ISP piracy tax

[Modelworks]

This is so close to mob tactics I don't know what to say. Pay up and we will pretend you are not there.

http://www.dslreports.com/show...n-ISP-Piracy-Tax-99609

Last March the music industry announced they'd created a new organization tasked with trying to implement a music "piracy tax." In essence, users would pay their ISP $5-$10 a month for the right to download, copy and share as much music as they'd like without restrictions. Or at least that's the sales pitch; it's hard to believe the music industry's implementation of such a plan wouldn't have serious flaws -- the least of which being that the industry would probably have everyone paying a piracy tax, whether they pirated or not.

The idea of collective licensing is obviously not new. The EFF proposed just such a system back in 2004, but the music industry instead decided that "suing the hell out of everyone" (TM) made better business sense. In light of the group's creation, the EFF penned a guide on the right and wrong way to go about collective licensing.

The EFF believes a good system would be voluntary for users, artists and ISPs. A bad system would be little more than a Capone-esque protection racket, where you either "voluntarily" adopt the system, or get knee-capped. Knowing what you know about the music industry's tactics, which would you guess will be their approach?

Rest of article at link above

 

[amdhunter]

I'd pay it. Sounds like a great idea to me.

 

[Brainonska511]

Fuck that. Why should I pay extra so that my neighbor can download all the shit he wants from the internet?

 

[pontifex]

I thought it was to help lessen the impact of piracy (not sure exactly how, unless the RIAA or whatever got all of the tax money) not to say "hey, pay us this and you can pirate all you want"

 

[HardcoreRobot]

ill gladly pay it, just as soon as my ISP makes all the content available

 

[slag]

Originally posted by: HardcoreRobot
ill gladly pay it, just as soon as my ISP makes all the content available

they already do, you just have to know where to find it.

 

[coldmeat]

I would pay that in a second.

 

[Kirby]

It's a trap! Your ISP takes the list of people who signed up and sends it to the RIAA!

 

[HardcoreRobot]

they should do it, then the ISPs should turn around and charge RIAA money for facilitating the distribution of their content

 

[Oyeve]

Originally posted by: nkgreen
It's a trap! Your ISP takes the list of people who signed up and sends it to the RIAA!

hehe, they do that now anyway.

 

[Evadman]

So they want to force me to join Napster or Zune style content subscriptions? I can already get it if I want it.

 

[xanis]

When the bandwidth caps go, then I'll pay this. Until then, the RIAA can go fuck itself.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Originally posted by: Brainonska511
Fuck that. Why should I pay extra so that my neighbor can download all the shit he wants from the internet?

So you could download all the shit you want from the internet?

$10/mo is the cost of ONE DVD or CD. So do you buy one DVD or CD each month on average? This is definitely cheaper....

 

[Brainonska511]

Originally posted by: DisgruntledVirus

Originally posted by: Brainonska511
Fuck that. Why should I pay extra so that my neighbor can download all the shit he wants from the internet?

So you could download all the shit you want from the internet?

$10/mo is the cost of ONE DVD or CD. So do you buy one DVD or CD each month on average? This is definitely cheaper....

It might be cheaper, but I'd rather support the artist. And I tend not to listen to RIAA affiliated groups.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Originally posted by: Brainonska511

Originally posted by: DisgruntledVirus

Originally posted by: Brainonska511
Fuck that. Why should I pay extra so that my neighbor can download all the shit he wants from the internet?

So you could download all the shit you want from the internet?

$10/mo is the cost of ONE DVD or CD. So do you buy one DVD or CD each month on average? This is definitely cheaper....

It might be cheaper, but I'd rather support the artist. And I tend not to listen to RIAA affiliated groups.

How wouldn't it support the artist? Granted it wouldn't be fair to the artist most likely (compared to a iTunes scheme where you pay for a specific song), but the flip side of that is you are paying RIAA directly who in turn *should* pay the artist.

 

[tk149]

They don't want a voluntary tax. They want everybody to pay it.

My download speed is pathetic and I don't download MP3's. Why should I have to pay for other people's piracy?

If this passes, the Movie industry will be next, and as pointed out by the article, the porn, gaming, book, and comic industries won't be far behind. $5-$10 will become $50-$100 in no time.

There's already an additional "piracy" tax on blank "Music" CD-R's.

 

[tk149]

Originally posted by: DisgruntledVirus

Originally posted by: Brainonska511
Fuck that. Why should I pay extra so that my neighbor can download all the shit he wants from the internet?

So you could download all the shit you want from the internet?

$10/mo is the cost of ONE DVD or CD. So do you buy one DVD or CD each month on average? This is definitely cheaper....

MUSIC only. Read the article.

Also, how much of this tax would be going to independent artists? Can I just record some crap at home, put it up on a torrent, and "get my fair share"?

This is an unbelievably stupid idea, and impossible to make "fair" to all the artists, not just the ones signed on with a major recording studio.

 

[Xavier434]

Taxing everyone for this sort of thing is a retarded idea. Making it voluntary is an option that is worth looking into but that sounds like a really slippery slope in itself.

 

[swbsam]

If there was a MUSIC.COM where I can log in and download all the DRM free tracks that I'd like, or any and all artists covered by the RIAA.. sure - I'd pay that in an instance. I

 

[frostedflakes]

I wouldn't be against it, as long as it's optional. Normal users shouldn't be subsidizing the pirates.

 

[Kalmah]

If I had to pay something like this, I would purpously keep torrents running 24/7. If they threw software pirating into the mix as well.. I'll be downloading the most expensive software possible. Adobe cs3, copies of all OS's, adobe audition, Guitar Rig, audio mixing plugins. (some are over $400... just for a plugin(Izotope Ozone for instance)).. Every game, movie..

I can forsee a bandwidth limit coming in the near future. But then, now we have some ironing. "as much music as they'd like without restrictions".. ISPs will post a bandwidth restrictions.. not allowing me to get what the RIAA said I can do. Then the RIAA can sue your ISP.. right? heh... heh...

 

[rbV5]

Sure, make the RIAA completely untouchable. They haven't distributed a penney of the lawsuit proceeds procured thus far to a single Artist.

I would agree with breaking the RIAA monopoly using the US Justice system. How can they not be guity of extortion and conspiracy is beyond me.

The artists need the RIAA like they need free heroin, but the RIAA needs the artists like I need air.

I'd contribute $10 a month for as long as it takes to bring legislation and legal teams to take down the RIAA and their jackboot thuggery.

They're not in the least bit fair with the artists or consumers and no better than drug dealers for creating demand by giving away "free samples" over OUR public airwaves and then charge exorbant fees for mearly allowing consumers to listen to that very same freely available content at the time of their own choosing. Pure bullshit!

The music business has an unworkable business model thats must be supported by no less than extortion and conspiracy. It has stifled creativety in the industry and created a huge system of no-talent leeches that suck the vast majority of proceeds away from the actual talent and into the hands of the legions of the blood sucking supporting structure.

Yea, lets feed that monster

 

[ElFenix]

sounds like the NFL wanting every household in america to have to purchase the NFL network as part of basic cable for $1.50 a month.

 

[Dirigible]

Originally posted by: ElFenix
sounds like the NFL wanting every household in america to have to purchase the NFL network as part of basic cable for $1.50 a month.

Yup.

I wouldn't want to pay the tax. I don't pirate and I average spending less than $10 on music per year. This would cost me more and give me no benefit.

 

[Chadder007]

Considering how high Broadband still is here in the U.S. compared to other countries now, it looks like we are already paying an ISP tax. They keep "boosting" speeds and prices instead of coming down off the price like they should be.