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Doctorow: don’t retaliate with more tariffs, hit them where it hurts. (pluralistic.net)

submitted 2 days ago by threesigma@lemm.ee to c/canada@lemmy.ca

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[-] HungryJerboa@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 day ago

Fighting dirty. I like it.

It's an intriguing idea to ignore American IPs, but then why would American businesses sell their products in Canada at all if IPs aren't being respected? It also sounds like Canadian consumers would be hindered in the long term because jailbreaking isn't performed by the majority of consumers (how many people currently use a VPN to bypass Netflix's region locks)

[-] Kichae@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 day ago

They might not. But then, most people aren't going to do things that violate the IP rights in the first place, so they'd be willingly giving up sales.

And they're welcome to do so.

Most of the decision makers for those businesses voted for this. Let them suffer for it. Forever, if possible.

[-] fourish@lemmy.world 19 points 1 day ago

BTW, Adobe is American. Reconsider those licenses for other options.

DaVinci Resolve for video editing would be perfect (and it’s free). Unfortunately Photoshop and Illustrator aren’t as easy to replace (though photopea is amazing as a free replacement for photoshop without AI garbage).

[-] shirro@aussie.zone 7 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Davinci Resolve is owned by Blackmagic Design Pty Ltd a privately owned Australian company. Australia is still a liberal democracy and a long term friend of Canada. Incidentally Røde Microphones are also Australian.

Canva is Australian founded and bought the UK company that created the Affinity suite. While the Australian founders are major shareholders I imaging there is a hell of a lot if US equity behind them but at least they aren't Adobe.

I use a 100% free and open source software stack. It involves some sacrifice of features and interoperability that won't be acceptable to many people but things have come a long way and it's worth having a serious look before dismissing.

The US businesses mafia has deep hooks into enterprise, education and government markets and can't be budged. I hope Trump goes nuclear on this trade war nonsense because it might be the best hope yet to open up the software market to some real competition.

I still remember owning a Matrox video card and using Corel applications. Good old days.

[-] cyberpunk007@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 day ago

I own davinci resolve studio, personally. I had no idea it was Australian, cool!

[-] fourish@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Exactly! I own a full resolve license I picked up a few years ago as part of a charity auction. I do most of my stuff on Avid for work because that’s what is used but I’d be just as happy on DaVinci.

I didn’t know that Affinity was also Australian but that’s all kinds of awesome because gimp just doesn’t cut it and Affinity is pretty cool and no subscription garbage so they’re going to see more of my business in the future. I might pick up their suite just to support them even though I get all of the adobe garbage due to work.

Looking on the bright side of this as well for an opportunity for change.

[-] TriflingToad@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 day ago

Here are some alternatives that I use:

video -> Kdenlive

photo -> GIMP

[-] beliquititious@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 day ago

The Affinity suite is a suitable replacement. It's not quite as advanced as the creative suite, but it serves 90% of most professional needs. I switched about five years ago and haven't looked back.

[-] deege@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I switched much more recently. It’s been more than fine - great even. A few rough edges but nothing that prevents me from getting my vision out. Publisher 2 is a very adequate replacement for InDesign and I like that the tools are more tightly integrated.

The one feature I miss is the integrated and centralized asset library for multiple users and teams.

[-] humanspiral@lemmy.ca 14 points 1 day ago

NAFTA 2 (and 1) is suspended until tariffs removed. NAFTA 2 (USMCA) did add some IP protections that NAFTA had mostly already. But simple response is no NAFTA rules apply to Canada if US declares fake national emergency to bypass USMCA. It's not "just" an act of war, it is "unilateral suspension of USMCA" to make war. Canada does not need a national emergency declaration to invalidate USMCA until pig fucker begs to get it back.

[-] sbv@sh.itjust.works 37 points 2 days ago

I really like the idea of opting out of IP agreements, but it's unclear how effective it would be. AFAIU jail breaks are illegal in the US thanks to the DMCA - if Canada produces the kits, it's still a risk to American farmers/Tesla owners to use them.

And:

But you know what Canada could make? A Canadian App Store. That's a store that Canadian software authors could use to sell Canadian apps to Canadian customers, charging, say, the standard payment processing fee of 5% rather than Apple's 30%. Canada could make app stores for the Android, Playstation and Xbox, too.

This requires cooperation from the platforms we're attacking. The EU had the clout to force Apple to open their platform, but would Canada? Would a bellicose US allow one of their most profitable and iconic companies to do that? Given a choice, I suspect Apple would happily make the "alternate app store" experience so user unfriendly that most users would avoid it.

Android has allowed side loading forever, and has a bunch of non-Google app stores, but they have only gained traction in limited circles.

It's a fun idea, and it'd be interesting to see how it works out, but I'm not sure it would have a significant impact.

[-] threesigma@lemm.ee 16 points 1 day ago

I think you misunderstand: Canada just makes jailbreaking legal. We allow the jailbreakers to distribute their hacks and even sell them.

This isn’t crazy: even if it’s just for John Deer farm equipment it’s a huge boon to consumers.

