As some of you know I am following the PirateBay trial on Twitter (also many thanks to Sofia)and reading about it in the news. I am sure that many of you know about the PirateBay from personal experience and those of you who have been taking ITGS also know about the issues involved here.
This trial is just one in a long string of attempts by corporate media to control the distribution of their product. Under the law, in most countries, they have a right to do that. But this trial is also about how we will be able to access information.
One great quote comes from Christian Engstrom, Vice Chairman of the Swedish Pirate Party
“Should the Internet be a place where everyone can communicate or
should it not? That’s the question of this trial, and no court can
answer that question. Even if The Pirate Bay would be freed all the way
through the court system, the problem isn’t solved. The Copyright Lobby
will demand more restrictions and tougher laws and the only way to
protect social media culture in the long run is to work politically.”
Corporations want to protect their profits and they will do what they have to in order to keep the money flowing. In order for that to happen they have to control both production and distribution. If either of those is lost, the money stops flowing in. For the past century they have had this control, but now they are losing it. People with power always want the same thing, more power. But now that power is being taken away from them, by their own customers.
The people have spoken, and voted, we want our media our way. We want a variety of formats in a variety of easily accessible media. More and more creators of content are dumping the traditional format for creation and delivery and going their own way. Music, especially music, and other entertainment can be produced locally and distributed globally. This has made the old business models obsolete.
I am not saying the process won't be painful for the established companies (gatekeepers) in the entertainment industry. They have had control for a long time and have been able to decide who is worthy and who isn't. They have also been able to have it all their own way. But now the pirates are in the harbor and barbarians are storming the gates, and we have the newest technology on our side.
There is money to be made in digital distribution, MP3Fiesta among others proves that. As long as the media companies use legal force to try and halt the advance of technology they will be fighting a losing battle. It may take awhile, but you cannot resist the technology. The question is how much misery are they willing to cause on their way down?
This trial is just one in a long string of attempts by corporate media to control the distribution of their product. Under the law, in most countries, they have a right to do that. But this trial is also about how we will be able to access information.
One great quote comes from Christian Engstrom, Vice Chairman of the Swedish Pirate Party
“Should the Internet be a place where everyone can communicate or
should it not? That’s the question of this trial, and no court can
answer that question. Even if The Pirate Bay would be freed all the way
through the court system, the problem isn’t solved. The Copyright Lobby
will demand more restrictions and tougher laws and the only way to
protect social media culture in the long run is to work politically.”
Corporations want to protect their profits and they will do what they have to in order to keep the money flowing. In order for that to happen they have to control both production and distribution. If either of those is lost, the money stops flowing in. For the past century they have had this control, but now they are losing it. People with power always want the same thing, more power. But now that power is being taken away from them, by their own customers.
The people have spoken, and voted, we want our media our way. We want a variety of formats in a variety of easily accessible media. More and more creators of content are dumping the traditional format for creation and delivery and going their own way. Music, especially music, and other entertainment can be produced locally and distributed globally. This has made the old business models obsolete.
I am not saying the process won't be painful for the established companies (gatekeepers) in the entertainment industry. They have had control for a long time and have been able to decide who is worthy and who isn't. They have also been able to have it all their own way. But now the pirates are in the harbor and barbarians are storming the gates, and we have the newest technology on our side.
There is money to be made in digital distribution, MP3Fiesta among others proves that. As long as the media companies use legal force to try and halt the advance of technology they will be fighting a losing battle. It may take awhile, but you cannot resist the technology. The question is how much misery are they willing to cause on their way down?
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