Public Interest Groups Face Uphill Battle at WIPO Meeting

Patrick Norager writes "As WIPO creates new rights for broadcasters, documents critical of these rights created by EFF and IP Justice were stolen and recovered in a bathroom trashcan." EFF has a general statement on the meeting with links for more information.

It's a "downhill battle"

One group fighting music IP is called the downhill battle. All this pessimism can really get to you until you realize that these laws will ultimately fail. It's like trying to stop a waterfall. Check out infoanarchy.org for a view on how things will really turn out.

And cynics are, as a group, highly redundant and unoriginal.

Guard the Table, EFF!

Both yesterday and again today, written statements provided by IP Justice and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which were placed on the table designated for floor papers, were stolen within minutes of being deposited on the table. Additionally yesterday documents provided by the Union for the Public Domain were also missing shortly after being placed on the table.

I find these tactics to be what I would expect from the thug-like governments and greedy corporations; they can't secure with truth and justice what they can secure with theivery and wickedness. Not all companies would condone this kind of behaviour, but it is becoming evident that the amoral progress towards global capitalism are shattering our freedoms... freedoms our forefathers fought and died to protect... freedoms our nations were built upon. I find these recent criminal actions to be very enlightening, in turn, that the very message protecting our rights for programming and developmental freedoms, was forced to place a guard at the table.

The guard at the table, protecting the documents to be heard at WIPO, seems to be a good image, but also a telling image. How long will it be before we can no longer place a guard at the table? How long before justice itself is patented by some company?

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) will be there to urge delegates to reject aspects of the treaty that would impoverish the public domain and thwart innovation.

Guard the table oh great EFF! I will continue to write, program and design anything I want to, IP bullshit [slashdot.org] be damned!!!

Re:Guard the Table, EFF!

..but it is becoming evident that the amoral progress towards global capitalism are shattering our freedoms..

This is not capitalism. Capitalism requires a system of supports and limits to keep it functioning properly. There are many roads companies can take out of capitalist competition and in order for a capitalist economy to work properly these roads must be controlled. These routes out of competition include monopoly, government corruption, poisoning of competition, displacement of expenses as well as many others. We've left these roads open and now companies that abused, lied, cheated, and bought the system are the winners. This is a horrible thing and has resulted in generations of businessmen who think that's the right way to do business instead of simply delivering the best product to the consumer you can.

Reforming this system will require us to reign in these rogue non-competing companies and limit their power. Is there an anti-corruption PAC that I could join that would tell me who of my representatives is taking money in exchange for favorable laws and would support their opponent?

Re:Guard the Table, EFF!

I'm not sure that this is exactly what you are looking for, but you can start at OpenSecrets.org.

http://www.opensecrets.org/ [opensecrets.org]

Re:Guard the Table, EFF!

Not all companies would condone this kind of behaviour, but it is becoming evident that the amoral progress towards global capitalism are shattering our freedoms...

What's happening here isn't capitalism, but is rather regulatory capture, whereby an entity distorts the regulators' criteria for judgement, yielding an inefficient outcome. The most potent captures of regulatory processes are typically state entities, but large companies come a close second.

Re:Guard the Table, EFF!

I'm in favor of an additional ammendment, numbered '1.5'. Basically, if someone denies your right to speech, you have the right to punch them in the face until they stop infringing on your right to free speech.

It would honor the spirit of both the first and the second ammendments, and because it's an intermediate step for those who might not have or disagree with guns, it's more accessible. And the 2nd would remain untouched, so those who don't find ammendment 1.5 to be useful or satisfying could just ignore it.

Howard Stern

Well according to Howard last night on Lettermen. Sat. Radio is the next big thing and he is going there to create is own rights. More power too him. I will pick on up just hear his first show which he said will be "One for the books".

Re:Howard Stern

Unfortunately, I heard that Sirius will probably be getting commercials soon. The new head of Sirius was the head of Viacom, who is critical of any non-advertising-based revenue model.

Just goes...

This just goes to show how far these corporations and individuals are willing to go to maintain their monopolistic control of what they have. It is worse than the railroads of the 1800's and the Standard Oils of the 1900's...I do not in the least doubt they will do anything, including murder, to maintain their way of life.

Re:Just goes...

That's crazy talk.

By the way, and this has absolutely nothing to do with your recent statements, would you mind posting your home address and a recent photo here? Just so, you know, the nice folks here at GlobalMegaCorp can sent you a "Thank you" ham or something.

This just sickens me.

It's really rather sad when somebody (we all know who they're working for, but don't let this be tried in the court of public opinion; get evidence first) takes papers that go after the industry and attempt to hide them.

But for the love of Jack Valenti, do it right - burn them or shred them, don't dump them behind a trash can!

Is it possible that that person wanted the documents found at the last minute to draw up controversy over this?

Uphill?

I'm not sure I'd call it an uphill battle if the best plan their opponents can think up is to use the bathroom trash can to dispose of the documents.

Acts of Desperation

While I never like to see sleezy behaviour, I've always thought it was a good sign when your adversary starts acting out of desperation. It means:

-you are a real threat
-their normal measures have not beaten you
-they are likely to make mistakes due to their "emotional" state

It is terrible that someone stole material and threw it away. And it is terrible that people's hard work has been set back. BUT, whoever did this is backed into a corner and feeling very threatened.

