Notifications of Appropriation have been ignored 100% of the time. (current as of: 2009.06.21)
Well there were some pleasant surprises, Star Wars in some of it's myriad forms got periodic mentions in some of the lectures, so when I could those individuals got copies. (let's hope they're fans...) Got a chance to give copies to persons who actually appeared in tBSWM. But I blew a chance to have the %20 moniker more widely known. There was a change in speakers because one of the lecturers was called in to do some news media about the post-election Iranian situation. So the conference set up Peter Sunde, one of the founders of the Pirate Bay, as the closing lecturer. The introduction to Mr. Sunde was done by Alan Toner creator of "Steal This Film" and he mentioned the Elite Torrent takedowns. (Unfortunately, how the US population didn't come to their support, as the citizenry of Europe has done in the Pirate Bay case) So during the Q&A, I submitted a question by post-it note, but I neglected to attribute the question to %20. Could have had the moniker on the big stage... phuck. ...and unfortunately the answer to the question "Have you talked to the Elite Torrent Mods who are about to get released from jail or getting off parole soon?", didn't amount to much.
As the reporter's questions spread, although not contacted directly, proactively %20 took the opportunity to answer the questions proposed. (%20 responses are in bold)
A second questionaire was distributed which had additional questions.
Few days later, round 3 questions.
top
What if 'Thee Backslacpkping With Media' became a textual piece?
As a continuation of this exploration experiment. What if 'Thee Backslacpkping With Media' became a textual piece. Here's an example of what Chapter 27 "Downloading/Pirating/Those Fans" could turn into, minus the fancy graphics.
'Thee Backslacpkping With Media' as a textual piece:
Chapter : 27
Title : Downloading/Pirating/Those Fans
Duration : 00:11:01:16
Clip Total : 096
Clip : 27.001
Duration : 00:11:11
Source Network : BBC
Source Program : Star Wars Episode III - London Premiere
Air Date : 2005.05.16
Speaker : Anthony Daniels
Quote : "The legend has grown beyond the movies. That you have people here dressed up as Jedi and so on. And that is going on all around the world, everywhere around the world there are Star Wars fans who take it for themselves."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : As a spokesman for the Star Wars franchise, Anthony Daniels has spoken worldwide on behalf of this industry. But he seems to miss the point that these fans who "take it for themselves" are also giving back when they dress up in public promoting their favorite cultural phenomenon.
Clip : 27.002
Duration : 00:13:16
Source Network : AMC
Source Program : Bleep! - Censoring Hollywood
Air Date : 2005.XX.XX
Speaker : Stephen Soderbergh
Quote : "If I want to sit at home and take the Star Wars Trilogy, and and do my own version and make it two hours long. And watch it in my living room... that... i'm allowed to do that."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Stephen has repeatedly used the fan editing of Star Wars as his litmus test of what people should and should not be able to do with movies. It would be nice if he expressed his ideas of what he would change. 60 Minutes did a follow up review of the movie piracy situation on 2009.11.01, in the blurb on the website, Steven says "on-line movie pirates should have their internet privileges suspended." There are people who feel that communications, like free speech, are an intrinsic right, so when an industry claims that the internet is a privilege, you might want to take note. Industries have the funds and time to lobby governments. A similarly logic'd statement was said by Mark Getty, chairman of Getty Images, he said "Intellectual Property is the oil of the 21st century." Some people feel that this is one of the first declarations of war on the current functioning of the internet, where freer communications is central to the democratic body.
'Thee Backslacpkping With Media' is attempting to continue to evolution of the understanding of ideas and culture. If it were to function logically, as much of media would be searchable and digestible like how taking a book out of the library functions today. As of today (2009.12.05) there are bits and pieces of a proposed new 'Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement' (ACTA) which could make the desired tBSWM video search system never to be given the possibility of being created. The United States government has not spoken on record about this agreement over 'national security' concerns. Some people consider the language of this agreement will have the ability to overturn one of the core understandings of the internet, which allows ISP not to be responsible for the infringement which happen on their networks. For instance, online video storage places, like youtube, dailymotion or vimeo can't be brought into court every time a copyright concern is addressed. A video/media search/cut-up/recompile system needs a database to with draw from. Libraries were never that much of a concern, yet everything can be found and borrowed from them. People still willingly purchase works even though the free alternative is there. I don't think this will change, the idea of Supporting Creatives is firmly intrenched in the logic of humans.
Clip : 27.003
Duration : 00:04:19
Source Network : G4
Source Program : Attack of the Show
Air Date : 2005.XX.XX
Speaker : Brendan Moran
Quote : Speaking of Mr. Lucas, he actually gives his blessing for the whole fan film thing."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Wellll, sorta. More on that later. And really who knows what George thinks, his company can always do something else.
Clip : 27.004
Duration : 00:10:29
Source Network : Fuji TV
Source Program : Mezamashi
Air Date : 2005.07.08
Speaker : George Lucas
Quote : "And I hope that the Star Wars saga continues to be an inspiration to the artists and dreamers ahhhhh among all of us.
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : That it has and continues to be. Hey this projects is attempting to continue several tenants of George's spoken word. Having heard repeatedly that George plans on returning to experimental films and never does, %20 decided to go this route which could be construed as an experimental film. Also the film technology of Industrial Lights and Magic which democratized filmmaking so that anyone could have the same tech as Hollywood, is what hopefully will be expanded into the video search/cut-up/recompile exploration of societies interaction with media.