Sure, Apple and Google will try to make this impossible, but there is a reason they want legal recourse as well as technological.

[-] jaemo@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 day ago

Apple and Google have also been around for decades. The blueprint to copy the service side of what they offer is not impossible to replicate. Canada probably could not angle to manufacture hardware however, at least not in the practical near term.

[-] sbv@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 day ago

We allow the jailbreakers to distribute their hacks and even sell them.

I understand that. The target market for those jailbreaks is outside Canada, so distribution of our product would be limited by foreign laws. Foreign buyers would be dissuaded by stuff like the DMCA.

It works for Canadians, but it wouldn't really affect anyone outside Canada. Given the size of our market, it would have a minimal effect on the sellers of locked products.

even if it’s just for John Deer farm equipment it’s a huge boon to consumers.

Canadian farmers who aren't part of supply management schemes are in rough shape. As much as it might help them, they aren't a large market, and (if John Deer cares) the sellers will probably use other monopolistic practices to discourage it.

Sure, Apple and Google will try to make this impossible...

Android app builders regularly complain that their apps are heavily pirated by alternate app stores in China. As far as I can tell, that hasn't really changed Google policy. If Google is willing to ignore an app market the size of China, I don't think there will be any real effect from Canada doing the same.

I like the idea behind the proposal, but unless it hurts US corporations, it seems like a small tweak to help Canadian consumers, rather than meaningful retaliation in a trade war.

[-] Nollij@sopuli.xyz 14 points 1 day ago

Apple would probably setup a subsidiary company, let's call it Apple Canada, to operate the official app store for Canadian users. They would then funnel that money around the world to get it back to the parent company with little/no tax paid.

[-] n2burns@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

And I'm sure Drumpf would be 100% okay with that plan, and wouldn't retaliate against Apple. /s

[+] ech@lemm.ee -13 points 1 day ago

Can we stop sharing this guy's every word like he's an authority on everything? He's a blogger, not an expert on international relations.

[-] SreudianFlip@sh.itjust.works 14 points 1 day ago

Activist, prolific novelist, EFF organizer and analyst, and then some. Lived and worked in both countries and deeply involved in digital rights and intellectual property policy. Probably worth paying attention on this particular issue.

Also, major exaggeration on the ‘every word’ whinge. He’s prolific and targeting the fediverse.

[-] threesigma@lemm.ee 12 points 1 day ago

First, he’s not alone. There was a globe and mail editorial that also boosted this idea, with an emphasis on drug and AI patents.

Second, he doesn’t claim expertise in trade relations; he’s an expert on the recent history of IP and reasonable claim in that.

But frankly, what expertise in international relations is appropriate? Trump is blowing shit up, and does not act like a rational actor. Can you name someone who IS an expert on how to handle this?

[-] fourish@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

invalidating all drug patents here would be awesome. I’d even go so far to offer them at cost to Americans in need who come for a visit.

Need some insulin? How about $5 for a months supply instead of $300. We want the American public on our side even if their “leaders” aren’t.

[-] ech@lemm.ee -2 points 1 day ago

The only new thing about this is that it's coming from the US. Irrational governments have and do exist in the real world and people have been dealing with them for centuries. Maybe look to them for answers instead of the random internet celebrity that has zero experience in the matter.

[-] gusgalarnyk@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago

Could you engage with the content instead of being upset that a person is prolific? I personally have enjoyed everything I've read from this person. I'm not claiming they're an expert, I'm claiming I like their perspective even if I don't always agree with it. That's exactly the kind of material I want to see on Lemmy.

[+] ech@lemm.ee -8 points 1 day ago

The content is meaningless because he isn't qualified. Valuing enjoyment and entertainment over information from people actually well versed in the given field is exactly how you get what's happening in the US right now. It's an appeal to emotion rather than logic - ironically something I expect Cory would claim to be against.

[-] gusgalarnyk@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago

That's a bad argument and frankly a shit take. An artist doesn't have to be have a formal degree to make food art, a journalist doesn't have to have a formal degree to do good investigative work, and no one needs to go to culinary school to post a good recipe they made. Your argument doesn't make sense on face value in numerous situations.

Qualification is primary source material is valuable. I want to know the doctors who run clinical trials are qualified, registered, and in good standing. I want that data published from a reputable source but not necessarily a qualified one. And I want people who are good at explaining data, with a rational perspective, to explain that data in every medium they can. Distributing, digesting, repackaging, and resynthesizing facts do not require qualification and can still provide benefit.

Doubly so when conversing about a topic, writing philosophy, or debating a political stance. I don't need every 9-5 worker to be qualified in a subject matter when talking to them about it, I just need them to be rational. Starting that conversation and formulating opinions is what I enjoy about Cory's work. I do not need a PhD or a government official to do that. If someone has thoughts worth considering, if they communicate them in an agreeable manner, and if they do so in a public space correct for that conversation then they provide value regardless of their qualifications.

I think your deduction as to why we're in the shape we're in in the US is poorly formed. People didn't just wake up one day and decide to get their news from the clown network and then they voted in a clown. People who wanted more power and control deregulated industries, moved money out of communities, worsened public education, monopolized the media, monopolized industry, and stoked fear until people wanted any change and promise of safety regardless of who gave it.

