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NBC CEO wants all out war on piracy

3 October 2007 19:58 by Andre "DVDBack23" Yoskowitz | 47 comments

According to NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker, copyright holders are "losing the battle" against piracy and that the battle will be completely lost unless governments and industries get proactive in fighting it.

The chief spoke out about the piracy issue at an anti-piracy summit hosted by the US Chamber of Commerce.

Zucker hopes intellectual property violations will take center stage and also hopes that Congress will create "dedicated IP enforcement departments and to offer federal grants for state and local governments to escalate their own policing efforts." Zucker also wants any and all advertisers and credit card companies to stop supporting web sites that are "overwhelmingly devoted" to making unauthorized content available such as Warez forums or torrent trackers.

To an even higher extreme, Zucker wants all ISPs, university networks, search engines and user-generated content sites to install filtering technology to would block all pirated content. Critics have argued an approach like that would be ineffective but Zucker doesn't seem to care.

"Technology has been and continues to be an incredibly powerful tool to combat theft, whether we are talking about hard goods or digital goods," Zucker said. He admits the tools will never be perfect "but committed development of technology has the potential to reduce dramatically the traffic in counterfeit and pirated products."

In an effort to show off the impact of piracy on the US economy, Zucker cited a recent study that found that the U.S. economy loses $58 billion and U.S. workers are deprived of nearly 375,000 jobs annually due to piracy. Of course, the study was released by the Institute for Policy Innovation which has a long history of hosting pro-Hollywood events and therefore cannot be taken at its word.

