FBI Arrests Eight On Copyright Charges 352
luigi6699 writes "The BBC reports that 'the US authorities have charged eight people in connection with the illegal trading of copyrighted films, music, games and software over the net.' According to Acting Assistant Attorney General John C Richter, 'cases like these are part of the Justice Department's coordinated strategy to protect copyright owners from the online thieves who steal and then sell the products they work so hard to produce.'"
Re:Makes me sick (Score:3, Informative)
Not true. Ford, GM, and many other manufacturing corporation. What is true is that a large part of the U.S. economy is a service economy and also is based on revenues from Intellectual Property. So for the U.S. there is a real value in ensuring that each copy of a product is purchased.
"intellectual property" then becomes all the more important for maintaining control in a capitalistic economy still based on scarcity.
As before, "all" is wrong. IP revnues are important, because if the U.S. lost major corporations that created IP hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens would be unemployed. Including those that made the IP, worked for the companies that distributed the IP, all the supporting companies (legal, healthcare, etc.).
Scarcity isn't part of a capitalistic system, it's a general state of things. There are only some many of any one thing to go around. Capitalism is the best method for allocating scarce resources.
Copyright infringement, then, is "economic terrorism" and a threat to national security.
Now you're just rambling and exagerating. Organized and major copyright infringement should be stopped. But it's not "economic terrorism" and anyone who tries to use that type of wording in any legitimate way is spouting off non-sensical rhetoric.
Re:Why don't they go after GPL violators? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Worked so hard? (Score:3, Informative)
Im not saying Tom Cruise works as hard as a coal miner, but is that true for everyone whose income depends on that industry?
the cameramen? lighting guys? set dressers? continuity staff? scriptwriters? set designers? the catering crew? the security guys at the studio? the artists? CG guys?
You think everyone who works in entertainment works less than 1% as hard as everyone outside entertainment?
Watch the DVD extras from Lord of The Rings, then tell me little effort went into that movie that you saw for $10.
Press Release on DoJ site (Score:2, Informative)