The Cellar - SPEAK UP AND OPPOSE PIPA/SOPA !!!

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- - SPEAK UP AND OPPOSE PIPA/SOPA !!! (http://cellar.org/showthread.php?t=26706)

We rock. Anybody else is free to get in on this...

Well, flint is a type of rock...

NY Times
By BEN SISARIO
Published: January 19, 2012

Indictment Charges Megaupload Site With Piracy

Quote:

According to a grand jury indictment, Megaupload
— one of the most popular “locker” services on the Internet,
which lets users anonymously transfer large files
— generated $175 million in income for its operators through subscription fees and advertising,
while causing $500 million in damages to copyright holders.

Four of the seven people, including the site’s founder Kim Dotcom, born Kim Schmitz,
have been arrested in New Zealand, the Justice Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation
said on Thursday; the three others remain at large.
The seven — who a grand jury indictment calls part of a “Mega Conspiracy” —
have been charged with five counts of copyright infringement and conspiracy, the authorities said.<snip>

The indictment was handed down by a grand jury in Virginia two weeks ago,
but was unsealed on Thursday, and stems from a federal investigation that began two years ago.<snip>

Ira P. Rothken, a lawyer for Megaupload, said in a phone interview on Thursday afternoon
that he had not yet seen the indictment, but he added: “Clearly we have due process concerns.
This was done without a hearing.”

huh.. looks like prosecution of pirates DOESN'T require sopa/pipa after all.

Now. Go prove your case in court.

Quote:

generated $175 million in income for its operators through subscription fees and advertising,
while causing $500 million in damages to copyright holders.

The $175M number sounds like it's a real number that investigators got by actually looking at, you know, evidence. The $500M number sound like it was pulled out of someone's ass. Benford's law says that it's completely bullshit. Benford's law says that the $175M number is real.

Hey we're not opposing Pippa's butt, are we?

'cause I'm not against that. At least, not in the way I'd like to be.

No no Zen, Pipa/Sopa. They just don' wanna Pippa to ever soapa her butt.

I did not test this for truthiness, but, it's chock full of ironicalness.

Attachment 36880

If Lamar Smith and Dick Cheney went hunting, then who would win?

The American People!

Cato claims the numbers expounded by SOPA's backers, and repeated by their whores in congress, are bullshit.

Basically, MPAA claims online piracy costs the U.S. economy $200-250 billion per year, and had killed 750,000 American jobs.

This article, in tracking down those claims, and checking with the GAO, show piracy...
1- Costs the US economy nothing, zip, zero.
2- Costs the Hollywood studios $445 million, which equals the gross for the last Alvin & The Chipmunks.
3- Costs zero US jobs, except maybe employment in copyright-intensive sectors (lawyers).

Also, implementation would cost the taxpayers $47 million a year, plus untold millions more in ISP compliance costs which would be passed on to the consumer.

Lack of necessary knowledge in Congress (state and Federal) is even why we changed daylight saving times that did nothing to decrease costs. And that cause increase costs. Such as equipment that now has the wrong time for three weeks every year.

Cited in another discussion was WiFi. About 50% of the states banned public WiFi by anyone but the incumbent communication companies. This law was made only to protect the big communication companies (Comcast, Time Warner, Verizon, etc) from innovation by smaller companies (ie Earthlink). Why would any legislature do this? Their only information comes from expensive lobbyists.

Why has Google increased their Washington office from near zero to become their largest facilities outside of the Silicon Valley? Lobbying rather than basic technical knowledge is important when Congressmen are extremists rather than informed moderates. He who pays more to buy a Congressman learned long ago which ones are best purchased. With a Supreme Court who said this was good, even Google must now buy Congressmen.

The warranty on at least three members of the 9 members of the Supreme Court has expired.
Their initials are Scalia, Thomas, and TBA

How much would it cost to replace one ?
...and would there be progressive discounts for each additional replacement ?
.