The latest batch of leaked diplomatic cables covers a wide swathe of diplomatic topics. What you probably wouldn’t expect to find in there are cables showing that the US government is concerned about the NBN leading to more widespread piracy, as well as the MPAA being a prime mover behind the AFACT/iiNet copyright case.
ZDNet reports on one set of cables that detail the US Government’s concern regarding the implementation of the National Broadband network in relation to the case, noting that as a result of the case not going AFACT’s way, they’d be lobbying the government for legislative changes, and that
“In the meantime, the problem will persist and probably worsen with the advent of Australia’s high-speed National Broadband Network, as the speeds at which copyright theft can take place will literally multiply.”
There’s also a comment within the cables that this is indeed a high stakes ploy, with a quote stating that
“The hope for AFACT and the big studios was that a favourable decision would have established an international precedent that could have forced ISPs to tightly police the activities of their customers.”
Meanwhile, Delimiter reports on the cables (it’s not clear if it’s the same cable, or coincidental bunches, as Delimiter doesn’t link to them) and the link between AFACT, who took the action out against iiNet, and the Motion Picture Association Of America (MPAA). The MPAA is alleged to have been the behind the scenes partner in affairs, noting that
“AFACT and MPAA worked hard to get Village Roadshow and the Seven Network to agree to be the public Australian faces on the case to make it clear there are Australian equities at stake, and this isn’t just Hollywood ‘bullying some poor little Australian ISP’”
Stephen
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 3:27 PMGreat, another reason the Coalition can use in bashing the NBN. “We shouldn’t do it because the Americans don’t like it”.
In the meantime, we have evidence of Hollywood bullying a poor little Australian ISP and trying to buy an international precedent in their favour.
Guess what, copyright owners? It’s been shown over and over that your tactics of bullying and intimidation do not create one extra sale. Putting rootkits on CDs doesn’t help. Making computer programs require constant internet connection for DRM purposes tends to turn customers away. What works? Treating your paying customers like paying customers. Offer benefits to them that won’t be available to the person who didn’t pay.
Oh, and remember that in a very large majority of cases, people who steal software or music or movies were never going to buy the content in the first place, so stop feeding the consumer this crap about how much piracy is costing you.
GregoryGorm
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 5:33 PMBut of course people are too stupid to see that. You’ve pretty much nailed it on the head and if any polititians ACTUALLY BOTHERED to say that it would be a lot easier to make them see sense, since they don’t seem to want to listen to us, writing us off as greedy idiots desperately trying to come up with reasons to get their faster internet. Dumbasses.
ozoneocean
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 3:29 PMWow. So American big business is against the NBN too? I wonder how much they pay Abbot?
Jim
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 3:40 PMStuff the US Government . Maybe you should worry about your own back yard instead of poking you nose in ours! The rest of the world hates you!
adam
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 5:49 PMHahahahaha no need to get that angry over it and speak for yourself.
JAck
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 6:14 PMAgree with Jim, The US Government is the best that money can buy! Isn’t that right MPAA, RIAA. Problem Obama
BenDTU
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 3:45 PMSo it’s 2011 and we’re still worried about VCRs allowing people to record TV?
Hooray for progress.
Mike
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 3:59 PMWhat’s a VCR?
BenDTU
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 3:59 PMNot sure if serious.
Mike
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 5:06 PMtrollface.jpg
Andrew
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 4:06 PMI think the US should be looking after themselves instead of worrying about anyone else…
woodsdog
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 4:15 PMI think it hilarious this we get a mention in the US… the size of Aust to US is minimal and the amount of Piracy in Aust is probably more attributable to the poor distribution by the manufactures, not the internet, not Australians. Start looking at your business models people, get with the program.
Lets see… new releases
OZ – Hire movies from shop $3-6
OZ – Hire online $5-6
US – Netflix unlimited $8….
great business model… where is the problem… I cant quiet see it… poor me… bo who… I cant bend the aussie over far enough to rape more money out of them… boo hoo… poor me…
Cant get enough of the, its not me its you… honestly… we need to break up.
