Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA)

83-year-old Gertrude Walton was sued for illegally sharing over 700 songs on peer-to-peer file-sharing networks in early 2005, under the username "smittenedkitten." The problem with the case, was that Gertrude Walton not only did not own a computer, or know how to use one, but had in fact died in December of 2004. The RIAA quickly dismissed the case, after the entire known world laughed them out of court.
The 14 Most Ridiculous Lawsuits Filed by the RIAA and the MPAA (http://brainz.org/14-most-ridiculous-lawsuits-filed-riaa-and-mpaa/)

This is just ridiculous! I remember hearing about this before, but stuff like this is idiotic. I think a company should be charged for some type of criminal offense for tying up the legal system with frivolous lawsuits such as suing a dead woman who has never owned a computer. I mean, really??

Hawaii Legislators Considering Controversial Internet Tracking Proposal | TheBlaze.com (http://www.theblaze.com/stories/trouble-in-paradise-hawaii-law-makers-considering-radical-proposal-to-track-ever-website-you-visit/)

The legislature thankfully backed down from this bill pretty quick.

If everything is free then no one will make anything, innovate anything, do anything.


I didnt read all the stuff Dirtbag linked but im guessing the thought that if one day we can download physical objects is not that everything will be free, but that the cost of downloading something will be based only off of the material cost ie “printing” cost. So the difference in cost between, say, a Sony TV and a Coby TV would only be the difference in material costs. The intellectual property costs would be zero, and i completely agree with you in that that incentive to innovate would also be zero.

So whats really interesting about what you said is that it’s already very true for the industries affected by current downloadable content, ie digital media. A few months ago I read the Generation Y’s (born 1980’s-2000) wiki.



The 2000s produced no new, epoch-defining, music genres, unlike past decades (Rock and soul (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_music) in the 1960s for baby boomers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_boomers), grunge (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grunge), techno (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Techno)/rave and hip hop (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip_hop_music) in the 1990s for Generation X (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_X)).[81] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Y#cite_note-80)[82] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Y#cite_note-81) Instead genres such as hip hop (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip_hop) and r&b (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%26b) built incrementally on where they were in the '90s. Autotune has been cited as the decade's sole musical innovation. Many have cited the spread of information technology, from YouTube to iTunes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes), to file sharing blogs, as having increased the presence of the past in individuals lives because of the range of content that can be accessed. As a result, Generation Y has revived styles of past decades without actually creating anything new[citation needed (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)].

Now indie rock (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indie_rock) of the early 2000s has been attributed to Generation Y, though the genre has been described as "spent", and criticized for its lack of angst.[83] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Y#cite_note-82)[84] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Y#cite_note-83)[85] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Y#cite_note-84)


So basically my generation hasn’t really produced any new music genres, but we are given credit for reviving past generation’s genres. Which is absolutely true; how many times have you heard someone say I only listen to “x style of music”? If you ask someone what kind of music they like the reply is normally “everything” or “everything but”.

I look at digital music I think the way many others on this thread have alluded to. If I download something its to test it out or decide if I like the band enough to buy their album. Having all sorts of genres, styles and renditions of music accessible has only allowed me to experience those different types of music. If the music wasn’t accessible for little effort and for free, I like many others would likely have never heard certain genres or purchased them through other means. However, as Wikipedia points out this may have been at the cost of Generation Y not having enough incentive to create anything new themselves with exception for the autotune…..

This seems to bleed into movies and tv shows too:

55 movie remakes currently in the works - Den of Geek (http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/166239/55_movie_remakes_currently_in_the_works.html)

^ Those are just things that were in the works for 2008 (ps im looking forward to the They Live remake!). Digital media has allowed artists and creators to be inspired by all, and viewers to have cultural reference to everything. Maybe that’s the perfect mix for people to be resistant to original ideas?

Fueled by a class of hipsters, I would think that this is also the first generation that has caused the cost of many “vintage” or “retro” items and technology to cost more than many new comperable products:

Sony Walkman Pro wm-d6c cassette-corder VERY NICE CONDITION | eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sony-Walkman-Pro-wm-d6c-cassette-corder-VERY-NICE-CONDITION-/320833998545?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item4ab3324ed1)

Sony NWZ-S544 8GB MP3 Player - Black NEW (27242778849) | eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sony-NWZ-S544-8GB-MP3-Player-Black-NEW-/180786621507?pt=Other_MP3_Players&hash=item2a17b8ec43)

Interesting post Mlmpetert.

I think that wiki entry hit the nail on the head. Of course the movie industry got its start on "borrowing" ideas from stories already established. Heck, that's why they moved to Hollywood - they were not subjected under copyright laws of the areas where these stories were lifted. But anyways, it seems now more than ever, the movie industry just seems to be running out of ideas. Most of the big blockbuster movies are from stories already written. The three biggest movies (or movie packages I guess I should say) of this last decade have been Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Twilight. All, I think, came from stories which were already books for years prior to the movies.

Seems like I can go back and remember big time movies from the 80's. Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop, National Lampoons Movies, Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Gremlins, E.T., Alien, Star Wars (technically started in the 70's), Indiana Jones movies, etc... a lot of great American Pop culture from the 80's that were all pretty much original stories for the big screen (at least from what I assume.) And even the 90's had a lot of really cool movies that defined that decade as well. But, seems like now, we're getting into an era where those movies are either being remade, or added on to. If not big screen movies being remade, it's TV shows being sent to the silver screen. For instance, I'm hearing a lot about a Top Gun II, more Batman movies, we've had the A-Team in cinema, 21 Jump Street on the big screen, etc...

