PLM Solutions Inc.
Re:is all of them (Score:4, Interesting)
The one on that list that surprises me is Intel. They make very little software, other than drivers and compilers, and their hardware isn't exactly easy to clone. There are already special restrictions in place for reverse engineering ICs, and the world isn't exactly bursting that the seams with sleazy back-alley 300mm wafer 45nm process fabs.
Most of the rest of the list is the usual BS(A)ing suspects, or at least, like cisco, in the business of making hardware that is pretty clonable. Anybody have any ideas about Intel?
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
The one on that list that surprises me is Intel. They make very little software
http://www.intel.com/cd/software/products/asmo-na/eng/index.htm?iid=siteindex+prod_software [intel.com]
They produce C++ and Fortran compilers, debuggers, performance analysers, "cluster tools".
I'm not sure about their market share, but that's a non negligible amount of software IMHO.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Intel is in the interesting position, unlike most everybody else on that list, of having a very high proportion of their product's value arising as a function of their manufacturi
It just keeps getting worse... (Score:5, Insightful)
1984 was not supposed to be an Instructable dammit. B-(
The problems that I see though are:
1) People won't get off their butts to protect their rights. I'm just as bad - frankly because I'm afraid of losing everything. And with FISA in place disappearing when you disagree with the government is becoming more of a possibility every day.
2) Corrupt corporations and corrupt government are hand-in-hand. And due to the previous problem that likely won't change.
3) People growing up now think that's the way it has to be because they don't know any better.
I just wish someone had a good solution but I think if it existed someone would have used it already.
Re: (Score:1)
1) It's all in your head. Using fearmongering is very successful. Luckily you have a higher level of brain functions that can mostly override fear with logic. Use it (I know it's hard, but so is starting to learn a sport or some complex system. Think of it like a muscle that you have to train.). :)
2) I'm sure as a good geek, you can come up with hundreds of different ways to "hack" corrupt corporations. :)
3) This is also proof that those views can be changed. :)
Well. Guess what. You have this solution. Turn
Re: (Score:2)
All your country belongs to you. Take off every 'American'. For great justice! :D
Quite right. You know what you doing.
Re: (Score:2)
You know that's just geeky enough to become a popular t-shirt...
Re:It just keeps getting worse... (Score:4, Insightful)
I disagree, it seems a question of priorities. When you face a massive recession, strikes, fuel shortages and increased food prices, all while the banks withdraw mortgages and businesses go to the wall, then isues such as IP rights and copyright extension seem insignificant.
Not that I feel they are but under these circumstances, when the average man on the street doesn't understand the problem and doesn't even know there is a problem then these things get slipped in under the radar.
Mind you, that said, those "Knock of Nigel" [youtube.com] adverts are really starting to get on my tits.
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
And when you don't face those things you will have it too good to go looking for trouble. It is the perfect setup for authoritarians and they know it. Only thing they have to worry about is going too far, because you don't want to add the straw that breaks the camel's back.
Re: (Score:2)
I didn't say it was a good idea. You also need to realise how much shit people are prepared to put up with, especially when its phased in gradually (like Al Gore's story about the frog in an "Inconvenient Truth" - if you raise the water temperature gradually the frog doesn't notice).
Its been shown in the UK before too, the Winter of Discontent [libcom.org] in '78. People still put up with it.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I just wish someone had a good solution but I think if it existed someone would have used it already.
What's really required is a long term commitment to education and training people to think critically, without which democracy doesn't work. That requires a political will stretching across multiple administrations, probably of different parties.
But since it is those who pay the piper that call the tune, it is up to the corporations. And since a well educated, critically thinking populace could turn the tables on them, they may not see it as being in their interests to push for education.
Consequently, I do
Re: (Score:2)
When it is, the people will overreact, which is very unpleasant for everyone.
The way to go is slow, but sure, change. Keep spreading the memes, and make people aware of these things. Over time, this will cause a sea change in public opinion.
Corruption will always be with us, to don't get too hung up on revenge. But we need to de-seed our governmental weedbag, too true.
The Solution... (Score:2)
How can ACTA be secret? (Score:4, Interesting)
Even by the bizarro world standards of something state doesn't like = terrorist threat and camera in same room as child = pedophile menace, I can't think of a good justification for doing a copyright "harmonization" treaty in private. WTF.
Re:How can ACTA be secret? (Score:5, Insightful)
Free communication (read: the internet) is a direct threat to scarceness of immaterial goods. Our economy is based on resources being scarce and that is being undermined by the internet. So, basically, they want us to be unable to communicate freely to get back to the times were flow is controlled top-down. However immaterial goods never can be contained in the long run. This fact has apparently not arrived at our treasured politicians (not even after 500 years). Corporations will always try to keep the status quo because they have a hard time to reinvent themselves.