Clip : 27.004
Duration : 00:09:04
Source Network : KUSI
Source Program : KUSI News
Air Date : 2005.XX.XX
Speaker : Patrick Kajirian
Quote : "Nowadays with digital technology, it's so easy to create something like this, even with your computer at home. Ah and and due to that it's opening up doors.
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : And here's someone else saying the same thing. Mr. Kajirian is commenting on how now the lightsaber effect and other special effects can be created at home, but the logic applies.
Clip : 27.005
Duration : 00:11:29
Source Network : codedsignal.com
Source Program : XXXX
Air Date : 2005.XX.XX
Speaker : Michael Rubin
Quote : "In the late 60s early 70s, it was a dream of people like George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola that... that kids that anybody could get a computer and could edit their own movie on it.
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : And here's the writer of the definitive history of the evolution of filmmaking computer science. "droidMAKER : George Lucas and the Digital Revolution" chronicles the evolution of digital filmmaking, from the soundDROID and editDROID systems to the creation of Pixar and the creation of computer generated graphics.
I think this is one of the clips which might have been recorded outside my original time frame parameters. But the content was too relevant to leave out.
Clip : 27.006
Duration : 00:08:17
Source Network : G4
Source Program : Attack of the Show
Air Date : 2005.XX.XX
Speaker : Brendan Moran
Quote : "There are 140 entries from all over the world. They have to be a kind of light hearted spoof on the whole Star Wars saga. Or else George Lucas will sue them."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Ok so we just heard someone say that it was a dream in the past of a certain idea. Well 30 years later and now look what's happened. The initial wave of internet Star Wars fan films received cease and desist orders. Then after a cooling off period, where fans halted the sales of their films, Lucasfilm decided to put on a showcase of this phenomenon. Except with a bunch of caveats, which has hampered this culture from reaching it's potential. But for those who successfully navigate the ins-n-outs, the rewards of working in the movie making system have been found. And it's not fair to say that George Lucas will sue them, it's Lucasfilm the business entity which goes around suing. The delegation of responsibility.
Clip : 27.007
Duration : 00:01:04
Source Network : G4
Source Program : Players
Air Date : 2005.05.05
Speaker : Mark Hamill
Quote : "The copyrights and all that."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Yeah.
Clip : 27.008
Duration : 00:05:10
Source Network : Lining Up TV
Source Program : Fans Gone Wild
Air Date : 2005.XX.XX
Speaker : none
Quote : "The following sequence has been removed, as demanded by someone ashamed of their fandom."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : So this is what it's like being 'Culture' and someone removes a work from your consciousness. I don't know what it was originally about, and there's no way of finding out in most cases. Things just disappear. Some see tragedy, some don't. This clip is from the a fan DVD of the folks who waited in line for RotS in Hollywood. To make the top 25 moments, the clips would probably have been wonderful to witness, but on this end, we just won't know.
Clip : 27.009
Duration : 00:11:10
Source Network : Discovery
Source Program : The Science of Star Wars "Space Cowboys"
Air Date : 2005.05.XX
Speaker : C-3Po (Anthony Daniels)
Quote : "In recent years the world of entertainment has experienced a most prolific advance in technology. beep squeal beep. Yes R2, I know you were a part of it. But it's rather rude to boast."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : As pointed out in droidMAKER it hasn't been just in recent years, the last century has been a continual development/evolution.
Clip : 27.010
Duration : 00:04:12
Source Network : Court TV "The Investigation Channel"
Source Program : Celebrity Justice CJCTV
Air Date : 2005.05.XX
Speaker :
Quote : "In the new Star Wars movie, it's the noble Jedi battling the evil Sith."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : This is the first of several reports which focused on the Star Wars piracy issue. They have been cross examined and you'll see them interplay over the remainder of this chapter. Comparison of similar ideas yet with varying terminology, verses different ideas compared.
Clip : 27.011
Duration : 00:06:13
Source Network : MSNBC
Source Program : at the Movies
Air Date : 2005.05.21
Speaker : Steve Sansweet (Head of Fan Relations)
Quote : "It's sorta gotten away from us because the fans have such ownership of Star Wars, but"
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Again here's the spokesman for Lucasfilm, claiming that Star Wars fans have over stepped their boundaries by embracing their favorite cultural item and attempting to make it a part of their lives.
Clip : 27.012
Duration : 00:01:29
Source Network : Lando Dr. Pepper Interview
Source Program : One Man Star Wars' Charles Ross
Air Date : 2005.XX.XX
Speaker : Charles Ross
Quote : "This is my own one man version of it."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : And here's an example of one fans attempt to continue the evolution of the ideas of Star Wars into a new form. Charles Ross tours the world doing a one man'd interpretation of the concepts and moments of the Star Wars movies. And this is the weird side of being a fan of the culture but not understanding why certain fan activities are allowed to survive and other are shut down. And the more stories you hear the more confusing it appears, or maybe that's just me.
Clip : 27.013
Duration : 00:08:01
Source Network : BBC3
Source Program : Generation Jedi
Air Date : 2005.XX.XX
Speaker : Dermot O'Leary
Quote : "No where was this sense of community seen more then on the early internet. Which Star Wars fans used to created and distribute their own versions of the saga."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Since the early days of the internet, the culture has expanded into the idea of Fan Edits. Where an individual deliberately modifies a movie to fit a certain idea they might have. A subculture has grown around this idea. The Fan Edit came into being after Mike J. Nichols, modified Star Wars Episode I - The Phantom Menace, to coincide with previously held notions of George Lucas's editing philosophies to create what was described as 'a successful exercise of professional and artistic narrative film editing.'
