Pirate Bay Wants to Buy an Island

Topics not related to Anime Music Videos
Locked
User avatar
Gox777
Joined: Tue Aug 10, 2004 8:06 pm
Location: Deltona, FL
Contact:
Org Profile

Pirate Bay Wants to Buy an Island

Post by Gox777 » Sun Jan 21, 2007 2:55 am

Swedish file-sharing website The Pirate Bay is planning to buy its own nation in an attempt to circumvent international copyright laws.

The group has set up a campaign to raise money to buy Sealand, a former British naval platform in the North Sea that has been designated a 'micronation', and claims to be outside the jurisdiction of the UK or any other country.
http://www.thelocal.se/6076/20070112/

Wow...very interesting.
They say that you automatically gain the right to citizenship by donating.
It's hard to believe that they would go that far. It starts to sound ridiculous when you start reading their forums on http://www.buysealand.com
They have debates on what their laws should be. I don't really like their ideas of extreme communism. Some people were promoting slavery and a full scale military. (Hard to tell if they're serious, but I wouldn't doubt it). Some of them are pretty unrealistic and forget that they're a minority talking on an internet message board.

I'll admit I've been somewhat supportive of their campaigns in the past to push for copyright reform. Nothing extreme, but some extra enforcement of fair use would be nice. I firmly believe that creators of great work should be entitled to what they deserve. If people would stop leeching and at least buy the album of their favorite artist now and then, copyright laws wouldn't have to be as strict.[/i]
Image

User avatar
Orwell
godx, Son of godix
Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2004 5:14 am
Location: Frying Pan. Destination: Fire.
Org Profile

Re: Pirate Bay Wants to Buy an Island

Post by Orwell » Sun Jan 21, 2007 10:43 am

Gox777 wrote: I don't really like their ideas of extreme communism.
If he had AIM working, I'd be reporting this to the spy for relay to the motherland as I type.
Latest
[Kristyrat]: Vote for Orwell
[Kristyrat]: because train conducters are dicks.
Otohiko: whereas Germans are like "god we are all so horrible, we're going to die a pointless death now."

User avatar
Otohiko
Joined: Mon May 05, 2003 8:32 pm
Org Profile

Post by Otohiko » Sun Jan 21, 2007 12:53 pm

Too late. I'm here :roll:

Actually, I have some reservations about their ideas of 'extreme communism', but by and large I have some support for it. And I grew up in a musician's family. Artists are not the problem, major corporations are the problem.

The "copyright laws" are nonsense. They have gone far and beyond what they ever should have. I've lost any sympathy for these 'copyright holders' - corporations as such - when they began taking all rights to intellectual property (what rights one can have to that are debatable) and guarding them in all possible senses with an iron fist. However you look at it, artists are not being 'stifled' by pirates. Most of those who are downloaded still do quite fine financially. Smaller artists are, on the other hand, being stifled by corporations who can simply choose to shut them out of the market.

Corporations are allowed their 'extreme capitalism' within existing states, and have enshrined it in law and forced it on individual people that have no hope of resisting them. I don't see why an upstart "state" can't begin to flip them off a little.

For the record, I'm not a communist since I have a few fundamental disagreements with their doctrine, but I am a socialist and I do sincerely wish that the world of major corporations - especially in the arts/entertainment - would die a horrible death.
The Birds are using humanity in order to throw something terrifying at this green pig. And then what happens to us all later, that’s simply not important to them…

User avatar
Shazzy
Joined: Sat Jun 12, 2004 8:15 pm
Location: The Universe
Contact:
Org Profile

Post by Shazzy » Sun Jan 21, 2007 4:52 pm

Otohiko wrote:
The "copyright laws" are nonsense. They have gone far and beyond what they ever should have. I've lost any sympathy for these 'copyright holders' - corporations as such - when they began taking all rights to intellectual property (what rights one can have to that are debatable) and guarding them in all possible senses with an iron fist. However you look at it, artists are not being 'stifled' by pirates. Most of those who are downloaded still do quite fine financially. Smaller artists are, on the other hand, being stifled by corporations who can simply choose to shut them out of the market.
x2. The original point of copyright laws was encouraging the spread of ideas and innovation. What did protective innovators do before copyright laws? Hid their knowledge within a guild or secret organization. Copyright laws basically said: share your creation with the world and we'll protect it so you can profit for a short period, but after that it's FREE GAME for anyone to benefit from. Copyrights were never intended to make a work immortal through corporate ownership.
AMV guides for Mac users
DOWNLOAD THIS AMV
Quarter-life crisis: a sense that everyone is, somehow, doing better than you.

