DMCA takedown notices, be gone! The Internet’s favourite young Prince fan can now be seen dancing his little heart out thanks to the EFF (who, having sued Universal over the takedown request, are currently pursuing the argument in court that the video constitutes fair use of the Prince song).
It still amazes me that Universal even bothered to file a takedown request for this in the first instance. Then again, the DMCA makes it so easy for them to do so that they’d be foolish not to file.
Anyway, here he is (along with his very busy sister):
Hang on a minute. These are legal, legitimate CDs - I know because I’ve bought a few myself.
CD-Wow does, then, pay whatever royalties are due wherever they source the discs from as part of their purchase price. And the CDs, being legitimate, were released by the very record companies themselves (perhaps not the same subsidiary, but branches legally entitled to release the records nonetheless).
So who exactly is getting scammed by CD-Wow’s practices? No-one. And as for the ruling - sounds like it’s the consumer, as usual.
Why do people buy from CD-Wow? Because it’s cheaper. And they’re buying legally, at a time when the music industry is continuing to moan about ‘piracy’. CD-Wow were certainly in breach of the 2004 agreement, but that agreement was an extremely stupid precedent.
The BPI claims that CD-Wow’s tactics undermine “the legitimate businesses of UK retailers and record companies”. I’d like to say a few things on that.
Your failed business model is not my problem.
I, as the consumer, should be the judge of retail value, rather than having it decided for me by a cartel
CD-Wow were among the cheapest retailers. You couldn’t compete. Why should I care?
Evidently, the music industry charges different prices around the world for a (bit-for-bit) identical product. Silly, but fair enough if people are willing (and foolish enough) to pay the higher prices. But in no way should rights groups be able to stop people importing cheaper-sourced ones abroad.
If someone could please explain to me how the 2004 ruling and its subsequent enforcement possibly advance the free market and/or benefits the consumer in any way, shape or form, I positively beg them to explain it to me.
Answers on a locally sourced cartel-authorized postcard please.
While on study leave I’ve been preparing some research for my dissertation on copyright and the idea of ‘intellectual property’ in the information age. During this I’ve (re)discovered quite a few works on copyright and the information commons which I had either not been aware of or not fully evaluated at the time I became aware of them. So here are a few of the best:
STEAL THIS FILM The Pirate Bay and Piratbyrån guys in Sweden talking about their experience of raids by (appropriately enough) the Antipiratbyrån. Also some brief discussions on their philosophy and attitudes toward sharing, and cross-enforcement of copyright claims despite national boundaries and Swedish law. Some of the interviews with members of the public seem a little staged, simply because the respondents are so well-informed, but nonetheless it’s a great little work. Available free as a torrent.
Sensible proposals from the Institute for Public Policy Research. Shame they’ll probably not be given a second look in the Government’s copyright review.
jweatherley writes “The BBC reports that a UK think tank, the Institute for Public Policy Research, has called for the legalization of format shifting. In a report commissioned by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, they state that copyright laws are out of date, and that people should have a ‘private right to copy’ which would allow them to legally copy their own CDs and DVDs on to home computers, laptops and phones. The report goes on to say that: ‘it is not the music industry’s job to decide what rights consumers have. That is the job of government.’ The report also argues that there is no evidence the current 50-year copyright term is insufficient. The UK music industry is campaigning to extend the copyright term in sound recordings to 95 years.”
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Apr 29, 2008 
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CD-Wow, the popular online music retailer has been 