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The next SOPA

marco.org

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Re: The next SOPA

#11

Post by daeken »

groggles wrote: post #8

Given that the author is Marco (and the article is on HN because it is from Marco Arment), I wonder what his boycott position is regarding Apple? Apple has a long history of supporting draconian IP policies, and has a business model built around controlling what you can do with what you bought. Financially Apple absolutely dwarfs the combined revenue of all of the MPAA realm. I don't mean to distract the conversation…

DRM and hacker-unfriendly hardware protections are bad for the people using those products. Laws like SOPA are bad for everyone. It's quite possible to support Apple's lockdown without supporting the neutering of the internet.

Re: The next SOPA

#12

Post by umjames »

r00fus wrote: post #2

A boycott is only successful if you know who owns what. Short of selling my HDTV (which would be way popular with my family), I don't see how I can avoid MPAA content.

You don't have to sell the TV, just don't watch movies on it.

The harder part, is getting non-tech people to join your boycott. Good luck trying to tell people not to see the new Batman movie when it comes out.

What would be good to know is if actors, directors, and other movie makers support the MPAA's actions. With the RIAA, you could sense that musicians often were at odds with the record companies that signed them. Is that the case with movies? Are there movie studios that don't support things like SOPA and PIPA? Maybe we'd have something if those people (if they exist) spoke out publicly against the MPAA.

Re: The next SOPA

#13

Post by oscardelben »

paul9290 wrote: post #10

It's a nice thought, but you have to get your cousin, third cousin, your parents, your grandparents and etc to boycott Hollywood too. How do you accomplish this when media is engrained in our daily lives & culture?

You can get started without waiting for everyone else, and when they'll ask you why you act that way you'll tell them. We can't kill that industry in one week but you and I can start today and more people will join later. That's what's happened in the last years.

Re: The next SOPA

#14

Post by Anechoic »

groggles wrote: post #8

Given that the author is Marco (and the article is on HN because it is from Marco Arment), I wonder what his boycott position is regarding Apple? Apple has a long history of supporting draconian IP policies, and has a business model built around controlling what you can do with what you bought. Financially Apple absolutely dwarfs the combined revenue of all of the MPAA realm. I don't mean to distract the conversation…

Explain the reasoning why one company has the right to limit your freedoms while another doesn't?

If you look at the specific examples Marco spelled out (" region locks and unskippable screens and encryption and criminalization of fair use.") those are restrictions that benefit only the studios and inconvenience the customer. The iOS restrictions Apple propagates benefit Apple, but for many customers (not HN types) they are beneficial.

It's a fine line, and Apple has had their share of jackboot actions but it can be argued that it's not exactly the same. As for Apple defending Apple policies, I'd bet most of those examples demonstrate the benefit to consumers. (and has he defended the really egregious Apple missteps, like the security officer pretending to be a police officer?)

Re: The next SOPA

#15

Post by groggles »

daeken wrote: post #11
groggles wrote: post #8

Given that the author is Marco (and the article is on HN because it is from Marco Arment), I wonder what his boycott position is regarding Apple? Apple has a long history of supporting draconian IP policies, and has a business model built around controlling what you can do with what you bought. Financially Apple absolutely dwarfs the combined revenue of all of the MPAA realm. I don't mean to distract the conversation…

DRM and hacker-unfriendly hardware protections are bad for the people using those products. Laws like SOPA are bad for everyone. It's quite possible to support Apple's lockdown without supporting the neutering of the internet.

Indeed, but the piece is primarily anti-MPAA. See-

"The MPAA studios hate us. They hate us with region locks and unskippable screens and encryption and criminalization of fair use. They see us as stupid eyeballs with wallets, and they are entitled to a constant stream of our money. They despise us, and they certainly don’t respect us."

