Just because you actually woke up during one of your history classes and heard something doesn't mean you know what it means. I'm so sick of asshats screaming about their free speech. The problem is it never comes up normally unless someone wants to do something wrong or illegal. Let's define freedom of speech in a way a fifth grader could understand. Freedom of speech means, the GOVERNMENT (Congress) doesn't have the right to censor speech including art or entertainment. This isn't rocket science.
What this does NOT mean:
1. THIS DOES NOT MEAN: People, local governments (obscenity laws) or private industry can't censor you in regards to them or their work. When you are on a forum such as DVXUser.com or Digg.com or whatever place that has a privately owned forum and has rules in place that forum has every right to censor you if you break rules/laws. People who make DVDs including HD-DVD have every right to protect their material for thieves. I know people want to burn DVD's or what have you to other media but some in our society have proven themselves untrustworthy so big industries don't want to take the hit.
2. THIS DOES NOT MEAN: The government can't make laws governing types of speaking (such as not yelling fire in a crowded theater or saying you have a bomb on a plane or making an age limit for pornography or movies).
3. THIS DOES NOT MEAN or IMPLY: The right to be heard. If no cares about what you're saying you don't have the right to force them to care.
4. THIS DOES NOT MEAN or IMPLY: Because you want to hear/see music or a film that you have the right to do so without buying it nor does it mean you have the right to make these things available to the public for free.
First let me say this, I have no problem with DMR nor do I have a problem with non DRM-based content as I myself don't use DRM. As a creator of digital content it is my right to say who I wish to distribute my content. I get paid for my content. What that means is I put blood sweat and tears into my projects and for this one I went into debt. I have bills to pay and all that good stuff. And while everyone has probably downloaded or watched something for free on the web, used a cracked program, burned a CD for a friend, watched a DVD with friends or sat in front of youtube all day and watched clips of the MadTV or the Catherine Tate show (Tate's my favorite) fact of the matter is it is wrong to upload content that is made to be sold, to the web or anywhere so it can be stolen. It is wrong to publish coding the show people how to break the law then get mad when a company enforces their policies against illegal activity. Oh you didn't read the policies before you signed up right. Most forums don't allow you to violate the law. (You know who I'm talking too).
As a content provider I've offered everything from freebies (opening my site so my film can be downloaded for free for an hour or so at at time) to .99¢ sales. But sadly there is a segment of our society that feels people shouldn't profit from their work. Now I know something about human nature. People who do certain bad things will utterly set out to destroy you if you do it to them. Since these asshats exist we have DRM which wouldn't exist if these people didn't exist. So all the people who hate DRM many of them are the cause of DRM. See big companies don't stay in business if everyone steals their stuff. You like Spiderman 3? There won't be a Spiderman 4 if everyone steals Spiderman 3. Because it won't make money therefore is of no use to the company to make another.
Basically what I'm saying, realize this, the world doesn't revolve around you. You're a small cog in a squeaky machine. Hollywood nor the music industry makes anything for you, they make stuff to make money. I honestly believe Hollywood has disdain for the average fan, but that's another story. I don't know why this racks anyone's mind.
I know one of the big problems is price. When people feel something is out of their price range they feel if they can get it free they steal it. What I and people like Brian Andrews at Hungryflix.com and others are trying to do is sale content at a price open to everyone. We've been relatively successful. I'm still in debt but I'm making the payments, no millions yet and Brian's site is live and open for business and doing okay. I still offer DVDs for $12 - $19.95 (two disc set) if you want extras and such but for the most part there are several very inexpensive alternatives including iPod, PSP downloads and Apple TV/Quicktime downloads that can played on a monitor (see Hungryflix.com or tcmech.com).
But I really felt the need to clear the air about this "FREEDOM of SPEECH" silliness people like to talk about. If you don't know about it don't talk about it. Now I know there will be argument on this so to nip that in the bud right now:
Amendment 1: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
The keyword here is "Congress" shall make no law...
Got it? Good. What's really sad is most people have never read (or don't remember) the first Amendment. It's people like Kevin Rose over at Digg.com has to be under fire for making the right decision to remove coding that will help people break laws. He did the right thing, but to keep his community alive he now has to backtrack and simply accept possible problems, lawsuits, etc occur. We all want to use Digg.com and such but we don't seem to give a rats ass about the people who make these FREE services available for us. If there is a decline in service at Digg or in services like Digg.com those who caused the problem will be the first to want to act a fool as to why the site is shut down/sold out etc or not responding as it use to.
The stupidity, selfishness and general willful maliciousness of our human race doesn't even shock me anymore.
Edit:
By the way, I know Digg is a digital democracy (as someone reminded me on another forum) but pure democracy doesn't work (hence: America is a democratic republic) because of things just like this. It's too bad too because I'm somewhat new to Digg and to see it so suddenly crumbling because of this is sad. Seemed like it could've been a lot fun.
-Nate
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