NEWS: WE CAN HAZ LEGAL THREATS?

[Jelenedra]

Sounds like you'll have to get your links to EA Store stuff through #grah. Or people need to start sharing links in a way that searches cannot detect it. Y'know. Lots of spaces or missing the .com or something.

[Mootilda]

Doesn't the whole issue with Napster set a precedence in the U.S. that links to copywritten material are illegal?

[seelindarun]

Sounds like you'll have to get your links to EA Store stuff through #grah. Or people need to start sharing links in a way that searches cannot detect it. Y'know. Lots of spaces or missing the .com or something.

There are still some working links in there.  Vineeta wasn't very thorough.  It's impossible to tell which links were listed or why, so I'm not sure what measures would be useful, if any.

Doesn't the whole issue with Napster set a precedence in the U.S. that links to copywritten material are illegal?

It's illegal if you, Mootilda, were to put up a link to store stuff for anyone to take, and of course, it would be illegal for me to take it from you.  It would also be illegal if Pes invited a bunch of people to put up links to content he would host.

However, if you were to put up a link to stuff and ask me to fix it, that would not be illegal.  If I put up a link to the stuff I fixed for you to take back, that's also not illegal.  If we do all this on JMP's forum, but host the files somewhere else, there's nothing illegal about it.

[jolrei]

And in any case, all this illegality may exist in USerica, but the internets are not just USerican anymore.  What links a Malaysian site has on it, may turn out not to be in this lolyer's area of expertise.

[Mootilda]

However, if you were to put up a link to stuff and ask me to fix it, that would not be illegal.  If I put up a link to the stuff I fixed for you to take back, that's also not illegal.  If we do all this on JMP's forum, but host the files somewhere else, there's nothing illegal about it.

That's good to hear.  I have a theory that EA is trying to set a precedent (TS3?) for charging outrageous fees online for buggy and incomplete objects with little information about what you are purchasing, no after-purchase support for buggy and incomplete objects, and no ability to return objects which have problems.  Perhaps they intend to increase their "partnership" with TSR, but don't want to have to support those objects?  It would be horrible if we weren't able to fix those objects ourselves and share the fixes.

[seelindarun]

And in any case, all this illegality may exist in USerica, but the internets are not just USerican anymore.  What links a Malaysian site has on it, may turn out not to be in this lolyer's area of expertise.

Out of curiosity, do you happen to know what stance Canada takes on intellectual property?

[Mootilda]

I don't know Canada's current stand on links to copywritten material.  In general, the U.S. puts a lot of pressure on Canada to follow the U.S. laws.

[Tingeling]

Didn't the whole issue with Napster set a precedence in the U.S. that links to copywritten material became illegal?

I corrected it for you. 

[seelindarun]

I'm wondering about EA's intentions for the store, too.  I don't think they'd want to cannibalise EP sales for TS3, but maybe they want to keep milking money out of TS2 now that they're done with EPs?  Maybe it's just a hedge against sluggish adoption of TS3?

I agree the percentage of broken objects is astounding.  The Store makes TSR look good.

[jolrei]

And in any case, all this illegality may exist in USerica, but the internets are not just USerican anymore.  What links a Malaysian site has on it, may turn out not to be in this lolyer's area of expertise.

Out of curiosity, do you happen to know what stance Canada takes on intellectual property?

Not really sure with regard to filesharing etc. what Canada's current legislation permits, or doesn't permit.  My understanding is that it is somewhat more lenient than the US.  For example there are important questions remaining regarding filesharing of music files.  Additionally, at the time that the US was pursuing demonoid, Canadian police indicated that this was not a priority for them.  The position appears to be that, while it is technically illegal to download a lot of content (including music and games), it is impossible to track all downloaders and to try to do so would be a waste of time and resources.  As of 2007, the RCMP (mounties) indicated that piracy for personal use is no longer targeted by the police.

[purplebunny]

And in any case, all this illegality may exist in USerica, but the internets are not just USerican anymore.  What links a Malaysian site has on it, may turn out not to be in this lolyer's area of expertise.

Out of curiosity, do you happen to know what stance Canada takes on intellectual property?

Not really sure with regard to filesharing etc. what Canada's current legislation permits, or doesn't permit.  My understanding is that it is somewhat more lenient than the US.  For example there are important questions remaining regarding filesharing of music files.  Additionally, at the time that the US was pursuing demonoid, Canadian police indicated that this was not a priority for them.  The position appears to be that, while it is technically illegal to download a lot of content (including music and games), it is impossible to track all downloaders and to try to do so would be a waste of time and resources.  As of 2007, the RCMP (mounties) indicated that piracy for personal use is no longer targeted by the police.

