The United States has had copyright laws since 1790. In 1978 a new copyright law went into effect. Under it, the creator of a work can obtain a copyright without waiting for the work to be published. In most cases the copyright continues for 50 years after the creator’s death. If the work was commissioned by an employer, the employer may hold the copyright. Such a copyright lasts for 75 years from the date of publication or for 100 years from the date of creation, whichever is shorter.

Permission to use a copyrighted work is usually granted on payment of a fee. Every time a disc jockey plays a song on the radio, the authors of the words and music must be paid. When a play is performed, the producer must pay the playwright. Authors of books receive payments for all copies of books that are sold. These payments are called royalties.

Using copyrighted material without permission is a form of stealing. The owner of the copyright can sue someone who does this. But there are exceptions to the law. Films and plays may be presented for educational purposes if tickets are not sold. Teachers may make a few copies of a work for class use, but whole books may not be copied in this way.

The laws of one country do not protect authors if their work is used in other countries. Two treaties provide such protection. They are the Berne Convention of 1886 and the Universal Copyright Convention of 1952.

Copyrighted material available over the Internet and in other digital forms is particularly vulnerable to theft. Laws such as the United State’s Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 regulate how such material can be used.

The symbol © or the word “copyright” appears on all copies of a copyrighted work. In a book this notice is usually on the back of the title page. On the Internet, it is usually at the bottom of each Web page.

Copyright Symbols (Photo credit: MikeBlogs)

ACTA is of course, not a bill like SOPA, but an international trade agreement that sets standards for the enforcement of intellectual property rights.  Unlike SOPA, the focus of ACTA is enforcement of larger-scale copyright infringements.  So while it is not a law that says who can and who can’t be defined as theives of intellectual property, it encourages those that sign it to create such laws, and crack down harder on those who break them.

Surely if the United States had signed such an agreement we would have heard about it, right?  Nope.  The United States signed ACTA on it’s day of birth, on October 1, 2011.  Citizens were not informed of this not because of some distraction such as SOPA or the Occupy Protests, but because the various governments that signed it decided it was better to keep it a secret.  It was only during the turbulence of SOPA when ACTA was exposed to the majority of the citizens of the countries who signed the agreement.  Some other governments who have also signed include Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea, and 22 members of the European Union.

Protests have already sprung up across the globe, with the most fierce gatherings in Europe.  This also comes to show why internet activists are still so up in arms about the copyright issues with protests such as Black March.

ICE has found a loophole in the law which allowed them to seize the domains of over 300 websites which were suspected of intending to stream the Super Bowl or sell Super Bowl merchandise. They have been grated the power through section 2323 of the United States Code to seize any domain or website which they “think” is distributing any copyrighted material with the ease of obtaining a search warrant. ICE does not need to give ANY prior notification to anyone running a website that such action is going to take place. Only after the site is shut down can a person file a case with the court system. A writ of replevin would need to be heard before the court to prove their site was not used for the distribution of copyrighted material.

GET READY TO GIVE UP YOUR FREEDOM

The broad interpretation and enforcement of these laws opens the door for any agency enacted by the government to seize anything from your homes which may have. Let’s explore a scenario. You go to E-bay and bid on a used copy of Star Wars on blue ray. You don’t know it but the person you bought it from sold a bootleg copy of Steel Magnolias a year ago. Under the provisions of these laws, ICE would be able to seize your entire blue ray collection, your computers and any other electronic device related to entertainment from your home without prior notification or your consent and you would have to convince a judge that you did not purchase any of those items illegally or with the intent to distribute them illegally.

I know this sound a little too much like “Big Brother” watching over us, but this is how they were able to shut these sites down. How long will it be before they decide to expand the enforcement of these laws to shut down people that see these things going on and decide to write about it?

Sources

Legal Information Institute (2012). 981. Civil Forfeiture. Retrieved from http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode18/usc_sec_18_00000981—-000-.html

Wehner, M (2012, February 3). Super bowl bust: US government seizes 307 domains for violating NFL copyrights. Yahoo News. Retrieved from http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technology-blog/super-bowl-bust-u-government-seizes-307-domains-230823821.html

Below is a promotional poster spread across the internet by supporters of Black March.

They plan to achieve such a lofty goal by boycotting all copyrighted consumer goods, such as music, movies and books.  As described in the promotional image above, this will give “all governments an economic hit that can be visible”.

So is this actually possible?  Will it actually do something?  There are a couple very good arguments that say no.

