The Unmitigated Gall

On my way home today I was listening to one of the podcasts that I enjoy. Its called Buzz out loud, its something of a tech-lite podcast. They were discussing a series of legislations that seem to be in the works in Canada where at customs they will search digital devices to make sure you aren't carrying any illegal copies of movies or music. If they find something they may confiscate your ipod or laptop or whatever. Which as annoying as it is isn't terribly surprising. What I learned that I had not hither to known is that in some of the loosest interpretations of copy write laws its illegal to copy a CD or DVD which you have purchased onto your computer.

Which in fact for me makes it illegal to listen to well. . . most music. Like many people these days, I imagine, I don't have a CD player. I use my computer and my ipod for any music listening. I can only imagine that the idea is that you should buy music from itunes or something. Which let me digress long enough to mention 'way to self destruct guys.' The music industry has been whining non stop that itunes and like digital download sights are killing there business anyway. People aren't buying enough CD's. Well why would anyone want to if you can't even listen to them on your portable devices?

It turns out though the Japanese version of itunes don't offer a lot of what they American version does. As far as I understand it, they want to force people to the brick and mortar shops that charge more anyway so they don't allow a lot of stuff. So if I want to listen to the music I like I go to the CD shop thats about five minutes from my work. I had long break yesterday so I went over and got two new CD's. It cost me about fifty dollars but. . . well OK. One was my favorite group so it was worth it. But as afore mentioned the only way for me to listen is on my computer so as soon as I got home I riped them like a normal person. So thats illegal? For me to listen to the music that I just paid fifty dollars for?

I have thought for awhile that the entertainment industry has been busily shooting themselves in the foot. The movie industry is complaining that pirating is killing their business when I suspect it has more to do with the fact that most of the movies they are making these days are so dull that I wouldn't watch them for free. I really wouldn't. In fact considering that I have cable I don't watch these movies despite the fact that I've already paid for them. (or Yoshi did.) On the other hand the gaming industry is making just fine profits even though that is equally victim to pirating. Why? Because they make content people want? So now the movie theaters are playing movies with a chopped up soundtrack to discourage pirating. Even though you have paid your seven dollars for the ticket you will be subjected to a muddled soundtrack. Why go? Really?

If the music industry makes most reasonable avenues to even legally listening to your music in some grubby attempt to wring a few more dollars out of you then why not steal it. I don't. But just in principal. They are choking their consumers to death with an every lengthening list of pernicious laws. And ask yourself how are they purposing to enforce these pernicious laws? By requiring the ISP's to packet search all of your Internet activity and report any suspicious behavior. So basically they will be tapping into all of your communications and most of your activities. So pretty soon the last vestiges of our civil writes flutter out the door, for what? Are they protecting us from external violence? Nope, they're doing it to protect the interests of the petulant and grubby greed of a terminally stupid industry providing us with sub standard entertainment.

Sorry if this post was a little scattered but inside I'm sputtering with anger, and this is what it sounds like when it comes out on paper.