Comments on: Anti-piracy enforcers claiming to represent Microsoft used to shut down dissident media in former USSR http://boingboing.net/2010/04/14/microsoft-anti-pirac.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:57:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: 5ynic http://boingboing.net/2010/04/14/microsoft-anti-pirac.html#comment-761344 5ynic Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-761344 Off topic (beg your indulgence this once!): Re Chrs#4 - I've asked lawyer friends and drawn a blank on this one... Can any of you clever BB regulars please enlighten me: Is there a technical term (or term of art) for the tactic of making common practices illegal so that you can later arrest whomever you want? Off topic (beg your indulgence this once!): Re Chrs#4 – I’ve asked lawyer friends and drawn a blank on this one… Can any of you clever BB regulars please enlighten me: Is there a technical term (or term of art) for the tactic of making common practices illegal so that you can later arrest whomever you want?

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/04/14/microsoft-anti-pirac.html#comment-935206 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-935206 Hello linux??? Why cant these journalists use Linux if they cannot afford to pay for Windows? How hard can it be? They would rather risk it all with Mr. Pirated Windows than to use Linux which is freeware 100% Linux have more than 100,000 available software within its repositories that I am sure can meet every one of these people's needs. Hello linux??? Why cant these journalists use Linux if they cannot afford to pay for Windows? How hard can it be? They would rather risk it all with Mr. Pirated Windows than to use Linux which is freeware 100% Linux have more than 100,000 available software within its repositories that I am sure can meet every one of these people’s needs.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/04/14/microsoft-anti-pirac.html#comment-763697 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-763697 this is why i dont use microsoft products anymore. this is why i dont use microsoft products anymore.

]]> By: highlyverbal http://boingboing.net/2010/04/14/microsoft-anti-pirac.html#comment-761406 highlyverbal Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-761406 "any suggestion that Microsoft approved or supported this police action is inaccurate." Well this is not strictly true. Certainly Microsoft is in favor of an IP enforcement regime that has these kinds of powers. And I don't remember any Microsoft proposals for checks on these powers? Sanctions for their abuse? So they definitely approve/support at a regime level. Everyone said that this is what it would entail! The only thing that they can honestly claim here is that person x was not representing them in an investigative capacity in this matter. “any suggestion that Microsoft approved or supported this police action is inaccurate.”

Well this is not strictly true.

Certainly Microsoft is in favor of an IP enforcement regime that has these kinds of powers. And I don’t remember any Microsoft proposals for checks on these powers? Sanctions for their abuse? So they definitely approve/support at a regime level. Everyone said that this is what it would entail!

The only thing that they can honestly claim here is that person x was not representing them in an investigative capacity in this matter.

]]> By: TheAntipodean http://boingboing.net/2010/04/14/microsoft-anti-pirac.html#comment-761407 TheAntipodean Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-761407 Time to move to Open Office on Linux Mint. Time to move to Open Office on Linux Mint.

]]> By: Pantograph http://boingboing.net/2010/04/14/microsoft-anti-pirac.html#comment-761413 Pantograph Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-761413 Yeah but downloading Open Source is supporting Communism, and they've had too much of that already in the past century. Yeah but downloading Open Source is supporting Communism, and they’ve had too much of that already in the past century.

]]> By: Wuss Brillis http://boingboing.net/2010/04/14/microsoft-anti-pirac.html#comment-761415 Wuss Brillis Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-761415 .. and not enough in the 21st. .. and not enough in the 21st.

]]> By: holtt http://boingboing.net/2010/04/14/microsoft-anti-pirac.html#comment-761437 holtt Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-761437 My vote for putting the updates at the top of the article not the bottom. My vote for putting the updates at the top of the article not the bottom.

]]> By: Wuss Brillis http://boingboing.net/2010/04/14/microsoft-anti-pirac.html#comment-761439 Wuss Brillis Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-761439 +1 +1

]]> By: Frenetic http://boingboing.net/2010/04/14/microsoft-anti-pirac.html#comment-761456 Frenetic Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-761456 @highlyverbal: That's pretty much what I was going to say. Microsoft supports "intellectual property" laws from which brutal censorship regimes logically follow. Freedom of speech and strong copyright are mutually exclusive objectives. @highlyverbal: That’s pretty much what I was going to say.

Microsoft supports “intellectual property” laws from which brutal censorship regimes logically follow. Freedom of speech and strong copyright are mutually exclusive objectives.

]]> By: Frenetic http://boingboing.net/2010/04/14/microsoft-anti-pirac.html#comment-761465 Frenetic Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-761465 You think that will stop the police from seizing your computer under suspicion of (air quotes) "copyright infringement"? You think that will stop the police from seizing your computer under suspicion of (air quotes) “copyright infringement”?