Mick
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 6:36 PMPrecisely the reason that most of the people I know pirate their movies/music/software.
Apple is another case of charging extra for no reason other than the fact that Australia is not in the US.
Even if they did fix their business models, for me the damage is done. I wont buy software (I use GNU/Linux and have done for 5 years), and refuse to pay for music and movies. Perhaps it’s time for the *AA’s to start using the business models of file sharing sites (FileSonic, RapidShare etc).
Lance
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 4:35 PMI’d be happy to buy dvds/bluray if they weren’t $30-$40 upon release (own about 400 dvds and 10-15 bluray so its not like i’ve always done it) i only buy dvds/bluray now when its buy 3 for $30-$40
Greg
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 11:02 PMWow, where do you shop? Don’t think I’ve ever paid more than about GBP15 shipped for a BD. amazon.co.UK is your friend.
Matt
Thursday, September 1, 2011 at 9:53 AM“Wow, where do you shop? Don’t think I’ve ever paid more than about GBP15 shipped for a BD. amazon.co.UK is your friend.”
That’s the point though isn’t it. It’s more convenient to pop down to a local store and purchase something than waiting up to a month to come from O/seas (Depending on shipping).
Greg
Thursday, September 1, 2011 at 11:35 AMOnly during the Icelandic volcano eruption last year has anything from amazon.co.uk taken more than 6 calendar days to reach me.
iNiff
Friday, September 2, 2011 at 2:30 PMTHAT’S OUTRAGEOUS
Sicarius123
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 4:40 PMCharge us a fair amount and release in a suitable timeframe. Watch the pirating drop!
Jon
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 4:43 PMWe already have internet, the NBN is only going to make it faster. If the film and TV industries really want to combat piracy they need to get with the real world and start providing real world options for people that are interested in watching their content.
That is, TV episodes are available online moments after they’ve finished broadcasting in the US. If these episodes were made available to purchase legally as soon as they begin to air in the states then many people would choose this option.
People resort to piracy because the legal options lag painfully slow behind.
Pauly
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 5:21 PMHow about American companies stop ripping Australians off. Adobe I’m looking at you! There is no excuse for charging Australians more for stuff when out dollar is better then yours.
Rhys
Thursday, September 1, 2011 at 8:00 AMHere here, my partner needs the new production version, but it’s smarter to go back to uni and do a BS course that she already knows just to get the student discount. Which is similiar to that the US pays outright.
Jeezus
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 5:27 PMOh…USA, are you going to start declaring Aus has WMDs….. Maybe, you should worry about your falling economics. Besides, if we did want to pirate. We would do it regardless of the speed (Right now The fastest I can dl a move still on Adsl2+ is 8 hours) I’m still more then glad to wait for it.
David
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 7:35 PMlol 8 hours? Where do you live, in the desert?
Hypothetically, I live in QLD. Takes me 30mins to DL a BD Rip.
^ Hypothetically :D
Salty
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 5:48 PM…lol
terry2toes
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 5:49 PMThe studios are still paying 5 Million per movie for a top actor. If piracy ended they would not pass on 1 cent to the consumer. $7 for online movie rental on bigpond movies what a joke. Lower your prices and people wouldnt bother with piracy
james
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 5:52 PMJeezus
Movie takes 8 hours – Your not doing it right.
I’m on ADSL2+ probably as far as you can get from an exchange and I get my *cough* 700mb files in about 75mins.
I take it your torrenting you should use a private tracker.
Ryxxi
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 5:52 PMPay the fukning actors $30 instead of $3000 ..
more piracy needed
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 5:58 PMPiracy will lower prices eventual, keep up the good work people. AUD up 30% but BIGPOND that pays its fees to US studios, still continues to rape us $7 for a single rental when in the US its $8 unlimited rentals.
Telstra BigPond if forcing us on to Piracy, they are the real criminals. If prices were reosonable people wouldnt bother with piracy
Good Stratagy
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 6:07 PMAustralia is used often as an example for the rest of the world, and we have a record of pulling toe to the Big Boys. Maybe by getting Australia to make internet police it makes it easier for the rest of the world.
“Oh but look, Australia, that advanced country did it”.
I rented a DVD for the first time in about 5 years last weekend. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking – why on earth would you do that? I’ll tell you why. I was on mobile internet, and it was faster to walk to the video store than wait for the video to come down the internet.
But back to my incredibly interesting story of renting the dvd… it started with a little intro in that homely and caring female australian voice…
“200 trillion dollars a year is lost in the australia film industry because of piracy”
She sounded so concerned and I felt like a dirty little street kid for all my criminal activity. I wanted to wash my hands clean of my past mistakes and find the closest church to hopefully be forgiven for stopping those trillions of dollars not making their way to the australian film industry.
Then it hit me – I think i’ve seen 1 maybe 2 australian films ever on a piracy website. And to be honest, I think those film makers should have been paying me to watch them, not the other way around.
So there you have it folks. Case closed.
Guess who
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 8:07 PMWait. 200 trillion dollars? Considering that Australian population is like 50 million. Every Australian suppose to spend 4 million dollars on movies every year… :O
touchpadowner
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 8:25 PMmind your own business USA
stop acting like top shit and solve your own problems
Aliasalpha
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 8:34 PMThe population of australia is about 22 million which makes that 200 trillion figure even more farcical than before, even moreso if instead of being the american trillion (with 12 zeros) it was the australian trillion (with 18 zeroes).
Even if it was 200 Billion that’d be an astonishing level of bullshit
@Good Stratagy: Any chance of ripping that piracy warning and putting it up on youtube? Firstly I’d like to see it just to see the bullshit personally and to make sure there’s no misunderstanding and secondly it would tickle me to think that every hit the video got would cost them a vigintillion dollars. Apparently that IS a real number, 63 zeroes, you’d think after about 50 they’d simply say “Fuck it, you win”
Aliasalpha
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 8:41 PMHah! Loading the AFACT website I see this article:
http://www.afact.org.au/index.php/news/film_and_tv_industry_contributes_6.1_billion_to_australian_economy
Yeah… trillions…
Lets see, intellectual dishonesty, appeals to emotion, (presumed) lack of citation for the numbers they’ve pulled out of their arse… Its like arguing with a creationist
Guess who
Thursday, September 1, 2011 at 5:27 AMSorry, my bad. Should have checked the population.
Drew
Friday, September 2, 2011 at 2:56 PMI really hope that you are not from Australia.
Good Stratagy
Monday, September 5, 2011 at 12:09 PMSorry guys, I forgot that I was writing on the internet where intelligence is not a prerequisite for usage. It was meant to be a joke which targeted the ignorant, much like the advertisement is aimed at the ignorante.
Clearly 200 trillion dollars is an imaginary number I pulled out of a hat.
More accurately if I can recall exactly it is 200 million dollars that is apparently lost to piracy.
Commander Shepard
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 6:49 PMPeople can download a movie that takes longer to watch than download. So there would be no use in pirating more.
secondly as noted above, there is way more piracy in the US than AUS.
Somebody just doesn’t want Australia to have fiber.
Matt
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 6:51 PMThis is as stupid as the American government trying to tell us how to run our banking sector….
Trenna
Thursday, September 1, 2011 at 11:02 AMahah so true.
Mind your own bloody business yanks. You have stuffed up enough of the world.
Anonymous
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 7:01 PMWikileaks has shown the US Government use our politicians to spy on our politicians and now our laws to try and intimidate and economically harm our ISPs and citizens.
Are we in an alliance with these tards because we are even bigger tards?
Sam Timmins
Wednesday, August 31, 2011 at 8:39 PMUS, pull your head out of your arse and THINK.
Where do these pirated US shows come from?
OH YEAH! AMERICAN TIVO/DVR!
By your thinking, WE cause the pirated TIVO/DVR. Whut?
B3n
Thursday, September 1, 2011 at 9:48 AMlol!
whether or not the NBN will happen, people will still pirate. It would just allow for people to pirate MORE. I guess that means people would spend more on HDDs and electricity to store and run it all.
I bet there is so much sly stuff going on behind the scenes… seriously wouldn’t surprise me at all.