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[nenjin]

Heh, 70 years is the standard yeah, but there are some intellectual properties that have already exceeded that and they lobby Congress for an extension.

For example, go look at Disney and Copyright and Intellectual Property. Mickey Mouse should have gone to the public domain years ago, but Disney keeps asking Congress to give their IPs extensions and Congress keeps agreeing. So we don't even really respect our own IP laws, when its in some rich companies best interest not to.

[wierd]

The usual argument is "It's still profitable!!", which certain congress cretins seem to think is the holy of holies.
"We cant DARE get in the way of big businesses making MONEY! Public domain? Who makes money on THAT!?"

One need look no further than the address Mrs Bono gave to congress for the first set of such extensions, where she outright says she wants the copyrights to last for eternity. (No, really.) (While this is US centric, our IP laws seem to have hentai tentacles that reach around the globe.)

Personally, I feel that if you cant make a profit on your work within 20 years, (During which market forces can change radically, and long term amortization is a farce beyond) then you are doing it wrong.  Copyright is supposed to be an incentive, NOT a blank cheque to work once, then sit on your laurels.

[Sergarr]

To note: I think that the person who invented something can still be allowed to profit from selling it - but he shouldn't be allowed to prevent others from doing the same. So both the original author and other people gain incentives to compete with each other for improving upon the original product. If the original one can outcompete others - good, if others outcompete the original - also good.

For God's sake, competition is supposed to be the main reason why free market is supposed to be better that central planning, why are there laws specifically designed to destroy competition in a (supposedly) free market society? Shouldn't the proponents of these laws be called out as "evil communists"?

[Helgoland]

And this, my friends, is why we must turn our attention to the rebellious colonies after we've... dealt with those pesky Muscovites.

[mainiac]

For God's sake, competition is supposed to be the main reason why free market is supposed to be better that central planning, why are there laws specifically designed to destroy competition in a (supposedly) free market society? Shouldn't the proponents of these laws be called out as "evil communists"?

Because in the real world you dont build your systems around absolutes.

Competition is good in some places, in other places it does more harm then good.

[Owlbread]

The pollster Lord Ashcroft decided to poll 8,000 people in marginal seats ahead of the general election. In Scotland he polled a few constituencies of interest - The results are absolutely astonishing. According to the poll the SNP would take Kirkcaldy - Gordon Brown's seat. If that rubber-jawed, lying, bloated grandee windbag wasn't standing down in May he'd lose the seat. Same with Menzies Campbell - swine that he is, and Alistair Darling too. Dumfriesshire, the last Tory stronghold, has the SNP at the Tories neck and neck at 34%/34%.

Of the marginals polled individually, the only Labour seat that would be held in Scotland would be East Renfrewshire - by 1%. That's good news for Labour, considering the constituency belongs to Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy. If he loses his seat he'll lose his job faster than Wendy Alexander, which is saying something.

If these enormous swings (20% swing in some cases e.g. Dumfries and Galloway, which voted No) were replicated across the country the SNP would end up taking something like 56/59 Scottish Westminster seats, leaving the Northern Isles under Lib Dem control, East Renfrewshire with Labour and possibly Dumfriesshire with the Tory Mundell. I can't explain how insane this is - this is mind-bendingly crazy. I can't wrap my head around it. It's so mind bendingly crazy I'm going to end up shaving my beard into a handlebar moustache and joining Cobra Commander in his dastardly schemes.

Analysis from the Tory Lord himself.

Scottish Conservative writer Alex Massie has similar views, speaking of it in apocalyptic terms.

[Sergarr]

"Night of the long claymores" sounds like something out of Highlander.

At least I know now that the Scotland ain't taking the English "devolution" bullshit any longer.

[mainiac]

"Night of the long claymores" sounds like something out of Highlander.

Yeah the Highlander episode with the Nazis.

[Owlbread]

"Night of the long claymores" sounds like something out of Highlander.

At least I know now that the Scotland ain't taking the English "devolution" bullshit any longer.

Well, there's the issue that the SNP are very popular in Scotland because they're the most competent party and know what they're doing, and are the party best placed to secure maximum devolution for Scotland - something Scots have consistently indicated is their overall constitutional preference. The idea is that Scotland would have control over pretty much everything apart from defence and foreign affairs. This is nothing I could stand, you understand, but that's where Scots are right now in their mindsets. People need to understand in general that the Scottish public look at the constitution in a very detached way - they're very mercantile in their approach. It's all about how much we can gain/lose economically. Now, I think that majority of the public is actually slimmer than Scottish journalists think it is (45% voted for independence, and the majority of them that I met didn't look at Scotland in that way) but all the same we need to understand that for when we're convincing them all next time.

I still think it will still take time before anything like independence will come our way but even in this case where we're diverging politically from the rest of the UK, Scotland is becoming more and more of a foreign country, almost like Ireland in the early 20th C. The Scottish Labour MPs in Westminster don't understand their own country anymore - I remember hearing Tom Harris, MP for Glasgow South saying something along those lines. They can't believe this is happening, let alone understand why and I don't think they ever will.

[ChairmanPoo]

"Night of the long claymores" sounds like something out of Highlander.

Yeah the Highlander episode with the Nazis.

I liked "Highlander: Terminators of the Caribbean" better

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[nenjin]

"Night of the long claymores" sounds like something out of Highlander.

It's actually a play on this.

The reference is about as subtle as a thrown brick.

[Sergarr]

"Night of the long claymores" sounds like something out of Highlander.

It's actually a play on this.

The reference is about as subtle as a thrown brick.

Looks like this has became a regular political tactic: something that you don't like happens? Cry Hitler!

[Owlbread]

Looks like this has became a regular political tactic: something that you don't like happens? Cry Hitler!

The number of times the SNP or pro-independence people in general have been compared to the Nazis is unbelievable. 

[Descan]

SHP: Scottish Hitler Party?

[Squeegy]

o/^ Let's stay together
But not too together o/^