Clip : 27.014
Duration : 00:03:20
Source Network : AMC
Source Program : Bleep! - Censoring Hollywood
Air Date : 2005.XX.XX
Speaker : Stephen Soderbergh
Quote : "What i'm not allowed to do is sell it, or rent it."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Here's Soderbergh raining disapproval on the folk aesthetic again. These clips came from a discussion of a company who edits out material they don't like from movies under the guise of protecting children from imagery and language not suitable to their interpretation of their religion. The company was called Clean Flicks and they had developed a special computer program or DVD player which would follow a series of commands which would edit out material the company felt unredeemable.
Clip : 27.015
Duration : 00:04:03
Source Network : MSNBC
Source Program : at the Movies (Star Wars Episode III : Revenge of the Sith)
Air Date : 2005.0521
Speaker : Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen)
Quote : "I want more, and I know I shouldn't."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : So here's a quote directly from the Star Wars film in question, which was part of the trailer and shown quite frequently. Could these words have been a result of the growing pressure of piracy on the mind of George Lucas to insert a message into the films? Or could this be a questioning of consumer culture's constant requirement of 'new New NEW' by someone who grew up during the 60s cultural movements. It will be interesting to see how this self rationalizing quote plays into the evolution of the generation which who's early development fell into the time period of this movies release.
Clip : 27.016
Duration : 00:00:02
Source Network : Aegis Films
Source Program : A Great Disturbance
Air Date : 2005.XX.XX
Speaker : none
Quote : "The characters and events in this photoplay are fictitious. Any similarity to actual events and persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental."
As stated on all badges, all attendees of Celebration III and Gen Con Indy, consented to being recorded (by audio, visual, and/or other means) for exhibition and exploitation by any means in all media.
This motion picture is protected under the laws of the United States of America and other countries. Unauthorized duplication, distribution, or exhibition may result in civil and criminal persecution."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : This is one of the several blip-verts dropped into this presentation. This one %20 finds confusing, on one hand the author is establishing their ownership of the material in the final statement. But then shortly before they quote a phrase by another organization which permits the recorded of anything in that certain time and place. I dislike statements like the final one, they completely neglect one of the tenants of the Fair Use doctrine of the United States, which was the locale of the film in question. Why does everyone feel the need to place this restrictive banner over their works, instead of pointing out to everyone the real legal system our country applies to. Which is malleable, over the course of a century the US system has repeatedly expanded the clamp down on culture so that the removal of the Public Domain is seen by many as the current standing of things, cuss really who's going to live to see the age of 150 years old.
Clip : 27.017
Duration : 00:05:02
Source Network : NBC
Source Program : The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Air Date : 2005.05.19
Speaker : Jay Leno
Quote : "Now there must be a great temptation to swipe stuff. Your there, your doing Star Wars."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : So this is a phun transition, you've got the main character transitioning into the actor. It's interesting that even at the top of the SW food chain, there were questions of stealing.
Clip : 27.018
Duration : 00:05:18
Source Network : Court TV "The Investigation Channel"
Source Program : Celebrity Justice CJCTV
Air Date : 2005.05.XX
Speaker :
Quote : "It had the biggest box office opening ever. Star Wars Episode 3 Revenge of the Sith."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Listen to the audio commentary for more of the facts behind this statement. Most of them were pulled from the Internet Movie Database.
Clip : 27.019
Duration : 00:04:09
Source Network : CNN
Source Program : Sunday Night
Air Date : 2005.05.22
Speaker : Carol Lin
Quote : "Some people have found a way to see the movie without even buying a ticket."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : The segment title of 'Space Invaders' has got to have grabbed the attention of many 30 somethings who grew up with the arcade game. It's impossible to figure out the stat, but how many anythings are viewed without the 'proper' authorization. For instance, no sales take place when going to the library and borrowing a DVD or borrowing one from a friend, those are examples of seeing with buying a ticket, but they'll never make the news. Ok maybe the Onion has done this story.
Clip : 27.020
Duration : 00:09:20
Source Network : USA
Source Program : AFI Tribute of George Lucas
Air Date : 2005.XX.XX
Speaker : Tom Hanks
Quote : "But as far as actually paying money, and seeing the movie at a local Cleveland cinema. Didn't happen."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Again here's another example of the media talking about not paying, yet viewing the entertainment in question. And everyone is laughing! And it's Academy Award Winner Tom Hanks! So on one channel, the news is making everyone aware of this major threat of film piracy, and on another channel, the film makers themselves are laughing about the same topic. Even the creator of the film in question, is laughing about the piracy, yet in a short period of time, George Lucas's decision to give authority to prosecute copyright infringement of his companies works to the MPAA who would in turn convince the United States government to prosecute several individuals for leaking and distributing the movie online and these individuals would enter the penal system for a few years, then several more of house arrest and more under governmental supervision. Now yes Tom Hanks was talking about his experiences with the original Star Wars movie, but the topic remains the same and at this critical time point and well everyone's laughing.
