

Ex-democrat threatens his former Senate colleague

"Don't take us for granted."


I. MPAA Threatens SOPA opposers


Obama flag
U.S. President Barack Obama [Image Source: SFGate]




Chris Dodd
MPAA's corpulent CEO Chris Dodd






Bribe under table




Comments     Threshold


I don't think they realize...
By borismkv on 1/22/2012 2:40:33 PM , Rating: 5
That piracy doesn't actually cause them to lose much revenue. Generally speaking, the people who pirate aren't really likely to purchase what they pirate if there was no way to do so. So without piracy, those 21 million copies of avatar would have resulted in *maybe* 1 million copies sold. And that's probably a high estimate.

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I have to admit. I pirated Avatar.






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I believe this is the best Avatar summary ever:

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RE: I don't think they realize...
By lagomorpha on 1/22/2012 3:41:40 PM , Rating: 5
I don't think that's their goal. What they would like to do is to implement a system where piracy doesn't exist as an alternative and they can lock content to individual purchasers and devices so that used copies are not available either. Once that occurs they can then jack prices of movies back up to $50 each and require you to purchase a separate copy for each device you wish to watch it on so they can sell each person several copies of the same movie like back in the VHS/laserdisc/DVD transition days.

RE: I don't think they realize...
By joex444 on 1/22/2012 4:19:40 PM , Rating: 5
This is precisely what they want.

And in all honesty, who can think back 20 years ago. Even 15 should do. Before DVDs were around, what was the state of affairs?

How did people see movies pre-DVD?

1. You watch it in theaters. People still do this, it becomes difficult to see what you want choosing this option.
2. You rent it. Blockbuster was huge, and there were competitors. Not Netflix, that was years away, but other competing brick and mortar stores. Because people drove around to go get things. I remember that some would actually rent DVD players, right before they collapsed.

Then DVD comes along and people are suddenly buying movies. This wasn't a "thing" that people did before. The VHS copies were prohibitively expensive, $50 is about right. And it's a VHS. This is why rental stores existed. Though a rental copy would cost much more for the store to buy ($300-ish, maybe more?).

Now they're able to collect sales on tickets, and then people buy it later. And we also have some brick and mortar stores that rent copies which purchase a copy, as well as Netflix which purchases the DVD and blurays (presumably at a higher price due to the special license).

In the perfect MPAA world, this is what would happen:
1. Movie ticket prices would go up
2. Piracy would be impossible
3. If piracy were possible, you would go to federal prison for even trying or pay something like $150,000 per incident
4. There are no physical discs, because those can be lent to friends, enemies, etc.
5. You would pay each time you view a movie in your house
6. What you can view would have heavy DRM on it
7. (Super-ideal world and only half joking: A camera would count the number of viewers and charge you extra for each head)
8. Viewing would probably cost most of a movie ticket. View it twice and it costs more than the Bluray.

The only advantage to a discless system is the environmental benefit of not printing discs, making cases and shipping this crap around the globe.

RE: I don't think they realize...
By MrTeal on 1/22/12, Rating: -1
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RE: I don't think they realize...
By YashBudini on 1/22/2012 8:19:00 PM , Rating: 2
I don't know where you bought VHS movies, but you were getting ripped off if you were paying $50 15-20 years ago

I recall retail sales that high, it was probably more than 20 years ago.

RE: I don't think they realize...
By Solandri on 1/22/2012 11:09:00 PM , Rating: 5
When I was a kid, my parents bought one of the first VCRs (a Sony Betamax) around 1976. My aunt bought them a copy of Gone with the Wind as a gift. It was $99, which according to an inflation calculator is $378 in 2010 dollars.

The MPAA has a very poor track record at predicting what's best for them. They were convinced videotapes were going to be the death knell for them. "I say to you that the VCR is to the American film producer and the American public as the Boston strangler is to the woman home alone." They went so far as to sue Sony (who was on the side of taping back then) and took the case all the way to the Supreme Court before losing (the famous Betamax case). In the 1990s, revenue from tape and DVD sales exceeded theater receipts for the first time. (DVD revenue has since dropped below theater revenue in 2010, shifting to video on demand and streaming services.)

Basically, every time new technology comes out, they throw a hissy fit lamenting how the technology is going to kill their industry. And in the end the technology ends up expanding and strengthening their industry. The industry is run by unimaginative people who know only how to keep the ship pointed straight, and are convinced if there's land ahead the solution is to somehow cut a path through the land instead of turn the ship. My advice would be to just ignore what they say they want, for their own good.

