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YouTube-dl's repository has been restored

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Re: YouTube-dl's repository has been restored

#311
post #184

It seems like EFF fought for youtube-dl and GitHub used their letter as legal firepower to bring the repo back online. If GitHub were fighting for the developer they would have funded the attorney, right? Though from their blog post it does look like they are taking steps to fund defense in the future as well as other steps to improve the situation. Reading EFFs claim is pretty interesting, they state that saving a c…

I don't believe that Github actually needed the EFF's writing for this, or that they don't have the necessary technical expertise themselves. That is probably rather a protective assertion not to lose face. But at least they seem to have learned something from it now and want to review such requests technically before they (unjustifiably) act.

Re: YouTube-dl's repository has been restored

#312

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well anyone who voluntarily enters into a work for hire arrangement is making society a better place. The employer wouldn't have done it unless they were benefitting and likewise for the employee. What is important is doing something people want.

An assassin is a work for a hire arrangement.

And this is just one (extreme) instance of “person A pays person B to destroy person C's value, for net harm”. Imo, the only failing of capitalism is that one can profit by destroying other people's wealth (though this is probably splitting hairs, given how varied the ills that come from that).

Everybody has their price. For some people, it's low enough that they'll actually do the evil things and not lose sleep over it.

Re: YouTube-dl's repository has been restored

#313

A gem in the EFF's letter ( https://github.com/github/dmca/blob/master/2020/11/2020-11-1... ) > To borrow an analogy from literature, travelers come upon a door that has writing in a foreign language. When translated, the writing says "say 'friend' and enter." The travelers say "friend" and the door opens. As with the writing on that door, YouTube presents instructions on accessing video streams to everyone who comes…

I personally agree, but there are some interesting counter-examples. For example, if someone discloses the credentials to an account but says nobody is authorized to use those credentials, I think it violates the CFAA to use those credentials. Even more-so if they only tell you their username, but the password can be inferred without direct disclosure (e.g., if the username is "thepasswordishunter2").

CFAA covers unauthorized access to computer systems - the only case I know of where CFAA was used to prosecute something akin to a DMCA 1201 claim was Sony suing Geohot for putting a tweezer to the RAM on his PS3. It's a novel legal strategy (in case you don't think DMCA 1201 is broad enough), but it was never entirely litigated in court as Geohot settled the case. I still don't think it would have passed muster in court, as it was akin to arguing that someone had violated the CFAA by hacking into their own computer that they forgot the password to. (Either that, or Geohot was poking at PSN and Sony knew this - I never followed that particular case thoroughly)

Re: YouTube-dl's repository has been restored

#314
post #255

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Plenty of it? I regularly download the metadata and subtitles of entire channels or playlists so that I can search for specific words or phrases in thousands of hours of video. I know of no other way to accomplish this.

Thank you so much for writing this comment! I've been in several situations where this would have been incredibly handy, but never realized it was possible.

`youtube-dl --write-sub --write-auto-sub --sub-lang en --skip-download [URL]` (Then just use grep)

There's all kinds of cool stuff you can do with youtube-dl. For example 'ytsearch20:kittens' will get a playlist of the first 20 search results for 'kittens'.

Re: YouTube-dl's repository has been restored

#315
post #254

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'd rather cut this problem off at the head I don't understand what you mean by this! I know it's an expression or a way of saying something, but I don't understand what you mean

The meaning is to deal with a problem before it grows worse. There are a lot of variances to the expression, 'cutting it off at the head' 'Nip it in the bud' 'Cutting the problem at it's roots' They're all references to killing something before it grows more difficult to deal with.

I feel like the problem is already fully-realised in this case, so you can't "nip it at the bud" but have to stop the full-form yes? That goes along with "cutting it off at the head" moreso in my opinion.

Re: YouTube-dl's repository has been restored

#316
post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have become convinced that the RIAA lawyers emerge from their crypts every few years, generating a slew of copystrikes to justify their retainer fee.

This software makes it easy for people to download copyrighted movies and the RIAA attorneys (at least some) are acting in good faith to prevent people from breaking copyright law and causing their client damages. Can someone argue against me please? (genuinely contribute to discussion by arguing against my own biases, call me a moron instead of downvoting)

An awful lot of tools provide the opportunity for their users to break the law, and yet we still sell those tools and place the onus of following the law on the users. While guns are the obvious example, lockpicks are widely and freely available, as are a whole host of other items with which one could commit nefarious deeds.

Copyright law seems to be one of the only areas in which the fact that someone Could use a tool to commit a crime seems to be grounds for criminalizing the tool and not the act.

Re: YouTube-dl's repository has been restored

#317

Competition in the source-control space is a great thing. I am not entirely convinced that they would have done the right thing without the threat of losing developers en-masse to competitors.

Sadly, I don't think there is any risk for them for "losing developers en-masse to competitors". Everyone who seriously considers to leave the platform has already left when they were acquired by MS and/or continued to work with ICE, and both of those only caused a miniscule amount of people to leave.

I'm just going to leave this here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embrace,_extend,_and_extinguis...

Re: YouTube-dl's repository has been restored

#318

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you want to put your everyday Amazon spend to good use, don't spend on Amazon.

Where do I spend it wise one

Support the little guy. Shop at small neighborhood retailers like Walmart

Re: YouTube-dl's repository has been restored

#319

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Creating or providing a tool and using a tool are not the same action. Likewise, since there are legal fair use scenarios of copyrighted materials (short clips, criticism, satire, academic, etc) so even using the tool isn't inherently against the law and the person creating or providing the tools can't know and legally doesn't need to know the end user's intentions. Copyright lawyers working for the highest profile a…

Drug paraphernalia is still a crime in most places. Not sure what the equal to "spice grinder" here is.

I don't know what the laws are on possession, but before marijuana was legalized it was far, far easier to buy a bong than the weed to smoke in it. I'm wracking my brain to try to think of a piece of drug paraphernalia that is illegal to sell or illegal to possess in the absence of the drugs themselves.

Re: YouTube-dl's repository has been restored

#320
post #302

ACLU and EFF are two of the last few remaining "Great" American institutions - living up to America's own image of itself.

Recently the ACLU’s absolutism on free speech has begun to waver. I won’t post a link here but search for it if you want to know more.
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