New Bill Makes Illegal Streaming A Felony

[CoverYourHead]

There seems to be some confusion. From what I understand, this bill doesn't punish people who are watching streaming, only those who are actually streaming it. So don't worry unless you're streaming! Which is good news for me, because I need to find my sub'd animes somewhere!

Streaming =/= viewing so I don't see how this is confusing. Also unless someone is charging for the stream, I don't even see how this law is applicable. It'd be like the police arresting me for inviting people over to watch a DVD I own.

I mean more along the lines that people commenting were confused.

Also: Hai Sleek!

 

[Gimlii]

Make sure to remember that is only covers Copyrighted material. Free, non-copyrighted, material on youtube or other sites can still be view legally.

Having said that, I think this is a mostly unenforceable law. I think it could be used to add additional charges on someone who was extremely flagrant in violating copyright laws, but it isn't going to stop Joe Snuffy from illegally streaming the latest Dr. Who.

 

[Kuilui]

So are lets plays of video games for no profit considered illegal under this or?

 

[ChromeAlchemist]

My main concern with this is that I watch a lot of tournament streams for Street Fighter and Marvel VS Capcom 3. If this is going to be a "permission needed" sort of thing, it's fucking stupid, but I imagine Capcom will allow it.

We in the UK do it as well, but I guess this doesn't affect us. I'm just waiting for Ultradavid (a Shoryuken.com contributor) to do a write up on this bill. He said he would a few weeks ago.

 

[ChildofGallifrey]

Sorry actors and actresses, but maybe if you weren't paid hundreds of thousands to millions per movie I might buy that statement, but seeing as how a lot of you are I don't.

That's only maybe 1% (2% if you're feeling generous) of actors that make that, and ONLY on major studio blockbusters. The overwhelming majority of actors make between $100-$150 per 16 hour day and are lucky to work one week per month (speaking as an actor here). Out of the millions of actors out there, only about 5% actually make their living off of it. 1% of those are the big-money stars.

 

[Sleekgiant]

I mean more along the lines that people commenting were confused.

Also: Hai Sleek!

Dis is de Scapist, people are always confused :3

Also: >.> I miss you a lot Covah, but you never talked to me on Skype

 

[derdeutschmachine]

I'd love for a prosecuter to tell me I'm not paying for what I watch online. I pay for the internet and I even pay for cable. Any streaming source generally sucks so I download. If they want to legislate against people streaming things I've really got the wrong idea of what America was founded on.

 

[vxicepickxv]

So are lets plays of video games for no profit considered illegal under this or?

Refer to my 4 step process under the previous page.

 

[CoverYourHead]

I mean more along the lines that people commenting were confused.

Also: Hai Sleek!

Dis is de Scapist, people are always confused :3

Also: >.> I miss you a lot Covah, but you never talked to me on Skype

Aw, poor Sleekeh. Add me on skype and we can chat sometime!

 

[Cid Silverwing]

I wonder if this will harm people streaming their screen as they play videogames?

The unfortunate effects of Republican thinking.

 

[Grospoliner]

They're trying to build a prison, for you and me to live in, another prison system.

 

[Sleekgiant]

I mean more along the lines that people commenting were confused.

Also: Hai Sleek!

Dis is de Scapist, people are always confused :3

Also: >.> I miss you a lot Covah, but you never talked to me on Skype

Aw, poor Sleekeh. Add me on skype and we can chat sometime!

I did :3

NOW STOP BEING SO BUSY ALL THE TIME >:3

 

[Kahunaburger]

Wow. Just when I thought government couldn't manage to deep-throat business any harder...

However, this isn't actually going to affect you - you can watch whatever you want free of prosecution. This is just going to affect people who put streaming content on websites.

 

[emeraldrafael]

Wait... So we knew it was illegal before hand, but its now being made a felony. I'm pretty sure this is what Limewire did when they got busted and hated, so to me this all seems arbitrarily pointless.

 

[Epigone]

It really depends on what "profit" means. If you stream a TV show then you dont have to pay for it and are thus profiting in my mind.

 

[Kuilui]

So are lets plays of video games for no profit considered illegal under this or?

Refer to my 4 step process under the previous page.

ah okay so as long as you can answer no to one of those four your in the clear right? Well that's not so bad then I suppose.

 

[Composer]

thought it was only illegal if you made a profit...

 

[emeraldrafael]

So we won't be prosecuted for streaming just so long as we don't profit from it? I can live with that.

If you're WATCHING the performances, you won't be prosecuted at all. If you're the one providing them, then you could be.

EDIT : Again, IANAL

What about abridged series, then? They stream copyrighted video, but don't make a profit (except from merchandise, but that's different). I assume they're protected by free use and parody laws, right?

They dont make much profit (only on their own things, like sayings and such, not on the characters they portray), and they open most every single episode by saying its a copyrighted affair and that you should support the official release. Plus if you watch one of their episodes, its so jumbled and un-useful its not even the full thing.

 

[Kair]

Look at all the government intervention needed to keep the unwieldy capitalist economy running. The free-market advocates speak against intervention but cling to it themselves. The hypocrisy can be explained: They only shun intervention when the intervention is directed at them.