One of the clearest demonstrations of how copyright is actively harmful is the lawsuit that four of the biggest publishers brought against the Internet Archive. As a result of the judge’s decision in favour of the publishers – currently being appealed – more than 500,000 books have been taken out of lending by the Internet Archive, including more than 1,300 banned and “challenged” books. In an open letter to the publishers in the lawsuit, the Internet Archive lists three core reasons why removing half a million ebooks is “having a devastating impact in the US and around the world, with far-reaching implications”.

Cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/17259314

The European Pirate Party is doing good work addressing this bullshit :)

cross-posted from: https://feddit.de/post/13723083

Original post by Patrick Breyer (MEP (member of the European Parliament) for the pirate party) on Mastodon: https://digitalcourage.social/@echo_pbreyer/112716177887148583

In reference to a case detailed in this talk at 37C3: https://media.ccc.de/v/37c3-12142-breaking_drm_in_polish_trains

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/17114251

"Small comic based on the amazing words of Ursula K. Le Guin".

author

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/10654815

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/16374600

Patrick Breyer, a staunch defender of digital rights, laments the Pirate Party’s exit from the EU Parliament as a blow to online privacy.

This is a good example of how copyright’s continuing obsession with ownership and control of digital material is warping the entire legal system in the EU. What was supposed to be simply a fair way of rewarding creators has resulted in a monstrous system of routine government surveillance carried out on hundreds of millions of innocent people just in case they copy a digital file.

May be of interest to fellow pirates... youtube trailer | invidious trailer

Ah, the good old days of Kazaa, Bear Share, LimeWire, and Morpheus. What do you guys think - did piracy permanently devalue the music industry as claimed? Or were the record companies just massively overcharging for music in the first place? Given that record companies have been stiffing artists since forever, what is the best way to support your favorite musicians today?

In the streaming age, the concept of music piracy seems eons behind us. Back in the early 2000s, however, pirates shook up the industry by stealing and illegally distributing MP3s, which listeners would otherwise have to pay for.

How Music Got Free takes viewers back to the ‘90s and early aughts, when the FBI launched a sprawling investigation into music piracy to identify – and convict – those stealing music. Even once the thieves were discovered, mass music piracy was blamed for permanently devaluing music.

Directed by Alexandria Stapleton, the two-part documentary premiered at SXSW earlier this year.