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RIAA Google takedown requests near 10 million
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Corporate News, Google, Internet, Music,
Thanks to Google's Transparency Report, we can see just how many copyright takedown requests it gets, and who issues such requests. The RIAA tops the list with nearly 10 million takedown requests issued. The RIAA issues hundreds of thousands of notices every week in regards to piracy sites, and has topped the most recent monthly requests. This goes to show just how severe the piracy network is, or even perhaps, how futile the RIAA's attempts are at squashing it.
Read More | Google Transparency Report via Engadget
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Snoop Dogg: ‘The Music Industry Isn’t in Decline’
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Gossip, Industry News, Leaks, Hip-Hop & Rap,
Snoop Dogg does not think the music industry is in a state of decline. The legendary rapper believes artists in the industry still have ways of controlling their output, and even those new to the scene can find a break if their material is good enough.
"There's certainly ways to maximize the mistakes that we've made with CDs and the crash and people stealing music: You can still control the material. Now, you can make a video and put it on YouTube and display your skills: record label staffers are sitting in an office all day, every day, looking for it. It's definitely not as bad as people want to make it."
He thinks those who are struggling are doing so because they are stuck in the past and need to see things differently. "A lot of people are still stuck in the 90s. They think the days still exist where you get a lot of money upfront and labels give you two or three videos with big budgets. That ####'s over with," he told The Hollywood Reporter.
Avengers Assemble Links!
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Movies, Reviews, Marvel Comics,
Because we're all about The Avengers 24/7/365, here are a bunch of nice Avengers links that haven't been abused too much by the internets.
Assemble! My pal, the comics historian Peter Sanderson, takes a look at The Avengers. The money quote: “That climactic battle between the Avengers and Loki’s invading forces, in the heart of New York City, captured the fantastic spectacle and visceral excitement that the superhero genre can create more fully than I had ever imagined seeing in a live action film.”
Click to continue reading Avengers Assemble Links!
With iTunes Match, Apple has ended piracy as we know it
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Editorial, Music, Software,
I belong to the MP3 generation. Mine was the first to confront the choice between an $18 CD filled with marginal tracks and free MP3 downloaded from Napster in minutes. It was a test of character, and like many of the MP3 generation, I failed. But my days as a copyright violator, music pirate, and intellectual property profiteer ended long ago, and after enabling iTunes Match, previous guilt is gone.
To be fair, I haven't actually stolen music in years. I actually have multiple music service subscriptions, mostly because I am too lazy to cancel when I switch. So I have access to Rdio, Zune Pass, Rhapsody, Slacker, and Spotify Premium. But the truth is, I have a 32GB music collection sitting on my home PC that was built illegally downloading from services like Napster, Limewire, and BitTorrent. But now Apple is offering me amnesty for just $25 a year.
Apple's iTunes 10.5.1 launched yesterday, and it includes the much-anticipated Match feature. Install the software and it will scan your hard drive for music and make high-quality, 256-Kbps AAC versions of every file available to you in the cloud. The kicker is that this includes not just songs you purchased through iTunes, but any music file on your system, no matter where or how you got it. It will cost $25 a year to maintain access to this newly rebuilt and legal library, but for that price you can have access to up to 25,000 songs. Apple will pay the labels a small fee for the rights, but all you pay is the $25 per year. For those of us in the MP3 generation, this is library liberation.
Click to continue reading With iTunes Match, Apple has ended piracy as we know it
Microsoft prepares ban hammer for Halo: Reach pirates
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Bungie, First Person Shooters, Microsoft, Xbox 360, Xbox Live,
Though the temptation may be great to jump online early, perpetrators of downloading early copies of Halo: Reach better think twice before firing up their illegally attained games online. Microsoft is no stranger to banning as many users as they see fit suspected of playing pirated copies of their games. A representative for Microsoft had this to say:
“We are aware that an unauthorized copy of “Halo: Reach” has leaked. We are aggressively investigating the matter. We have no further details to share at this time.”
Sounds like Microsoft is pretty pissed at the whole situation, and we all know what happens when Microsoft feels slighted. Last fall, gamers playing pirated copies of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 prompted Microsoft to ban up to a million players to get their message across. And that message is that pirating will not be tolerated.
“We are aggressively pursuing the violators. Microsoft’s commitment to combat piracy and support safer and more secure gameplay for the 25 million members of the Xbox LIVE community remains a top priority. All consumers should know that piracy is illegal and modifying their Xbox 360 console violates the Xbox LIVE terms of use, will void their warranty and result in a ban from Xbox LIVE.”