]]> By: Danny O'Brien http://boingboing.net/2010/04/14/microsoft-anti-pirac.html#comment-761214 Danny O'Brien Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-761214 Just to be clear, Microsoft says they knew nothing about this raid. Here's their statement on the matter: “The raid against Stan Media was initiated by the Kyrgyz police without any involvement from any Microsoft employees or anyone working on Microsoft’s behalf. The identified local lawyer has been representing Microsoft in a few enforcement actions targeting resellers of pirated software, but at this time he was asked to assist the police to identify possible unlicensed software in the role of a technical specialist from the local ‘Association of Right Holders of Intellectual Property Protection’. No claims were filed on Microsoft’s behalf and any suggestion that Microsoft approved or supported this police action is inaccurate.” More info on the story from Jeffrey Carr here: http://intelfusion.net/wordpress/2010/04/14/microsoft-denies-role-in-closure-of-stan-tv-by-kyrgyz-police/ Just to be clear, Microsoft says they knew nothing about this raid. Here’s their statement on the matter:
“The raid against Stan Media was initiated by the Kyrgyz police without any involvement from any Microsoft employees or anyone working on Microsoft’s behalf. The identified local lawyer has been representing Microsoft in a few enforcement actions targeting resellers of pirated software, but at this time he was asked to assist the police to identify possible unlicensed software in the role of a technical specialist from the local ‘Association of Right Holders of Intellectual Property Protection’. No claims were filed on Microsoft’s behalf and any suggestion that Microsoft approved or supported this police action is inaccurate.”

More info on the story from Jeffrey Carr here: http://intelfusion.net/wordpress/2010/04/14/microsoft-denies-role-in-closure-of-stan-tv-by-kyrgyz-police/

]]> By: dculberson http://boingboing.net/2010/04/14/microsoft-anti-pirac.html#comment-761222 dculberson Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-761222 Sounds like someone needs some concrete and lead computer cases. Nothing like 30,000 pounds of ballast to keep a computer network in place. Sounds like someone needs some concrete and lead computer cases. Nothing like 30,000 pounds of ballast to keep a computer network in place.

]]> By: Danny O'Brien http://boingboing.net/2010/04/14/microsoft-anti-pirac.html#comment-761230 Danny O'Brien Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-761230 (and yes, Internet Advocacy Coordinator at the Committee to Protect journalists is my new gig, though I was surprised as anyone that IP issues would crop up so quickly. I was somewhat hoping to give that side of things a rest after working on them so long at EFF...) If you want to follow this stuff more closely, I'm at http://twitter.com/danny_at_cpj (and yes, Internet Advocacy Coordinator at the Committee to Protect journalists is my new gig, though I was surprised as anyone that IP issues would crop up so quickly. I was somewhat hoping to give that side of things a rest after working on them so long at EFF…)

If you want to follow this stuff more closely, I’m at http://twitter.com/danny_at_cpj

]]> By: rmstallman http://boingboing.net/2010/04/14/microsoft-anti-pirac.html#comment-763793 rmstallman Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-763793 I was disappointed that the article uses the propaganda terms "pirated" and "Intellectual Property". The latter term is so misleading that even quoting a name in which it appears spreads confusion if you don't deconstruct the term. See http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/not-ipr.html for more information. Also, to say that "software piracy" is a "legitimate problem" whitewashes the real problem: proprietary software which forbid redistribution. Brazil used unauthorized copies of software as an excuse in the 90s to arrest activists of the landless rural workers' movement. In that case, the copies really were unauthorized, but that didn't alter the effect. To protect themselves, they moved to GNU/Linux. Everyone else should do that too. I was disappointed that the article uses the propaganda terms
“pirated” and “Intellectual Property”. The latter term is so
misleading that even quoting a name in which it appears spreads
confusion if you don’t deconstruct the term.
See http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/not-ipr.html for more information.

Also, to say that “software piracy” is a “legitimate problem”
whitewashes the real problem: proprietary software which forbid
redistribution.

Brazil used unauthorized copies of software as an excuse in the 90s to
arrest activists of the landless rural workers’ movement. In that
case, the copies really were unauthorized, but that didn’t alter the
effect. To protect themselves, they moved to GNU/Linux. Everyone
else should do that too.

]]> By: Chrs http://boingboing.net/2010/04/14/microsoft-anti-pirac.html#comment-761238 Chrs Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-761238 Wonderful example of why widely-practiced things probably shouldn't be illegal. It's far too tempting to selectively target enemies of the enforcement structure, whether state or corporate. Of course, there's the choice between changing the situation by improving enforcement or by legalization, but either way, change. Wonderful example of why widely-practiced things probably shouldn’t be illegal. It’s far too tempting to selectively target enemies of the enforcement structure, whether state or corporate.

Of course, there’s the choice between changing the situation by improving enforcement or by legalization, but either way, change.

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