Currently, Canada's laws regarding electronic copyright are extremely lenient. However, new legislation has been proposed in the form of Bill C-61 which would tighten up Canadian copyright law even more restrictively than the DMCA in the US. Fortunately, with a completely dysfunctional Parliament this bit of legislation has fallen by the wayside--for now.

[asthehind]

I'm wondering about EA's intentions for the store, too.  I don't think they'd want to cannibalise EP sales for TS3, but maybe they want to keep milking money out of TS2 now that they're done with EPs?  Maybe it's just a hedge against sluggish adoption of TS3?

I agree the percentage of broken objects is astounding.  The Store makes TSR look good.

Wait there - the objects are only available to Americans AND they're broken? WTF? There was me thinking the store was just money-grubbing... Now it turns out to be both money-grubbing and incompetant.

And just out of interest, are there any amusing examples of broken objects?

[Lord Darcy]

Pescado, perhaps it's prudent to kill a few remaining attachments in those Store threads, just in case? Unlike MediaFire links, they ARE stored directly in cheezeserver, after all.

And just out of interest, are there any amusing examples of broken objects?

Browse through any of Store threads in Peasantry, and you'll find plenty of examples.

My personal favourite:

Behold, the lolpayshit.

[Li'l Brudder]

This is a very troubling trend, the confusion of information and pointers to information. Yes, pointers is a geeky programmer concept, but the address of a brothel can be public information while the brothel remains a private residence for ladies and generous gentlemen. When trouble happens, you don;t eliminate the address, you close the brothel.

Here the concept of requiring links to child pornography be removed is attempting to be extended to links to examples of copyright violation. While you can make an argument that there is an overriding social purpose for obliterating mere references to child pornography, you cannot make the same argument in what is a property rights issue. But it appears that EA would like to do so.

Huh.  There's a quandary.  Would the copyright law be upheld if the copyright violated was that of child porn?

[Callista]

Pescado should be flattered. Apparently, they think he controls the Internet. 

[Sagana]

Didn't the whole issue with Napster set a precedence in the U.S. that links to copywritten material became illegal?

I corrected it for you. 

Present perfect pet peeve?
Alliteration is awesome.

I'm interested to see what the lawlyers do now. <waits impatiently for an update>

[Tingeling]

Didn't the whole issue with Napster set a precedent in the U.S. that links to copywritten material became illegal?

I corrected it for you. 

Present perfect pet peeve?
Alliteration is awesome.

Why thank you, most kind. I am just trying to learn teh grammarz like a proper student. That will inevitably include some sort of rehashing of others posts, which by some could be considered to be a pet peeve. To me, it is a calling.

Edit: And my special thank you goes to Callista!

[Callista]

actually, "precedence" isn't the right word; it should be "precedent".

[Tingeling]

actually, "precedence" isn't the right word; it should be "precedent".

See? It's fun! 

[Sagana]

and the "that" is a bit clumsy ("that links"), but there's nothing wrong with the present perfect. The action was started in the past (with the Napster issue) but continues to have import today (being how precedents work and all).

I've no idea what would be considered 'most kind' in that post...

[wes_h]

Would the copyright law be upheld if the copyright violated was that of child porn?

Sure you can protect your interests with copyright. Just mail copies of your kiddy porn with the registration form and fee to:

Library of Congress
Copyright Office
101 Independence Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20559-6000

After doing so, you probably have a couple of days while your package is in transit to practice some good rectal stretching exercises. Just do them diligently; later, when you meet Tiny, you'll be glad you did.

[rohina]

Canada's Privacy Commissioner has expressed concerns about DRM that spies on people's browsing or other behaviours.

This video has some interesting infos: http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/3547/406/

[J. M. Pescado]

Here the concept of requiring links to child pornography be removed is attempting to be extended to links to examples of copyright violation. While you can make an argument that there is an overriding social purpose for obliterating mere references to child pornography, you cannot make the same argument in what is a property rights issue. But it appears that EA would like to do so.

It looks like they have a scab lawyer doing this, anyway. I haven't heard back from them, and even IF they wanted to file anything, they haven't actually made a properly formatted claim in any event, and the DMCA is definitely the wrong law to be trying to attack us with, as it explicitly absolves us, as a service provider, of any liability for user behavior, anyway.

[Avi]

Is it just me or does that lawyer's name sound suspiciously like one of the NPC names from Sims 2?  :^\  X^D

[Lorelei]

actually, "precedence" isn't the right word; it should be "precedent".

See? It's fun! 

Very good! Have a slice of delishus & moist caek!