Opinion? What's that?

Some of you may be aware of the "three strikes" plan recently approved in France, where suspected copyright infringers are liable to be banned from the internet for up to a year if they persist after two warnings, and failed efforts to push similar laws across the entire EU a few months back.

Not content to be rebuffed, proponents of the laws have put them back on the table in Brussels, where they were set to be voted on yesterday. No news seems to be available online yet about how it went (any Europeans visitors have details on that?). 

Is banning pirates from the internet going too far, or is it justified? It seems that no amount of DRM ever deters them for long, so perhaps cutting them off from their sources entirely would be the solution to large-scale piracy. Or maybe it just might drive them underground, and result in innocent users being banned on suspicions only. What do you guys think? Could this possibly work, or will it only make matters worse?


Comments (Page 1)
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on Jul 08, 2008
Eh, I won't miss them. If they are driven underground there is less piracy and I don't really believe in innocent users. Dumb ones maybe, but not innocent.
on Jul 08, 2008
in all honesty, it would be damn near impossible to enforce, considering the amount of wireless internet devices that are out there. besides, Warez and DDL sites can be taken down, but torrents and P2P apps are a lot harder to police. besides, it's a little late to stop music piracy now, anyway. It'd be interesting to see how this worked if it gets passed
on Jul 08, 2008
Well... for that to happen, you're implying that various national governments have the right to control access and content on-line. Who exactly "Owns" the internet anyways? And isn't it closer to a private enterprise (AT&T runs most of the servers in the united states) then a part of national communications infrastructure? Who has the right to say who stays on and who doesn't? That's like sewing a mans mouth shut so he can't speak.
on Jul 08, 2008
Well... for that to happen, you're implying that various national governments have the right to control access and content on-line.


Um, they do. Not necessarily content, but certainly access. If the government has the right to deny you access to your children should you be found abusing them (let alone your very freedom, by throwing you in jail), they certainly can deny you the right to access the internet if you are found committing crimes on it.

The Internet is not a magical, mystical construct; it is a bunch of computers that live somewhere connected by various cables. Access to the internet is tied into your house and the various wireless devices that you use. Even wireless devices are short-range, ultimately going to "nearby" landlines that talk to the actual internet. Landlines that were placed there by corporations under government-regulated monopolies.

If you break laws, you are bound to certain consequences, certain restrictions on your freedoms as deemed fit by the laws you live under.
on Jul 08, 2008
95% of the disconnects will most likely be false alarms.
on Jul 08, 2008
I Know a few people who have got emails about pirating here from telus, and from our cable connection its smaller but more regulated the telus's. So far they are only going after movies here in BC anyway. Software and music is pretty much free game though. I'd be fine without piracy. hopefully if it got slowed down we'd see some games with more thought and support like sins. On the other hand Crytec said the wouldn't be doing PC specific games because Piracy "Killed" Crysis apparently even though it made sold millions of copies. On the other hand I wasn't fond of Crysis so maybe the piracy was a good thing in that Case lol.

LeeG
on Jul 08, 2008
My problem is the definition of "Piracy" - I typically find that what I define as Piracy involves a much more narrow definition of the term than what industry advocates (Or possibly even our gracious hosts) define as piracy.

Now, if they mean the same thing *I* mean, then by all means, they can go to it.

Jonnan
on Jul 08, 2008

Sounds pretty difficult, and there could potentially be some false positives, but overall it could mean really good things for developers and in return legit gamers if it can be executed properly.

on Jul 08, 2008
Good. People would be faced with the fact that their commiting a crime, and this will lower game prices by $5-10.

I hope the 4th time (going online illegally) means jail. If it was up to me, thieves would go to prison.
on Jul 08, 2008
Thats why nobody votes you into office
Anyway hope they can take down the darknet LOL
on Jul 09, 2008
^

Apparantly people who think alike are already in office.

Enjoy prison.
on Jul 09, 2008
Good. People would be faced with the fact that their commiting a crime, and this will lower game prices by $5-10.I hope the 4th time (going online illegally) means jail. If it was up to me, thieves would go to prison.


Worse, forced to pay the company they ripped off the equivalent of alimony for the next 10 years.
on Jul 09, 2008
While I am very much against piracy, I am conerned that this might go so far, and just as with some of the things that have happened on youtube and elsewhere, people that are doing nothing wrong will be caught too, or the rules will be changed as things go along.
on Jul 09, 2008
O rly? the chances of this working is only when you deprive people of their privacy, they aren't to give it up either.
on Jul 09, 2008

Wow another shining example of why politicians are a waste.  Copyright is way out of control, not that there shouldn't be something but the way it is currently is just terrible.

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