Jimquisition: Sony, Nintendo, EA and SOPA
- Thread starter Jimothy Sterling
- Start date
The reason why the government is trying some shit like this because of the lobbyist in DC putting money and ideas into their heads. They want something done so they'll bribe until it's heard by the majority. It overall undermines the voting processes the majority, the USERS don't get a vote at all. The vote goes to idiots that are too busy counting their money to really care.Johnson McGee said:
Sadly I don't see this bill hurting bigger game companies all that much. So long as you're a sniveling little sycophant and praise every game you review with a generous 10 out of 10 and never speak ill of them then I'd surmise your website would be left unharmed (so long as a rival company doesn't get too pissed you're talking about a different game that is).
I would suspect that this would harm smaller devs who would have many larger companies shut down websites who are "violating" the IP rights of smaller companies that can't afford to police the internet as thoroughly as the larger ones can and so all of these smaller companies who do rely on word of mouth to get their games out their would be screwed.
Speak ill of Bioware? Deleted.
Speak ill of modern FPSs and their trends? Deleted.
Cry out for more meaningful and intelligent Sci-fi movies? Deleted.
Post an article about a game or movie from a smaller developer or director that could threaten to topple status quo? Deleted.
And sad thing is I can already see many fans of more mainstream games lining up with big "so what?" attitudes. I mean these are people who've probably had their tastes dictated to them from day one, so they don't care if games like Amnesia or Mine Craft can no longer compete with their Call of Duties and Battlefields. And since this IS America if we hear less and less about JRPGs and other Japanese games as companies like EA and Activision submit deletion after deletion for every article that speak well about them (on the altruistic behalf of their smaller Japanese competitors of course) then who would really shed a tear? After all JRPGs suck, it's like a fact, or something, so why should these people be allowed to share their opinions when they are clearly wrong? Go play Mass Effect and Call of Duty and never speak ill of them or else.
Big brother is watching.
I would suspect that this would harm smaller devs who would have many larger companies shut down websites who are "violating" the IP rights of smaller companies that can't afford to police the internet as thoroughly as the larger ones can and so all of these smaller companies who do rely on word of mouth to get their games out their would be screwed.
Speak ill of Bioware? Deleted.
Speak ill of modern FPSs and their trends? Deleted.
Cry out for more meaningful and intelligent Sci-fi movies? Deleted.
Post an article about a game or movie from a smaller developer or director that could threaten to topple status quo? Deleted.
And sad thing is I can already see many fans of more mainstream games lining up with big "so what?" attitudes. I mean these are people who've probably had their tastes dictated to them from day one, so they don't care if games like Amnesia or Mine Craft can no longer compete with their Call of Duties and Battlefields. And since this IS America if we hear less and less about JRPGs and other Japanese games as companies like EA and Activision submit deletion after deletion for every article that speak well about them (on the altruistic behalf of their smaller Japanese competitors of course) then who would really shed a tear? After all JRPGs suck, it's like a fact, or something, so why should these people be allowed to share their opinions when they are clearly wrong? Go play Mass Effect and Call of Duty and never speak ill of them or else.
Big brother is watching.
Interestingly enough, Hong Kong is technically not Chinese. When the British handed it over to China it was stipulated it remain independent (sort of anyway) and that they have their own laws, parliament and money. It's also separated from mainland China (which is what the poster was talking about)Volf99 said:
Yeah, I mean look at what happened to Star Trek online, which has completely bombed out and gotten totally screwed. New Zealand is slightly better than America about this stuff, and so are lots of European countries, which don't seem to like the fact that companies can sell something broken and then force the user to waive their rights BEFORE they can tell whether it is broken or not. The problem is most anyone in government has no real idea about copyright or IP, not in a sense related to internet, in fact many profess their ignorance when voting about such topis (but they vote anyway, and make the stupid vote. Retards) And so they really don't care about such things, cause they do not affect them awfully. Most gamers are fairly young, a large proportion being under voting age, which blocks off their views(not saying EVERYONE is, but a fair few) and it may take many years before balance is achieved, but some retarded version of SOPA or Protect IP is going to be passed before that by people who don't know and are only informed by those with big pockets.Therumancer said:
Hmm...I'm torn. On the one hand, Obama is filthy commie scum...but on the other hand he promised to veto the bill. I just don't know what to think. -_-
What I do know is that if there's anything I despise as much as a corrupt government, it's a business that gets in bed with the corrupt government to gain an unfair advantage in the market.
