EU Publishers Want a Law To Control Online News 168
suraj.sun writes with news that European publishers are also seeking ways to "protect" their content from the big bad intertubes. Their rant, termed the "Hamburg Declaration," asks the government to step in with a legislative fix. "Most of the statements in the relatively short declaration, which will surely take its place among thousands of other European declarations on intellectual property and other matters that have come out over the past few years, hinge on the idea that 'universal access to news' does not equal 'free.' In this respect, the publishers want to maintain the democratic ideal of a 'fourth estate' that provides news to an informed citizenry, while simultaneously restricting access to that news to those who can pay for it directly. What sets this declaration apart from the other Hamburg declarations out there, or from the various Geneva declarations or Berlin declarations, is that this one is intended to give the publishers' favorite solution to the news-stealing problem, the Automated Content Access Protocol, the force of law."
People are mis-understanding this issue: (Score:5, Informative)
This isn't about free web content, or copyright.
The newspapers are trying to establish ownership of the underlying INFORMATION, not just the words they use to convey that information.
Newspapers who actually go out and "get" news are trying to establish control over that information so that those who re-report do not compete directly with the original report.
This isn't about copyright, it is about establishing a new 'estate' of IP which establishes ownership over directly sourced/reported information.
Re:Why is it always draconian? (Score:3, Informative)
Vampires, sadly, have nothing to do with it. Although, most articles on DRM make me want to impale someone, so I suppose there's a connection.
Re:What garbage (Score:3, Informative)
millions needlessly dead
Millions? Really? Even the most outlying figures for the death tolls have never been in the millions.
war over large parts of the planet,
This was something new only to the 8 years of the Bush presidency? Last time I checked there was also war over large parts of the planet during the Clinton years too.
mass alienation and destabilisation,
That's new?
worldwide economic collapse...
Wow, so Bush is no single-handedly responsible for the worldwide economic collapse? Hyperbolic much? I was against Bush all throughout his stay in office but even I spot this as being total fucking bullshit. The economic collapse was catalyzed by the bursting of the housing bubble created by Alan Greenspan during the Clinton years.
i don't think any politician at all is "good", but you'll have to get up pretty early each morning and put in some very long hours to be actually WORSE than bush...
Obama must be working overtime, because in many of the areas you mention above they've only gotten worse, and will continue to get worse, under Obama.
Re:I wish they'd focus on the news (Score:2, Informative)
the BBC is not paid for by the government.
the BBC is paid for by the british public through a "license" we are pretty much forced to buy.
sure, if you do NOT own or possess a television, VCR, dvd player, radio or computer, you don't have to pay for it... (including in your car)
do you know anyone without any form of electronic entertainment?
the one good thing about this system is that the british government has zero influence or control over the BBC (in theory) and the BBC is free the criticise the government or its policies in any way it wants.
the biggest problem though, is that most of the output of the BBC is complete crap, vying for the attentions of the lowest common denominator (stupidest) of dole scrounging (welfare) scumbags (jerks) from sink estates (the projects). american translations in brackets for those that need them there...
in other words, the license is very expensive and the bits of the BBC that are good do not actually cost much.
i am still waiting for the day they break up the bbc and i just pay for the parts i think are worth having...
Re:I wish they'd focus on the news (Score:3, Informative)
ABC
So Disney is considered a government now?!
Australian Broadcast Corporation. Funded directly by the Australian federal government. Otherwise, run like a smaller version of the BBC.