Source:
CNet

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duke8888 (Junior Member) 4 October 2007 11:43
Sony is the only company that continues to change copy protection on new dvd releases which fixes are found within hours, they place a copy protection music CD's which caused lots of problems to peoples pc's so it seems like Sony is the problem and not the cure. We beat Japan in WWII and now they have invaded our country making all of the money and the world and now they want more! [ + quote]
P51ride (Newbie) 4 October 2007 11:44
Zucker has rectal-cranial inversion syndrome. There are plenty of coders who record TV shows of all kinds to upload as torrents. Why can't he see that there is a possibility to bypass the middlemen and use the talents of the coders to create a private torrent site that would only charge 99 cents for a full episode of a TV show and other downloaders would rewarded with points for seeding. I believe that all of the networks could make a decent and reasonable profit in this endeavor. However all bets are off if they insist on DRM (Digital Ripoff Management). Use either Divx or Xvid as the codec so videos could be viewed on any platform. Just my .04 (Inflation) [ + quote]
spydah (Junior Member) 4 October 2007 12:40
I agree but it seems their goal is to take down all if not most of the torrent sites and replace them with crap sites that have controlled content. They would benefit royally if they would get off their asset and respond towards the new model of customer which are internet based people. To gear your business towards this or all facets of what the customers want and you square away all profits with out the dumb DRM/Write Protections and so forth. NBC needs to wake up and see all the failures of these other fools and stop being idiots they would see their isnt any gains in fighting a losing war. [ + quote]
D40 (Newbie) 4 October 2007 12:46
Zucker is a member of that group of elitists that make up the ruling class in the US. These are the same people who took control of the government by taking control of the money system through the Federal Reserve. They control ALL of the major media and use them as tools to brainwash the public and "teach" them what to think about everything. There is no limit to the greed and lust for money and power among these people. Mr. Zucker can go screw himself! http://www.freedomtofascism.com [ + quote]
DigiKaos (Newbie) 4 October 2007 14:32
They are not gonna get us.........Not gonna get us....Not gonna Gettt USSSSSSSS.......:D [ + quote]
ChiefBrdy (Junior Member) 4 October 2007 16:37
Hey Zucker, Your what, 41 yrs. old and already a multi-millionaire and head of one of the largest media companies in the world. Instead of exerting negative energy at here-today, gone-tomorrow summits to pound your chest and make threats. Maybe you should take a lesson from Bill and Melinda Gates. Feed a kid. Help out a school. Send a military company a box of iPods. You and those like you are despicable. [ + quote]
ChiefBrdy (Junior Member) 4 October 2007 16:55
*Originally posted by BludRayne:* The U.S. economy lost 0$. The 58 billion that wasn't spent on crappy music/movies was spent on other things. Total loss, 0. Agreed. People who would have NEVER bought it anyway must be at least 50%. 25% would have bought and returned because it's such crap. 25% went to dinner, bought a shirt or a zillion other things to feed the economy. I would also argue that piracy is a form of advertising for artists. How about a value of 15 billion for that one. See, because of piracy, the industry is up 15 billion dollars. Talk about a great business! [ + quote]
xhardc0re (Senior Member) 4 October 2007 17:39
*Originally posted by deadlove:* hahahaha.. zucker.. that rhymes with ******* true colours?? his name rhymes w/motherfucker. i have just been reminded to go pir8 the hell out of some crappy nbc shows. note to diatator ZUCKER produce something worth buying & STFU! [ + quote]
Mez (Senior Member) 5 October 2007 4:27
Well, everone knows the networks are run by the biggest @ss holes in the world! Now we get a nice quote from one. Too bad he doesn't live near me so I could leave him a token of my appreciation on his lawn! [ + quote] This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 5 October 2007 4:32
procode (Inactive) 5 October 2007 4:41
*Originally posted by windsong:* The corporations will not rest until everyone on the planet is monitored 24/7/365. You may well be correct my friend .. !! And if you are, all I can say is,"Thank goodness for leap years" .. ;) Procode .. [ + quote]
hughjars (Inactive) 5 October 2007 8:17
It's just more blinkered little 'King Canute' impressionists to dumb to realise they cannot control the net. [ + quote] This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 5 October 2007 8:18
emugamer (Member) 5 October 2007 8:17
*Originally posted by navi1199:* Hes gonna turn out like bush, a war on terror... I mean piracy the weapon of mass.. I mean p2p software will be purged!! and progress is being made! LOL....WMD = Weapons of Mass Distribution... [ + quote]
Lloyd7 (Newbie) 5 October 2007 9:40
They're $58 billion short cause some folks downloaded some songs that they probably would not have otherwise purchased? Here, I've got $8.47 in my bank account. Should I make it out to NBC or what? -Lloyd7 [ + quote]
johnny121 (Newbie) 5 October 2007 17:17
Wow! That's a lot of minimum-wage jobs lost. That's a lot of oil company profits never realized. It's absolutely tragic that money buys a customized version of "justice" in America. [ + quote]
Mez (Senior Member) 5 October 2007 19:39
You can pretty much do what ever you want if you have enough money. At least you can get away with murder. [ + quote]
P51ride (Newbie) 5 October 2007 19:41
In addition to my previous comment I recently discovered a good Australian series called McLeouds Daughters. I went to the website to see about episode downloads but since I live in the USA the paid downloads aren't available to me !!!!!!!! I agree with those who say that most of US television is crap. There are only a few shows like Jericho, and Friday Night Lights that are worth watching. CBS in its infinite stupidity cancelled Jericho and only brought it back as a mid season replacement in case one of its new shows craps the bed. 50 thousand pounds of peanuts sent to CBS also had something to do with its return. I can understand why CBS would cancel Jericho and keep that steaming cow chip called Two And A Half Men; !!!!RATINGS!!!!!. Hollywood insists on treating the US and the rest of the world like mushrooms; ie Feeding us BOVINE SCAFFOLOGY and keeping us all in the dark. Just my .04 (Inflation) [ + quote] This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 23 November 2007 4:42
Mez (Senior Member) 8 October 2007 3:30
P51ride, The networks are run by the biggest morons in the world! Their only skill is being able to convince the other morons in their business that they know what they are talking about. Because they are such arrogant morons they 'know' the public is more stupid than they are. Therefore, they want to air only mindless trash. Except for news, I don't watch more than an hour or two of network TV a week. [ + quote]
