The US isn't the only nation with terrible copyright laws

[unixronin]

Move over, Joe Biden.  New Zealand just went you one better.  The NZ Parliament has rolled over for the RIANZ (the Kiwi equivalent of RIAA), and passed a harsh new copyright law.

Here in the US, the RIAA accuses people of content piracy and drags them into court all the time ... but they still have to prove their allegations in court.  (Though even the RIAA have recently acknowledged that perhaps sueing their own market perhaps might not have been the best business plan.)  But under New Zealand's Copyright Amendment Act 2008, Section 92A and 92C, you're guilty if accused — and if you're accused, your ISP (which, in New Zealand, now means ANYONE who provides you with Internet service) is required by the new law to cut off your Internet service.

Comments

[databeast.livejournal.com]

and considering thats only about 4 ISP's in the whole fucking country
(and I've worked for two of em), that's pretty evil.

[ithildae.livejournal.com]

Has the law survived the court challenge? Last I heard, it was still pending.

We are actually in worse trouble here in the US. Last I heard, three of the top four attorneys in the USA Attorney General's office are recruited from the RIAA lawyers. And our top anti-trust officer thinks Micro$oft is an ancient history problem, the real monopoly is Google.

If you thought civil liberties were eroded under King George, you ain't seen nothin' yet. President Obama is not restoring ANY liberties that the prior administration conscripted, and is working on a new set of their own to take away.

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

Which is pretty much what we all said would happen.

Nobody listened. But they never do.

[ithildae.livejournal.com]

Sometimes, you get no satisfaction whatsoever from being right.

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

You can say that again. Sometimes it's much better to be wrong.

[milktree.livejournal.com]

Wait, seriously? I'm not going to be a blind apologist for Obama, but seriously, he's got a *lot* to think about right now. He's just now getting to rescinding Bush's ban on stem cell research, and that's a total no brainer.

It's only February, he's been in office a couple days over a month. Give him a chance.

[ithildae.livejournal.com]

Fair enough. What I am looking at is the team of governance that he is putting together. In almost every case, it is people that have experience in restricting the liberties that I hold dear. It is very true that there are liberties that I keep track of, but am not as concerned about. Myopic, but that is where I am coming from.

Embryonic stem cell research is not a civil liberty. (It has also been a research dead end.) Frankly, I don't care about the restriction. I just don't care either way. It has nothing to do with my constitutional liberties.

[micheinnz.livejournal.com]

The good news is that Section 92(a) has been put on hold while the telcos, ISPs and RIANZ get together to decide collectively how the law should be implemented.

Considering the chances of such an agreement actually occurring are about the same as those of a snowball fight in hell, I'd say the stupid thing will be suspended and, hopefully, eventually repealed.

[house-pundit.livejournal.com]

Are jackboots and brown shirts copyrighted clothing designs?

[ehintz.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's a bit of a crapper. Lot of public angst though so maybe it'll get repealed.