RIAA/MIAA = welcome your new content overlords.

GreatTeacherMacRoss

Well, they're trying anyhow. Check out what the wacko politician from Oregon is helping to try and put into motion.

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060121-6025.html

If you were ever looking to invent anything that carried audio or video content, just give up. :P

Ametto

Within the first paragraph I got confused.

Johannes Uglyfred II

Ugh, laws crafted to protect the personal interests of private companies are just crap. Especially when they're companies like the RIAA and MPAA who use the law to protect their old system of income instead of, you know, updating their fucking business model.

Eventually the "sink or swim" idea is going to come into effect. If your business can't keep up with the times and can't cut it, you sink. These crap laws are just last-ditch efforts at throwing out a lifeboat. But really, it's just too late. No matter how much money they line this senator's pockets with, they can't stop the masses of people who already know the RIAA has jumped the shark.

"Customary historic use" my ass!

Rym

Rym

But seriously, you're dead on. Capitalism ensures that the government will not compete with or take over private enterprise, but it also is supposed to ensure that private enterprise cannot use the government as a tool to further its own ends.

A product should stand on its own. If it needs a law to continue being profitable, it's no longer a marketable product.

Johannes Uglyfred II

That picture almost made me wet myself in laughter.