First, how many people will actually give up buying copyrighted material for an entire month?  I’d like to think we all have the self-discipline to take on such a task, but unfortunately many of us don’t.

Second, won’t these companies experience a boom when this is over?  Everyone who participates will no doubt have a few things in mind to blow all that saved up money on when April comes.  This could overwrite any damage that is done.

Whatever the case, it is good to see people willing to give up some of their entertainment and consumerism to make a difference in the name of freedom.  Whether or not it does make a difference in the end, I will be participating in Black March, and I would urge the readers of this article to do the same.

Hed mention these comments at a meeting in Cannes to representatives of the music industry, and noted that the industry poorly dealt with piracy, and that Rubio had learned it mistakes. The company is fighting counterfeiting and piracy only in extreme cases, because ultimately forged products bring them more fans you can eventually cause them to sell more products. Rubio refer customers as “Fans” not as “Users “. Hed mentions the company wants to sell and promote music through the game, and thus lead to a gain of all parties involved.

We have always wondered who would win in the conflict between pirates and ninjas. Here is some of the much sought after evidence that shows pirates are truly better than ninjas.

1. Water and the Earth

Pirates have a natural tendency for doing battle on water where waves keep the battle field in constant motion. This may make many pirates unsteady on stable land; however, it areas with varying elevation the pirates advantage may increase from the standard 75% of the Earth that is made up of water.

2. The Triond Test: Pirates / Ninjas

At the time this article was published Triond had over 100 pages of pirate related articles and poems. There were less than 50 pages containing poems and articles about ninjas. Some may claim that ninjas are stealthier; of course everyone can see a wet ninja that’s in the ocean.

3. Pirates and Puzzles

Pirates have a very keen sense of puzzling abilities. Their incredible puzzling skills are so potent that they even created a MMORPG to recruit and train more pirates. So since many people like puzzles and pirates are good at puzzles; pirates have more appeal to everyone.

4. Pirates and Ninjas in Art

Even in art we can see that the ninjas are no match for the pirates. Ever since the ninjas were driven into hiding, pirates have been tackling more noble projects such as eliminating Digital Rights Management. They have also supported Anonymous in the war against Scientology through the protests called “Sea Arrgh I and II”.

5. Pirate Talk

Pirates regularly share their linguistic ability with all in the world. Ninjas hide in fear for their language is no match to the complexity of the pirate talk.

Google, Wikipedia, Reddit and other websites staged asuccessful SOPA blackout on Jan. 18, bringing the web together in opposition to the bill, and causing the Congress to have to go back to the drawing board on an anti-piracy bill.

And now ACTA opponents, from the Electronic Frontier Foundation to the Anonymous hacktivist collective are colaescing in opposition to the treaty as well.

Despite these key similarities, the ACTA vs. SOPA debate usually ends up with opponents ruling that ACTA is scarier in terms of what its worldwide impacts would be. Here are five of these reasons why these opponents believe ACTA is the greater threat to the Internet as we know it:

1. Scope: The key reason why ACTA is scarier to many Internet freedom advocates is the fact that it is an international treaty. SOPA was a bill before the U.S. Congress, and though it would have had some worldwide implications as it was aimed at stopping web piracy at overseas sites like Sweden’s Pirate Bay torrent site.

ACTA, meanwhile, would set up an international legal framework to deal with issues of counterfeiting, piracy and other crimes. Instead of dealing with individual nation’s laws regarding these issues, if ACTA is passed, countries would be able to adjudicate these crimes in a new governing body that would exist outside of the purview of the United Nations and other international institutions.

This opens up the possibility for ACTA to be used to crack down on Internet activity worldwide by a coordinated authority that rests outside of any country. SOPA, meanwhile, would have been enforced by existing American agencies, and would have been subject to legal scrutiny and constitutional challenges within the U.S. judiciary system.

2. Transparency: The SOPA debate took place mostly outside of the public eye at first, but because it was taking place in the halls of the U.S. Congress, Internet freedom advocates were able to monitor the proceedings, view draft bills and related materials and monitor the proceedings.

But the ACTA treaty is being negotiated almost entirely behind closed doors. If it were not for the advent ofWikiLeaks, which released documents revealing details of the negotiations and draft versions of the treaty, the world community would still have very little knowledge of what exactly the treaty might entail.

This opens up major concerns for people who would like to ensure that the treaty does not infringe on people’s rights or limit internet freedom in ways that would be detrimental to the web’s status as a place where information flows freely.

These laws, although aiming to target and put an end to piracy, may shut down many well-known websites that you use every day.  This may cause damage to thousands of American corporations.  Americans constantly criticize the Chinese government for controlling their internet usage, while slowly but surely, the government has began taken away our freedoms online. 

