OH COME ON.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Counterfeiting_Trade_Agreement
...
just when I thought were safe. Meep.
Didn't read it too thoroughly and I have no idea if someone else also posted this before me.

I was on anti-ACTA demonstration today, lots of peeps came even tho it was cold as fuck. Similar demonstrations are organised in whole country. Anyway, this whole thing is shady and it was( and still is on public media) hidden for the most of time.

Bump

Heard on radio that ACTA will be voted on by the European commision. If it ain't gona be passed by them, Japan, USA, Taiwan, Canada, NZ, Australia and perhaps some other that already agreed on ACTA, will not enforce it in their country.
Of course, Europe has the last word, go Europe!
And I doubt they would accept it. I think that ACTA also say means that USA will be the cyber police in all countries. I'm sure the EU won't accept USA to have power over the internet in Europe.

I've been in enough discussions about this fucking thing and its a stepping stone..
Oh by the way, it wasn't that cold out

It's to stop people from illegal downloads. Several websites have been shut down due to piracy. For example, www.megaupload.com. It has been passed by many countries, for example, Poland, Australia and New Zealand. (Just to name a few.)

So, you really have no choice, complain all you want, protest all you like, it's highly unlikely that they won't pass it. Anyway, what's it matter to you? Are YOU a pirate?

It's not about stopping piracy, it's about keeping control.

The same kind of regulation shit happened when cassette tapes were introduced, same thing with cd's. Not on such a large scale as it is currently, but the same companies were clenching their buttcheeks in anticipation while they tried to control the industry.

Now, hollywood knows they're fucked. How are the record labels supposed to make money when any kid with a webcam and a good voice/guitar etc. can get insane exposure on youtube? How are they supposed to make money when you can record high quality audio in your apartment with consumer electronics?

It's about keeping control of the industry and regulating who is allowed to produce and sell music on a large scale. You think this is about piracy? How naive.

That is .. infringement of human rights? Jesus, now they want to allow only some chosen ones to sell music?? That is retarded, and really makes you think of a highly controlled and censored, etc., future, even in Europe.

it is blatantly obvious that a fascist state is what they want

they get away with it because the people willing to oppose fascism are unwilling to fight, because they beleive so many others are willing to fight, that fascism has no chance, and that any blood spilled protecting freedom is blood wasted.

they beleive that the bloodshed neccesary is avoidable, when it is not.

those who seek to forcibly control others cannot be reasoned with. they do not stop until killed, because they genuinely beleive they have a right to tell other people what to do. (or that "god" has the right to tell others what to do, which is a convinient excuse, despite being blasphemous nonsense)



"give me liberty or give me death" doesnt just sound nice, it genuinely dissuades potential oppressors, it is our way of letting them know that even if they do win, they will only ever be the "kings" of a smouldering pile of rubble. and the longer it takes for humanity to stand up, the greater the loss of life will be once the war begins. the longer it takes for the facists to make their move, the more entrenched they will become (and the more likely that they will seize power and become an international threat, like what happened in germany 1939)

right now, if we stopped kidding ourselves and started to forcibly remove those who would seek to take away our freedoms, there would be no war.

no blood. no sacrifice. just a bunch of fuckhead politicians being told to find new jobs.

but we cant even fucking manage that.

and we will pay for it. america will be the birthplace of the new fascism. future generations will ask "how could we let this happen"

what will we tell them?

Fascism is on the rise all over the world today. Some people confuse it with the strong anti immigrant movements that have risen in many countries but those are not the biggest threat. The big threat are the people who think they can patent life, that think they know better who should be famous and who shouldn't, the people who try to tell us what to think and what to do, the people who suck all the resources out of the earth and keep it for themselves and let it rot in hidden vaults.

War does not have to mean bloodshed if its a war of the mind, we can win the war of the mind without firing a single bullet. But if we idly stand by and let our rights and freedoms be stripped away in the name of piracy protection then we do not deserve those rights and freedoms.

I've only bought 3 software titles since 1984

1. manic miner (zx spectrum)
2. homeworld 2 (pc)
3. star sonata (mmo)

I don't intend to buy anymore if I can avoid it

The only people anti-piracy measures hurt are legitimate users; ie. DRM for games.

You will never stop piracy entirely. The internet is too big and unregulated, and it should stay that way imo. If it were to be regulated to the point of uselessness, with modern technology, people could easily just create another internet. One free from persecution and censorship, outside the "law" that is enforced by ICANN(the guys that control DNS takedowns and can easily be lobbied to take domains down on a whim) and old money.

the internet began its meaning as "the intermediary network" as it unified the university and military networks of the era, the first incarnation of the "internet"

the government seeks not to control the internet, but information itself

it seeks to have control over the communication which allows democracy to remain free, and entities have taken control previously, having influence for a few years and then a new technology comes along. first, print, then radio, then TV, and now the internet

the internet is the last that remains free.