Hollywood vs p2p file sharing
p2pnet.net News:- The entertainment industry is going to the wall in its bid to get the Hollywood versus Peer-to-Peer re-decided its favour.
As Billboard sums it up, “The Department of Justice is weighing in with the most powerful Republican and Democratic copyright champions in Congress by filing amicus briefs in the MGM Studios v. Grokster Ltd. case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.”
Isn’t the DoJ supposed to be about fighting crime, or something?
Anyway, said copyright champions include, of course, senators Orrin G. Hatch and Patrick J. Leahy, who’ve been fighting the good fight in Hollywood’s behalf.
Entirely coincidentally, the studios and record label cartel are high among Hollywood interests who’ve contributed $177,928 to Hatch’s coffers. And Leahy is on the receiving end of $241,400, says OpenSecrets.
We once naively wondered to Cherry Lane Digital ceo Jim Griffin if it’s OK if politicians are actually, or in effect, paid by the labels to represent their interests.
“Of course it is acceptable,” he said. “Our United States Supreme Court is clear and I agree with them: Money is speech.”
In the meanwhile, as Billboard points out, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled in favor Grokster and StreamCast [owner of Morpheus], holding they’re not liable for secondary copyright infringement for their decentralized p2p applications.
The decision was unanimous but the labels and studios, being what they are, aren’t about to take a ruling by a mere senior US court as final.
Oral arguments into the entertainment industry’s latest effort to get that turned around are slated for March 29.
“While petitioners and respondents will be permitted to have only one attorney argue for each side before the Supreme Court on March 29, the Solicitor General will most likely be allowed to argue on behalf of the federal government as well, legal sources say.”
Adherents of the studios and labels, as well as organizations owned by them, such as the IFPI (International Federation of Phonographic Industry), are filing amicus briefs as fast as they can go.
Joining in the amicus fun to back the RIAA and MPAA are Brooks and Dunn, Reba McEntire, the Dixie Chicks, the Eagles, the Barenaked Ladies, Bonnie Raitt, Avril Lavigne, Elvis Costello and the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson.
Not only but also, other vitally interested bodies such as Concerned Women for America, the National Football League and Morality in Media are throwing in their two cents as well.
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See:-
fighting crime – Gov’t, Biz Groups File Amicus Briefs In Grokster Case, Billboard, January 26, 2005naively wondered – File sharing: cesspool or honeypot?, p2pnet, December 6, 2004
vitally interested – Grokster v Hollywood, reloaded, p2pnet, January 25, 2005
January 26th, 2005 at 8:50 pm
Virtually all major legislation, policy decisions, and appointments being pushed by the bush administration can be traced back to one simple agenda. More money, power, and control for a chosen few. Even gay marriage is a simple economic issue (big biz just don’t wanna pay the benefits) that the bush admin has cloaked under a veil of moral outrage. The media cabal is perhaps the biggest power base in the USA (world maybe) so it is only natural that the bush camp and it’s followers would align themselves with it.
It will be a dark day for most of us, but in a twisted way I can’t wait to see it when most of these rich bush backers (and the REALLY stupid poor republicans) find that they are not among those chosen few and have been cast out among us undesirables.
January 27th, 2005 at 5:08 am
“and the REALLY stupid poor republicans”
Lmao! That is so true. I laugh evertime I see a crappy car with a Bush bumper sticker. The occupants of america seem to believe thier own bullshhh. We do what we like, and say we do what we say. =P
January 27th, 2005 at 3:41 pm
Let us hope that the Supreme Court looks hard at the simpler issues:
a. Who is resposnsible for the infringement, if any is made during p2p sharing? If it is the maker or the operator of p2p software, then Xerox and all photocopier makers are responsible for massive copyright infringement.
b. Must the technlology that allows infringement be supressed? If yes, then knives will have to be outlawed, since they can be used to murder. Same for photocopy machines, cd recorders, printing presses, radio, television, etc.
It cannot be simpler.
Rafael Venegas
http://www.gvenegas.com