Star Wars Kid

So I know this is a few years old now but after looking at the graphic images from the Nuremberg files about abortion I needed a pick me up. Anyways this is a video which most of you have probably seen called star wars kid.

This high school boy filed a lawsuit against fellow classmates that posted the video on the web because it led to constant harassment from fellow students and by the public. There have even been updated videos with music and highlighting of the golf ball snatcher to look like a light saber.

This video was the first time I ever really thought about how someones privacy can be obstructed via internet when this video first came out. Star wars kid became such an internet sensation that it was on vh1, G4, and even Family Guy.

I do feel bad for the boy because his family said that it will forever have a lasting effect on his life. I wonder at what point there will be written laws specific to internet or if there ever will be.

Fair Use

The upcoming week of class discusses the topic of Intellectual properties and deals with copyright issues.  The “Fair Use” doctrine is a part of the copyright law and is summed up in 4 standards.

1. The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes.
2. The nature of the copyrighted work
3. The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole
4. The effect of the use upon the potential market for, or value of, the copyrighted work

The fair use doctrine seems to basically be a way to determine whether or not someone can be convicted of infringement.  According to this document it is OK to reproduce someone’s material when criticizing, commenting, or news reporting or doing other things along these lines.

To me it seems as if the only time that an infringement issue surfaces is because of money issues. Both of the articles to read for this week both involve the reproduction of material taking potential profits away from the sources creator.

The four fair use standards can be found here: Fair Use.

Wiseguy Tickets

I know this is off topic from what the class is discussing this week but when I heard about it I became very intrigued.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/03/judge_sets_2m_bail_for_wiseguy.html

First thought I immediately thought these guys were guilty but the more I thought about it, the more I began to question it. The founders of this “Wiseguy Tickets” basically found a way to buy tickets for major events in advance from the general public. They would then sell them to brokers and the tickets would then be sold a 2x and 3x the price. Most tickets site will limit a customer to a certain amount of tickets but the “Wiseguy” found a way to buy 1,000’s of tickets at a time. When I first heard of this scam I was upset because to get tickets to a major event is hard enough and expensive enough.

The more I thought about it the more I convinced myself that maybe they should not be found guilty. These guys found a way to beat the system. They took advantage of what the internet has to offer and made money off it. I kind of see it as an invention and why shouldn’t they make money off their invention. Before the digital age came to fruition people had to go to some sort of box office and stand in line to get their tickets. The internet makes it easier and these “Wiseguys” found a way to make money from it. Besides in a way is a site like TicketMaster that much different than what they did. Tickets site get a certain number of tickets distributed to them and then re-sell them to the public which is what the “Wiseguys” were doing.

Personal Markerting Technique

Im curious as to what others think about how personal some new marketing techniques have gotten. In another class a presentation was given about the new hand held FloTv product. It is basically a portable TV and has no “commercials” so to speak. They do however have ads that are directed at the user instead of general public. According to the student giving the presentation an ad will be displayed that you can not skip.  I could not help to think how do they get the information so that each ad that pops up between shows (much like  hulu.com) is one that you would want to watch. It is much like the side ads on Facebook that pop up. The ads that are displayed I often find are things that I might be interested. I have not taken the different quizzes to find out which TV character you are most like so I assume they get information based on who your friends with and what groups you are part of. Im just curious as to whether something like this could be considered a breach of privacy? Business wise I think it is a cool idea to personalize advertising but ethical I am not sure what to feel. Someone or something is looking at my purchasing history, friends, groups, etc. to judge what kind of person I am and use personal information in order to make an extra buck.