[pp.int.general] Pirate Manifesto: status of internal ballots

[Reinier Bakels]

>    > Fourth, should law play a role for a law maker? It my sounds
>    > contradictory, but - to make a long story short - yes, in order to
>    > *prevent statements that will disqualify the PP *immediately* as
>    > unrealistic*.
>
> By letting one's opponents veto one's goals,
> one decides, in effect, to advocate only the smallest of changes.
> This way one attracts only people who have no larger vision.
> Thus, once started on that path, a party is stuck on it.

I don't  talk about opponents, I talk about lawyers - with very factual 
objections.

But let me be explicit. There is a persistent, tough FUD campaign by 
copyright owners to enforce copyright (I just mentioned a recent newspaper 
article in another post). In view of the massive scale of present 
filesharing, very harsh measures will be needed to make copyright 
enforcement effective: mass surveillance, "three strikes", overloaded 
courts, perhaps simply the shutdown of internet as we know it today. 
Censorship is already getting accepted - with the help of the "usual 
suspects" such as terrorism threat and child pornography and -labour.

More moderate copyright experts promote levies and taxes. But I don't have 
to explain to this audience that such measures also suffer from major 
shortcomings. If only because the purpose is apparently to sustain an 
industry that is technologically obsolete: the distribution of sounds and 
images via plastic disks, black or silver coloured.

There is a dire need for immediate action - proposals such as shortening the 
copyright term to five years will hinder rather than support the above 
priorities.

We should not stumble over our own feet, while looking at the horizon and 
beyond.

reinier