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anything but asinine

September 28, 2005

eDonkey Chief Blasts Litigators In Senate Testimony

Hopfully the Senate is listening...

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changing the landscape

September 26, 2005

Blurbomat | 3hive Podcast is Live

Jon from 3hive points us to the project's latest feature... podcasts.

Now I haven't yet tried, let alone embraced this technology, but I've been following it for a couple of years now. And as the content and integration has improved (see the latest version of iTunes for more), my interest has finally piqued.

So now what, RIAA?

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Is not buying DRM-laden music the only answer?

September 24, 2005

Hi-end audio pro weighs in on DRM conundrum - ZDNet.com

Current DRM implementations are an afront to consumers of all ages. It undermines CD playback compatibility, fair use rights, and goodwill with the music buying public at just about every turn. Circumventing it makes you a de facto criminal, thanks to the DMCIA.

So how can this wrong best be righted? The linked article recommends abstaining from DRM distributed music and buying second-hand, back-catalog music. This is consumer pressure? Not only will this not be enough, it may only exacerbate the situation, as every lost CD sale is chalked up to increased piracy, according to the RIAA, only leading the industry to develop more intrusive mechanisms for controlling content.

Who is defending consumer rights? Too often it's being left to consumers, who collectively don't understand enough of the issue and aren't organized enough to effectively fend for themselves. And thus, "buyer beware" is the rule.

As demonstrated by the tobacco settlement, consumers need much more advocacy than themselves to win. Granted, DRM-laden music doesn't cause cancer, but it is an infringement on our civil liberties, and any such infringement of our civil liberties is a cancer on our society in my book.

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parody home companion

September 15, 2005

This is slightly off topic, but still relevant to fair use: MNspeak.com - Trial Of The Century: Keillor V. MNspeak.com.

More corporate bullying, but this time from a liberal comedian. Suffice to say, I find this incredibly disappointing.

Disclaimer: fairuseless.org is published by Adam Sellke, Founder and President of Ripshark, LLC. Ripshark is a proud sponsor of MNspeak.com.

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EFF: The Customer Is Always Wrong: A User's Guide to DRM in Online Music

September 6, 2005

Check it out.

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