This article expands on an earlier one, which mentioned new areas of 'legal exploration' by the music industry to curb 'piracy.' At least the Brazilians are NOT taking this international 'assault' lightly, as they are passing around an online petition to encourage national legislation to reinstate previous copyright law (the newer version does not allow backups of purchased media). From what the article reports, this is a unified outcry from 3 distinct sectors of society:
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'Artists are increasingly turning against the lawsuits, and the time has come to discuss other alternatives and business models, rather than just suing Internet users," the Brazilian protest coalition said in a statement. |
Reading the Brazilian statement included in the petition states it all in the most inclusive manner possible (it is recommended every news reader bookmark this statement for future reference); it also states the 'state of the question' at hand, while using independent sources to establish the validity of the claims contained therein (that the lawsuits are useless among other things). Readers should think of the apparent contradiction, given the fact an MPAA executive acknowledged prohibiting portability and backups produces the trouble it seeks to quash. So if the music industry is now realizing this, why the 'disconnect' between words (the statement above), but continuing to sue'”when the proof shows it nets only citizens for arguably VERY minor infractions, instead of nabbing the real 'pirates' it purports to find? Any Rush fan might be thinking of the song 'Big Money" as the only possible answer to such proceedings. It is obvious the IFPI adopted the RIAA's 'blanket' approach that everyone is a 'pirate' from only having downloaded and listened to just one song, so the IFPI is forging ahead without considering how such procedures alienate current and future music connoisseurs.
Possibly the only thing more alarming than all this is the IFPI's CEO John Kennedy's statement about its 'reluctance' to pursue such matters. Additionally, the IFPI lacks any understanding of current Brazilian affairs: Lula (the president) refuses to 'get involved' with cleaning up the bandits causing current waves of robberies and violence; people using 'gatos' (tapping into another house's electrical power to use for another's house) are rarely prosecuted; and the average Brazilian wages are so far below those in the U.S. that it would be incredibly difficult to collect any money from any convicted Brazilian, so therefore the lawsuit would be futile, with no 'reward' collected (the very goal of the process).
Let's hope sufficient Brazilians sign this petition to reinstate their copyright and fair use laws, as this would be one more stake in the heart of all things DRM-related.Source: Red Herring