Really, this bill cannot stand. What the entertainment industry profits from is the ability to supply product in the face of scarcity. Scarcity they enforce by making them the only place to get it. The internet has been the market's way of dissolving scarcity, and making available to everyone a market good. Why in the holy hell should we willingly support a law that promotes scarcity to the benefit of only a select few in the industry? It's not just against the free market, it's also blatently immoral.
What I do know is that if there's anything I despise as much as a corrupt government, it's a business that gets in bed with the corrupt government to gain an unfair advantage in the market.
Really, this bill cannot stand. What the entertainment industry profits from is the ability to supply product in the face of scarcity. Scarcity they enforce by making them the only place to get it. The internet has been the market's way of dissolving scarcity, and making available to everyone a market good. Why in the holy hell should we willingly support a law that promotes scarcity to the benefit of only a select few in the industry? It's not just against the free market, it's also blatently immoral.
The truly worrying thing about all this is to witness the fact that enormous corporations are being given the ability to not only police themselves (which has never worked) but to police nations.
Already in several countries (USA and Mexico-- during their elections-- to mention just a couple) corporations have participated unlawfully in the forging of political history to benefit themselves. But the scope of this is global.
That a business institution is now capable of manufacturing a law, a law without borders geographical and legal, and has enough clout to force governments (the UK for example) into implementing them relatively fast, has to give anyone a horrific glimpse of what this precedent will set in motion in generations to come. Just as that first step at the beginning of the 1900s, where they created the idea they could be "moral entities" instead of "physical entities" that has eventually placed them in a position were they are never to be responsible of their actions, this act will propel them to new levels of invulnerability and control beyond what we thought were the normal frontiers of what were basically "the merchant guild".
Specially terrible when compared with how long it takes the same countries to get their heads out of their asses and pass on laws that are actually urgent to protect the world from ecological disaster, this case is revolting.
It is also sobering to see that the internet does indeed have an owner. I think it was never really true that it was an international territory, such as Antarctica.
William Gibson's works are alarmingly close to stop being "fiction" and becoming "naturalism", sadly only in regards to the balance of power.
Write a letter, paint a sign, rally friends or take part in any movement that is trying to stop this obscenity of taking place. Anything that you can. It is really NOT JUST about games or piracy, it is about power and control without restrain.
Lets keep Gibson's novels as wonderful "cyberpunk fiction" only.
Already in several countries (USA and Mexico-- during their elections-- to mention just a couple) corporations have participated unlawfully in the forging of political history to benefit themselves. But the scope of this is global.
That a business institution is now capable of manufacturing a law, a law without borders geographical and legal, and has enough clout to force governments (the UK for example) into implementing them relatively fast, has to give anyone a horrific glimpse of what this precedent will set in motion in generations to come. Just as that first step at the beginning of the 1900s, where they created the idea they could be "moral entities" instead of "physical entities" that has eventually placed them in a position were they are never to be responsible of their actions, this act will propel them to new levels of invulnerability and control beyond what we thought were the normal frontiers of what were basically "the merchant guild".
Specially terrible when compared with how long it takes the same countries to get their heads out of their asses and pass on laws that are actually urgent to protect the world from ecological disaster, this case is revolting.
It is also sobering to see that the internet does indeed have an owner. I think it was never really true that it was an international territory, such as Antarctica.
William Gibson's works are alarmingly close to stop being "fiction" and becoming "naturalism", sadly only in regards to the balance of power.