User avatar
Gox777
Joined: Tue Aug 10, 2004 8:06 pm
Location: Deltona, FL
Contact:
Org Profile

Post by Gox777 » Sun Jan 21, 2007 10:30 pm

Shazzy wrote:
Otohiko wrote:
The "copyright laws" are nonsense. They have gone far and beyond what they ever should have. I've lost any sympathy for these 'copyright holders' - corporations as such - when they began taking all rights to intellectual property (what rights one can have to that are debatable) and guarding them in all possible senses with an iron fist. However you look at it, artists are not being 'stifled' by pirates. Most of those who are downloaded still do quite fine financially. Smaller artists are, on the other hand, being stifled by corporations who can simply choose to shut them out of the market.
x2. The original point of copyright laws was encouraging the spread of ideas and innovation. What did protective innovators do before copyright laws? Hid their knowledge within a guild or secret organization. Copyright laws basically said: share your creation with the world and we'll protect it so you can profit for a short period, but after that it's FREE GAME for anyone to benefit from. Copyrights were never intended to make a work immortal through corporate ownership.
Agreed^
I was in no way meaning to defend what the corporations do, heheh. I don't think any of us do. Just the same though, I dislike the mentalities of people who believe everything ever made should be obtainable without giving a single cent of credit.
As you said "The original point of copyright laws was encouraging the spread of ideas and innovation"
I guess I would consider myself a moderate on the issue.
Image

User avatar
Otohiko
Joined: Mon May 05, 2003 8:32 pm
Org Profile

Post by Otohiko » Sun Jan 21, 2007 11:28 pm

Just curious, ever read anything by Lessig? If you haven't, I say run and pick up his "Free Culture", I think anyone with a moderate position should love that one. I'm about 2/3 through it right now, and while I definitely see a lot of his points and welcome his logic, given my political stances I keep finding him too moderate.
The Birds are using humanity in order to throw something terrifying at this green pig. And then what happens to us all later, that’s simply not important to them…

User avatar
Gox777
Joined: Tue Aug 10, 2004 8:06 pm
Location: Deltona, FL
Contact:
Org Profile

Post by Gox777 » Mon Jan 22, 2007 12:13 am

Otohiko wrote:Just curious, ever read anything by Lessig? If you haven't, I say run and pick up his "Free Culture", I think anyone with a moderate position should love that one. I'm about 2/3 through it right now, and while I definitely see a lot of his points and welcome his logic, given my political stances I keep finding him too moderate.
I looked it up on Amazon just now. Sounds very good, thanks for the suggestion.

A little less than a year ago I read Atlus Shrugged by Ayn Rand (extreme capitalism). I liked a lot of what was said in it, but I realized it contradicted a lot of political stances I had previously. Since then, I've taken an interest into researching both sides of the argument (particularly pertaining to copyrights since they affect my interests the most). I'll say I'm convinced that the purely capitalistic world that she describes isn't practical for the real world as we know it. I would recommend it more as a book of philosophy (and a great story!) than a book of politics.

So is anybody going to donate and become a Sealand citizen? :)
Image

User avatar
Otohiko
Joined: Mon May 05, 2003 8:32 pm
Org Profile

Post by Otohiko » Mon Jan 22, 2007 12:25 am

Nah, I'm not that desperate yet :lol:

What I'm curious about is whether Sealand, should it really be recognized as a state, will immediately be invaded by a neighbouring state, possibly Britain, as soon as it becomes recognized as a threat to national security. Given some of its proposed laws, I wouldn't be surprised if it somehow becomes connected to the war on terror :roll:
The Birds are using humanity in order to throw something terrifying at this green pig. And then what happens to us all later, that’s simply not important to them…

User avatar
godix
a disturbed member
Joined: Sat Aug 03, 2002 12:13 am
Org Profile

Post by godix » Mon Jan 22, 2007 1:42 pm

Otohiko wrote:Nah, I'm not that desperate yet :lol:

What I'm curious about is whether Sealand, should it really be recognized as a state, will immediately be invaded by a neighbouring state, possibly Britain, as soon as it becomes recognized as a threat to national security. Given some of its proposed laws, I wouldn't be surprised if it somehow becomes connected to the war on terror :roll:
Sealand exists because the UK has decided it isn't worth the potential loss of life in invading it. I'm assuming they mean sealands residents life because all it'd take really is one torpedo to make sealand the next atlantis. So far they've existed because, basically, they didn't bother anyone. I suspect if given enough reason the plans would go through. I doubt a bittorrent site would be enough reason either but you never know. Personally I think if piratebay is serious about going somewhere without copyright laws they should just approach some of the international pariahs. A large donation would probably go a long way in getting Cuba, Sudan, etc. to allow a data center to be kept in their lands.
Image

User avatar
Gox777
Joined: Tue Aug 10, 2004 8:06 pm
Location: Deltona, FL
Contact:
Org Profile

Post by Gox777 » Mon Jan 22, 2007 8:59 pm

If they went to Cuba, Sudan, etc then people really would demonize them as terrorists, lol. My guess is because they're elitists that want the bragging rights of saying "We have our own country" :lol:

If this goes through, (whether on Sealand or another island), I'm excited to hear what the mainstream media coverage will be like.
Image

Locked

Return to “General Discussion”