# All who take pleasure in other's misfortune, shame on you. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 25, 2002, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-who-take-pleasure-in-others-misfortune-shame-on-you/110798 "2002-05-25T15:03:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2002, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-who-take-pleasure-in-others-misfortune-shame-on-you/110798/21 "2002-05-26T17:57:04Z")
> [@](#): > > I also notice that when I try to defend someone who is being attacked for no good reason, or for having misfortune happen to them, few people here will ever back me up. There’s typically just a profound silence. And since I keep getting left alone and out in the wind, it takes a greater and greater effort for me to now give a shit about anyone being picked on. I should have mentioned before, I agree with you on this one. I was too lazy to mention it on the pyjama pants wearing girl Pit thread, though. (I’m bad. I’m lazy.) ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-who-take-pleasure-in-others-misfortune-shame-on-you/110798/22 "2002-05-27T13:29:22Z")
Er, if you’re running a 98 version, before you fdisk, I’d try a few simple repairs. First, get or make a Win98 Boot Disk. Boot with it. 1: fdisk/mbr to flush your master boot record. This will kill any resident virus in there, so you can safely do the second part. 2: sys c: This’ll copy the system files back over. 3: If it still doesn’t boot, try reinstalling Windows _over_ the old one. If you’re running 2K, then go to 3, try a repair. You’ve got a repair disk? If not, just cross your fingers and hope for the best. If it works, you’ve got some time to copy your files somewhere. Got an old hard drive to put them on? Then Fdisk and reformat, and go from scratch, then copy the files back. Lots of luck. You’ll need it. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-who-take-pleasure-in-others-misfortune-shame-on-you/110798/23 "2002-05-27T13:59:42Z")
> [@](#): > > God DAMN why is there not a band named Schadenfreude. It just screams S/M death metal industrial thrash . Oh, yeah–as if we need more of _those_ :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-who-take-pleasure-in-others-misfortune-shame-on-you/110798/24 "2002-05-27T14:08:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Anthracite \* > \*\*Oh, and regarding the whole MP3 download of something purchased on LP/8-track/Cassette? Although I agree with you that it should be legal, and IMO there is nothing morally wrong with it if you’ve purchased it already, in two threads here I was answered by people that pretty clearly showed, by cites of case law, that it is, in fact, illegal to download the song in that set of circumstances. Even if had a B-side of a 45, and had no turntable, it would still be illegal to download the MP3. At least, that was what they showed, and I have to agree with what I saw at the time (to my disgust, however). > > I’d post some links here, but I can’t wait for Search to wake up. \*\* I’d be interested if someone could either give us a link for the threads Anth refers to, or give us some cite for this. I thought you were allowed to make a reasonable number of copies of music you’d purchased. I certainly tend to make compilations and other copies for my own use, and would be surprised if this was viewed as unreasonable. As for the OP, I really don’t understand why RealityChuck was being such a judgemental prick about The Mermaids question. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-who-take-pleasure-in-others-misfortune-shame-on-you/110798/25 "2002-05-27T14:32:39Z")
**Gary** - I tried, and I think they are both older than the 1-year back that Search allows. I can’t find them. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-who-take-pleasure-in-others-misfortune-shame-on-you/110798/26 "2002-05-27T15:15:11Z")
Thanks for the effort, Anth, appreciate it. Do you recall if it was just downloading that was illegal, or if personal use copies were also out? ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-who-take-pleasure-in-others-misfortune-shame-on-you/110798/27 "2002-05-27T16:21:25Z")
Can’t you just enter one year and then click “and older” just below it? And that would search those particular threads. ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-who-take-pleasure-in-others-misfortune-shame-on-you/110798/28 "2002-05-27T17:08:46Z")