I think what you're doing now, trying to silence positive educated voices on the Internet, enables those bad people to continue their evil work. Because it cost other people like myself time to respond to this bad opinion that could have done harm if supported by enough people. Gatekeepers and authority are not the deciders of what is valuable and what isn't.

[+] ech@lemm.ee -7 points 1 day ago

I think your deduction as to why we’re in the shape we’re in in the US is poorly formed. People didn’t just wake up one day and decide to get their news from the clown network and then they voted in a clown. People who wanted more power and control deregulated industries, moved money out of communities, worsened public education, monopolized the media, monopolized industry, and stoked fear until people wanted any change and promise of safety regardless of who gave it.

I figured I'd summarize to the more immediate issue instead of writing a treatise on the last 70 years of US society. Sorry, I guess?

As for the topic at hand, my point is that Cory isn't a "positive educated voice" in this matter. He's shoehorning his special interest that he's questionably qualified at into a topic that is entirely separate. And the only reason he has a platform is because he appeals to Internet denizens with his stoking of righteous anger at corporations. That's far from a good baseline to start with when the stakes are that much higher than a blog article.

Ultimately, my "bad opinion" that you think is so harmful is that people should listen to voices with experience on the matter. I gather from your reply that you have gripes with authority figures, but I promise you that letting pop figures dictate the discussion isn't going to solve anything.

[-] gusgalarnyk@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago

I'm saying you summarized incorrectly. I'm not accusing you of being too succinct, I'm accusing you of being wrong.

You refuse to argue the subject matter and rely on attacking the person. I'm not here to defend Cory, I don't know the person. I'm here to say your opinion is bad and I want other people to think about it because you clearly haven't. International copyright law is a tool nations use to make trade beneficial to both sides theoretically, yes? The US is in a trade war with its allies, which I'd like to point out is not supported by anyone qualified on the subject matter that I can find. So wouldn't it make sense for countries at war to reconsider all trade tools during a trade war? That seems like a pretty fuckin basic concept. Pretty related to the conversation wouldn't you say - copyright laws and trade wars?

Whether you or I agree or disagree with the approach, well that's interesting if a bit meaningless because I assume neither of us is an elected representative. But at least it's interesting. What would be a good tool for those under attack to use for the benefit of the most people? I'd like to know that. Maybe if I did I could advocate for it, or do more research and spread the knowledge, or generally better my own understanding of society.

Instead I'm arguing with you about whether or not a person should be allowed to have an opinion on a community built on peoples opinions. It's a stupid position to have when the content is value added. He has a platform because he writes and he writes enough that he's bound to get attention if his material is good enough and it happens to have been good enough multiple times. Idk why that makes you so upset. It feels small to try and pair down a person's success, however minor, to one single thing. Especially while ignoring their contributions. Again I repeat, you're a part of the problem instead of a part of the solution.

If you want more opinions posted from reputable sources fuckin post em. But you come off as condescending and wrong when you assume people aren't listening to voices "with experience" just because they engage with voices you disagree with. Most people are capable of taking in multiple sources and coming to the correct conclusion, including but not limited to weighing educated specialist opinions more than random blogger's opinions.

I love that you're seeing what you want to see here but I can promise you that I have no love for pop figures. That's again, a weird old person assumption. People should listen when experts talk. That doesn't mean they should ignore all other voices. Those things are not mutually exclusive.

[-] Disgruntled@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 day ago

First time on the Internet? Surely you don't think that all the people commenting online are experts in the topic being discussed. Whether he is an expert or not, just because you don't like him, you tell other people not to post his articles. Personally, the only thing I know about the guy is he coined the term "enshittification", which some people don't like, but he was right in his description of the term. Otherwise, we'd all be using Reddit still.

It's the Internet. People are going to do or say thing other people don't like. Don't take it personally.

[-] chuymatt@startrek.website 6 points 1 day ago

A blogger and…

Dude has had some fairly prophetic understandings of how thing are headed for years, so he does have some background on a potentially valid pov.

[-] ech@lemm.ee -5 points 1 day ago

Ah yes, he's the "Internet prophet". That gives him credibility.

[-] chuymatt@startrek.website 7 points 1 day ago

No, but it gives him a reason to be read and considered. Taking anyone’s ideas just because they said them is… problematic to say the least.

I am just trying to give you a bit more context than you seem willing to find, and, as everyone who has responded in this thread seems to note, you are writing responses that seem bizarrely … aggressive?

I mean, I’m not wed to the idea, nor am I to all the man’s writings, but you seem extremely set against him with no explanation.

[-] 9488fcea02a9@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 day ago

Dude has worked at the EFF for a long time and is a published author. How is he not qualified to speak on copyright and IP?

[-] EisFrei@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

Wasn't it just established that qualifications do not matter at all?

[-] ech@lemm.ee -4 points 1 day ago

Because that's what we should be accepting now? Really?

this post was submitted on 02 Feb 2025

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