p2pnet - rss feed: Welcome to 1984, Australia
p2p news view / p2pnet: As a Canadian, I feel a sort of kinsmanship, a sort of connection if you will, with the people from the land down under, the land of Steve Irwin and baby-eating dingos. Both of our respective countries are misunderstood due to the actions of a certain few famous people originating from said country. Australia has their Paul Hogan & Yahoo Serious. Canada has Bryan Adams and Celine Dion. Both our countries are far worse because of these "select" few and have to put up with the stereotypes generated by these fine examples of what our countries have to offer.
It’s because of this close bond between myself and all you Aussies that I warmly welcome you and your government into 1984. Hopefully, your government will soon discover the internet and computers too!
Because soon it will be legal for Australians to video-tape TV shows or copy their CDs to their mp3 players without being cast off as criminals, as communists who hate the Entertainment Industry.
Australia had been leading the way in forcing the public to bend over whenever buying a CD or movie. You see, in Australia, you can’t legally copy music from a CD you own to an mp3 player you own. Apparently, the 100,000 Aussies who own an iPod (and the hundreds of thousands that own iPod wannabes) are all vile henchmen who’d like nothing better than to plunge the country back into its days as a prison island for England’s castaways.
Of course, the entertainment industry couldn’t be any happier about this. I’m guessing this is RIAA President Carry Sherman’s wet dream.
True, 1984 isn’t when we Canuckistanians were granted fair use rights. Still, I say 1984 because that was when the landslide Sony Betamax case was decided in America with the judges deciding that we consumers can be trusted, that consumers aren’t all uncouth heathans trying to steal away Steve Guttenberg’s very livelyhood. No, consumers simply wanted to take advantage of new technology such as video tape recorders to let them record television shows that they weren’t at home to watch. They also wanted their money for nothing and their chicks for free, but that’s another story.
The movie industry was hell-bent on claiming that the VCR would destroy the industy. Thankfully for them, too, the judges decided against them. Imagine what would have happened to the rental industry if VCRs hadn’t become as popular as they are now/. And they wouldn’t have were it not for the convenience they offered!
"We should not treat everyday Australians who want to use technology to enjoy copyright material they have obtained legally as infringers where this does not cause harm to our copyright industries," Aussie Attorney-General Philip Ruddock.
So my Aussie friends, welcome! Grab a beer, eh, and take a seat in the igloo while I put another shrimp on the ‘barbie.
Joe McGuire - Tinfoil
Also See:
video-tape TV shows - Oz to revamp copyright laws, December 28, 2005
December 29th, 2005 at 3:47 pm
You have been able to buy Tape recorders ,VCRs and CD and DVD burners in Australia ever since theses devices where released .If Australian government didn’t want these devices in the country they would have stopped them at the Customs Gate .
And back in the early 90s the federal government proposed a Blank Tape Levy that was possessed by ARIA and was subsequently quashed by the High Court because it got implemented as a Tax and not a Levy .
ARIA made sure that the legislation was never proposed again .I have no sympathy for ARIA who where asked if they wanted to participate in the revised tape levy legislation and they could be receiving revenue from all blank media now and MP3 players and possibly a levy on internet connections but they stupidly chose not to.
December 30th, 2005 at 10:29 am
This is so stupid here in Australia why sell an ipod if your unable to put music from your cd on it. What is it to look good? mate i just think they have gone to far!
December 30th, 2005 at 10:59 pm
Australia was not a prison for ENGLAND’s castoffs, transported prisoners came from the whole of the United Kingdom. Perhaps you should read the following:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom
When you quote from history, at least get your facts right!