RE: I don't think they realize...
By ekv on 1/23/2012 1:15:01 AM , Rating: 2
The industry is run by unimaginative people
Chris Dodd visited a certain real estate companies corporate office several times. After these visits his campaign coffers were, shall we say, bolstered. Mr. Dodd can be extraordinarily imaginative ... when it comes to bribes. Of course, he's from Connecticut. Those from Chicago are rather the gun-in-your-face unimaginative types.

By YashBudini on 1/24/2012 1:15:42 PM , Rating: 2

This is what the "land of opportunity" phrase has digressed to.

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15-20 years ago DVD wasn't even around...

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15 years, yes.
20 years, no.

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By jimbojimbo on 1/23/2012 11:26:28 AM , Rating: 2
The other thing was 15 years ago a movie hit the theaters then sat there for a few months and then had showings at the $1 theaters for another month or so. It wouldn't come out on VHS for at least a year often longer. Because of this if you wanted to watch a movie you saw it in the theater. Also the viewing experience was better because nobody had cell phones.

Now. A movie hits the theaters and you know that it'll be out on Bluray within 3-4 months easily. Why bother going to a theater and have to listen to some a-hole's cell phone ringing non stop over and over? Why not wait and watch it on BluRay in surround sound at the comfort of home with no annoyances? This is why nobody goes to theaters any more except on dates or as a last resort if there's nothing else to do.

RE: I don't think they realize...
By JediJeb on 1/23/2012 2:46:09 PM , Rating: 2
In 1978 I saw Star Wars for the first time and I clearly remember that on the marquis it said "Now in its 44th week" and we still had to sit on the front row because it was packed full.

I also remember that my friend received a copy of The Empire Strikes Back for his graduation present and at the time it cost $100 new. That is just over the 20 years mentioned above, but the price of hit movies back then stayed high for a long time. I also remember when you had to pay $100 or more deposit to a video rental store before you could become a member and rent videos.

RE: I don't think they realize...
By Hardin on 1/23/2012 12:54:42 PM , Rating: 2
No I know vhs tapes were not that expensive 15-20 years ago and I don't know why people who are saying so are getting downvoted. We have so many vhs tapes from those days. We still might have more vhs movies then dvd movies. Usually we only ever went to Blockbuster to rent video games.

RE: I don't think they realize...
By rcc on 1/23/2012 1:24:27 PM , Rating: 2
Because in these discussions you are only allowed to agree with the rants. Any dissenting comments are down rated.

RE: I don't think they realize...
By nafhan on 1/22/2012 5:26:58 PM , Rating: 2
They absolutely realize it. These people in the MPAA and Congress may be corrupt and greedy, but they generally aren't stupid. The 21 million number is simply lying via statistics.

RE: I don't think they realize...
By Jeremy87 on 1/22/2012 9:02:13 PM , Rating: 2
It's even possible that without piracy it would've sold less. Or maybe not with Avatar, but many relatively unknown movies get more known because someone pirates it and talks about it, recommends it to their friends, who then buy it.

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Are they real? WTF are these the dark ages?

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Dodd Petition
By leadpoop on 1/22/2012 5:00:05 PM , Rating: 5

Here is a petition at the white house web site to have Dodd investigated.

RE: Dodd Petition
By Reclaimer77 on 1/22/2012 7:58:24 PM , Rating: 3
I love that "Faux" News got him to publicly state, in such vivid detail, what essentially amounts to bribing a Government official. Not just any official, but the President himself! Sure it goes on all the time, but most people aren't stupid enough to lay it out on national TV.

RE: Dodd Petition
By FITCamaro on 1/23/2012 7:28:21 AM , Rating: 2
Jee is that the same Fox News that the Obama administration tried to bar from press conferences and essentially shut down?

And Democrats and liberals can say whatever they want since the media is 90% on their side. Doesn't matter if its an admission of guilt, blatantly untrue, or racist.

RE: Dodd Petition
By Hollif50 on 1/23/2012 7:55:00 AM , Rating: 2
President Obama is the president. Myself, I sure wouldn't want to invite those A**holes from Fox News to my press conference either. I watch 4-5 different news channels and follow 8-9 different print news organizations. They all pretty much report the same things; except Fox News. They appear to be in some alternate far-right universe. Fair and balanced my A**...