Re: The next SOPA

#16

Post by thebigshane »

Anechoic wrote: post #9

it would be more productive to significantly reduce or eliminate our support of the MPAA member companies starting today The problem is that any reduction in income to the studios would be spun as "fallout from pirates stealing our IP." Attacking campaign finance is the way to go. edit: spelling

We (I'm speaking for the entire internet community, which is probably a bad thing to do) could also stop pirating as well.

I mean it would be really something if everyone halved their entertainment budget and halved their "illegal downloads/sharing". That would be a significant message as well. It wouldn't be very easy to convince Joe SixPack, but it might be easier than true campaign finance reform.

Re: The next SOPA

#17

Post by thebigshane »

oscardelben wrote: post #13
paul9290 wrote: post #10

It's a nice thought, but you have to get your cousin, third cousin, your parents, your grandparents and etc to boycott Hollywood too. How do you accomplish this when media is engrained in our daily lives & culture?

You can get started without waiting for everyone else, and when they'll ask you why you act that way you'll tell them. We can't kill that industry in one week but you and I can start today and more people will join later. That's what's happened in the last years.

There's a backlash here though.

I've actually stopped telling people I don't watch TV because there is now a "holier than thou" aura around it. I think most people hate how much they like TV, but if you mention how you just stopped TV all together, they think you are just rubbing it in, like you're better than them. Like the guy who always talks about he was just "hitting the gym". No one like that guy either.

Any suggestions?

Re: The next SOPA

#18

Post by kapitalx »

Anechoic wrote: post #14
groggles wrote: post #8

Given that the author is Marco (and the article is on HN because it is from Marco Arment), I wonder what his boycott position is regarding Apple? Apple has a long history of supporting draconian IP policies, and has a business model built around controlling what you can do with what you bought. Financially Apple absolutely dwarfs the combined revenue of all of the MPAA realm. I don't mean to distract the conversation…

Explain the reasoning why one company has the right to limit your freedoms while another doesn't? If you look at the specific examples Marco spelled out (" region locks and unskippable screens and encryption and criminalization of fair use.") those are restrictions that benefit only the studios and inconvenience the customer. The iOS restrictions Apple propagates benefit Apple, but for many customers (not HN types) t…

Your comparison is invalid. Apple's bootloader locks are a better comparison (Not referring to SIM lock which is provider mandated). Or the fact that you can't change batteries on your devices? Seems to me the purpose behind that is for you to change your device when the battery can't hold a good enough charge instead of just changing the batteries! How does that benefit the consumer?

HTC removes bootloader locks: http://www.pcworld.com/article/228823/htc_ends_locked_bootlo...

Re: The next SOPA

#19

Post by iamandrus »

groggles wrote: post #8

Given that the author is Marco (and the article is on HN because it is from Marco Arment), I wonder what his boycott position is regarding Apple? Apple has a long history of supporting draconian IP policies, and has a business model built around controlling what you can do with what you bought. Financially Apple absolutely dwarfs the combined revenue of all of the MPAA realm. I don't mean to distract the conversation…

Apple has draconian restrictions on stuff like iOS for the user's sake (and for Apple's partially), and with the huge amount of users they obviously got that right. I'm not entirely sure what Apple's stance on SOPA is (I heard they supported it, but then I heard they didn't), but I don't think it would matter to them. They don't need to sue for piracy because they have the iTunes Store, which only distributes content. Apple even removed the DRM from their iTunes Store media a few years ago. They don't limit your freedom in the way that SOPA or PIPA will. You're comparing two completely different industries.

Re: The next SOPA

#20

Post by untog »

aptimpropriety wrote: post #6

"It's not a waiting game, it's a game of poker. Lamar Smith has a royal flush and few people know it. SOPA may pass. It may not. He doesn't care, and it doesn't matter. The MPAA and RIAA started working on their legislative strategy to pass a new anti-piracy bill in late 2010. SOPA was designed to raise the noise. Everyone is playing right into the entertainment industries hand. The lobbyists are laughing manically a…

It irritates me that posts like that get so many upvotes on Reddit when they provide absolutely no evidence for what they say.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that it's incorrect, but it is speculation stated as fact.

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