Friday Morning Links

So they are going to "sell" pirated music, movies, and software, using a WTO ruling that allows them suspend up to $21M in copyright fees per year.

So by current US Laws and what the MPAA/RIAA thinks their crap is worth, that means your $5 a month "unlimited" service should get you access to what, about 3 movies and a couple CDs worth of music?

When they talk about Massachusetts being a broadband friendly state, they mean the eastern part of the the state (where there is actually a choice of service providers). Those of up in western Mass get the short end of the stick in terms of everything. We have Comcast or Charter (if we're lucky) and there are a lot of communities in the western part of the state that have limited connectivity and many have no connectivity (other than dial-up).

I would think Springfield would have great connectivity though. It is a good sized town.

But most reviews like this do not even go specifically as far as just the eastern part of the state. They likely only tested the boston metro area.

It was just last year that Google didn't have to answer the same kind of question, regards whether they were working with the NSA.

The simple answer is that your government makes the rules, and they will break them when they want to, and no one will be punished if they do.

Don't ever consider your phone conversations, email, or other communication completely private, no matter what assurances anyone makes, or what cases are settled.

I really have to wonder how this will be handled in the US for anyone who subscribes and downloads. Normally I'd think that the person still broke the law even though they paid for access to the music/movie/software, but since this appears to have legal backing that allows it the waters are much murkier.

If this site actually goes live, and if there's a way for US residents to actually make use of it without risk of fines, arrest, etc. then it might be worth considering the purchase of a subscription.