Keith Richards Isn't My Dad

Too bad about that new Pirates movie.  Reviews are tepid at best.  Johnny Depp's version of Keith Richards this time around, we hear, is less a bottle of bourbon down and more on a mixture of peyote and orange creamsicles.

Anyway, we digress.

Today, the LA Times ran yet another editorial that that takes a hit at its hometown industry.  Titled, "We Aren't All Pirates", it reminds tech policy watchers fixated by the Net Neutrality red carpet that oldie, but goodie catch phrases like Broadcast Flag and Analog Hole still are hanging around on the back lots of Hollywood.  New kids like the Audio Flag bill targeted at satellite services get a cameo.  The editorial argues:

...industry lobbyists are pressing Congress to adopt at least five different proposals that would give them more control over their works as they flow through new digital pipelines into living rooms and portable devices. But these measures, like the technologies they would affect, have a hard time distinguishing between illicit actions and legitimate ones....

... Protecting intellectual property is a legitimate goal for Congress .... But what the entertainment industry is seeking in this year's proposals isn't merely protection from piracy; it's after increased leverage to protect its business models....

...Clearly, the industry-backed proposals would do more than just defend copyrighted works from pirates. They also would impinge on devices that have legitimate uses and steer the development of technology, cutting off some innovation. As they weigh the entertainment industry's pleas, lawmakers shouldn't assume all consumers are bootleggers and every digital device is a hand grenade aimed at Hollywood.

Comments

[Julian]

Ok. This is nice, that you've opened this kind of blog. I mean, I've ovbersed that Google is a very open-minded corporation, even if is one of the biggest company in the world. Few companies stays in touch with the customers/users in the manner Google do. And you can see the effects of the feedbacks in the services&products wich Google offers. When I heard about the Privacy International report I was dissapointed, that a company like Google is accused. But the reactions arrived right away. Good work GOOGLE! I LOVE YOU!