To me, just seems like the movies that are defining this generation are ideas that defined generations prior. Not a lot that this generation can hang its hat on. The music industry and the movie industry has stopped being creative and has focused on trying to hold on to the ways of the past, and this goes against the very nature of those industries. Maybe it's just me, but when I think about my childhood from the 80's, it was great. My family wasn't wealthy at all. Actually, we barely got by, but it was the things in pop culture that I still hold onto in high regards today.

Which is funny about mentioning the retro equipment. I cannot believe that walkman is going for over $70 so far! My fiancee purchased a turntable (record player) a few months ago for me. It was one I have been wanting for awhile now. Getting back into records seems to bring me back to that time in my life where I could sit back and listen to an album from cover to cover. And listening to it on vinyl gives me a new appreciation for the music itself. Sure, vinyl is not nearly as convenient as CDs and espcially MP3s, but when the record is nice and clean, and you have a good quality turntable with a good head and needle, you actually make it a point to sit back and just lose yourself in the music.

Maybe that's what these industries should work on. If they're worried so much about mp3s, put music back on vinyl to where it's at least difficult to go through the process of dubbing the music onto your computer. Oh, and make laser turntables affordable!

The movie industry isn't "running out of ideas". Their wasn't some magical event that removed creativity from the individuals in the industry and potential creatives outside it. They are just reacting to the market. Why would they spend a certain amount of money to make and promote a film that will only make limited money? It's easier (cheaper and less risky) to retread stuff because they can better predict how the market will react. Perhpas the studios were run by more creatively focused individuals in the past and that steered them to try more creative ideas and take gambles...but today they're run by business people who don't care about artistic endeavor but rather making money.

The movie industry isn't "running out of ideas". Their wasn't some magical event that removed creativity from the individuals in the industry and potential creatives outside it. They are just reacting to the market. Why would they spend a certain amount of money to make and promote a film that will only make limited money? It's easier (cheaper and less risky) to retread stuff because they can better predict how the market will react. Perhpas the studios were run by more creatively focused individuals in the past and that steered them to try more creative ideas and take gambles...but today they're run by business people who don't care about artistic endeavor but rather making money.

This.


Piracy and other influences don't stifle creativity. It's a false conception that they want you to believe.(much like the fact they are losing money) It's bogus, false and absolutely no truth to it. They retread crap because they know they can make money off of it because only the American public will be stupid enough to continue buying the same product over and over again, even if it is slightly changed.

Rebooting King Kong 2 times.
Rebooting Bat Man.
Rebooting Spider Man.
Rebooting The Fog.
Rebooting Friday the 13th.
Rebooting Nightmare on Elm Street.
...and so on.


If these guys were losing money, they'd never create these reboots. The fact is, they know good and well they'll cash in even if it is the same material.

Out of curiosity, I googled the top money making movies of 2011. They are:
1. Cars 2
2. Harry Potter Deathly Hallows, Part II
3. The Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn (Part One)
4. Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides
5. The Hangover 2
6. Thor
7. Super 8
8. Green Lantern
9. X-Men: First Class
10. The Muppets

As I see it, of these, only "Super 8" was a film developed from an original idea with film as the originally intended medium.

Just saying ...

The movie industry isn't "running out of ideas". Their wasn't some magical event that removed creativity from the individuals in the industry and potential creatives outside it. They are just reacting to the market. Why would they spend a certain amount of money to make and promote a film that will only make limited money? It's easier (cheaper and less risky) to retread stuff because they can better predict how the market will react. Perhpas the studios were run by more creatively focused individuals in the past and that steered them to try more creative ideas and take gambles...but today they're run by business people who don't care about artistic endeavor but rather making money.

No one really said Hollywood was running out of ideas. We're just saying Hollywood has not been as creative as it appears it has been in the past. And it's possible that reasoning is because they are focusing on the "sure thing" big name movie. Kind of makes me think Vinny Cerrato is managing Hollywood...lol!

But, I would also argue if Hollywood is being run more by business men, then those businessmen obviously are stuck in the past in regards to distribution of their works.

No one really said Hollywood was running out of ideas. We're just saying Hollywood has not been as creative as it appears it has been in the past. And it's possible that reasoning is because they are focusing on the "sure thing" big name movie. Kind of makes me think Vinny Cerrato is managing Hollywood...lol!

But, I would also argue if Hollywood is being run more by business men, then those businessmen obviously are stuck in the past in regards to distribution of their works.

Yeah exactly. I would also guess that that more entertainment is being consumed now than ever before, because entertainment is cheaper, more readily available, and because of unrelated technological advances that give us much more time to spend entertaining ourselves. With so much demand, retreading old stuff allows suppliers to better fulfill that demand.

But I would say that there may have been a bit of a “magical moment” that changed creativity once creator and consumer were both given the immediate ability to have cultural and historical reference to everything and anything. Generation Y has so far failed at creating a musical genre and many of the products that people from all surviving generations want seem to take cues from the past; from movies to cars to art and fashion. Current artistic creativity seems to be less fully original and it seems this all started when we entered the “information age”.

No one really said Hollywood was running out of ideas. We're just saying Hollywood has not been as creative as it appears it has been in the past. And it's possible that reasoning is because they are focusing on the "sure thing" big name movie. Kind of makes me think Vinny Cerrato is managing Hollywood...lol!

But, I would also argue if Hollywood is being run more by business men, then those businessmen obviously are stuck in the past in regards to distribution of their works.


But anyways, it seems now more than ever, the movie industry just seems to be running out of ideas.

Ha!