RE: Dodd Petition
By Ringold on 1/23/2012 9:09:44 AM , Rating: 2
I was listening to an interview with a lifelong Democrat and, I think, Jimmy Carter's campaign manager. Interesting interview in that he represents the old-school wing of the party that thinks Obama's been captured by extreme environmentalist groups to the detriment of the average Joe worker that once was the parties focus. But his other comment I liked was that back in his day a Democrat had to campaign on an even footing, whereas today the media is a full-blooded extension of the party. With the exception of Fox News and other, smaller outfits, like the WSJ.

On the one hand, it's good that people admit the state of affairs. On the other, it takes away any hope of innocence, as now there's no denying that our media now is just as biased as some third world countries we read about.

RE: Dodd Petition
By ClownPuncher on 1/23/2012 2:52:45 PM , Rating: 2
Obama is a politician with loose party ties and not much consistency. None of the media outlets are fair and balanced anymore, because sensationalism and spin is what sells. The good news is that it seems the public is waking up a bit and realizing this, as evidenced by petitions against these obviously ridiculous bills.

RE: Dodd Petition
By jimbojimbo on 1/23/2012 11:31:37 AM , Rating: 2
So you think they should be allowed to invite only those people that report on them favorably? Isn't that pretty much censorship of the media?

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Because they're all Liberal lol. Did you have a point?

RE: Dodd Petition
By FITCamaro on 1/23/2012 1:16:04 PM , Rating: 3
Yes because CNN, ABC, NBC, and MSNBC are just so unbiased in the opposite direction.

Please. Look at something like John Edwards cheating on his wife in the 2008 election. It wasn't even reported on by the rest of the media until Fox was playing recorded audio of Edwards threatening the woman he impregnated over the phone. There have also been numerous stories in the news over just the past few months that I have been unable to find any mention of on news sites other than Fox.

Is Fox biased? Yes. But so are all the other stations, just in the opposite direction. They're the only ones though that haven't called me an ignorant, inbred racist for believing in limited government.

RE: Dodd Petition
By Reclaimer77 on 1/23/2012 1:30:45 PM , Rating: 2
Exactly. Or even better, when it comes time for news networks to announce which candidate they support, look what party they endorse EVERY SINGLE time.

And that's NOT going to effect how they report the news? Please, come on.

RE: Dodd Petition
By michael67 on 1/23/2012 5:33:34 PM , Rating: 2
Thank god i don't live in the US when it come to my news.

There is something to say for good independent public television, I lived in 3 country's (Holland, German & Norway) in Europe and all have there own public television, and they all give more or less unbiased news just like the BBC.

Also our politicians, get funded by the state and are not depended on "gifts" from the public sector, they get some but they go strait in to the party account.

What i don't get is why lobbyist are demanded to be on the record all the time when they are lobbying, and make it a criminal offense if they don't record there conversation and make it public.

I think it has to benefits:
1. it properly keep politicians and lobbyist more on there tows.
2. lobbyist lie all the time or at least exaggerate there stories, so people can check and correct there lie's *kuch* mistakes.

Because from here it looks like the political system is way more broke then ours.

Not Surprised at all

Say it ain't so!

RE: Not Surprised at all
I can't believe this guy isn't in prison.

RE: Not Surprised at all

Campaign contribution...
By superPC on 1/22/2012 8:38:10 PM , Rating: 4
Is the real problem here. any kind of donation to a politician or a political party should be done with a blind system. where the politician or the political party can't know who contribute to them. that way they can really be themselves and let their ideology really shine through.

RE: Campaign contribution...
By protosv on 1/23/2012 10:02:42 AM , Rating: 2
Or, better yet still, let's just ban campaign contributions alltogether and just vote based on which candidate's ideology is most appealing. It's how things used to work many many years ago....

RE: Campaign contribution...
By Dr of crap on 1/23/2012 10:18:01 AM , Rating: 2
Yea, I'm for that, but IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN.
Do you really think our "great elected officals", with they're golden parachute retirement money and healthcare coverage and all the other perks, would vote to end campaign contributions?
That would mean no more ads on TV, or radio - darn
No more billboards - darn
A reduction in yard signs - HOORAYYYYY
How could they fly all over and shake hands and kiss babies, and do the bus across America campaigns???

