Saturday, January 21, 2012

Does Anyone Really Think Those ConglomerNet Bills Are Dead?

AllTheLobShopsThatFit
MrHollywoodGoesToWashingtonVille


Because if they do they're crazy.

Here's the lede of Richard Verrier's story on the matter in the LA Times today:

After a week in which their anti-piracy legislation got derailed by the full force of the Internet lobby, the mood in Hollywood was one of anger, frustration and a growing resignation that the entertainment industry will be forced to accept a much weaker law than originally envisioned.

{snippety doo-dah}

Hollywood now must conduct PR damage control and convince tech-savvy Americans that it isn't the bad guy...



Ya, sure.

That's the ticket - PR.

Or.

Maybe not.

Here's more, in code, from Mr. Verrier's LAT piece:

...Although Hollywood's options appear to be limited, one tactic could be to apply more pressure on theWhite House to help broker a compromise with the tech industry. The Obama administration angered many studio executives last Saturday by releasing a statement that criticized aspects of SOPA and PIPAeven after sponsors of the bills agreed to remove the most controversial provision, which would have enabled Internet service providers to block access to foreign websites engaged in piracy.

Two senior entertainment executives and Obama donors, who declined to speak on the record, said they were so angry about his administration's handling of the matter that they would not support the president's reelection bid.

Technology companies and other opponents of the bills said they wanted a slower, more deliberative process that could delay a new law until at least next year. They prefer legislation pushed by Rep.
Darrell Issa (R-Vista) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), which would use trade laws to try to cut off the money from the U.S. to foreign piracy sites...


In other words, what's really going down here is a drawn-out squeeze play by pols like the good Mr. Obama and the reactionary Mr. Issa to force the moguls to tell their lobb-shops to really pony up with the cash.

Then, and only then, the pols will slowly climb down from their pretend integrity perches and 'compromise'.

And that way everybody involved, except maybe the people who use the Tubez, will come out smelling like roses and/or crisp clean benjamins in the end.


OK?

.

No comments: