[pp.int.general] Joe Biden is an enemy

[Andrew Norton]

Per von Zweigbergk wrote:
> 21 jan 2009 kl. 16.43 skrev Andrew Norton:
> 
>> Per von Zweigbergk wrote:
>>> 21 jan 2009 kl. 14.56 skrev Reinier Bakels:
>>>>> It's not exactly news, nor is that 2 weeks ago, omaba nominated two
>>>>> former RIAA civil suit prosecutors to 2nd and 3rd places in the
>>>>> Department of justice (first being the Attorney General). Thats got
>>>>> coverage in the Us and even in Sweden, with references made to PPUS.
>>>>
>>>> Well, for me it was news, but for insiders like yourself it 
>>>> obviously isn't. Could you - as an insider - tell me whether there 
>>>> are any (powerfull?) PP-friendly politicians in the US?
>>> I'd like an answer to this as well. I had heard about the nomination 
>>> of the former RIAA prosecutors to the DoJ posts (via Slashdot as well 
>>> as via Swedish news), but I was not aware of Joe Biden's role in the 
>>> document Reiner posted in the first e-mail of this thread.
>>
>> Biden's been a 'pro copyright' guy for about 5-6 years. Him, Orin 
>> Hatch (a republican) and Howard Berman (aka 'the distinguished 
>> gentleman from Hollywood')
> 
> Orrin Hatch? Hah. I knew about him. I recall remembering him proposing 
> some kind of system to remotely destroy computers participating in 
> copyright infringement, or something similarly kooky. (Again, I probably 
> read this on Slashdot.) I could probably be persuaded to find a link if 
> anyone wants to know more and can't find it himself. :-)

You might also be interested to know that he is a musician, and has 
released albums, with RIAA members.

There are other members as well, including Congresswoman Mary Bono, 
daughter of Sonny Bono - he of the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension 
Act (which Lessig took to the Supreme Court)

> 
> Reiner's original query remains though, are there any prominent US 
> politicians currently that are favorable to Pirate Party goals?
> 

Not that I know of. The other hope was that Obamas quite close ties and 
strong endorsements from Lessig, would have helped put a bug in his ear. 
Thats also failed.

The sad truth is, in the US, Money talks, and the RIAA/MPAA has plenty 
to throw where needed.

Its not a strictly US problem though, one of my MEPs, Arlene McCarthey, 
gave a speech about piracy a few years ago, and swallowed the party line 
so much, she talked about how the sale of pirate DVDs on the streets of 
European cities, helped fund the first World Trade Center attack (which 
was 1993, iirc - only two years *BEFORE* DVDs were introduced.

A wiki to cover politicians worldwide would be handy.

Andrew