Re:Acts of Desperation

-you are a real threat
-their normal measures have not beaten you

While this is a 'good sign', it's not really a material advantage. When facing a strong opponent that you are squaring to attack, it's generally best to be overlooked and unthreatening as long as possible... then BAM! FireFox 'em just when they think you're irrelevent!

Man that's a cool verb.

Re:Acts of Desperation

Ghandi's passive-aggressive tactics work only when your enemy likes to consider itself civilized, and can be shamed into doing the right thing.

If your enemy doesn't give a damn about such things, they will cheerfully destroy you and continue on their merry way without a backwards glance.

Drats. Foiled again!

As WIPO creates new rights for broadcasters, documents critical of these rights created by EFF and IP Justice were stolen and recovered in a bathroom trashcan.

Damn, I never thought they'd check the men's bathroom trashcans. Maybe I should try the women's bathroom trashcans next time.

Re:Drats. Foiled again!

Back in the day I worked maintenance at an amusement park. I had to get there at 6 AM, before the cleaning people got to the bathroomst. I went into a men's room and one of the toilets was backed up and spilled all over. So I decided, hell, it's 6 AM, no one else is here yet, I'll use the ladies room. Went in there. They have a little box, on the wall, by the toilet. DO NOT LOOK IN THIS BOX. EVER.

"Method for storing important documents in trash"

Yep, definitely infringing on my patent.

They should have clicked "SHIFT-Delete"

Just doing a "Delete" puts it in the recycle bin. Duh.

How many?

How many Bavarian Illuminati does it take to change a light bulb?

Three. One to screw it in, and one to confuse the issue.

In other news...

Italy announced today that they would not sign the treaty. Quoth their Prime Minister, "I uh WIPO my assuh on your treaty-uh." /ducks

Just like the Good Old Days!

Behold our modern IP warlords, staking out their territory, taxing us peasants for living on it and dictating how and when we can use it, hiring warriors to defend it against others, and all the while declaring that their property is sacred and their authority comes from God.

Civil Disobedience Helps...

Massive complete ignorance of current copyright laws and any future laws will gear the marketplace away from strict standards no matter what the law says. The law once said 'separate but equal' and the marketplace said fuck that.

Well, Internet users are saying fuck that to media corporations. TV-viewers with VCRs and Tivos (and MythTV, you arrogant linux jerks) are saying fuck that to the stupid-loud-ads-in-your face-business-model.

The more the DMCA is being used in its limitless obscurity, the more it is being struck the fuck down. The more software patents become reality, the more prior art can be claimed in open source.

The marketplace controls demand and demand always controls supply. Big bad Joe wouldn't be selling pot to 16yo kids if 16yo kids weren't buyin'.

So, basically, I'm saying to hell with these corporations trying to tell me what to do with something after I already bought it. If I wanna cut a tennis ball in half and use it as a neato door stop, fuck Wilson if they tell me that's unauthorized use. They can fuck off because I paid for the balls... actually, because I have the balls. I already have the mp3s of the songs I want (don't need any new crappy music in my collection) and they weren't available for purchase when I wanted them, and CDs don't always play right and get scratched easily, so why should I go buy the cds of said music now? Make new shit for me to buy... that is worth buying.

There's safety in numbers - especially in a Democracy that gets to vote for who's in power. Crappy laws can be removed. And guess what, media companies?! -- the majority, consequently your own customers, is already against you! So fuck off and go produce something that I will buy instead of treating me like I'm not buying enough.

If it were easier to buy a high-quality mp3 for a buck that came with a keychain or some neato bullshit like that, I wouldn't have pirated them.

So, media companies, here's how to un-piss us off:

- apologize for calling your customers criminals
- make access to media easier rather than harder
- go with the fucking marketplace flow like a good megaconglomerate
- do some market research that doesn't involve what you think you're owed
- act like the consumer has a say in what he or she buys
- quit treating idiots in masses (ie. consumers) as idiots.. we tend to get smart in numbers
- make better shit

And finally, all of you pirates that are too lazy to click twice at the EFF website, donate, or fire off a flaming letter filled with poo at your nearest corrupt government fuck, you're still doing your patriotic duty by pirating. I want to liken you to MLK's stand of civil disobedience - but that would be unfair since you're just downloading Britney Spears while the black dudes got their poor asses beat. So instead, I will just say hurrah for teen angst and continue your P2P deviations.. because you are saying a lot, no matter how ignorant the media companies want to be.

Sorry I said fuck a lot.

Re:Civil Disobedience Helps...

It's my opinion that peer-to-peer filesharing improves sales for RIAA and the like. As such, I no longer find it ethical to distribute their copyrighted works -- it's like giving them advertising. What I would *like* to do to them isn't very ethical either

stolen and recovered in a trashcan?

Methinks that phrase is missing a comma.

Otherwise, doesn't this phrase mean that the theft itself, as well as the recovery, took place within a trashcan? (which would imply an awfully small thief, not to mention a rather unusual place to have such important documents in the first place).

[Moderation -1, Grammar Nazi]