MESSAGE
| DATE | 2003-09-08 |
| FROM | Ruben I Safir
|
| SUBJECT | Subject: [hangout] P2P lawsuites continue
|
Support your rights, not piracy.
After reading Don't abandon us - pleads Sharman cto Morle by Jon Newton
and all of the comments yesterday, I hastily began writing a comment to
post. However, as what I was trying to convey began to take shape, I
realized it was imperative that it be read and understood by as many
boycott-riaa and other supporters as possible.
I do believe that the DMCA notices sent out by Sharman Networks were
misguided and retroactive; please don't get me wrong. I don't agree with
Sharman Networks using a bill we are so strongly against for their
benefit.
However, a vast majority of comments on the subject have ignored being
critical of Sharman Networks use of the DMCA and instead focused on
insulting Sharman Networks and supporting the piracy of their software.
A majority of posts advocated using Kazaa Lite and K++. In doing so
you're not only biting the hand that feeds you, but also diminishing
respect for our movement. Allow me to go on.
Sharman Networks is a business, and as such falls to the same faults
many other corporations do. However, the comparison to Sharman Networks
and the RIAA is absolutely ridiculous to say the least.
Sharman Networks is a team of 20 individuals trying to build a company
in the face of very powerful opposition on advertising revenue.
Obviously, you're not aware as to how much money is to be made from
internet advertising, because internet advertising generates VERY little
money. Anyone who bore witness to the dot com fallout a few years back
would gladly testify to the millions lost in startup ventures because
the market for internet advertising became extremely small extremely
fast. And that fact has remained since. Sharman Networks is in business
to make money, but let?s not forget whose side they've been fighting on.
Music by nature is free. You can't stop someone from hearing music, you
can't stop people from playing music, and the major record labels have
built an industry around an essentially free product to the point where
it has almost unlimited influence over society and culture world wide.
The music industry exudes its extraordinary influence to control social
trends as to coerce consumers into loyally purchasing their product
because they either believe it's the only product or that their product
is superior on the "COOL" meter. The RIAA stifles creativity by
extending legislation to lock our cultural history into unexpiring
copyrights and outlaw technological innovation. The RIAA has turned all
of us into criminals for enjoying art.
Comparing this to Sharman Networks is ludicrous.
If it wasn't for the revenue from Kazaa's adware, we may very well not
have p2p applications right now. Without the adware Sharman Networks
wouldn't have been able to successfully defend itself against the RIAA.
If Sharman Networks would have lost to the RIAA it would have paved the
way for the RIAA to trample over all other p2p networks and effectively
put them out of business and this fight would have been over by now.
Although the RIAA still campaigns against shutting down P2P technology,
the case law provided by Sharman Networks successful defense has left
the RIAA without a leg to stand on and no choice but to try to stop the
technology at the user level.
Indeed the most dangerous result of the backlash against Sharman
Networks is that the p2p and boycott riaa movement will lose all
sincerity. We sit here and say that we love and want to support
musicians, yet some of you support the piracy of free software that has
done nothing but further our mission.
That is blatant hypocrisy and can be extremely damaging to the integrity
of our campaign against the RIAA. We are fighting the RIAA and their
claim that we're all pirates, and at the same time a lot of you are
voicing your support for the piracy of free advertising based software.
Piracy cannot be condoned on any level. We're not fighting for the right
to rip off artists and developers. We're fighting for our rights against
a corporation that has taken the liberty to extend itself to control and
influence our culture and trends with blatant disregard for our rights
and economic dignity.
We must be uniform on this.
It's absolutely impossible to say that you support musicians, software
developers, and artists in one breath, advocate the piracy of an ad
based free product from a company that is struggling for the same thing
we are, and still retain any amount of respect whatsoever. If you
download music without regard to musicians and you support piracy, then
I have no problem with you reading and learning what we're all really
here for so that you may develop respect for artists and music and fight
the good fight. However to post comments supporting piracy in any form
does nothing but bring unneeded negative attention to us. We're not
pirates. And we're struggling very hard to rid ourselves of that image.
Please, don't contribute to our misrepresentation.
The boycott riaa movement has supported the growth and wellbeing of
independent music as an alternative since day one. With that in mind,
there is also an alternative to which p2p application you use. There are
plenty of free ad less p2p applications available, and there is no
reason to pirate or support the piracy of Kazaa.
I myself use Soulseek prolifically and try to steer clear of Fasttrack
territory for the same reasons many of you don't want to use Kazaa.
Again, I'm strongly against the use of the DMCA how Sharman Networks has
used it to their advantage. But let?s not forget who's on our team.
If you don't like Kazaa for what it offers, then by all means, feel free
to try an legal alternative, or better yet, voice your opinion directly
to Sharman Networks so they know how you feel and can adapt to what you
want.
Let them know you don?t want your privacy invaded and your pc bogged
down with advertisements, and also let them know that you?re strongly
against the course of action they have taken against Kazaa Lite.
Support your rights and the rights of others, not piracy.
--
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