[TriLUG] (Slightly OT)New Bill in Congress would make file-swapping a felony

Ken Mink kmtrilug at nc.rr.com
Thu Jul 17 15:02:03 EDT 2003


I'm going to start off by saying I am not supporting the downloading of
copyrighted music. However, you're argument is wanting. Civil
disobedience in the face of immoral and oppressive legislation is what
this country was founded on. I suppose the founding fathers should have
just bought their tea from another source rather than dump it into
Boston Harbor. Oh yeah, they couldn't, it was illegal. Should blacks in
the sixties just found other transportation rather than ride in the
front of the bus. It was illegal for them to do so.

Our Congress is passing laws to protect the business practices of a
small number of companies because the consumers are no longer satisfied
with their business practices. The RIAA and MPAA are in control of
unique product. I can get music from independent distributors, but not
the same music. There is demand for the RIAA's content, but not their
distribution methods. If they did not control a unique product, they'd
already be out of business. Since they do control a unique product and
have money, they pay for legislation to protect their distribution
model.

I dearly hope that people turn away from RIAA artists and discover some
of the wonderful music on the smaller labels. But the masses wouldn't be
the masses if they weren't doing something in mass. And the masses want
Britney Spears, etc. and they want to download it.

Ken

On Thu, 2003-07-17 at 14:25, Michael Thompson wrote:
> On Thu, 2003-07-17 at 13:17, Tanner Lovelace wrote:
> > Times change, things change.  Do you think we should have laws that
> > protect horse drawn cart makers from Ford and GM?  The record company
> > needs to give their customers what they want rather than going to
> > congress and crying about things.
> 
> Things have changed, in the past consumers would just shop somewhere
> else rather than just steal the product they are dissatisfied with. 
> Horse drawn carts were put aside for a competing product, not theft.  If
> everyone is unhappy with the product offered, there are places to get
> music where the artists would be perfectly happy to let you download
> their music for free (www.freemusic.org).  If you don't like the
> alternatives and must have the luxury of music, then you can either be a
> thief (and deal with the possible consequences), or buy the product that
> you want.  Just because something does not come packaged the way you
> want it does not give everyone the right to just take it.
> 
> Ok guys, flame me or not, I'm done.  (Your welcome!)  ;)
> 
> --mike
-- 
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."--Benjamin Franklin
" 'Necessity' is the plea for every infringement of human liberty; it
is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves."--William Pitt 


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