It all comes down to redistribution of a copyrighted work. That’s what’s happening. And the law is pretty darn clear that for it to be legal, you **must** get permission from the relevant copyright holders. [Here’s](http://www.oit.umass.edu/publications/at_oit/Archive/spring00/sc_mpeg.html) a pretty good explanation although the urls at the end are out-of-date or broken. And [here](http://www.virtualrecordings.com/riaamp3.htm) is a judgement against [MP3.com](http://MP3.com), which allowed users to unlock CDs by proving that they owned them (kind of) and then allowed them to access the MP3s off of that CD (made previously by [MP3.com](http://MP3.com)) from anywhere. Since the users didn’t make the conversions themselves, it was deemed to infringe the relevant copyrights. Now, if you could somehow convince a judge that the place you downloaded the tune(s) from was a library or archive, and that you were using them to do scholarly research, then you could get coverage from [17 U.S.C Ch. 1 Sec. 108](http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/108.html). And, if you were to convert the tunes yourself, you can cite [RIAA v. Diamond](http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=9th&navby=case&no=9856727) and [Sony V. Universal](http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=us&vol=464&invol=417) to make a good argument that what you were doing falls under fair use. But, otherwise…yes, you are technically violating the copyright. The good news, however, is that were the RIAA to take its ever-so-powerful legal arm and sue you, or the website, or Al Gore, for inventing the Internet, that unless they can prove that the sued parties violated copyrights with the intent to cause them economic harm, then the most money they can get is actual damages, not punitive damages. Which would probably be about twenty bucks. Plus legal fees. Of course, who knows how much they’d claim in legal fees… And, finally, FWIW: What the world needs now, Is another death metal thrash band Like I need a hole in my head. Apologies to Cracker. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-who-take-pleasure-in-others-misfortune-shame-on-you/110798/29 "2002-05-27T17:15:54Z")
Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Mermaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@The\_Mermaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Mermaid)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-who-take-pleasure-in-others-misfortune-shame-on-you/110798/30 "2002-05-28T16:57:37Z")
As far as I know I am not being prosecuted for copyright infringment. The fact is I rarely use Kazaa or any other P2P program because I am afraid of what some lengths people will go to to get their jollies. I literally have thousands of CD’s and spend a good deal of time and money collecting them. One of the things I most enjoy is reading the liner notes and the art work. I enjoy putting a lot of music on my computer so that I can listen while I surf and also make mix discs and such for my car or whatever. I am still pissed that both evilhanz and reality chuck took it upon themselves to call me to task on even having kazaa on my computer. Fuck both them up the ass with a rusty sledghammer. I have been unable to get my pc back up even with a boot disc or system restore disk. I keep getting non-valid system disk message. I am posting from the library now and am going to take my puter in to the repair shop to see if they can get it to boot. Norton had already quarantined all the infected files, but wouldn’t boot afterward. Perhaps somethings can be salvaged. So what I’m only out about $50 and 20 gigs of files. I hope someone may be able to derive some small amount of joy in that. ---
**Author:** ![CRorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CRorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CRorex)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-who-take-pleasure-in-others-misfortune-shame-on-you/110798/31 "2002-05-28T19:42:28Z")
\ And I was hoping that someone was going to complain about how we shouldn’t find joy and hapiness when someone gets a unexpected groinal injury ☹ If you’re system isn’t even recognizing the current HD you may have to buy a new HD and get your system up and running on that, then quarentine that and try repairing the virus infected one. This reminds me that I need to renew my norton subscription. Must protect my porn. Oh yeah, and for people who bitch about mp3’s and what not being illegal and taking money from the reccord companies/artists… Artists: Get better agents to negotiate your contracts! Recording industry: STOP PAYING thousdands of dollars per song to get them played on the radio!!! (Good NPR piece on this from last friday?) ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2002, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-who-take-pleasure-in-others-misfortune-shame-on-you/110798/32 "2002-05-29T19:06:52Z")
I’ve recorded every CD I have as an MP3. What takes up a nice chunk of space in my room takes up not even 3 gigs on my computer. A Nomad Jukebox holds 6 gigs. When I want access to 90+ hours of music, do you think im going to lug around over 100 cds? And how about an end to disc swapping? Who needs the lag time of a 100-disc changer when you’ve got WinAmp running your 90+ hour playlist on shuffle? The RIAA can suck it. Evolve or die. Look at what the movie industry did with DVD. They took advantage of a new format, and I buy far more DVDs than I ever bought VHS movies. If you want to stop piracy fine. But not at the expense of fair use. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-who-take-pleasure-in-others-misfortune-shame-on-you/110798.md?page=1)