Thread: When Will It End?

I agree with most of what you said but I don't think we've gone anywhere towards creating any kind of coherent legal framework.

How do you resolve the huge contradictions?

Interesting question that has occurred to me by the way: at the heart of this whole thing is how reproducing the physical representation of the non-physical object has become virtually free (when it was difficult and costly there was no issue). As this is the case, why do musicians need publishers? Why can't they just distribute it online?

I agree, Mario. A lot of my favorite YouTube concert videos keep getting taken down. It might be a surprise to the copyright owners if they found out that I have a concert DVD list a mile long because of what I have discovered on YouTube. I like watching the videos on that site, but I majorly prefer to watch those videos in totally clear visual and audio form on a big ass television. The copyright owners make money off me by having those videos on YouTube because that is where I discover them. I think that's probably a common situation.

However, I still think it should be up to the copyright owners. I value copyright ownership, but in some cases, copyright owners don't seem to be considering all of the major possibilities.

Originally Posted by Xei

I agree with most of what you said but I don't think we've gone anywhere towards creating any kind of coherent legal framework.

The bit I'm concerned about is that discussions are projected to end this year and nations are expected to begin signing on. The first draft has been released. It's got a bit to go, but it's surprisingly close. There will remain the issue of what is to become of nations that do not sign onto the agreement...I would assume they would continue to prosecute piracy by their own standards. But if a nation is incredibly lenient on piracy, that will leave a gaping loophole. I wouldn't be surprised if that nation's GDP rose sharply as it became the new hub of piracy.

Interesting question that has occurred to me by the way: at the heart of this whole thing is how reproducing the physical representation of the non-physical object has become virtually free (when it was difficult and costly there was no issue). As this is the case, why do musicians need publishers? Why can't they just distribute it online?

That is actually something I've considered greatly. In recent years, we've seen a huge increase in the popularity of sites that freely host independent artists (sound cloud, for example), and in exchange, the artists typically make their songs available for free. It would not take much to make a site where independent artists could host their work and make a profit off of it, either through donations or actually charging per song. I wouldn't be surprised if such a site already exists. The record company is steadily becoming obsolete...I really wouldn't be surprised if most artists in the future are self-published.

Originally Posted by Universal Mind

I agree, Mario. A lot of my favorite YouTube concert videos keep getting taken down. It might be a surprise to the copyright owners if they found out that I have a concert DVD list a mile long because of what I have discovered on YouTube. I like watching the videos on that site, but I majorly prefer to watch those videos in totally clear visual and audio form on a big ass television. The copyright owners make money off me by having those videos on YouTube because that is where I discover them. I think that's probably a common situation.

However, I still think it should be up to the copyright owners. I value copyright ownership, but in some cases, copyright owners don't seem to be considering all of the major possibilities.

I agree, it is still ultimately up to the copyright holders to make their own decisions, but their blockheadedness is maddening. I read an article recently that states most major companies would prefer to have their software pirated than to have people turn to competitors. Well, I tried MS Office, and then went out and bought the program. Open Office is fine in a pinch, but the regular office does a better job (once you've taken a class on it and know how the damn thing works, that is). And maybe I am in a minority. But, it is a minority that still goes out and buys the regular program instead of turning to competitors.