Clip : 27.021
Duration : 00:02:25
Source Network : CNN
Source Program : Sunday Night
Air Date : 2005.05.22
Speaker : Carol Lin
Quote : "The movie made an illegal debut on the internet."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Tagline : "'Star Wars III' Found Illegally on Internet" from one website and the movie title changed to a variable, this subject could be revisited everyday. Also in the crawl text at the bottom is "estimated $158.5 million since its thursday opening, shattering office records'. If the clamp down or division of the internet happens it'll be because of the fear mongering of the notion of piracy. I guess the news media was doing everyone a fair and balanced discussion by posting these two view points.
Clip : 27.022
Duration : 00:03:25
Source Network : MSNBC
Source Program : Countdown
Air Date : 2005.05.20
Speaker : Keith Oberman
Quote : "But who took a copy of it and uploaded it onto the web."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Tagline : "Star Wars - Big Bucks, Big Scandal" is the tagline for this segment. On the web, the names of these individuals is posted in several hundred places.
Clip : 27.023
Duration : 00:03:00
Source Network : CNN
Source Program : Sunday Night
Air Date : 2005.05.22
Speaker : Carol Lin
Quote : "The downloading of Star Wars is gaining a lot of attention."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information :
Clip : 27.024
Duration : 00:05:20
Source Network : CNN
Source Program : Headline Prime - Showbiz Tonight
Air Date : 2005.05.20
Speaker :
Quote : "The movie has already been pirated. Showing up on the internet, and on the streets of New York City."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : '$tar War$' Hot Headline.
Clip : 27.025.01
Duration : 00:05:12
Source Network : Court TV "The Investigation Channel"
Source Program : Celebrity Justice CJCTV
Air Date : 2005.05.XX
Speaker :
Quote : "On the streets and in the shops of New York City."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information :
Clip : 27.025.02
Duration : 00:05:12
Source Network : Court TV "The Investigation Channel"
Source Program : Celebrity Justice CJCTV
Air Date : 2005.05.XX
Speaker :
Quote : "Yo turn that -bleep- camera off, or all break that -beep-"
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Here's an example of the problems with the subjectivity of a piece like this. The lack of context. The clips shown in the original piece of the guy going after the camera man, there's no reference that that was connected to the Star Wars bootleg. Sure maybe in the original recording the two segments (video on ground and guy yelling) are in one continuous shot, but right now video material especially working footage is kept behind locked doors. So if you wanted to verify the claims of that clip, it would take some doing. But with the online repositories of media, everyone would be able to do the fact checking from the original clips. So instead of taking my word that these edited clips are relevant to each other, anyone could be able to corroborate. But to do that everyone's going to have to realize the benefits of a system like that, supporting the idea of Supporting Creatives over the fear mongering of the piracy debate might be a good idea.
Clip : 27.026
Duration : 00:04:07
Source Network : Court TV "The Investigation Channel"
Source Program : Celebrity Justice CJCTV
Air Date : 2005.05.XX
Speaker :
Quote : "In 1999, it was easy to find illegal copies of Star Wars Episode 1."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Oddly one of the Phantom Menace VHS bootleg found on the streets of NYC can be traced back to an internet post. And in the preservation community, these bootlegs remain to this day the only true way to see the original Star Wars films. With all the minor changes and special editions, the original movies have been neglected and in the mass consciousness forgotten. Supplanted with the preferred version of the original creator, which under the laws of copyright is the 'right' thing to do. But once they expire, hopefully the originals can reappear, since it was in that form that they sparked the cultures imagination and attention.
Clip : 27.028
Duration : 00:04:07
Source Network : FoxNews
Source Program : Fox 5 News - NYC
Air Date : 2005.05.20
Speaker : Rosanna Scotto
Quote : "And your about to see one of the pirated DVDs that was pulled off the streets."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Tagline : "The Fake Be With You"
Clip : 27.029.01
Duration : 00:19:03
Source Network : FoxNews
Source Program : Local PM - NYC
Air Date : 2005.05.20
Speaker : Obi-wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor)
Quote : "They over shot us."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information :
Clip : 27.029.02
Duration : 00:19:03
Source Network : FoxNews
Source Program : Local PM - NYC
Air Date : 2005.05.20
Speaker : Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen)
Quote : "They're coming around."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information :
Clip : 27.029.03
Duration : 00:19:03
Source Network : FoxNews
Source Program : Fox 5 News - NYC
Air Date : 2005.05.20
Speaker : Andrea Day
Quote : "But before you shell out 10 bucks to a street vendor for a copy of any movie. Take a look at this one, police confiscated today. Those annoying numbers at the top of the screen are there through out the whole movie. And the picture is distorted."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Ok so in their article on piracy, they show off the 'fake' to everyone watching and then mention what they view as problems. Distortion, which is the same as all the sqooshed movies which have been modified to fit broadcast television standards since the dawn of theatrical movies on television. Guess what it doesn't bother most people if the aspect ratio is bad. And the idea that there's some text on the screen at all times, how in their right minds could they perceive this as a distraction when their phucking logos are on every damn channel. ONLY during commercials do the logos disappear. Again no normal casual television watcher is going to see this as a problem. In other media discussions of piracy they talk about the pirated movies where you can see chairs or hear someone snoring. Again how is this a problem, when you get this same experience when you go see the movie in theaters. People are used to distractions when seeing movies or television. There's some mystic of the perfect movie or television presentation, and people are trying to perfect it and bring it home with large screen HD televisions and surround systems. A selection of media content creators are attempting to promote this as the only way you should view their presentation, but it just seems impractical. It's odd but the Fan Edit community are also proponents of the 'perfect best quality presentation' maybe this will be the quality which helps form a bond between the original creators and the expanders of culture. Sure quality is fine, but choosing between not seeing and seeing, and quality is no longer a problem.
