Chinese checkers

The irony is too delicious. Boingboing reports that Yahoo China will be sued by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industries for enabling the pirating of music by disclosing to its users where to get it on the internet. In effect they are being held responsible for the copyright status of everything they point to:

"Yahoo China has been blatantly infringing our members' rights. We have started the process and as far as we're concerned we're on the track to litigation," said John Kennedy, chairman and chief executive of the music industry trade group the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. "If negotiation can prevent that, so be it," he added. (Boingboing)

This is truly ridiculous and qualifies more than anything else I can think of for the title, "Frivolous lawsuit." But irony?

Yahoo.com along with Google and MSN have all made a bargain with the devil to block searches from China that contain certain offensive language -- like democracy, freedom, Falun Gong, you know. Now they are being stuck for not blocking non-political stuff that offends another despotic group, the copyright mafia.

Meanwhile, the Chinese government is trying to explain to the foreign press why they shouldn't be concerned about proposed laws that will make it illegal to divulge "sudden events" (like disease outbreaks and pollution spills) without authorization, and worse, gives local officials the power to bring the charges,.

A Chinese draft law that threatens to fine the news media for reporting on "sudden incidents" without permission applies to foreign as well as domestic news organizations, an official involved in preparing the legislation said Monday.

The law, now under consideration by the legislature run by the Communist Party, calls for fines of up to $12,500 for unauthorized reports on outbreaks of disease, natural disasters, social disturbances or other so-called sudden incidents that officials determine to be false or harmful to China's social order.
Wang Yongqing, vice minister of the legislative affairs office of China's State Council, or cabinet, told reporters at a news briefing that the law should apply to all news organizations, including foreign newspapers, magazines and broadcast outlets, which usually operate under different rules from those of the Chinese news media. (New York Times)

At the same time the Chinese are going after the internet, and blogs like this one:

Chinese authorities have announced their intention to step up their efforts to police and control the Internet and other communications technologies, including instant messaging and cellphones.
Speaking at a conference in Beijing last Wednesday, Cai Wu, director of the powerful Information Office of the State Council, or China's cabinet, said new control measures were needed "because more and more harmful information is being circulated online."

Another senior official who spoke at the same meeting, Wang Xudong, deputy minister of the information industry, said his ministry's next target would be developing technologies to regulate Web logs and search engines. (New York Times)

My modest suggestion (Modern Mechanix, 1940):

i-7312aaf974694322165c1e6ea6fb5f55-med_shout_o_phone.jpg

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Too funny!

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When people know information is censored, they question their knowledge and world view, and often try to circumvent or break the censorship.

A cat and mouse game ensues, with authorities relaxing/tightening controls.

Still, the entire game is based on the premise that (quote) true (unquote) information exists somewhere, that it is interesting, valuable in some way, perhaps even powerful, dangerous; and that misinformation, mostly suppression in the Chinese case, exists.

In an open society (e.g. US) information control takes other forms.

Sudden events - to take just that one example, are dramatised (oh the horror!), fictionalised (Hollywood interpenetrates mainstream media), personalised (the true individual story as an emblem of reality), fitted to stereotypes and ambient memes (black looters), garbled as far as causes and consequences are concerned (force 5 or force 3? How many dead?) - and forgotten in 3 days in favor of the next sudden event - a kidnapped white girl, a bare breast on TV, what have you.

The long tradition of tolerance of conspiracy theory, and the adherence to the principle of free speech sees to it that room is left for questioners and doubters, and that these are branded as raving lunatics.

Not that I m advocating the Chinese method. Just saying, heh.

Cast extra from the show Max Headroom.

By Trina Bashore (not verified) on 06 Jul 2006 #permalink

Revere,
I have GOT to get me one of them Shout-o-phones.
Sam

By Sam Dawes (not verified) on 06 Jul 2006 #permalink

The modern version includes a Frist-o-scope(TM) as well.

By Ground Zero Homeboy (not verified) on 06 Jul 2006 #permalink

Max Headroom - show about channel 23 media. News 20 minutes ago. Other company name Ped Xing. It made sense to me yesterday before coffee. Sorry.

By Trina Bashore (not verified) on 07 Jul 2006 #permalink