

Killing the Internet to save Hollywood - daspion
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/killing_the_internet_to_save_hollywood_lSWv0ymGvqWbvn5siAQgsK

======
jjcm
A better title might be, "Killing the internet to preserve the old methods of
distribution so segments of the movie industry dont have to adapt."

Hollywood is trying to fight against an enemy that they don't understand. They
think censoring piracy will stop it, when it's obvious that it wont. Gabe
Newell said it best - “In general, we think there is a fundamental
misconception about piracy. Piracy is almost always a service problem".

~~~
bad_user
Their arguments are also pretty inconsistent. They complain about piracy, yet
Avatar, a movie released in the age of piracy, is the highest-grossing movie
of all time.

They aren't afraid of loses from piracy, instead they are afraid that they'll
have to start producing quality content instead of dumb movies like Jeniffer's
Body, Jack and Jill, Season of the Witch, Red Riding Hood and Shark Night.

~~~
yeswecan
I would hardly call Jennifer's Body a dumb movie.

~~~
iso8859-1
It is certainly dumb compared to the movie they ripped off (Carrie).

------
Osiris
I'm not sure that Hollywood is, in fact, dying. The evidence[1][2] suggests
that Hollywood has been making more money in the 2000's than ever before.

1\. <http://the-numbers.com/movies/records/> 2\.
[http://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/2010-box-office-
more-r...](http://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/2010-box-office-more-record-
revenue-fewer-tickets-sold-19915)

They are having record breaking revenue years in 2009 and 2010. It's not like
they are suffering the downtown that the newspaper industry has and they don't
have nearly the legal protections that Hollywood has and while they are
struggling, they are adapting.

If Hollywood were to take a new approach to entertainment, who's to say they
wouldn't be having even higher revenue than they are having now? It just seems
like a fix for a problem that doesn't exist.

~~~
jballanc
So, I've been thinking. I know the whole "don't attribute to malice..." line,
but isn't it possible that SOPA is an effort by big media to control all
online content? Is there anything in the proposed laws that mandates rights-
holders actively pursue violators? (Trademark law does have this requirement.)

Could SOPA be used as a tool to weaken content-driven tech startups, until
they can either be shut down or scooped up at bargain basement prices by a
studio? Would it be completely inconceivable that an industry guilty of payola
(multiple times over) might collude to use SOPA only target web properties not
owned by an RIAA/MPAA member?

Hell, I don't even think collusion would be required. All it would take is a
massive cross-licensing deal covering online media. Then BAM! You're logging
on to Sony Facebook or sharing a link on Twitter by TimeWarner. What if the
true targets of SOPA aren't the pirates, but rather the small tech startups
that have been making so much noise about how harmful passage would be to
their business model. The small tech startups that aren't so small anymore
and, day by day, are looking more and more like the future of content.

I begin to wonder if the studios are not so ignorant of technology trends as
we might hope, but rather see a way to ensure that our computer screens are
controlled by the same groups that control our television and movie theater
screens...

~~~
ithought
Those small tech startups are exploiting a loophole in the law to allow them
to monetize the studios' content. There is nothing unethical about
monopolizing access to content you create.

Think of how profitable cable & satellite TV is now. If they applied that
model of guaranteed revenue to the entire Internet, and eliminated piracy 100%
with SOPA II, they will make hundreds billions of dollars more.

This is not about stopping piracy, it's about gaining control and a market of
guaranteed revenue regardless of the junk they put out through it. In other
words, this sinister conspiracy you suggest is just in fact good business,
they 100% know about technology trends and thus is why they seek to control,
manipulate and police the Internet at this early stage rather when it's too
late to take it over.

------
dhughes
As a Canadian I worry more about US media corporations influencing Canadian
politicians which leads to laws being passed. Bev Oda being the the example of
an MP that money can buy.

It's bad enough to have DMCA, HDCP, copy protection up the yin yang but when
some suit in LA influences what laws are passed in a foreign land I say that's
grounds for extradition of the executive and treason charges (or whatever the
term would be) for the Canadian politician.

If the situation was reversed I'm sure people in the US would freak out if a
music executive from Canada bribed a US congressman to help get laws passed.

------
sbov
Title aside, I thought it was a good article that summarized the problems with
SOPA, from multiple angles, for the largely disinterested populace out there.

------
SnowLprd
"Save Hollywood," eh? As if SOPA will actually achieve any of its purported
goals? As if there's any saving Hollywood needs except from itself?

I'm all for encouraging folks to fight SOPA, but perhaps we could save our up-
votes for articles with more accurate titles.

------
imgabe
I wish journalists would stop referring to SOPA as the "bill to stop piracy"
or the "bill to save Hollywood". Even this article admits that SOPA is not
going to do a thing to stop piracy. It's easily circumvented. The _only_ thing
it's going to accomplish is killing the Internet. There's no upside to it.

------
thisismyname
This isn't about saving Hollywood... Its about stopping the 99.99%'s of the
populations first amendment platform - the internet. Its about stopping sites
like Wikileaks and blogs that speak their opinions about the gov and
politicians. thats my $.02

------
athompson
The title suggests that Hollywood is in trouble which isn't the case at all.

~~~
intellection
Hollywood suggests it is?

Title lessens abstraction of their War On *.

------
bigohms
NyPost is killing content delivery and monetization by not making that article
accessible through Safari on iOS.

~~~
torontos
looks fine on ios safari to me

~~~
v21
Yeah, just shows me a full page ad for the iPad app, and tells me their
content is now exclusive to their app.

Would be interested to know what causes it to vary...

But yes, a touch of irony there.

~~~
forensic
Safari is gonna need support for spoofing headers, all these companies want to
get their foot in the door by having you use their app

~~~
bigohms
Download Terra, which lets you spoof headers as FF or whatever you want.

------
code_duck
Good article. When I'm agreeing with someone from the Cato institute, you know
things are serious.

------
Tripatimishra
Actually everywhere in the world the big problem is the law makers of every
country does not fully understand what law they are going to make. They just
follow their party stand to save their political position.

