Powerful Senator Endorses Destroying Computers of Illegal Downloaders (Orrin Hatch)

AP ^ | 6/17/03 | Ted Bridis

[muawiyah]

If it also said "Page 68" and was bound in a book, then certainly they have a copyright, but not of the form, nor of the material - just the placement within their book.

An example of where a copyright could be construed over such material would be a book where the 5 or 6 pages leading up to "page 68" and the 5 or 6 pages following were an exact reproduction of the original work prepared by a different author.

My copyright might not be very good concerning certain things, but all it has to do is be better than your copyright to prevail.

[muawiyah]

The Washington Post appended their "Warshpost copywrite" thing on the George Bush inaugural speech. Showing them what their copyright was worth, I copied the whole thing elsewhere and put my own copyright on it.

That's a case where neither party has any sort of claim to the intellectual property rights involved and is asserting a copyright out of spite.

[Jacvin]

My e-mail to Senator Hatch.

Dear Senator Hatch,

I find your remarks today in support of destroying the computers of downloader’s disgraceful.

I'm a 45 year old Conservative member of my local REC and a full time Conservative activist.

I do not support the illegal downloading of music.

However I do take offense at the recording industry's refusing to make their products available in the way that consumers want to buy them.

Many times in my life I have spent $20 to buy a CD just to get one song. It’s annoying but I can afford it.

Obviously others that can’t go ahead and just download the music. If I were fifteen I might do the same thing.

The record industry will lose this battle because it refuses to bow to the will of the public it serves.

I'm sure the horse and buggy makers had some powerful politicians on their side against the car manufacturers.

Neither you nor they can stop technology or a changing industry with spiteful and petty reprisals.

I'm shocked that a Republican Senator would even think of supporting such tactics.

There would be a massive backlash against anyone that employed or endorsed such tactics and it wouldn't be just from fifteen year olds either.

[glock rocks]

hey, orrin is a recording star! he's got a vested interest...

and please do not forget...

the senator from novell is not from utah.

Orrin Hatch is from Pennsylvania !

BWAHAHAHAHA !!

[Chad Fairbanks]

It works for me. If you don't want to lose your computer, obey the law.

Yeah, and let's just forget about that pesky Due Process stuff. I mean, what's a few Civil Rights Violations among friends, right?

[jimkress]

Would Hatch also support the destruction of senators who violate the Consitution? Seems a straight forward extension of Hatch's "protect copyright holders by destroying computers" doctrine.

[FairOpinion]

I agree with Hatch about a number of things, but this certainly isn't one of them.

[FairOpinion]

This is even worse than I thought.

Someone should educate Orrin Hatch about this. I think he was shooting from the hip, without thinking over what he was really saying and obviously doesn't understand the implications. (I still don't fully understand, but have a little better idea, thanks to your explanations, but had enough of a clue to know that giving these kinds of powers to private companies, not accountable to anyone would be disastrous).

[xsmommy]

Orrin loves to rub up against Fat Ted every chance he gets ; )

[af_vet_rr]

Would Hatch also support the destruction of senators who violate the Consitution? Seems a straight forward extension of Hatch's "protect copyright holders by destroying computers" doctrine.

Thanks for the chuckle.

I personally don't think the "aware" people in the entertainment industry are stupid enough to try and destroy home users' computers - they would basically be declaring a war, and they would lose - the hacker-types would take the gloves off, and you would see attacks against the record and film companies the likes of which we have not seen. You would be unifying the hacker-types as well.

Putting that aside, anybody who thinks that the government supports this but would never use this type of technology against its citizens is an idiot pure and simple, or a liberal, which I guess would make them an idiot as well.

Hatch scares the hell out of me sometimes.

[Revel]

Most good bios programs have a selection you can set to not allow bios updates. It is a good thing to keep that selected unless you are actually intending to update it.

[FreeLibertarian]

Hatch's provocative remarks were more likely caused by senility.

[af_vet_rr]

However I do take offense at the recording industry's refusing to make their products available in the way that consumers want to buy them.

Many times in my life I have spent $20 to buy a CD just to get one song. It’s annoying but I can afford it.

Many people in this country are sheep. I'm sure I'm pissing somebody off by saying that, but they are so conditioned by the recording industry to buy music the way the recording industry wants and not the way they want, that they lose site of things.

There is a reason why that $15 or $20 CD has just a few good songs that you like - it's because the rest is filler. They throw it on there to pad the album and make you feel like your somehow getting your money's worth, when they are just feeding you garbage.

Although I haven't tried it yet, Apple did right - $0.99 a song, just the songs you want. Of course the record industry complained and moaned that people would only buy single songs here and there and not ablums. Surprise! Half few million songs they sold in the first week or two were complete albums.

I think of it like this - If I want a hamburber, I should not have to order a dozen other things just to get the hamburger. If I want to see a football game, I am not required to see every football game that season. Apple has it right, and I don't just say that as a Mac fan either. People should be able to buy products the way they want.

[Djarum]

"I'm interested," Hatch interrupted. He said damaging someone's computer "may be the only way you can teach somebody about copyrights."

Unreal. I suppose I shouldn't expect any better from a group that supports confiscation of property for illegal plant growth.

[montag813]

Every time Hatch makes you think he's ok...he quickly reminds you what a real skunk he is.

[Chemist_Geek]

If you don't want to lose your computer, obey the law.

Which law?

"No person shall be ... deprived of ... property, without due process of law ..."

Amendment V, U.S. Constituition

[babygene]

"It works for me. If you don't want to lose your computer, obey the law."

What a silly thing to say...

You are posting on Free Republic. Much of the text material and images are copyrighted. I would bet a lot of money that you have such material on your computer right now without a license.

Lets say your sister scans in pictures of her kids that are taken by a professional photographer and emails them to you. Almost all professional photographer’s copyright their work..

Bang! There goes another computer! I hate it when that happens…

[ladyinred]

I don't like Hatch, the rino! How stupid is this?

[adam_az]

Unreal. I suppose I shouldn't expect any better from a group that supports confiscation of property for illegal plant growth.

You better hope they don't ban cloves... ;)