Re: [tlug] Patents gone wrong?

[Scott Robbins <scottro@example.com>]

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On Sat, Aug 26, 2006 at 05:28:39PM +0900, burlingk@example.com wrote:
> 
> 
> From what I hear though, it illegalizes a host of things a host of things that other long standing laws in the US protected.  If half of what I hear is accurate, a single law that doesn't have much support among the general populous has overturned two hundred years of court rulings and written law.
> 
> This may sound like an exageration, but the issue is not software alone.  If you look at the big picture, it is getting pretty grim.  
> 

Which makes me think of the whole music downloading thing.  I keep
wondering how these people obtained so much power.  I've never seen any
one group have so much power to punish minor things outside of the IRS.

(Sigh, and to think our revolution was supposedly about unjust
taxation.)

It's rather frightening.  The IRS likes to, right around tax time, be
sure that various stories get published, such as how they went after a
10 year old newspaper delivery boy who didn't pay taxes on his $200
annual income.  

Seems that the music industry has the same power.   d

Which segues nicely into Weird Al Yakovich's take on music downloading, 
"Don't Download This Song," which  begins playing automatically on his
myspace site.  (Flash required)

  http://www.myspace.com/weirdal

Still it's rather frightening.


- -- 

Scott Robbins

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Xander: Are you ready to get down, you funky party weasel? 
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