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
Beautifully put. Somebody please parent mod up!
Re: (Score:1)
Corporations will always try to keep the status quo because they have a hard time to reinvent themselves.
This is because generations of financial minds are geared for short-term growth and profits, and of course the almighty doctrine of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."-- as if one would always see the same pattern of growth just by repeating what one's done for decades, aside from perhaps small-scale farming. Trying to reinvent the media and software industries is probably the best way to go about solving
We have no recourse (Score:3, Interesting)
The "special interest" groups - like the RIAA, MPAA, and BSA - have far too much money, and in a capitalist society that leads to far too much power. We, the minority voice, cannot match the buying power these groups have, nor do we have enough political power to sway votes.
And believe me, no matter what your little nerdgasm makes you believe, we are a minority voice. We're such a small voice that my senator actually laughed at me when I called him up to complain about his support of FISA, as he assured me that the majority demanded this legislation be passed.
Quite frankly, there's nothing left for geeks to do but wait and watch as all of our freedoms are stripped away to protect the special interests.
Oh sure, some geeks will post bullshit about having their own revolution, but they're too close-minded to own a gun, and too lazy and distracted to actually get anything done.
Oh wait, those geeks are talking about a peaceful revolution, the kind we have every 4 years. The same "revolution" that is carefully controlled and manipulated by two (illegal) political parties. Yeah, great idea there. Or you could vote for the miraculous third party candidate who - thanks to his radically different views from the two parties in control of the house and sentate - will basically cause government to come to a standstill and get nothing done, assuring that another 200 years will pass before a third party candidate is ever elected again.
Quite frankly, I'm just damn tired of these stories and of the comments. "Write your senator" doesn't work. "Call your congressman" doesn't work. We're tried to get organized and fight these abominations of our rights as human beings, and we continue to fail. In fact, we've yet to even eat away at aging laws like the DMCA and Patriot act, yet we yammer on and on about how we can stop laws like ACTA.
Face it, fellow geeks, we have no chance. so, I beg you, slashdot, stop posting these stories, because they mean almost nothing now. Unless someone comes up with a way to organize a para-military force through an anonymous service to physically stop these kinds of atrocities, I see no point in discussing this stuff.
Re: (Score:2)
We, the minority voice, cannot match the buying power these groups have, nor do we have enough political power to sway votes.
We are the Majority, we just don't have the money to fight these assholes.
I still think hitmen are the way to go it's certainly allot cheaper.
Can we fight the trend? (Score:4, Insightful)
For us, though, there might be a few things to do.
Switch over more and more to copylefted and FOSS operating systems and software. No copyright or financial interests, no interest for BSA or (maf)*IAA. Of course, the same interests groups have identified this as a potential thread and tried legal and FUD campaigns against it (associating FOSS with communism, and trying to declare FOSS illegal, etc.).
Boycott the increasingly meaningless blockbuster production of Hollywood and the musical cultural industry. I have stopped watching TV and buying music since there simply isn't anything worth the money. Frankly, it is not even worth downloading.
Freenets, darknets and stronger encryption. However, this will mean a rat race where the outcomes may be a larger and growing portion of increasingly controlled population; an increasingly isolated cliché of technologically savvy individuals retaining integrity but being exposed by their very anonymity suspicious black holes in an ocean of whistles; or the death of the openness and accessibility that has made the Web the revolution it was.
It is a horrible situation, and the only hope we have is that younger politicians will have a more vested interest in net neutrality etc. than the current cadre that is old and often criminally ignorant about the consequences of their actions in an informational world. Fat chance.
For Swedes, voting for the Pirate Party for them to gain seats in the EU parliament is one concrete thing we can do now, and let's work to increase awareness of the problem so more pirate parties will emerge.
This is turning more and more into a world I do not want part of.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1)
There was a trend to having only proprietary software (by former free software being enslaved in the job contracts its creators took) and to having the hacker community die out.
That trend was reversed by GNU with the invention of the GPL and the GNU System.
And today millions of people use free software and we have organizations like the EFF and FSF who work for a free software society.
- That huge success story in about 4 minutes: http://infinite-hands.draketo.de/ [draketo.de]
More people than ever before use free softwar
"It can't hurt" ??? (Score:2)
Given the BSA's other questionable activities, it couldn't hurt to tell their member companies what you think of their participation.
Huh? It certainly could hurt. If you tell the member companies what you think of the BSA's actions, the only likely result is that you'll be added to their list of suspects. You can then expect a letter from their lawyer if someone with a name or IP address similar to yours ever uses a P2P program (perhaps to download the latest linux ISOs ;-).