claggy (Newbie) 8 October 2007 9:44
all the clowns in charge have forgotten what its like to work for a living.in their multi-million coccoons tucked far away from the likes of you and me.Why dont we all refrain from buying anything film,video,music related for six months and then see if the plums take notice and stop whinging on about piracy.vote with your feet,or should that be your money. [ + quote]
Cfusion (Newbie) 8 October 2007 9:53
Anyone seen any new Jenna jameson movies? [ + quote]
P51ride (Newbie) 8 October 2007 14:50
I haven't purchased any movies or music in the last year. I did subscribe to BMG music service 13 years ago but dropped them completely by 2003. Their single CD prices were at $17.98 - 19.98 plus $ 3.00 shipping for each CD. Even at a discount when you ordered more than one from their flyer you still ended up paying around $ 12.99 to 15.99 per disc. It got to be too expensive so I dropped them. I still get invites to join again but I just feed them to the shredder. I probably spent around $ 3,000 or more when I was a member. My heaviest music purchase time was when TNN was the Nashville Network and my favorite shows were Club Dance and The Statler Brothers Show. Club Dance played the well known as well as some unknown artists. Some artists were Jason D. Williams, Twister Alley, Brian Austin, Kentucky Headhunters, Brother Phelps and many more. Club Dance ran from 1991 to May 5, 1999 (Over 1500 shows). Its ratings on TNN were very good but when Viacom bought TNN from the Gaylord family ,who as far as I know owns the Grand Ole Opry, they proceeded to kill off anything that led to the networks success. They brought in ECW wrestling which didn't belong there and the rest is history. If I was a gambling man I would bet $100,000 that the Gaylord family regretted ever selling TNN to basically CBS. As far as movies go I have gone to see two in the last 3 years. I purchased one new release last year. Other movies I have purchased are older releases like Run Silent, Run Deep with Clark Gable, Burt Lancaster and yes Don Rickles in a serious role. Other than that I don't spend money on movies or television shows unless I feel that they are worth it and most don't pass the smell test. Just my .04 ( Inflation) [ + quote]
borhan9 (AfterDawn Addict) 10 October 2007 21:38
Good luck to them however i thought the war had already started i guess they are just anouncing it :P [ + quote]
P51ride (Newbie) 10 October 2007 21:55
Do any of the posters like jazz and/or big band music ? If you want to put a thumb in the eye of the RIAA there is a website that has free MP3 tracks at lower quality and Higher quality (192 kbps and up) for a twenty dollar donation. This donation helps pay for bandwidth. The songs there can be given away and/or burned to CD. Right now there is at least 20 audio CD's worth at this site. The band is The Airmen Of Note (U.S.A.F. band) http://rewindplay.com/airemenofnote. Some of the music at the site are songs arranged by the late Glenn Miller. Just my $.04 (Inflation) [ + quote]
P51ride (Newbie) 13 October 2007 15:12
Here is another novel idea instead of pay per show download on P2P. How about paying $10.00 per month to your ISP for unlimited downloads of all television shows including those from other countries besides the U.S. This way the actors, producers, crew, writers, and directors get paid and the networks only have to collect the money. I for one would gladly pay that amount so the headhunters at MPAA and RIAA would leave us alone. Please let me know what your opinion is about this proposal. Just my $.04 (Inflation) [ + quote]
P51ride (Newbie) 13 October 2007 15:12
Double post deleted by user [ + quote] This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 23 November 2007 4:43
xhardc0re (Senior Member) 23 October 2007 12:31
*Originally posted by Cfusion:* Anyone seen any new Jenna jameson movies? no, actually. What, is NBC hiring her to save their destined to fail Friday night lineup? Speaking of Enn-Bee-See, i bought a few DVDs of Saturday Night Live from them in the past. I should box them up, address them to Mr. CEO c/o NBC, and send them back. In the box i will include a letter with the following: *Quote:* Dear Mr. Zucker. I recently saw a report that stated you wanted an "all out war on piracy". Let me tell you, Sir, that I have not downloaded nor purchased a commercial DVD in approx. 3 years. Seeing that the recording/movie industry continues to loose sales from lack of useful artistic content, I believe you will continue your war based on sales figures alone. So let me say, without apology, that I have seen only 3-4 movies in the past 3 years that I would purchase. One of those comes from Universal. Universal was of course bought by NBC in the near past. Due to your company's policy on attacking it's consumers, I will bypass purchase of that title and instead by the other 2-3 movies from your competitors. I will also never purchase, nor download, a product from your company in the future. Should I download, it would show your product is 'popular'. That would be a shame; I don't want to encourage anyone to think your company's products have any artistic merit nor use in general. Other than for cheap drink coasters. Thank you for encouraging my purchase of <insert other company's product here> and for letting me know who is the consumer's friend. Sincerely, 'my name' ---------- If about 10,000 people sent the same letter to NBC/Universal, I believe Zucker would be out of a job before too long. What say you? :) non-relevant extra info: I worked for General Electric, parent company of NBC/Universal several years ago. Seeing as how they treat their non-management employees like COMPLETE GARBAGE, I wonder why I ever bought those DVDs in the first place!! if you're a college student, do NOT settle with the RIAA http://tinyurl.com/37oz2z ~ SlimPS2 v15US, PSP v3.60FW, TaiyoYuden DVD-R, SwapMagic_v3.6 & BreakerPro 1.1 (No mod) Writer: HL-DT-ST DVD-RW GWA-4080N 0G03 SW: DVDDecryptr, lastest Nero Ultra 7 & Alcohol 120% ~ [ + quote] This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 23 October 2007 12:33*
Mez (Senior Member) 24 October 2007 15:46
borhan9, I don't think it has started! It may start this year. All the cry-babies are lining the politicians pockets. Wait and see... There will be new insane laws where the the US will crack down on piracy no matter how much it costs. The will not care how many billions it will cost to try to improve the bottom line of the 'artists' (read lawyers) a few million. That is why I say insane. It will not make business sense. But what does a politician care about expenses as long as his re-election fund is full. One thing is for sure the public will foot the cost. They are holding hearings as we speak. Some of the early poor artists can't afford health care. Of course that is because the rat-bastard lawyers paid them a flat 10 grand for the rights for a tune that they have made tens of millions on. Of course that is not enough. They would like to collect a dollar per person in the world per tune that they 'own'. Then they would cry fowl anyway. I think a congressman from Mo-town is leading the charge. I would keep an eye on what is going on. [ + quote]