Is The Internet Private Property Now?

Not yet, but it`s just about to become one. Although the future ownership can be quite deceiving. Many will think it`s Obama, as he`s the one making all the ridiculous efforts to control every single web page in the virtual world. But what most Americans don`t know is that… Obama`s got an employer.

A filthy rich, dangerously powerful employer, in fact. A master mind that`s been controlling the minds of the sheeple for decades, selling them sugar coated lies, all wrapped up in the most persuasive package ever created. I`m talking about Hollywood.

Of all industries, this one is most interested in seeing the Internet chained. Illegal downloading of movies has become natural in today`s world and the fat cats are pretty upset they can`t stuff their pockets with more money coming from overpriced, overrated blockbusters. And when I say “more money”, I mean amounts you can`t even imagine! We`re talking billions of dollars here. In fact, they claim they`ve lost about $58 billion so far and all because of piracy. Plus 373,000 lost jobs, since they couldn`t afford paying an army of nothing-doers with $58 billion going down the drain.

But Rob Reid, a popular American author and entrepreneur all too familiar with how both Hollywood and the music industry work, found these numbers suspicious and decided to do his own research. Here`s what he found:

I admit, I laughed. The guy is funny and yet the data he proof he provides is the exact opposite of that. It`s frightening. Hollywood is so certain they`re going to win this battle against Internet freedom, they don`t even bother to come up with better lies. You know why? Because they knew people wouldn`t go looking those numbers up. They`ll just buy whatever shameless lie they`re sold. But Rob Reid took the time to do this research (and despite his ironic jokes, his research is as serious as it can get) and discovered the numbers have been pumped through the roof, with no actual base in reality. And here are the details of his research, sources and such, all explained on the TedX blog:

“I looked at actual employment and headcount in actual content industries, and found nothing approaching the claimed losses. (…) My movie industry figures came from a meticulously researched report by BMO Capital Markets called “Perspectives on the Filmed Entertainment Industry” which is sadly not currently findable on their website (and BMO — if you’re listening, please do the world a service, and at least publish “Exhibit 9” publicly!). My TV, satellite and cable figures came from the same outstanding report. I didn’t have time to discuss them during my talk, but numbers from local media analysts BIA/Kelsey showed robust growth in radio in the years immediately following Napster’s debut. This was followed by a brief, agonizing contraction in the 2007-09 timeframe, which the organization attributes wholly to the recession, rather than piracy. So where is the missing $50 billion in piracy?

As for the MPAA’s employment numbers, I compared them to data reported by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics in its 2010-11 “Career Guide to Industries.” This put the motion picture and video industry’s total employment at 361,900 jobs. The 2000-01 edition of the same guide put employment at 270,000 in 1998. The 2000-01 Guide simply uses “Motion Picture Production and Distribution” as the industry descriptor, but a close reading of both Guides seems to indicate that they’re talking about the same industrial sector, so I infer that the 1998 Guide used “Motion Picture” as shorthand for the broader filmed entertainment sector.” (blog.ted.com)

Now let`s get back to our dear president. What`s his deal here? Why take all the blame and the shame for the whole movie industry? Because the movie industry kind of owns him. Kim Dotcom — the father of Megaupload, a site where people could upload and download pirated movies, among other — discloses the reasons why he was framed by US authorities and chased like a rabid dog.

“You have to look at the players behind this case, okay? The driving force, of course, is Chris Dodd, the chairman of the MPAA [Motion Picture Association of America]. And he was senator for a long time and he is — according to [US Vice President] Joe Biden — Joe Biden’s best friend. (…)

And also, the timing is very interesting, you know? Election time. The fundraisers in Hollywood set for February, March [and] April. There had to have some sort of Plan B, an alternative for SOPA [the Stop Online Piracy Act], because the president certainly was aware — and his team at the White House was aware — that if they don’t have anything to give at those fundraisers, to those guys in Hollywood who are eager to have more control over the Internet, they wouldn’t have probably raised too much. And Hollywood is a very important contributor to Obama’s campaign. Not just with money, but also with media support. They control a lot of media: celebrity endorsements and all that.” (rt.com)

So, basically, Obama promised the Internet in exchange for his reelection. And now he`s gotta pay. So he`s acting like a lion in a cage, desperate to take control over what`s left of the Free America. Now, what I`m dead curious about is this: What happens if he doesn`t succeed? What happens if people revolt against this measure so violently, that he`s forced to back down (just like it happened with SOPA)? What will the big, bad Hollywood fat cats do? I, for one, can`t wait to see all the anti-Obama blockbusters in 3D.

By Alec Deacon