Write a letter, paint a sign, rally friends or take part in any movement that is trying to stop this obscenity of taking place. Anything that you can. It is really NOT JUST about games or piracy, it is about power and control without restrain.
Lets keep Gibson's novels as wonderful "cyberpunk fiction" only.
Look at it this way: All of the companies that have signed to support SOPA deal in international business and have branches of their company spread out among several countries across the globe. If this bill proves to be successful in the USA by their perception, the bill signers may be so inclined to start something similar in their own countries.garjian said:
So I just informed myself a little about the subject.
It seems like this is something based mainly in the USA. I'm not saying it won't affect people outside of it, but it's mainly targeting the American people.
I just wonder how they can justify this law alone from the standpoint that it would surely mean that online sites and businesses that would choose not to have to deal with these laws would just open shop outside of the US. Like getting servers abroad.
Seems like a silly thing to do, just from a financial standpoint. I would think other countries would almost HOPE that this law passes in the US just for the potential revenue they could stand to make from this.
Mind, it seems like a stupid thing to do from any other standpoint too.
It seems like this is something based mainly in the USA. I'm not saying it won't affect people outside of it, but it's mainly targeting the American people.
I just wonder how they can justify this law alone from the standpoint that it would surely mean that online sites and businesses that would choose not to have to deal with these laws would just open shop outside of the US. Like getting servers abroad.
Seems like a silly thing to do, just from a financial standpoint. I would think other countries would almost HOPE that this law passes in the US just for the potential revenue they could stand to make from this.
Mind, it seems like a stupid thing to do from any other standpoint too.
For those of you saying it doesn't apply to you because you don't live in the United States: it might one day if it passes. On the video game side of things alone we have a company that doesn't even originate in the US, but is nonetheless pushing for this one. It may seem unlikely that Nintendo's home country would go for such a thing in turn, but it also seems hard to believe that the US - with countless websites whose creators make their very livings off of the things this bill would be in a position to shut down but don't threaten their business, such as, well, this one - would either. The point is that it could very well concern you one day; it would hardly be the first time the rest of the world followed suit when one nation did something idiotic, and our nation loves leading the way in that particular parade.
For those of you saying "Eh, there's no way it'll pass", you're probably right, but if the idea of what bills like this are proposing is in any way unacceptable to you, it's in your best interest to speak up; it might take half an hour out of your day. And if you think to yourself "Well, it's just me; what difference would it make?", I ask you in turn, "What if one hundred thousand people who thought the exact same thing all decided to do something? What if one million people did?"
Our apathy as a nation is why crooked politicians are allowed to get even far enough to propose such a bill; we have no one to blame but ourselves when democracy dies, because it's ultimately our responsibility to uphold it. We do not work for democracy; it works with us. And when the people proposing the decisions are in the wrong, it's up to us to say so and shut it down. Doing nothing simply tells them we're content with being silenced.
For those of you saying "Eh, there's no way it'll pass", you're probably right, but if the idea of what bills like this are proposing is in any way unacceptable to you, it's in your best interest to speak up; it might take half an hour out of your day. And if you think to yourself "Well, it's just me; what difference would it make?", I ask you in turn, "What if one hundred thousand people who thought the exact same thing all decided to do something? What if one million people did?"
Our apathy as a nation is why crooked politicians are allowed to get even far enough to propose such a bill; we have no one to blame but ourselves when democracy dies, because it's ultimately our responsibility to uphold it. We do not work for democracy; it works with us. And when the people proposing the decisions are in the wrong, it's up to us to say so and shut it down. Doing nothing simply tells them we're content with being silenced.
Here's a little video about what this bill is about. I found the visual aid helpful.
http://vimeo.com/31100268
And if you want to help, go to americancensorship.org. On Tuesday they're having an "everybody call your Senators" party.
As for those who aren't US citizens, the only thing I can think of is to spread the word about it, and cross your fingers. If the bill passes in the US, then a lot of countries will likely use us as an example to follow. Not to mention lots of people in other countries whose jobs depend on the internet will have their livelihoods injured, because a large portion of their fanbase is in America.
