Pickwick's Papers - Can't stop the signal

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Can't stop the signal

Jul. 6th, 2008 at 11:28 AM

From here, via

burkesworks,

nwhyte and others:

"On Monday, July 7, 2008 the EU intends to sneak through a law to clamp down on file-sharing. If it gets passed, you could end up being disconnected from the Net for ever if your ISP decides you've been file-sharing.

You weren't supposed to know about this.

They buried these laws inside a huge package of other telecoms legislation, slipped it out the day before the EU breaks for the summer, and hoped nobody would notice. Most MEPs won't even have a chance to read this legislation before they have to vote on it.

Their stealth tactics could still work, unless we act now.

Right now."

The most informative, yet easily understood, article I've seen on the subject is here.

Write to your MEP *today*, and hope that they read their mail on Sundays or Monday mornings. UK residents can do it through Write To Them.

Pass it on.

Tags:

Comments

( 24 comments — Comment )

miss_s_b wrote:

Jul. 6th, 2008 10:42 am (UTC)

Linked this on LC this morning too.

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pickwick wrote:

Jul. 6th, 2008 10:45 am (UTC)

Hurray! Cos I checked the BBC, and google news, and a few places, and just...nothing. Very bizarre.

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miss_s_b wrote:

Jul. 6th, 2008 10:47 am (UTC)

The cynic in me says that that's because the MSM think that file-sharers also tend to be bloggers and the MSM feels threatened by bloggers, and if bloggers get their internets taken away, then that's GOOD.

I don't think the MSM realise how widespread and socially acceptable filesharing has become.

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pickwick wrote:

Jul. 6th, 2008 10:52 am (UTC)

Bah, yeah, that's possible. The optimist in me says they're just incompetent and haven't noticed, or haven't realised what a huge impact it could have.

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miss_s_b wrote:

Jul. 6th, 2008 10:56 am (UTC)

Either way, if we make enough noise, who needs the MSM?

Someone just posted to

nearly_everyone! That NEVER happens! It's only there so that people can say I went to the theatre and

nearly_everyone was there... etc.!

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pickwick wrote:

Jul. 6th, 2008 11:02 am (UTC)

Indeed! And whoa, I'd forgotten that community even existed!

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miss_s_b wrote:

Jul. 6th, 2008 11:07 am (UTC)

I've passed it along to Lynne Featherstone, too. She might not blog about it, but she might be able to contact Euro colleagues and get them to act...

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pickwick wrote:

Jul. 6th, 2008 11:07 am (UTC)

The LC website is having real trouble opening on my computer this morning. (I am at work and my computer is shite, so this might not be LC's fault, but LJ is working fine...)

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miss_s_b wrote:

Jul. 6th, 2008 11:08 am (UTC)

Oh, LC is often arsey on a Sunday morning. I have bitched about it to Sunny, but...

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astartesyriaca wrote:

Jul. 6th, 2008 10:59 am (UTC)

How does one become disconnected from the net "forever"?

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pickwick wrote:

Jul. 6th, 2008 11:04 am (UTC)

I would assume some sort of ISP blacklist, like a bad credit rating? Not sure, though. And they couldn't stop you going to internet cafes or using someone else's wireless connection.

Probably ties in with the "internet identity" thing they've been talking about, where everyone has one registered online identity, although that idea hasn't got anywhere yet...

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londonkds wrote:

Jul. 6th, 2008 11:41 am (UTC)

A note for anybody sending a message to MEPs: do not use the words "fair use"! This is a US legal concept and the related concept in the UK is "fair dealing". Referring to "fair use" will, sadly, convince anyone who knows a bit about IP that you are an ignorant anti-IP extremist who isn't worthy of being listened to.

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pickwick wrote:

Jul. 6th, 2008 11:46 am (UTC)

Heh, I see "fair use" bandied around far too much, usually in arguments about fanfic and icons and so forth. And everybody seems to have a different idea of what falls under it anyway, even if it was relevant...

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londonkds wrote:

Jul. 6th, 2008 11:50 am (UTC)

Yes, I particularly remember that recent argument in

doctorwho over icon plagiarism in which there was some idiot who seemed to think that just screaming "FAIR USE!!!" as loudly as possible was a magic charm against all kinds of IP or moral claims against plagiarism, similar to crosses to vampires.

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pickwick wrote:

Jul. 6th, 2008 12:47 pm (UTC)

Heh, yes - oddly enough, that was exactly the argument I was thinking of!

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starprincess035 wrote:

Jul. 6th, 2008 11:42 am (UTC)

That's crazy. That's like banning a shoplifter from all
stores instead of just the one he was caught shoplifting in.
Not that file sharing is like shoplifting either.
If I have a cd and I wanna lend it to my friend, I should
damn well be able to do so. I paid for it and it's mine to
do with what I want. I could understand being in trouble if
I was making money off it but most file sharers are freely
sharing their stuff.
I really think they're just trying to stop the people who
are making copies of what they download and then selling
them but this is not the way to do it.

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pickwick wrote:

Jul. 6th, 2008 11:46 am (UTC)

Yeah, exactly. I can't help thinking they should maybe ask the bloggers and the tech geeks how to solve the problem, rather than making stupid laws that won't work!

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sovietkiki wrote:

Jul. 6th, 2008 12:21 pm (UTC)

Somebody should contact BBC News or something. The best way to get a piece of sneaky legislation out into the open is to get the media involved. D:

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pickwick wrote:

Jul. 6th, 2008 12:47 pm (UTC)

I suppose. I always think you have to be important for them to listen to you, but maybe not...

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sovietkiki wrote:

Jul. 6th, 2008 01:38 pm (UTC)

Considering they regularly run stories on zoo animals, I think they should listen to somebody with a valid complaint. D:

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pisica wrote:

Jul. 6th, 2008 01:31 pm (UTC)

I know someone at Private Eye; if this story hasn't made the national media they might be interested....

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sovietkiki wrote:

Jul. 6th, 2008 01:35 pm (UTC)

Go for it! \o/

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pickwick wrote:

Jul. 6th, 2008 02:45 pm (UTC)

ZOMG. I was thinking that someone should make an icon with that tagline from last night's ep.

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sovietkiki wrote:

Jul. 6th, 2008 02:46 pm (UTC)

Haha! I actually snagged this icon before the finale @_@ the person must have been psychic! :O

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( 24 comments — Comment )