

Hollywood loses final appeal in piracy case - matthewsinclair
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/hollywood-loses-final-appeal-in-piracy-case-20120420-1xb12.html

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ajtaylor
I've been in Australia for nearly a year now, and the dearth of movies/videos
available to buy/rent here is astounding. If you're lucky, a TV show will be
re-broadcast here a year after it airs elsewhere. But the channel will
probably butcher it with editing and additional commercials.

After talking with friends here, I can honestly say if the content was legally
available the studios would have many, many customers. And please don't try to
charge us 25% more. We know all about buying online and do price comparisons.

~~~
craigvn
Spot on. Piracy is not because people are not willing to pay, it is because it
is the only option to get content without waiting months after it's US
release. When is Game of Thrones on Aussie TV? I would pay $5 to download each
episode legit, if I could.

~~~
elithrar
> When is Game of Thrones on Aussie TV? I would pay $5 to download each
> episode legit, if I could.

Not at all, unfortunately. Even shows like Mad Men are a year behind[1] at
best. If you're even remotely interested in these shows, the huge delay--and
eventual risk of spoilers--is incredibly frustrating.

I'd love to be able to buy a season pass on iTunes or subscribe to an IPTV
channel/service if it mean I could watch these shows on the "same day" (i.e.
within 24 hours) as US viewers.

[1]: <http://www.sbs.com.au/shows/madmen/>

~~~
astrodust
Television stations and cable providers are locked into a business model based
on selling advertising, not programming. They don't want your $5. They want
you to watch ads. They want to charge millions for those ads.

The problem is people don't want to watch ads, and people don't' want to have
to schedule their lives around a television show. If you can't time-shift it
and skip commercials, what are your legal options? Wait four years for the DVD
to show up in your region? That's hardly an efficient marketplace.

If these dinosaur companies could get the rights to sell the content directly
to consumers, per-episode, the would make a lot more money in the long run.
People that ditch their cable television for cable internet would be paying
for content directly, not torrenting everything out of necessity.

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chewxy
Juxtaposition these:

> iiNet CEO Michael Malone welcomed the ruling and said Hollywood should now
> focus on increasing the availability of lawful content in a timely and
> affordable manner. "We have consistently said we are eager to work with the
> studios to make their very desirable material legitimately available to a
> waiting customer base - and that offer remains the same today," he said.

vs

> Michael Speck, a copyright expert who ran the music industry's case against
> Kazaa, said: "In losing the case [the film industry] still got from the
> courts a clear road map for how to successfully prosecute ISPs in the future
> and the next ISP that is prosecuted will find it almost impossible to avoid
> liability."

You'd think they'd learn. Sigh.

~~~
bitwize
"If you strike me down I shall become more powerful than you can possibly
imagine!"

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chris_wot
I purchased the Dragon Book for approx $80 (US) on Kindle. They then told me
that because I was not from the U.S. that I couldn't get it. They just don't
want my money. You go figure what I did next...

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Joakal
AFACT (Hollywood) are going to use this iiNet win as justification in the
upcoming Copyright reform. Already, AFACT have used a similar statement by the
Attorney General's rationale for the start of copyright reform.

AFACT:

Today’s decision by the High Court exposes the failure of copyright law to
keep pace with the online environment and the need for Government to act,
leading film and television industry companies said following the announcement
of the decision.

[http://www.afact.org.au/index.php/news/high_court_decision_s...](http://www.afact.org.au/index.php/news/high_court_decision_shows_government_needs_to_act_to_keep_pace_with_online)

Attorney General:

“The draft terms of reference reflect the fact that technology is constantly
evolving and testing the boundaries of copyright law,” Ms Roxon said. “In our
fast changing, technologically driven world, it is important to ensure our
copyright laws are keeping pace with change and able to respond to future
challenges.”

[http://www.alrc.gov.au/news-media/2011-2012/copyright-
inquir...](http://www.alrc.gov.au/news-media/2011-2012/copyright-inquiry-e-
news-draft-terms-reference)

If you want to highlight how you think Copyright Act should be, here's a
source I wrote that's pro-Internet:
[https://pay.reddit.com/r/AUInternetAccess/comments/ruala/cop...](https://pay.reddit.com/r/AUInternetAccess/comments/ruala/copyright_act_2012_or_2013_reform/)

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klez
> the failure of copyright law to keep pace with the online environment

It is ironic to hear this coming from people that don't seem to be able to
keep pace with the online environment...

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Peaker
The only way to effectively enforce copyright in the digital age is to monitor
digital communications between innocent people. Some call that a police state.

I'm glad the attempts to create a police state were delayed, for now.