Clip : 27.032.01
Duration : 00:04:27
Source Network : NBC
Source Program : The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Air Date : 2005.05.19
Speaker : Jay Leno
Quote : "That's cool."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Transitions like this where you have an annoying statement, which is then claimed as 'cool' by a doofus is an added perk of editing material.
Clip : 27.032.02
Duration : 00:04:27
Source Network : NBC
Source Program : The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Air Date : 2005.05.19
Speaker : Hayden Christensen
Quote : "Yeah so I took one of those and that's back home now too."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : And this statement is another added perk of editing, here because of the edit, we've implied that the main star of the final Star Wars movies has a copy of the bootleg in his home.
Clip : 27.032.03
Duration : 00:04:27
Source Network : NBC
Source Program : The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Air Date : 2005.05.19
Speaker : Jay Leno
Quote : "Do you think it's cool that like."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information :
Clip : 27.033
Duration : 00:06:13
Source Network : FoxNews
Source Program : Fox 5 News - NYC
Air Date : 2005.05.20
Speaker : NYC Police Commander
Quote : "This is Star Wars, one we just recently grabbed this morning. There are about a thousand of um inside there."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Could you find a better looking police officer chief type character? And this is what everyone wants, the successful crack down on the illegal selling of copyright works. Now we move onto:
Clip : 27.034
Duration : 00:07:12
Source Network : CNN
Source Program : CNN Headline News
Air Date : 2005.05.21
Speaker :
Quote : "In addition to the street copies, bootleg copies of Revenge of the Sith are also available on the internet."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Here's an example of how the media conglomerates expand an issue to suit a goal of theirs. Controlling their media is their overall objective. Why allow individuals or organizations who are not the creators or owners the ability to comment when you don't have to. So here they move the physical copy monetary exchange and transfer the copy copy to the internet copy. The computer's communication main objection is to transfer information through copying. So it's an easy step to compare physical copying to computer copying on the internet.
Clip : 27.035
Duration : 00:04:02
Source Network : none
Source Program : mm3
Air Date : 2005.05.XX
Speaker :
Quote : "My only problem with this is that the internet has given me too many spoilers."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Here's one of those moments which this pieces larger objective allows, the comparison of corporate media and individuals media creations. And the comparison of the internet from the corporations perception and this individuals seem to be quite different.
Clip : 27.036
Duration : 00:04:22
Source Network : BBC3
Source Program : Generation Jedi
Air Date : 2005.05.XX
Speaker :
Quote : "To various movie web sites, you get phrases like 'George Lucas raped my childhood.'"
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : One of the other main aspects of the internet is teh noobie h4tr3d ti!t. And the phrase 'George Lucas raped my childhood' is a classic. The origin of the phrase internet scholars have tracked back to an article by Mark Altman who was criticizing the Special Editions. The article states: "The CGI digital enhancements "destroy the magic of the original," declares Mark Altman, a diehard Star Wars fan and editor-in-chief of the monthly cult mag Sci-Fi Universe. "For those who grew up on Star Wars - a really seminal film for a lot of us - it's kind of a shock to see it butchered. It's like watching your childhood being raped." Just learned this but the term snowclone applies to variations of the 'x' raped my childhood theme. The phrase might have originated from a news article posted in 1996.05.17, which is around the time of the Star Wars anniversary, the article was about a real case, and the article has the abused stating this to be snowcloned phrase.
Clip : 27.037
Duration : 00:28:28
Source Network : none
Source Program : GLRapedOurChildhood
Air Date : 2005.05.XX
Speaker : Hot Waffles
Quote : "And I just wanted to die, when I saw Greedo shoot first. That's why we say. George Lucas raped our childhood, George Lucas raped our childhoooood. But there was more to the story."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Hot Waffles performed their song built on this phrase at the Star Wars Revenge of the Sith Hollywood line.
Clip : 27.038
Duration : 00:05:29
Source Network : CBS
Source Program : The Late Show with Craig Furgueson
Air Date : 2005.05.16
Speaker : Craig Furgueson
Quote : "Digital technology. Was invented by anti-social nerds. Who don't leave the house."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : An on the humor front, nothing like cliche's to appeal to the masses.
Clip : 27.039
Duration : 00:05:29
Source Network : NBC
Source Program : The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Air Date : 2005.05.20
Speaker : Jay Leno
Quote : "Did you know bootleg versions of Star Wars are already available online."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Yes.
Clip : 27.040
Duration : 00:11:03
Source Network : ABC
Source Program : Jimmy Kimmel Live
Air Date : 2005.05.28
Speaker : Jimmy Kimmel
Quote : "You know as soon as the movie came out, it was up on a website available for uh download. Illegal downloading. But the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security put a stop to it. They busted downloaders intensities."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Busting Downloader IntensitiesÉ hehehehe That was the goal of companies like Overpeer, but they expired a few years prior. Would be interesting to find out that our government was poisoning p2p waters but it's doubtful. But why spend resources there when you can use evidence provided by another organization and use that to then carry out your job and prosecute your citizens.
Clip : 27.041
Duration : 00:07:12
Source Network : CBS
Source Program : The Late Show with Craig Furgueson
Air Date : 2005.05.16
Speaker : Craig Furgueson
Quote : "They steal music and movies on their computers. See I like the old days, when thieves had to leave the house."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : I don't remember hearing stories from the old day of people leaving the house to steal music and movies. Music was sung and people resang it with out any complaints.
