Microsoft wants Verizon to ID suspected Windows pirates [telecom]

In Australia a court case recently decided (on appeal) that ISPs are now required to give details of their customers to a Hollywood movie copyright holder so demand notices could be sent out for compensation for illegally downloading the movie "Dallas Buyers Club".

They had the IP addresses of torrent stream destinations, now they will get the customer details associated with those IP addresses.

The floodgates in Australia are now open for anyone with some sort of copyright claim to obtain all sorts of data.

- - Regards, David.

David Clayton Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Knowledge is a measure of how many answers you have, intelligence is a measure of how many questions you have.

I'm of two minds on this issue. On the one hand, I sympathize with the pirates: digital Zorros carving virtual "Z" marks in the uniforms of the establishment.

On the other, the fact that nobody is /entitled/ to be entertained. I would tell them all "Get a life and a library card", and leave it at that: the pictures are better in books anyway. "... and as to him preferring wine to port, I scarecly believed it!"

We've lost something in the digital age, and I'm not sure what it is, let alone how to mourn it's passing. Slick, professional moving pictures have their place, but I'm not so sure that their place should be as opinion shapers and arbiters of culture. Lately, it seems to me that every TV show and movie comes with a political and social agenda attached: "Madam Secretary" is an obvious gift to Hillary Clinton's campaign, just as "Red Dawn" was Hollywood's thank-you note to Ronald Reagan.

In part, I blame myself, or more properly, my generation: we grew up with and believed the Hollywood image of a tall white guy who always knows what to do and always sees that justice is done and never, ever, has second thoughts or hesitation. Now, it seems, Hollywood is concerned that the media mentality of "millenials" (whatever that means) has slid toward enjoying the same old myths without paying for the privilege.

I'd say that they brought it on themselves, but I doubt they'd get the joke.

Bill Horne Moderator