Secondly, it puts all social network sites at risk because the website becomes responsible for its members. For example, even if you don't live in the US, you will be censored on Facebook (which is based in the US) because FB will get sued if any of its members infringe on the bill. Meaning you can't post videos containing footage from games, movies, tv shows, or copyrighted music.
Thirdly, the bill will only support big money corporations, and actually cripple small businesses, because it gives corporations the right to sue others for "not working hard enough to prevent piracy", which is so vague that it can't mean anything good.
EDIT: For what it's worth, VP Biden is against this bill. Here's some proof.
http://vimeo.com/32149733
http://vimeo.com/31100268
And if you want to help, go to americancensorship.org. On Tuesday they're having an "everybody call your Senators" party.
As for those who aren't US citizens, the only thing I can think of is to spread the word about it, and cross your fingers. If the bill passes in the US, then a lot of countries will likely use us as an example to follow. Not to mention lots of people in other countries whose jobs depend on the internet will have their livelihoods injured, because a large portion of their fanbase is in America.
Secondly, it puts all social network sites at risk because the website becomes responsible for its members. For example, even if you don't live in the US, you will be censored on Facebook (which is based in the US) because FB will get sued if any of its members infringe on the bill. Meaning you can't post videos containing footage from games, movies, tv shows, or copyrighted music.
Thirdly, the bill will only support big money corporations, and actually cripple small businesses, because it gives corporations the right to sue others for "not working hard enough to prevent piracy", which is so vague that it can't mean anything good.
EDIT: For what it's worth, VP Biden is against this bill. Here's some proof.
http://vimeo.com/32149733
As horrible as it is for consumers of entertainment, the simple fact is that SOPA isn't really aimed at them.
SOPA is a desperate response to the Occupy Wall Street movement and others like it.
The corporations that control everything are scared shitless, and they recognize the strong contribution to these movements that social media and online news reporting sites offer.
SOPA is an attempt to silence online media, so that the only source of information available is the traditional media, which we all know is corrupt as hell.
Even if you do care about intellectual property rights, you need to stand up against this bill. If you don't, we'll all be living in Nazi Germany by the end of the decade.
SOPA is a desperate response to the Occupy Wall Street movement and others like it.
The corporations that control everything are scared shitless, and they recognize the strong contribution to these movements that social media and online news reporting sites offer.
SOPA is an attempt to silence online media, so that the only source of information available is the traditional media, which we all know is corrupt as hell.
Even if you do care about intellectual property rights, you need to stand up against this bill. If you don't, we'll all be living in Nazi Germany by the end of the decade.
First of all, thank you so much, for your part in getting Deadly Premonition noticed. I wouldn't have had it blow my mind, in good and bad ways if not for you and the others that made the effort. Games like that will seriously suffer from this retarded bill, and as a consumer, regardless of how bad I'd feel for people losing their jobs, this is what is really important. It will limit competition from smaller publishers and the most interesting products will die off. So yeah. Fuck 'em and their censoring ways.
Unbelievable.
You know what? Fuck it. Go ahead, corporate lawyers. Push this bill through. Try to weed out any Fair Use. Try to censor media sites on the internet, delete Youtube videos en masse, stomp around wielding unchecked power. Give my generation the excuse it needs to bring out the torches and pitchforks. Give us the Empire vs Rebels showdown we've all been waiting for, preparing for, anticipating from day #1. Take the chance. I dare you.
You know what? Fuck it. Go ahead, corporate lawyers. Push this bill through. Try to weed out any Fair Use. Try to censor media sites on the internet, delete Youtube videos en masse, stomp around wielding unchecked power. Give my generation the excuse it needs to bring out the torches and pitchforks. Give us the Empire vs Rebels showdown we've all been waiting for, preparing for, anticipating from day #1. Take the chance. I dare you.
I don't think PROTECT IP, ACTA or SOPA or any of these are going to pass anytime soon, but the fact that there are so many being put forth is a bad sign.