Re: Drivel - As Usual
Unlike Mr orlovski I work in the creative industry...
So you don't consider writing part of "the creative industry", then? Which specific "creative industry" are you talking about? Last I knew there were quite a few industries where creative activity (esp. that which benefits from copyright protection) formed the core of the industry.
But that does not mean I don't get bloody angry when I see copyright being used as nothing more than a tool to restrict freedom, make money and criminalise ordinary people.
I think you've lost me there, friend. What can you do with copyright except restrict what others can you do with your material? Even the open source licenses such as GPL use copyright to set down a list of what can and cannot be done with the creative material.
Yes, often that restriction is used to make money, and if we lived in a society which rewarded creative endeavors with goods in kind, that would not be necessary. But we don't live in such a society at this point in time.
As for criminalising ordinary people, the only person who can "criminalise" one is oneself, either through ignorance of or deliberate breaking of applicable law. If you believe the law is unjust, there are various ways in which you can work to change it. If you believe you must break the law*, that is your option as a free individual, but you should expect to face the consequences.
There are many ways to bring to light issues with and abuses of the current copyright system. Breaching copyright should be the method of last resort. I encourage you to speak up, in this forum and in others, enumerating the flaws you see in the current system. We all know it isn't perfect, so simply reiterating that fact adds nothing to the debate.
*Although why anyone feels they need to do so for the type of material on TPB is beyond me -- none of it is necessary for a healthy, happy life, and much of isn't even worth the time needed to download it.