news story about MPAA - what a laugh

[mpucoder]

First I have no idea what their "respect copyright" page says. Why? I know I'll get some flak for this, but I refuse to install anything from Macromedia in my computers because of their "business model" (in simple terms, it's spyware).
So respect copyrights, but have no regard for privacy?

But the real laugh is what they call copyrighted material. In the USA everything expressed in any form, be it printed, written, spoken, recorded electronically, etc is protected by copyright. So every file in my computer is copyrighted material. I guess they mean copyrighted movies.

[fewtch]

The frenzy over 'intellectual property' has gotten pretty rabid in the USA, I agree. Maybe because it's like trying to put a fence in a river to stop the water... :D

From the MPAA website:

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Q: Are there other software packages besides DeCSS available for decrypting DVD movies, and if so, is the MPAA attacking them as well?

A There are no legal software packages available for decrypting DVDs.

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These people have no respect or regard for fair use, and in fact would prefer people don't back up their DVD's (so they have to buy them again when they wear out or damaged, of course). It's all about money, and that's all it will ever be about with MPAA/Hollywood. That's why most movies coming out these days are CGI-laden junk with no screenplay, because it's cheaper/easier and the public will apparently watch this crap.

Just a few opinions...

P.S. there's a small minority of people up/downloading full length DVD-9's... I've run into a few on the Net. As a person with a collection of over a hundred DVD's, I offer this opinion: These people are fools and bandwidth-wasting idiots. Just go buy the DVD!

[fccHandler]

Originally posted by mpucoder
So every file in my computer is copyrighted material. I guess they mean copyrighted movies.
I'm reminded of this story:
http://www.tomshardware.com/hardnews/20041115_135458.html

XP itself contains pirated material, so we're all screwed. :p

[Mug Funky]

mpucoder: please elaborate a little on the macromedia thing? that's the first i've heard of it.

in my opinion Macromedia are a nicer company than Adobe - the main difference being that the former fix bugs and optimize their programs, where the latter tell you to stop being so wet and upgrade your hardware if it runs too slow...

also, Macromedia donated money for my class' graduation exhibition, where Adobe did sod-all :)

[edit]

back on topic, i think we're seeing a trend towards stupid laws that can't possibly be obeyed to the letter, and work against culture and advancement rather than reinforcing it.

it is our duty to break these laws - the more people ignore stupid laws, the more likely it is they'll eventually be dropped. it's all bluff - these companies don't have enough cash to sue everybody, and sooner or later the courts are going to get utterly fed up with hearing the same piss-poor case over and over and over, instead of actually trying real criminals.

this is just like prohibition early last century - they abolished it because they knew they couldn't enforce it (though downloading music/movies is a more positive thing than getting pissed, in most cases).


[edit] rather than increase the offtopicness, i thought i'd reply to dragongodz here...

thanks for the link. that's for shockwave player though, not flash player. so mpucoder is still quite able to use MPAA's site...

i think macromedia are starting to feel the fact that nobody uses director for the web (and they never really did).

[dragongodz]

sorry for going off topic but since Mug Funky asked... here is a little discussion about macromedia

http://www.directorforum.de/showthread.php?t=31888

as i said - sorry, wont interupt again. :)