The reason: money.  That’s right.  Lobbeyists across the nation are rooting to make sure that television networks and movie production companies get their “fair share” of earnings.  That’s a pretty bold statement to make, especially considering a large majority of the American population is on minimum wage.  I think these large companies already get their fair share, and much more. 

We are being asked to pay for more and more every day.  The cost of going to a University is now way outweighing the benefits of having a degree.  We have to pay for things that should be easily accessible and free by the companies that make the products that need these tools: antiviruses, game add-ons, network tools, etc.  Unfortunately, the corporations in America have done everything they can to take away our access to free movies, games, videos, e-books, and now they are trying to take away our ability to even access websites that DON’T engage in these illegal activities.  I mean, I understand the threat of piracy to some (very specific) large corporations, but there is a much bigger issue at play here.  Americans can’t afford entertainment.  We can’t afford to pay $20 for a DVD on top of rent payments, internet access, bills, gas, and a new cell phone every time your “battery gets wet” because most phone companies won’t just replace the damn battery.  Our government lets us get cheated by corporation everywhere, and then punishes us when we cheat back? 

If the government was willing to protect its citizens from being charged fees for every small detail of our lives (many of them necessary), maybe people wouldn’t be stealing entertainment from the internet, because they could actually afford to buy the things they enjoy.  I don’t know about you, but I’d rather own the DVD then have a bad theatre rip on my computer any day.

Some report think that this knew swift justice against this site will only galvanize a stronger movement against SOPA and PIPA.  Because now this problem has become international and more than just the american pirates are angered.  I would have to compare it to pirates of the caribbean three where all the pirates come from around the world to fight.  A lawyer for the site has said he intends to “vigously contest” all aleegations that hold no merit.  

An attack was also led on the F.B.I website, American department of Justice, and the New Zealand police service.  Carried out by a group of online activits, or “hacktivists” who named themselves anonymous. The hackers used a large number of servers to overload the target site with traffic, shutting them down. But only because the site had server in the United States could the firm be prosecuted.  

In the future, when historians look back at the early 21st century. They will come to refer to the time as the Bandwagon Protester movement.

There is no doubt that the Arab Spring is a worthwhile movement to follow and support. However, what I find most annoying are the insignificant and selfish quasi movements.

At the end of 2011 we were almost duped into falling for the Occupy movement. If you are a little unsure about this one – I will remind you. It is a group of white middle class people, the men usually have dreadlocks protesting about I think, Capitalism, whilst drinking Starbucks coffee and coordinating the protest with their Dell laptop or Blackberry. I say I think they are protesting about Capitalism, because they are not really sure themselves. There is also something about the richest 1% and globalisation attached to it as well.

I don’t understand the idiots who decide to protest about Capitalism, it is something that has existed since our ancestors first started trading. Without Capitalism, the modern world as we know it would not exist.

What is wrong with some people being richer than the majority? We all strive to be successful, wealthy and in possession of a better quality of life. To then complain when others achieve this stinks of bitterness and jealousy – GROW UP!!

So this brings us nicely onto SOPA and PIPA – yet another cause that the misinformed and sheep like majority have decided to jump on. These two Bills, have now been suspended – No idea why.

There appears to be a growing number of people who use the internet that believe that they are entitled to everything – This being classified information, illegal downloaded music or films, pirated software and whatever else one get for nothing. Not only do these people believe that they should get everything for free, they also believe that their opinions are relevant or important.

Collectively we seemed to have lost the power to rationalise or to see the other side of an argument. Millions of dollars are spent developing or making music, film or software. Surely there should be laws in place to protect against piracy and allow the developers to profit from their endeavours… Well there are. Piracy laws do exist, but are flouted and ignored by all of us once we go online. Because of the continued disregard of piracy laws, it was felt that dedicated Bills had to be brought in.

The internet sheep believe that these Bills infringe their liberty and freedom, what about the liberty of the developers, film makers or music makers – Does that not matter?

Wikipedia and Google are the biggest names to voice concern over these proposed Bills. I find the concerns of Google to be quite disgusting as they make millions advertising illegal downloading, file sharing and free software sites whenever you use the search engine.

I have a rule of thumb. If the majority are following something – I choose the minority vote.

Remember also – there are still people starving in the world, without any form of education or medical care – is it really important if SOPA and PIPA ever go through?

Finally, if you disagree with my views – form a protest group, I am sure some arsehole will join.