Commerce Department Pushing For New "Copyright Czar"

TechDirt is reporting that those all-too-familiar "stats" surrounding the cost of piracy are being trotted out in an attempt to push through a new "Copyright Czar" position. "In urging President Bush to sign into law the ProIP bill, which would give him a copyright czar (something the Justice Department had said it doesn't want), the US Chamber of Commerce is claiming that 750,000 American jobs have been lost to piracy. Yet, it doesn't cite where that number comes from."

Easy

[Eponymous Crowbar]

If we just hire 750,000 copyright czars, well there ya go. That would be mavericky, you betcha.

Piracy

[arizwebfoot]

We know where those lost jobs went, India and Pakistan all pirated our IT jobs.

--
Oh Well, Bad Karma and all . . .

Henry Paulson

[whisper_jeff]

They got that number from Henry Paulson - he's so good at pulling out random large numbers that sound plausible while being founded on nothing of substance, after all.

Re:750,000??

[Eponymous Crowbar]

Including porn, or not?

Re:750,000??

[theM_xl]

Well, not anymore, obviously ;)

Reliable source for numbers of all kinds

[ivandavidoff]

The numbers came from The U.S. Department of the Posterior.

Too bad

[Corpuscavernosa]

It's too bad that one of the jobs lost wasn't Uwe Boll's. I'm just sayin'. [petitiononline.com]

Quickly!

[tgd]

We need a content producer bailout!!!

Re:Easy

[Jimmyisikura]

Yes but then we have created a problem by removing 10,000,000,000 pirates from the market. Pirates need to eat too. Studies also show that 12/15 of those 750,000 are part-time ax-murderers. I think the statistics show the real victims here.

Re:Piracy

[TinFoilMan]

I think you have a valid point, maybe the new czar can pirate them all back.

Re:Henry Paulson

[n0dna]

Dammit.

I was going to say exactly the same thing, only I would have probably guessed where I think he pulled them out of.

Good show.

"...it doesn't cite where that number comes from."

[Snarfangel]

Easy. It comes from the set of real numbers.

Source of the number

[192939495969798999]

That 750,000 jobs number comes a very reliable source, the bird. Haven't you heard, about the bird?

Re:750,000??

[sesshomaru]

I think most of that number was clerks at Blockbuster video.

Re:"...it doesn't cite where that number comes fro

[Qzukk]

It comes from the set of real numbers.

Funny, I could have sworn it looked imaginary.

Re:Easy

[mcgrew]

Yet, it doesn't cite where that number comes from

Cue the goatse trolls in 3...2...

Re:Easy

[Ortega-Starfire]

It is odd. Whenever goatse would actually be on topic, the goatse guy is never around. Psychological reverse trolling, perhaps?

Re:"...it doesn't cite where that number comes fro

[zippthorne]

Good point. Now, the question is, is it rational?

Re:Source of the number

[Anonymous Coward]

... Haven't you heard, about the bird?

Well, the bird is the word.

Re:Easy

[discord5]

Whenever goatse would actually be on topic, the goatse guy is never around. Psychological reverse trolling, perhaps?

Great, now I've got the expression "Pulling those facts out of his ass" associated with that image. Thanks... Really... Thanks

Another one to scratch off of the "frequently used expressions" list.