We're all criminals and we're all going to hell  #
Monday, 20 Nov 2006 03:56PM
Update: Read LawFont's excellent FAQ on the new Copyright laws.


Sydney Morning Herald article on the proposed changes to Australian copyright law:

Under proposed new copyright laws, loading tracks onto a music player, which have been copied from a CD, would be classified as infringing copyright. This would apply even if that CD was legitimately purchased.

[...] exceptions [in the new laws] allow users to make one "main copy" of a CD as well as "temporary copies", but the temporary copies must be destroyed at the "first practicable time".

Loading music onto an iPod involves having one copy on the device and another on the computer in iTunes, meaning the user has two main copies in addition to the original CD. This is illegal even if the new bill is passed.

The exceptions were written with iPods in mind, as currently iPods are illegal under Australian copyright law (if used to store music from the iPod owners CDs rather than iTunes). In fact the whole point of the laws was to make "everyday infringement", such as iPods, multimedia streaming and TV recording legal.

But it's worse than just a misunderstanding of the technology...

The new laws will mean that an Australian user of P2P sharing technology, or a simple VCR, could be slapped with an on-the-spot fine. This is unlike in the USA where the music industry must sue a user if they believe they have been infringing copyright, and then prove the infringement in court.

In a letter published in last Thursday's Herald, titled "Specific aim to fines", Mr Ruddock said that "the fines are aimed at market-stall operators selling pirated copyright material, not to 'trick' consumers".

To this, Mr Clapperton said the bill should then be modified to remove the criminal provisions relating to individuals.

"If they're not planning to enforce these laws against individuals, then they should rewrite these laws so that they don't apply to individuals," he said.

If no-one intends on enforcing a law, why have it?


Economics lesson  #
Monday, 20 Nov 2006 02:38PM
Sanding attachment for an electric drill: $20 (Bunnings)

Electric drill: $20 (K-Mart)

The K-Mart electric drill is more powerful and has more features than the one we were handed down from the generation above (which has since completely worn out).

Twenty dollars. Cheaper than a new release CD.

We'll see how long it lasts, but I can't see it blowing up any time soon. It hasn't made any struggling noises.

Economics of the new world.

Where DVD players cost more than the DVDs you play on them.