Nope I couldn't stand it if the politicans didn't spend ALL that money to get elected!

The problem

Not to mention the disproportionate punishment.



we are watching too....
By ncage on 1/22/2012 5:25:32 PM , Rating: 3
Don't worry Mr. Dodd the voters are watching too. No matter how much money you send them they still won't get reelected if people don't vote for them. We know why the MPAA hired you and it isn't going to work.

RE: we are watching too....
By Dr of crap on 1/23/2012 10:11:33 AM , Rating: 2
You are seriously messed up IF you think votes are not bought and sold as well.
THEY can have anyone be the top pick in each party, and get the votes THEY want to get THEIR guy into office.

And if you think I'm not playing with a full deck, think about it for awhile.
It can and I'm sure it DOES happen. Money talks, folks!

MPAA is just mad...
By jonmcc33 on 1/23/2012 8:27:09 AM , Rating: 4
He's just mad that hard drive manufacturers are stealing all of their profits. If it weren't for pirated movies then who would need a 2TB hard drive?

By sprockkets on 1/22/2012 3:21:02 PM , Rating: 3

Doesn't this guy know what the retirement package is for presidents?


Threats From Hollywood.
By Hollif50 on 1/23/2012 7:39:08 AM , Rating: 2
"You tell that to that camera guy, you tell that to that makeup artist, you tell that to that truck driver out there who made, makes a living because they work in this industry." Hollywood wants to get all the revenues that it can possibly extract. Just like before the 80s video cassette tape legal decision that gave people the right to copy a tape as a backup and brought prices down from $30-$40 to maybe $10-$15. I have little sympathy for them and haven't had; especially when they can go after ordinary citizens and demand $ thousands in settlement and also sue others in court and demand $ millions. As for the little guy comment: Show me what you're paying these people and then it could strike a sympathetic cord in me. Or you could lower your prices and come up with a more accommodating business model...

By Arsynic on 1/23/2012 11:10:17 AM , Rating: 2
Chris Dodd is a crook who got sweetheart mortgage deals from Countrywide Financial while a Senator. When career politicians get booted out and become internal lobbyists for corporations, shit like SOPA and PIPA happens.

This is why our founders feared Democracy. It's glorified mob rule. As soon as people were smart enough to figure out that they could use government to take something from a certain group of people and give it to themselves the country would start its steep decline.

We're already decades into that steep decline.

Worried about the little guy?
By drlumen on 1/23/2012 12:14:11 PM , Rating: 2

No need to worry about that Mr. Dodd, that's why those people are unionized and the unions have their own lobbyists.

Those people do not see any percentage or additional perks from increased sales at the box office or from DVD/Blu-Ray sales. This is just him trying to personalize the situation for the 'little guy'. When, in essence, those people would be getting hosed by the studios if it weren't for the unions. While they be making a decent wage there are not many (if any) teamsters with yachts or multimillion dollar homes.

Say or think what you will about the unions but this is the very reason the various entertainment unions exist. The unions have to go pry their wage pittance from the studios on behalf of their members for their work as well. Otherwise all those people would be getting raped by the big media studios on a daily basis.

The best rebuttal I've seen
By lagomorpha on 1/23/2012 3:34:58 PM , Rating: 2
I guess thats means...
By masamasa on 1/23/2012 5:30:58 PM , Rating: 2
I guess thats means they won't have the cash to fund those lame campaign commercials where they constantly trash one another.


We can forget Sopa and pipa
By Adam M on 1/23/2012 6:41:32 PM , Rating: 2
These bills obviously were not needed to take down Megaupload. I am sure other sites are not far behind. Instead of lining the pockets of our statesmen, the MPAA and other industry industry groups could have spent that money offering new and novel ways to access content. For well over a decade, they have remained well behind the technological curve and they get mad when they aren't making money on something as small as a single MP3. I can't remember the last time a movie was released that I just HAD to see. I will gladly wait for a movie to show up on my movie channels or for it to be available to rent by mail. It saves me the $30 I would have spent on a theater ticket only to be dissapointed both in the movie and the price I paid to see it.
The larger issue is the "I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine" political system that exists today. Corporations with unlimited funds should have no ability to buy and sell their way into legislation. Republican or Democrat, they all have someones hand in their pocket. The very notion that coronations are people is what has compromised our government down to its very core. The only way for a real person to take real action is to stop buying things. In the end your money used for goods and services only goes to pay off the politicians you elect to screw you. Vote with your money, and every 4 years start with fresh representatives because the longer any one person holds office, the higher the likelihood that some one has paid for their votes in the House or Senate.