Clip : 27.042
Duration : 00:04:09
Source Network : Animal Planet
Source Program : Animal Icon's "Star Wars Creatures"
Air Date : 2005.05.00
Speaker : Rick McCallum
Quote : "Most of the villains are really technological. There not, you know, real."
Explanation : It's odd that a spokesman for an organization at the forefront of technology, could use this kind of spooking language.
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Again he's a spokesman for a company which is known for creating technology. And he's saying that technology is a not real villain.
Clip : 27.043
Duration : 00:06:03
Source Network : CNN
Source Program : American Morning
Air Date : 2005.05.26
Speaker :
Quote : "US Immigration and Customs officials are cracking down on a website called Bit Torrent."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Please a little research here, yes Bit Torrent the company has a website, but Bit Torrent is a protocol. Guess this was the first time this fool or maybe it was CNN itself was hearing about this computer technology. According to the press release by the FBI's Cyber Division and ICE this was the "first criminal enforcement action targeting individuals committing copyright infringement on peer-to-peer (P@P) networks". Also even though Elite Torrents had 133,000 members, Operation D-Elite only targeted administrators and 'first providers'.
Clip : 27.044
Duration : 00:29:20
Source Network : U.S. Government - Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Source Program : Elite Torrents
Air Date : 2005.05.19
Speaker : none
Quote : "FBI Footage"
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : So here's the video provided by the FBI and ICE of how they found out about and identified the Revenge of the Sith leak. Now they probably didn't find it themselves, they were lead to this site by the MPAA, but as well see somethings got lost in translation. It's sorta pertinent that they would use a search engine to find a website they already know the address for. Many individuals have made the conclusion that search engines are just as responsible for the finding of copyrighted materials as p2p application or Bit Torrent search engines. But even though this media file was made available to every news organization to show their side of the investigation, the search engine connection (explicitly Google) was not focused upon in the coverage. Failed attempt to link search engines into the piracy chain, good try. As you'll read later, other search engines have fallen to the MPAA's desires. Anyway continuing, ICE use google to search for the term "elitetorrents.org" which is the name of the website. They then show how from the EliteTorrents.org website they can search to find the "star wars sith" movie. Even though the 8th link down on the front page is a file called "Star.Wars.Episode.III.Revenge.of.the.Sith.TC.SVCD-TUN(nuked)". This TUN release though has a cyrillic crawl and is most likely from Russia. First link after the search is "Star.Wars.Revenge.of.the.Sith.Episode.3-DVDR" and according to the stats at the time of this video, 1290 people were actively seeding, but the torrent file had been downloaded 5,737 times. The 1.43 gb size makes it a viewable presentation but not a quality DVD output. Over 600 comments is just incredible for talk back on a torrent file. Especially for one that's only a day old. Now 48,097 check out the torrent info page, 26,015 downloaded the torrent file, and at this point 5,737 had downloaded the sith.ISO file. The ICE team highlight the upload date, 2005-05-18 19:45:08. Then they pop up a new program window running the media player VLC. Except the file being played is called 'star.wars.episode.3.trailer.ws.pdtv.ac3.xvid-fqm.avi', how that's not the same file as being targeted as the Sith leak. Plus the video shows the file length to be 0:02:59 about more then 2 hours short of the actual movie length. But you've got to give them props, even though there's no audio, they've used the clip from the discussion between Anakin and Chancellor Palpatine where Palps is saying 'The Dark Side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural. Is it possible to learn this power. Not from a Jedi." But of course this is also the opening of the Trailer so maybe no contemplation was given for the choice of clips the ICE people used. They then close the trailer and up pops the FBI/ICE takedown wallpaper. And that's the extents of 'ICE_EliteTorrents_May2005.avi' interesting that it was posted to archive.org a free repository for media. But errorly the Segment description says that 'Scene 3) ELITETORRENTS.ORG site is launched, and video of pirated Star Wars movie begins playing." That is complete erroneous. Also to add weight to the google piracy chain idea, Segment description says "Scene 1) Web browser shows Google homepage. Scene 2) Mouse cursor points to Google search box, and elite torrents is entered." That is not what what written into the search field.
Clip : 27.045.01
Duration : 00:05:04
Source Network : Court TV "The Investigation Channel"
Source Program : Celebrity Justice CJCTV
Air Date : 2005.05.XX
Speaker :
Quote : "The Empire hijacked... online."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : 'The Empire' in this case an allusion to Lucasfilm was used by many programs when discussing this issue.
Clip : 27.045.02
Duration : 00:05:04
Source Network : Court TV "The Investigation Channel"
Source Program : Celebrity Justice CJCTV
Air Date : 2005.05.XX
Speaker : C-3P0 (Anthony Daniels)
Quote : "I feel so helpless"
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : A phun reuse of the RotS trailer material. Although it's the Empire referred to in the previous clips, and 3Po falls into the Rebel camp, but the text is what it's about not the full thought out conjecture.
Clip : 27.045.03
Duration : 00:05:04
Source Network : Court TV "The Investigation Channel"
Source Program : Celebrity Justice CJCTV
Air Date : 2005.05.XX
Speaker :
Quote : "Internet Pirates"
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : According to a 2005 Michael J. Garcia, Homeland Security assistant secretary for immigration and customs enforcement, quote "Internet pirates cost U.S. industry hundreds of billions of dollards in lost revenue every year from the illegal sale of copyrighted goods and new online file-sharing technologies make their job even easier." With this in mind then why were only a handful of people targeted?
