Pirate Finder General

[deathboy]

This is UTTERLY fucked.

A source close to the British Labour Government has just given me reliable information about the most radical copyright proposal I've ever seen.

Secretary of State Peter Mandelson is planning to introduce changes to the Digital Economy Bill now under debate in Parliament. These changes will give the Secretary of State (Mandelson -- or his successor in the next government) the power to make "secondary legislation" (legislation that is passed without debate) to amend the provisions of Copyright, Designs and Patents Act (1988).

What that means is that an unelected official would have the power to do anything without Parliamentary oversight or debate, provided it was done in the name of protecting copyright.

[READ MORE]

[edit]: Please do repost this, tweet it, facebook it, just plain MENTION it to people.

People have to fucking know what they're trying to pull, there has to be some kind of a backlash.

Comments

[megashrike.livejournal.com]

As I posted elsewhere that's essentially Darth Mandy's Death Star, no reactor port on it though.

Fucking dogfucking fucker. Wonder how much he's getting paid off for this.

[deathboy.livejournal.com]

I should imagine he's fucking set up for life, he's so achingly, painfully obviously bought it's not even a fucking joke is it?

[megashrike.livejournal.com]

You'd imagine that a blatant case of being paid off would set some alarm bells going somewhere?

GB - "So Lord Mandelson, how was your all expenses covered trip out to see the media bigwigs. I mean holiday?"

DLM - "Great Gordon they gave me loads of ideas to implement to line my pockets! Wait, I really meant to protect the precious rights of artists and media creators. And abuse the poor"

GB - "Haha, those poor people, what ever will we do to them next".

That's a genuine conversation I reckon.

[deathboy.livejournal.com]

It's like we were actually there :/

[megashrike.livejournal.com]

Might as well just start routing all my web traffic through a VPN to a less mental country

[deathboy.livejournal.com]

yeah, I've been thinking about that, well - having two connections, one of them secure for this sort of chicanery.

either that or hire a b0x0r colo somewhere sane, use that to grep my warez, then securely download it from that box back home.

[megashrike.livejournal.com]

Might be worth getting a few of us together and all chipping in some fundz

[deathboy.livejournal.com]

yep. I suspect this is how it will go down.

I'll keep an eye on things as they develop, give you a yell if I look like ponying up for a box and need some comerades!

[megashrike.livejournal.com]

Jah, I can think of a few guys who'll probably be interested

[dyfferent.livejournal.com]

Oh hells I'd pay for such a service. Not much as I'm skint but still.

[pete23.livejournal.com]

Geffen probably offered the pick of his extensive harem.

[mechanicaljack.livejournal.com]

posted in my lj for what it's worth from a yank.

[robo-toda.livejournal.com]

posted to my fb. I have more readership on there.

[darkcryst.livejournal.com]

fuck me.

just.. wow.

Labour is turning into (it's not there yet, but it's close) the late 90's Conservative Party.

The Torries are however a LOT worse now, bunch of useless money-grubbing cock-gobblers. Cammeron talks a good talk, but his actions and support for things speaks alouder than his line of bullshit.

It's like... one one side you have a bunch of clueless fuckwits and the other side a bunch of greedy blinkered incompetents. What the hell?

It's not like the Lib Dems or Greens are going to sweep the election...

[ephemera.livejournal.com]

I'm holding fire until there's something more concrete to go at than a single anon source. Given the use of SI legislation in the past though, it's terrifyingly plausible, even likely ...

(And just for shits and giggles, my MPs on holiday this week and not attending the debates, so the call I made and email I sent on Monday about other elements of the bill won't be heard, let alone represented. Thanks MP ...)

[emarkienna.livejournal.com]

Is this the bit being referred too? It's been referred to by some mainstream sources now (e.g., http://news.zdnet.co.uk/communications/0,1000000085,39893271,00.htm , http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/technology/2009/11/the_digital_economy_bill.html ).

[ephemera.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I've not done my lunchtime news-hunt yet, and when CD posted this yesterday it was at 'a reliable source' stage.