Read More | Kotaku
TV Talk: Jason Alexander Joins Jenny Craig, Law & Order Eyes Los Angeles
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Drama, Prime Time, Sci-Fi/Horror, ABC, Cable, FOX, NBC, Showtime, Commercials, Heroes, Lost, Prison Break, Gossip, News, Rumors,
-Seinfeld‘s Jason Alexander has signed up to be the new face of Jenny Craig. I’m not sure I want to see a bathing suit commercial in his future.
-Oscar nominee Laura Linney will star in The Big C, a new series for Showtime. In case your mind went elsewhere, that “C” stands for “cancer.”
-Former Nightline anchor Ted Koppel could be returning to his old network. ABC is reportedly hoping he’ll replace GMA‘s George Stephanopoulos on This Week.
-Is there another Law & Order franchise on the horizon? NBC is currently entertaining a Los Angeles-based version of the show.
-The numbers may be lousy, but someone’s still watching Heroes. The NBC series was the most-pirated program last year. Lost was second while Prison Break came in third.
Arr, Matey: Spike TV Docudrama Details Pirate Pursuits
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Drama, Reality, Cable, Gossip,
Spike TV is all set to present Pirate Hunters: USN, which comes just on the wake of national news involving Somali pirates. The series showcases the U.S. Navy’s pursuit of pirates and piracy in the Gulf of Aden.
Though the series is in the same locale where piracy made recent headlines, the deal has already been in the works for months. The Navy has allowed cameras aboard the USS San Antonio and the USS Boxer, the latter of which was part of the recent rescue effort.
A Pirate Hunters pilot is in the works, but there’s no word on when it will air.
Read More | TV Guide
Werd: Pirate - Part Five
Posted by Patrick Snajder Categories: Editorials, History, US Economy,
This week’s werd pirate, as told by the other OED:
pirate (n.)
1254, from O.Fr. pirate, from L. pirata “sailor, sea robber,” from Gk. peirates “brigand, pirate,” lit. “one who attacks,” from peiran “to attack, make a hostile attempt on, try,” from peira “trial, an attempt, attack,” from PIE base *per- “try” (cf. L. peritus “experienced,” periculum “trial, experiment, risk, danger,” see peril). Meaning “one who takes another’s work without permission” first recorded 1701; sense of “unlicensed radio broadcaster” is from 1913. The verb is first recorded 1574.
From its earliest roots, we can see that the word is based on the seafaring attack definition that we know very well and “one who attacks.” Then, in 1701, that very concrete definition gains an abstraction – it becomes the piracy of copyright, a taking of thought. You can say that 1701 marks the death of the singular pirate and welcomes a broader definition founded in the world of Gutenberg’s movable type.
We should not find it ironic, then, that Captain William Kidd was executed in 1701 for his act of piracy.
Click to continue reading Werd: Pirate - Part Five
Werd: Pirate - Part Two
Posted by Patrick Snajder Categories: Editorials, Humor,
I mean, c’mon, who doesn’t love pirates, right?
Whether it’s their eye patches or their peg-legs, pirates are a beloved part of human history. So long as there have been valuable things moved over water and poor people with a taste for the sea, there be pirates trying to steal them some booty.
And why not? Thievery on land is a naturally risky business. Most centers of wealth, private or otherwise, are located in densely populated areas. Banks are a good example. The feudal castle of yesteryear is another. Unfortunate for the thief, however, is that most people protect their banks and castles with thick walls and sentries, adding a layer of complication to the simple thief’s plan. And there are always the difficult problem of witnesses. Of course, you can go for petty crimes – stealing the purse or breaking the window of a some other lower/middle class citizen: but there is no great pride in that. The rule of thievery is that if you want to earn a lifetime of respect for your crimes, the crimes must be bold conquests that attain plentiful booty (e.g., Jesse James, Ocean’s 11-13, Vikings).
Click to continue reading Werd: Pirate - Part Two
Werd: Pirate - Part One
Posted by Patrick Snajder Categories: Editorials, Humor,
For the invocation of the Werd, I have made a pirate joke for your enjoyment:
What’s the difference between an AIG CEO and a college student downloading a CD?
The CEO won’t be criminally prosecuted!
Hi-HO!
And now, for something completely different:
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