Clip : 27.046
Duration : 00:03:18
Source Network : CBS
Source Program : The Late Show with Craig Furgueson
Air Date : 2005.05.16
Speaker : Craig Furgueson
Quote : "They give themselves such glamorous names, they're Internet Pirates."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information :
Clip : 27.047
Duration : 00:02:15
Source Network : Court TV "The Investigation Channel"
Source Program : Celebrity Justice CJCTV
Air Date : 2005.05.XX
Speaker :
Quote : "Commandeer Episode 3, on the web."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information :
Clip : 27.048
Duration : 00:02:27
Source Network : MSNBC
Source Program : Right Now
Air Date : 2005.05.21
Speaker :
Quote : "People are going to find a way to bootleg almost any movie.
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Tagline "The Empire vs. The Pirates" In a Salon.com article they define "The First Law of Piracy" as the most popular albums, movies and TV shows shared, are done so as a sign of success. and he goes on to state that the Third Law: "This isn't about right or wrong, legality or illegality. It just is."
Clip : 27.049.01
Duration : 00:08:25
Source Network : NBC
Source Program : The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Air Date : 2005.05.20
Speaker : Hayden Christensen
Quote : "Ah yeah, I nicked a few things."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Again here's Jay Leno focusing on what was taken from the set instead of the movie itself. It's as if there was some weird cabal where when talking about Star Wars you had to mention some sort of unauthorized ownership transversal.
Clip : 27.049.02
Duration : 00:08:25
Source Network : NBC
Source Program : The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Air Date : 2005.05.20
Speaker : Jay Leno
Quote : "Nick. See nicking sounds better then just stealing."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : And here's more terminology play, sharing/pirating/nicking/stealing/borrowing/sampling.
Clip : 27.049.03
Duration : 00:08:25
Source Network : NBC
Source Program : The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Air Date : 2005.05.20
Speaker : Hayden Christensen
Quote : "Doesn't it."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information :
Clip : 27.049.04
Duration : 00:08:25
Source Network : NBC
Source Program : The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Air Date : 2005.05.20
Speaker : Jay Leno
Quote : "You're not a thief."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Ahhh.
Clip : 27.049.05
Duration : 00:08:25
Source Network : NBC
Source Program : The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Air Date : 2005.05.20
Speaker : Hayden Christensen
Quote : "It's a little less harmless."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information :
Clip : 27.050
Duration : 00:04:26
Source Network :
Source Program : Movie Delivery
Air Date : 2005.07.15
Speaker :
Quote : "Woah like pirates."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information :
Clip : 27.051
Duration : 00:06:01
Source Network : Court TV "The Investigation Channel"
Source Program : Celebrity Justice CJCTV
Air Date : 2005.05.XX
Speaker :
Quote : "In real life, evil comes in the form of internet pirates that are trying to illegally distribute the film, on the web."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information :
Clip : 27.052
Duration : 00:07:03
Source Network : CBS
Source Program : The Late Show with Craig Furgueson
Air Date : 2005.05.16
Speaker : Craig Furgueson
Quote : "Arrrrr Arrrrr Garrrr, That's what I be talking 'bout. That's right, I'm an internet pirate. I'm just downloading."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information :
Clip : 27.053
Duration : 00:04:28
Source Network : CNN
Source Program : Sunday Night
Air Date : 2005.05.22
Speaker : "John" Movie Downloader
Quote : "I click one button, it's done with in an hour and a half, DVD quality."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : First off, if anyone knows please inform "'John' Movie Downloader" that %20 would like to interview him. Thanks in advance. This individual gave the perfect quote to the media types attempting to portray the easy of online copyright infringement to protect their cache of intellectual property media empire. But as shown by the FBI/ICE video, this couldn't be farther from the truth. Plus it also doesn't get into the installation of the software and other business. So let's roll that FBI/ICE video again, with an added bonus.
Clip : 27.054
Duration : 00:33:17
Source Network : U.S. Government - Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Source Program : Elite Torrents
Air Date : 2005.05.19
Speaker : none
Quote : "FBI Footage"
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : This run through of the footage leaves in the FBI/ICE takedown splash page which was installed on the Elitetorrents.org webpage after they were transferred domain ownership. The revised webpage also contained the character combination, "RTJKJAS". People have found this 'word' on other websites taken down by the FBI/ICE.
Clip : 27.055
Duration : 00:04:09
Source Network : Court TV "The Investigation Channel"
Source Program : Celebrity Justice CJCTV
Air Date : 2005.05.XX
Speaker :
Quote : "We're told this new technology is beyond anything scene before."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Love phrases like this, when you can't take the time to verify some information, just use the idea that so-and-so said something, but make sure it's a large point to scare your audience into submission. Heck this same technique was used above. Having a media library archive online for everyone to sift through, will promote research into topics by anyone. Instead of falling into the trap of fear of new technologies, especially one like Bit Torrent which will be used by the industry to get out their content, cheaply and efficiently.
