Topic: Felony for streaming videos.

[Kale]

I kid you not, the Obama administration is trying to make it a felony to stream a video.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/03/obama-ip-czar-wants-felony-charges-for-illegal-web-streaming.ars
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-20043421-281.html

And as fattypants of Hardforum says...

Make everyone a felon. Nobody can vote.

And what do you call a government where nobody votes?

[crims0nf0rtune]

I'm seriously losing what little respect I have for my country with these recent events...  I feel like I shouldn't even care anymore

[K.G. Morder]

Key word, illegal streams. I dont see what is so wrong with that. You might as well say "ooohhh Im loosing respect for this country... How dare police officers arrest people who break the law!"

Its illegal because it is stealing. You didnt pay for it, and ripped it, violating copyright laws. You know, that FBI warning that all VHS tapes carried? (and some DVD's)

[Kale]

you do know that 90 percent (if not more) of youtube videos has copyrighted material in it right?

[Zobias]

All thats being targeted by Law Enforcement is any and all Video and Music under Contract from or with Studios in The U.S.A. Period. So Once this expansion is approved the only Video & Music on Youtube will be Film Studio , and Artist Channels period.

The reverse of Napster after the Studios took over you can still watch the content at the site without a worry of the Music Industry having downloaded a virus into your PC or Laptop.

How this will affect people who do Video Game walkthroughs on Youtube we will just have to wait and see

[K.G. Morder]

you do know that 90 percent (if not more) of youtube videos has copyrighted material in it right?

Yes. And if it is stolen, then they have every right to want their just desserts. Think about it. You dont make money because your product is available freely on the internet. So naturally, you will want the consequences for those who steal to be severe.

Does it suck for us? Hell yeah. But is it justified? Definitely.

[JR]

I'm just wondering how this will be enforced. If someone puts up a video of themselves, say, doing a stupid stunt in their backyard, and there's a copyrighted song playing in the background, will they be committing a felony by uploading the video? Will I be committing a felony by watching it? I just don't really understand how far they plan on going with this, I guess.

I agree that copyright holders should exercise their rights to protect their intellectual properties, but it just almost sounds like the FBI is now the private army of the RIAA, MPAA, etc.

And also, the wiretapping thing I don't agree with at all.

[Abnormal Freak]

Yes. And if it is stolen, then they have every right to want their just desserts. Think about it. You dont make money because your product is available freely on the internet. So naturally, you will want the consequences for those who steal to be severe.

Does it suck for us? Hell yeah. But is it justified? Definitely.

Justified? So a rights holder who refuses to release or re-release a movie or music album or video game or whatever is fully justified in squashing the only available means for experiencing such content without shelling out a ton of money for somebody reselling it used? (And in a lot of cases, not even that is an option.) Or, what about cases where something isn't even readily available on any format? If a rights holder cares so much about what they own to sue somebody who's distributing it illegally WITHOUT PROFIT, you'd think they'd make that copyrighted work readily available, but there are so many instances where they just keep stuff lying around in their vaults with no intention of ever putting it out to the public.

So, I watch on YouTube a movie that's never even been released on DVD, and I should get my ass thrown in jail, eh? That's justified? You think that's right? 'Cos it's THE LAW? I upload a music video that no big wigs have themselves uploaded to YouTube and who never will and it should be fine and dandy for them to slap some outrageous fees on me for copyright infringement—fees and jail time that will ruin my life? That's perfectly reasonable and acceptable?

Also, I keep hearing this "people don't make money when their stuff is illegally downloadable for free on the Internet" argument, and a lot of people unfortunately do download illegally and never pay a penny for anything. But what about people like myself and a WHOOOOOOOOLE TON of others I know who, for example, are music lovers and who download illegally or go on YouTube to check out songs and see if we like them, and then decide to purchase a CD or vinyl record or cassette or legal digital download based on what we've heard and liked? Because, if you're really serious about music, there's a whole shit-load of stuff you can't hear without buying the CD, having no "try before you buy" option—no online store samples, no officially-uploaded MySpace tracks, no radio play, no Rhapsody or Last.fm tracks, no YouTube vids (some bands are lucky to ever have even one music video made), no nothin'—unless you pirate the tunes.

So, in closing: Don't fucking tell me I deserve to be fined and thrown in jail because I want to experience what rights holders are keeping away from me, 'cos I take some serious damn offense to that. Saying that only makes the situation worse, only makes assholes like the RIAA more justified in the minds of the idiot public, which can do nothing but encourage them further, affirming the shit-notion that they're on some necessary holy crusade against the big, bad little people.

And wiretapping? FUCKING WIRETAPPING? That's justified, eh, right, buddy?

[Kale]

I'm just wondering how this will be enforced. If someone puts up a video of themselves, say, doing a stupid stunt in their backyard, and there's a copyrighted song playing in the background, will they be committing a felony by uploading the video? Will I be committing a felony by watching it? I just don't really understand how far they plan on going with this, I guess.

I agree that copyright holders should exercise their rights to protect their intellectual properties, but it just almost sounds like the FBI is now the private army of the RIAA, MPAA, etc.

And also, the wiretapping thing I don't agree with at all.

From what I read, it sounds like you will be the one committing a felony.

[JR]

I guess I'll just have to stay clear of YouTube forever then, just in case. 

[Gunlord]

The interesting thing is that this "reasoning" could quickly be turned around to bite Hollywood and the studios in the ass. If a guy playing a copyrighted song in the background of his video could be labeled a felon, then movies parodying other movies or media franchises ("vampire movie" making fun of "Twilight," for instance) would have to pay out the ass or risk getting ~*sued*~ for copyright infringement.

As Flame said, these restrictions on Youtube may be justified under the law, but the law itself is unjust, in my view.