You should be telling the appr
They're funded by the members. (Score:2)
If the member companies start to get hit with flack and angry customers for their participation, they may reevaluate it (i.e. stop funding the bastards).
Without industry support, the BSA would dry up for lack of money.
I don't think that congress can do much except not listen to them. And it's hard for them to avoid listening to anyone who has money.
So I really think that bad PR for the member companies is the only way to reduce the member list.
This has already been "fast tracked" by the g8 (Score:2)
Without releasing any information what soever, the g8 has fat tracked [publicknowledge.org] this abomination.
Oh surprise surprise, I give up. I simply refuse to respect US law anymore. I'll speed whenever the hell I want, steal whatever the hell I want, and if asked, i'll tell them where the fuck to stick it.
Re: (Score:1)
Its called voting. Check it out.
Re:They will never stop (Score:5, Insightful)
Voting doesn't do much good when the EU government isn't elected by the populace of it's member nations. Look how little it does here in the US, then imagine how much worse it could get if Congress (both houses) were appointed by the various State governments and not elected, and if the President were a rotating chair that round-robined between the Governors of various States.
Parent
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
That's how it was supposed to work here in the U.S. too, at least for the Senate, until the 17th Amendment. I think that Amendment was actually a mistake, because it undermines Federalism by making the state legislatures less important.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
The European Parliament is elected by the citizens, not the member states, and the President is largely a figurehead whose powers aren't comparable to those of the US President. There's a lot I don't like about the structure of the EU [europarl.org.uk] (s
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:They will never stop (Score:5, Insightful)
> Its called voting. Check it out.
Yeah. Right. Let's see:
- Vote for candidate A. See candidate A taking a bribe. Be too weak to start an uprising and rip him out of his golden throne. Get told by an idiot to vote better the next time.
- Vote for candidate B. (May not avaliable in your country.) See candidate B taking a bribe. Be too weak to start an uprising and rip him out of his golden throne. Get told by an idiot to vote better the next time.
- Vote for candidate C. (May not avaliable in your country.) See him not getting enough votes and screaming of what he will change when it is his turn. Watch him become candidate A in the next vote.
Caution: Depending on the country, you can get shot for voting for someone other than candidate A.
Do I have to say more? As long as you're not in a revolutionist (aka "terrorist" aka "pinko" aka whatever) group, planning to overturn this non-working system to replace it by something better (hint: NOT another revolutionist who becomes corrupt too), you are responsible for your leaders. Come on. There are what, 250 million of you? Against what? 250,000? For ONCE be a real american, have something to be proud of, and be a leader. :)
P.S.: Cue the excuses for not acting, so you can accept your own self, in 3... 2... 1...
Parent
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
Background info:
1. I am NOT an American, I know four other languages, so be mild on the typos.
2. I DO work on a plan for a new government that does not ignore the the conflict between personal interests and interests of being a leader of people.
3. I AM trying to mobilize people, so I am allowed to ask others to do it too.
4. I do not plan to do anything evil like hurt people or similar stuff. Only losers do need that. Professionals use psychology.
5. I'm just learning this style of psychology right now. So I'
Re: (Score:1)
2. I DO work on a plan for a new government that does not ignore the the conflict between personal interests and interests of being a leader of people.
4. I do not plan to do anything evil like hurt people or similar stuff. Only losers do need that. Professionals use psychology.
6. I see you as my friend in the first place, no matter who you are, and even if you do very stupid things.
Based on the above, I think you will find your answer in this book, 1984.
Re: (Score:2)
What country do you live in where votes actually count?
Sure you can get a person elected with votes, but its the $ and promises of power that gives them their marching orders once in office. ANd its got nothing to do with you and your vote. ( unless you happen to be a billionaire and are contributing to the campaign )
Re: (Score:1)
My point (I guess I should have included those pesky sarcasm tags) was not that voting is the solution, but that voting is supposed to be the solution, and having the average citizen paying to get stuff done instead of voting is an utterly farsical.
If voting is not working, then lobbying by the average citizen isnt going to work either. Perhaps its time for Plan B. Why even have politicians if voting for them achieves nothing that you actually want or need? Why pay their salaries? They take time out of our
Re: (Score:2)
Most Americans today don't have the guts for PlanB.
And without a lot of support from 'the people', the ones that are prepared and have the guts are doomed to fail.
Re: (Score:2)
Voting, on what?
RIAA vs MPAA Election 08
Re: (Score:1)
I'll vote for kodos!
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Well, that is by design you know, cant have the serfs getting actual political power.