This presentation was given at the February MLUG meetup in Minsk. Slides in PDF and latex-beamer (including links to sources) are attached as comments to the Russian version of this message. Summary of the presentation:
SOPA, ACTA, TPP: Internet Archipelago
Problem?
- SOPA: extrajudicial killing of sites, de-facto ban on user-generated content
- ACTA: criminalization of copyright infringement, human rights erosion for the benefit of the big content
- TPP: further expansion of the “intellectual property” regime, restrictions on buffer copies
Taking issue with the procedure:
- Laws and agreements are written by Hollywood behind closed doors, while other affected parties, including the public, are informed after the fact
- “Intellectual property” policy is routed around “inconvenient” international organizations such as WIPO
- Trade agreements supplant law in violation of the principle of separation of powers (aka “policy laundering”)
Unseen War
1992. AHRA mandates digital audio copy protection, imposes a tax on blank media
1994. TRIPS makes copyright enforcement a condition of WTO membership
1997. NETA increases penalties for copyright infringement
1998. DMCA outlaws breaking DRM
2000. My.MP3.com is taken out
2001. Napster is taken out
2005. Grokster is taken out
2008. PRO-IP allows USA to take over domains of foreign sites
2010. Dajaz1.com blocked for a year “by mistake”
2011. USA demands that UK extradites Richard O’Dwyer even though his site TVShack did’t violate UK laws
2012. Megaupload is shuttered, BTJunkie gave up, The Pirate Bay admins lost the appeal and are going to jail
Alms for the Rich
| 2000 | 2010 | |
|---|---|---|
| Studio album releases | 35000 | 75000 |
| Movie releases | 472 | 578 |
| 1998 | 2010 | |
|---|---|---|
| USA GDP contrubution of big content | 0.4% | 0.4% |
| People employed by Hollywood | 392K | 374K |
If all BitTorrent users were to buy their movies from Netflix, Hollywood profits would increase by $60 mil.
| CEO Income | 1994 | 2010 |
|---|---|---|
| Time Warner | $5 mil. | $26 mil. |
| Disney | $10 mil. | $29 mil. |
| Viacom | $21 mil. | $84 mil. |
Our Solution Is Revolution
We won’t:
- buy music from them
- go to their movies
- buy their DVDs
- play their games
- read their books and magazines
We shall:
- support independent artists
- go to live performances
- buy DRM-free games straight from developers
- use Kickstarter, HumbleBundle etc.
- share our content
FAQ
I get all my games and movies from the torrents anyway…
No matter how much they whine about piracy, the only real threat to them is the alternatives to their business model. Same reason why Microsoft prefers people to steal Windows instead of switching to Linux.
I’m not a US citizen, why should I care?
USA exports its ``intellectual property’’ regime across the world and has a lot of influence on Internet’s technology and infrastructure, and on the world culture in general. Content mafia is an international problem.
I’m not a US citizen, what can I do?
A lot. Stop giving your money to the content mafia. Develop alternatives that help avoid it. Fight against the IP in your own country. Convince your friends to follow your example.