Earlier this month, [TechDirt] noted that the Hollywood studios were all resisting subpoenas from Google concerning their super cozy relationship with Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood, whose highly questionable "investigation" of Google appeared to actually be run by the MPAA and the studios themselves. The entire "investigation" seemed to clearly be an attempt to mislead the public into believing that it was somehow illegal for Google's search engine to find stuff that people didn't like online. A court has already ruled that Hood pretty clearly acted in bad faith to deprive Google of its First Amendment rights. As the case has continued, Google has sought much more detail on just how much of the investigation was run by the MPAA and the studios -- and Hollywood has vigorously resisted, claiming that they really had nothing to do with all of this, which was a laughable assertion.
However, in a filing on Thursday, Google revealed one of the few emails that they have been able to get access to so far, and it's stunning.
To read some of the content of the e-mail (which really is stunning, if only for how openly the MPAA is doing this), read more here: TechDirt article
takyon: Dec. 12: Google Ends MPAA Anti-Piracy Cooperation
Dec. 23: As Hollywood Funds a SOPA Revival Through State Officials, Google (And The Internet) Respond
Jul. 3: Google Scolds MPAA on Cozy Relationship With the Mississippi Attorney General
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Snotnose on Monday July 27 2015, @11:32PM
I've wanted a system to only reward the artists since the 80s. Back in the day I used to buy an album and make a cassette tape of it. Sometimes I'd make mixtapes for my friends. Not to try to hook up with them (I had cocaine for that :), but because I thought the music was good, never got played on the radio, and deserved to be known more widely.
I always felt a little bit guilty giving these tapes away (I seemed to be the Guy Who Knew Bands Nobody Else Did, like Metallica and Queensryche). Then in the 90s they started charging a tax on blank cassettes and my guilt went away. Replaced by anger, knowing that tax went to bigwigs who couldn't tune a guitar, let alone play it, and the bands got bupkiss.
Why shouldn't we judge a book by it's cover? It's got the author, title, and a summary of what the book's about.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by FatPhil on Tuesday July 28 2015, @07:59AM
All the local musicians here, the ones who know my face, know I'm contributing positively (with $$$) to the music scene here, and they happily fling me URLs to torrents which would technically be illegal (even if by downloading that music it leads me to purchasing the CD, and thus has in reality been free advertising). That tells me the moral right is with me, no matter what the MAFIAA say.
Anyway, enough seriousness, here's some Fast Show: www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeYmvrtrq7I
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves