In 1908 Thomas Edison set up the Motion Picture Patents Company along with Eastman Kodak and a number of other studios. Its main purpose was to protect its members' patents and interests, usually with batteries of lawyers. By 1915 all its patents were cancelled, and in 1917 it was declared an illegal monopoly and shut down. Sounds like some people don't learn from history.

Hollywood could also do with remembering where its money comes from. Gerald Ratner learnt to his cost what happens if you annoy your customers, and the failed DIVX disk format (not the video codec) shows that the consumer doesn't always swallow what the industry would like them to have.

Now are beginning to see the polarisation within the big corporates on this issue: Google/Open Source/Linux/IBM on one side, the media congloms/Microsoft on the other. This is where the copyright war moves into the endgame. Google has the audience and the financial and political clout to withstand the worst the cartels can hurl at them, and they have the great unwashed on their side. Microsoft and the cartels have a lot of clout themselves, with the government and courts likely to support them. The divisions that will arise from this will spill over into other aspects of life and the fight for freedom online, and whichever way it goes, the future of Internet expression will be changed forever.

Don't post it unless you made it shot it or drew it yourself pretty simple will keep you out of court always. Going along with this music should be the same. Don't use your favorite TV shows or clips from movies or anything you didn't actually produce yourself.

there are valid fair use exemptions, recognised widely for use in parodies or short clips and for educational purposes and some comapnies encourage fan-based content.

The reality is that most media companies want to ignore any fair use of their product and are just seeking to monetise everything they can to support their floundering business models.

This is exactly what's happening with the major record labels colluding against the Jobsmeister. Dinosaurs vs. upstart disrupters. Meh.

You're right - but... It will affect USofA much more than rest of the world. Especially that media conglomerates/Microsoft are already fighting few cases in European courts.

All restrictions will apply mostly to people living in "The Land of Free" (tm). Tell me how free is that?

"The one with all the gold makes all the rules."

I stole that from the Disney version of Alladin, if Disney would like to sue me please feel free.

Seeing as you managed to spell the name of the ripped show wrong (single L, double D), Disney might have a hard time searching for your self-declared infringement!

Looks like Disney stole it from Murphy's Laws.

Indeed, Murphys Golden Rule states that : "He who has the gold makes the rules".

I have that on a poster bought in 1989.

So, who's your daddy now ?