I don't store any files on my Dropbox account that even remotely resemble anything owned by media companies, so I suppose the risks are negligible for myself. Using something like EncFS on top of Dropbox wouldn't hurt, either.
Other people might not be as lucky. People in some countries could store and share files that are completely legal to distribute where they live, but still protected in the U.S. For example, copyright expires 50 years after death in Canada, compared to 70 years in the U.S. If an American company issues a blanket takedown notice and Dropbox obliges, Canucks may be adversely affected. Besides, humans make mistakes. What if somebody pastes the wrong hash into their takedown notice and Dropbox staff forgets to check it?
So even people who never violate any copyright might have philosophical objections to unilateral takedowns like this. It is important to avoid alarmism and hyperbole, but that doesn't mean that there's nothing to worry about.
Am I off base to draw a parallel between this and a right to privacy situation? The folks who say, "the only people who worry are the people who have something to hide"? (FTR, totally against that argument...)
Off topic, the spirit of the internet never ceases to amaze me. We're on ostensibly a business focused board, and you make a compelling argument defending the protection of potential competitors. (I.e., your customers/clients will receive a tangible benefit due to your awareness of these issues, and non-reliance on less capable competition.) Yet, you seem interested in the overall good, rather than looking to exploit your advantage commercially.
According to the Berne Convention, that's not how it works. Even if Canadian works only have life + 50 years of copyright, works created in the US are to be protected by copyright in all the countries that signed the convention for life + 70 years.
Quoting:
In any case, the term shall be governed by the legislation of the
country where protection is claimed
Comments
I don't store any files on my Dropbox account that even remotely resemble anything owned by media companies, so I suppose the risks are negligible for myself. Using something like EncFS on top of Dropbox wouldn't hurt, either.
Other people might not be as lucky. People in some countries could store and share files that are completely legal to distribute where they live, but still protected in the U.S. For example, copyright expires 50 years after death in Canada, compared to 70 years in the U.S. If an American company issues a blanket takedown notice and Dropbox obliges, Canucks may be adversely affected. Besides, humans make mistakes. What if somebody pastes the wrong hash into their takedown notice and Dropbox staff forgets to check it?
So even people who never violate any copyright might have philosophical objections to unilateral takedowns like this. It is important to avoid alarmism and hyperbole, but that doesn't mean that there's nothing to worry about.
Am I off base to draw a parallel between this and a right to privacy situation? The folks who say, "the only people who worry are the people who have something to hide"? (FTR, totally against that argument...)
Off topic, the spirit of the internet never ceases to amaze me. We're on ostensibly a business focused board, and you make a compelling argument defending the protection of potential competitors. (I.e., your customers/clients will receive a tangible benefit due to your awareness of these issues, and non-reliance on less capable competition.) Yet, you seem interested in the overall good, rather than looking to exploit your advantage commercially.
According to the Berne Convention, that's not how it works. Even if Canadian works only have life + 50 years of copyright, works created in the US are to be protected by copyright in all the countries that signed the convention for life + 70 years.
Quoting: