Maybe its something in the air down here in the south, or maybe its that our pollies have too much time on their hands due to life being relatively sweet compared to, oh, Somalia or East Timor.
While our dimwit cousins across the Tasman are busy, for the 2nd or 3rd time, trying to censor the entire internet, our own crew (led by the late Labour Government but with general support from all parties) to create an online DRM fiasco.
And the locals are PO'd. Join the Internet Blackout - Protest Against Guilt Upon Accusation Laws in NZ — Creative Freedom Foundation (creativefreedom.org.nz).
Which is why Twitter, for example has Kiwis blacked out in bulk and the protest has spread abroad now, with people like Stephen Fry offering blacked out solidarity.
I went to a workshop on a draft code of practise for ISP's run by the Telecommunications Carriers’ Forum earlier this month and was boggled by the mockery of a response to a mockery of a law.
In effect, under the code, as long as I dispute the accusation it is essentially voided and the process has to start again from scratch - I can see the worst offenders taking about 3 seconds to figure that out. Effectively I can abort the process at every point.
And there is no penalty as long as I stop the activity within the 4 month process period and do not repeat within 18 months (draft only) If we get our promised fibre to the home we should be able to take care of our entertainment needs for the following 18 months in that time.
Even better, if I provide network access to others, for example my family, I can assert that I am a "downstream ISP" and can therefore deal directly with the accuser who is obliged under the code to pay a fee to the ISP (me) for handling the process.
There is no mandated fee, I can charge what I like and, being keen to ensure that I do not expose myself to any further legal jeopardy, I will naturally wish to involve my lawyer, whose fee will be encompassed in the charge.
There's a case for suggesting that getting the kids to burn the wires downloading content without respecting copyright and waiting till the accusations come in could be a real earner for the family.
The law is an ass, the people who wrote it had better get out of the way pronto.
While our dimwit cousins across the Tasman are busy, for the 2nd or 3rd time, trying to censor the entire internet, our own crew (led by the late Labour Government but with general support from all parties) to create an online DRM fiasco.
And the locals are PO'd. Join the Internet Blackout - Protest Against Guilt Upon Accusation Laws in NZ — Creative Freedom Foundation (creativefreedom.org.nz).
Join The New Zealand Internet Blackout to protest against the Guilt Upon Accusation law 'Section 92A' that calls for internet disconnection based on accusations of copyright infringement without a trial and without any evidence held up to court scrutiny.
This is due to come into effect on February 28th unless immediate action is taken by the National Party.
Join thousands of New Zealanders already against this law by blacking out your Facebook photo, your websites, your Myspace pages, your Twitter account, in protest against this unjust new law that may come into effect on February 28.
This is due to come into effect on February 28th unless immediate action is taken by the National Party.
Join thousands of New Zealanders already against this law by blacking out your Facebook photo, your websites, your Myspace pages, your Twitter account, in protest against this unjust new law that may come into effect on February 28.
Which is why Twitter, for example has Kiwis blacked out in bulk and the protest has spread abroad now, with people like Stephen Fry offering blacked out solidarity.
I went to a workshop on a draft code of practise for ISP's run by the Telecommunications Carriers’ Forum earlier this month and was boggled by the mockery of a response to a mockery of a law.
In effect, under the code, as long as I dispute the accusation it is essentially voided and the process has to start again from scratch - I can see the worst offenders taking about 3 seconds to figure that out. Effectively I can abort the process at every point.
And there is no penalty as long as I stop the activity within the 4 month process period and do not repeat within 18 months (draft only) If we get our promised fibre to the home we should be able to take care of our entertainment needs for the following 18 months in that time.
Even better, if I provide network access to others, for example my family, I can assert that I am a "downstream ISP" and can therefore deal directly with the accuser who is obliged under the code to pay a fee to the ISP (me) for handling the process.
Libraries and cafes with WiFi for their customers are up in arms about this and the law explicitly is contradicted by a Governemtn established organisation The Aotearoa People's Network whixch does not, and cannot track users online actions because that would contravene their right to privacy.
There is no mandated fee, I can charge what I like and, being keen to ensure that I do not expose myself to any further legal jeopardy, I will naturally wish to involve my lawyer, whose fee will be encompassed in the charge.
There's a case for suggesting that getting the kids to burn the wires downloading content without respecting copyright and waiting till the accusations come in could be a real earner for the family.
The law is an ass, the people who wrote it had better get out of the way pronto.
Update: its now on hold till late March while the copyright holders and the ISPs try to agree on how to make it work. If they can't it may well get deep-sixed, leaving behind only the wasted time and cost of trying it in the first place.
Posted by: Earl Mardle | February 24, 2009 at 10:11 PM