By cyberjack101 on 1/22/2012 3:34:40 PM , Rating: 1
<former Democrat Senator from Massachusetts>

Chris Dodd formerly represented Connecticut.

The penalty for piracy will continue to increase
By Beenthere on 1/22/12, Rating: -1
By abhaxus on 1/22/2012 7:30:13 PM , Rating: 3
I accidentally voted you up, but in a way you are right. We should pay. I pay for IP when it is the most convenient method for me to acquire high quality media. Unfortunately, due to the DRM involved in most things coming out of Hollywood (or gaming studios) makes it less likely that I can watch or play something at reasonable quality for a fair price, with a reasonable expectation of being able to play it continuously forever. It's a sad state of affairs when you pay extra for a blu-ray to include an "ultraviolet" digital copy that only works when connected to the internet on certain mobile devices and at a ridiculously poor quality. So I would rather download a 1080p or 720p mkv internal rip that plays perfectly on my GS2, PC, PS3, and tablet. I also own over 100 blurays and 200 DVDs.

Gaming wise the situation is even worse. I have had to download a crack to play games I have legally purchased enough that it is now a force of habit that I download a DVD check disabler and crack for every game I buy (or I just purchase through steam).

If I could pay $5-10 and download a movie with no DRM, in a format that everything understands, at a slightly lower quality than blu-ray, I would buy more movies. And the industry would make more money. But they are terrified of giving users that kind of control.

By YashBudini on 1/22/2012 8:29:21 PM , Rating: 2

It's more than that, you have a right to make a personal backup copy to safeguard your investment. That has been your right, and it's being eliminated.

with a reasonable expectation of being able to play it continuously forever

Given how easily the plastic scratches I never had such an expectation. But I have owned vinyl with hundreds of plays that sounded like new.

But this is strangely a parallel I see elsewhere in life. There are several intersections in this area completely abused by a handful of cars that do not stop first. Rather than punish just them through enforcement the town puts up a sign that says "No turn on red," which punishes everyone, except the cars who were not stopping on red and the only ones there, because alone they still don't stop.


Oh and in Reclaimer fashion, I almost're an idiot!




By bigboxes on 1/22/2012 10:42:29 PM , Rating: 1
I'm off to Newegg to order another hard drive to fill up with all sorts of goodies before beenthere's draconian laws take effect. Keep up the ganda beenthere!

By tecknurd on 1/24/2012 2:37:27 AM , Rating: 2
Everyone knows priacy is a crime so trying to rationalize it is futile. SOPA will be rewritten and passed to reduce the infringement for copyright holders - as it should be. There is no God given right to someone else' artistic works. if you want it, you must pay for it like any other good or service.

Yes piracy is a very big problem. Yes, SOPA and PIPA will be rewritten and try pass these bills in February. The ongoing fight against SOPA and PIPA will not be stop from people. The people stated that SOPA and PIPA is not the answer to the problem of piracy because these bills goes against the constitution and the bill of rights. People do understand that piracy is wrong, but what is happening right now is watching a movie, listening to music, and installing applications is not easy anymore even though people bought the product. The people that bought a movie, music, or application sometimes have to resort to piracy in order for them to use their bought product easier. A pirate movie does not bring the problems of DRM and HDCP that affects the quality of the movie if the pieces in the path from player to TV is not up to specifications. Watching a movie requires the watchers to have their Internet be up, but in some areas people do not have the Internet to benefit the high quality definition of a Blu-Ray movies. Shame on MPAA to pushing these complications in order to watch a movie that people have legally bought. Shame on RIAA to enforce to put DRM on music CD. Shame on software companies to bury protection programs on installation discs.

The amount of software and movies that I have bought in a decade is only a handful. This is because I have to build up the patients to install or watch movies that have protections. There are problems with installing software. The disc either does get read or it stops half way through installation. Sometimes the drive does not read the disc correctly, so the program does not get run. DVD and Blu-Ray discs may include some bad sectors that may create a slight pause or a skip while watching the movie. This is just not right.

I feel companies have taken the responsibility that people once had when they bought the software, movie, and music. In the place of responsibility, companies are stating every person that buys the product as criminals.