Clip : 27.056
Duration : 00:17:26
Source Network : none
Source Program : C3_02
Air Date : 2005.05.XX
Speaker : none
Quote : "George Lucas! no camcorders allowed this is mpeg from my still"
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Again here's a segment from a random individual which provides a great sense of clarity on the prior issue of new technology. All over governments are clamping down on picture taking of buildings (to fight terrorism), corporations are saying you can't film on their property (it's our intellectual property), but does that stop this guy, who's camera (traditionally thought of as a still image capturing device) can now act as a video camera. It's been almost 5 years now and now everyone's phones can do what he's done. Content industries problem is not just the individuals, but it's the creators of new tech.
Clip : 27.057
Duration : 00:07:05
Source Network : Court TV "The Investigation Channel"
Source Program : Celebrity Justice CJCTV
Air Date : 2005.05.XX
Speaker :
Quote : "And a week before Episode 2 Attack of the Clones opened in 2002. Bootlegged Cloned copies hit the world wide web."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Showing a trend, CJCTV did some research into the past Star Wars bootlegs. It makes perfect sense that the new Star Wars movies were at the cusp of technological advancements. And in this time frame, developments in the distribution of massive amounts of information was the significant advancement. Star Wars fans grew up learning about the advancements made by Industrial Lights and Magic. A portion of fandom is involved into the digital communications revolution. All three of the Prequel Trilogy Star Wars movies were found online shortly after theatrical release.
Clip : 27.058
Duration : 00:06:09
Source Network : Court TV "The Investigation Channel"
Source Program : Celebrity Justice CJCTV
Air Date : 2005.05.XX
Speaker : John Malcolm
Quote : "Six hours before it was released in the theaters, and within 24 hours it had been downloaded over ten thousand times."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : This was one of the positive developments in the bootlegging of Star Wars movies from the viewpoint of the MPAA. Both "The Phantom Menace" and "Attack of the Clones" were found online earlier then "Revenge of the Sith". I'd like to find out when RotS actually originally left the facility where the time code print was lifted. The time coded file moved between many people's hands so it could have been a week or two before the upload to Elite Torrents.
Clip : 27.059
Duration : 00:04:15
Source Network : CNN
Source Program : Sunday Night
Air Date : 2005.05.XX
Speaker : Dean Garfield
Quote : "Last time we checked there were tens of thousands of people who had downloaded it."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : This number has some validity, based off of the FBI/ICE video. This was proof that a system could provide the content people wanted in a reasonable manner to at least these individuals. I guess the MPAA/Industry wants the wait time to be zilch, so that's why it's taken so long for them to implement their own online video distribution system.
Clip : 27.060
Duration : 00:06:13
Source Network : CNN
Source Program : American Morning
Air Date : 2005.05.26
Speaker :
Quote : "Where ah ten thousand people have stolen Revenge of the Sith the six Star War film. and"
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Taglin "Minding Your Business - The Feds Strike Back" Interesting that the two prior individuals, one a representative of the MPAA and the other a co-worker, they use the term download, yet this fellow goes with stolen.
Clip : 27.061
Duration : 00:05:01
Source Network : Court TV "The Investigation Channel"
Source Program : Celebrity Justice CJCTV
Air Date : 2005.05.XX
Speaker :
Quote : "But some fans didn't pay to see it. They copied it illegally."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Well the internet is rarely free, there's some paying to get online.
Clip : 27.062
Duration : 00:10:16
Source Network : CNN
Source Program : Anderson Cooper 360
Air Date : 2005.05.19
Speaker : Anderson Cooper
Quote : "Even before it's release. Copies of the latest Star Wars flick have appeared on file sharing networks, that cause such congestion, that downloads we're taking more then 40 hours even over high speed connections."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Tagline "Star Wars Downloads"
Clip : 27.063
Duration : 00:08:07
Source Network : NBC
Source Program : The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Air Date : 2005.05.20
Speaker : Jay Leno
Quote : "And i'm guilty of this. Well I tried to download it off the internet today, but somethings wrong with my computer. I wound up with a video of Darth Vader having sex with Paris Hilton."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : The adultification of Star Wars has been a slow moving idea. Maybe because George was raising kids as the trilogy developed, or because the kid market is the easiest to tap into economically, but attempts by fan culture to put an adult spin or contribute adult thoughts to the franchise have been meet with a hard head. The internet is full of adult spins on the franchise, it will be interesting to see which ones develop into functioning products or even just literature which is allowed to percolate in it's own procreative juices.
Clip : 27.064
Duration : 00:08:08
Source Network : CNN
Source Program : Sunday Night
Air Date : 2005.05.22
Speaker : Clive Thompson (Wired Magazine)
Quote : "And the geeks are the ones using the technology. So it's viewed as a test case, of exactly exposed is Hollywood to online downloading."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Tagline "Space Invaders - 'Star Wars III' Found Illegally on Internet".
Clip : 27.065.01
Duration : 00:09:18
Source Network : NBC
Source Program : The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Air Date : 2005.05.20
Speaker : Hayden Christensen
Quote : "You can get 50 thousand dollars on E-Bay for it."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : More suggestive editing.
Clip : 27.065.02
Duration : 00:09:18
Source Network : NBC
Source Program : The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Air Date : 2005.05.20
Speaker : Jay Leno
Quote : "Really."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information :
Clip : 27.065.03
Duration : 00:09:18
Source Network : NBC
Source Program : The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Air Date : 2005.05.20
Speaker : Hayden Christensen
Quote : "If things ever... go awry for me."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information :
Clip : 27.065.04
Duration : 00:09:18
Source Network : NBC
Source Program : The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Air Date : 2005.05.20
Speaker : Jay Leno
Quote : "I may have to nick a one of those myself."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information :
Clip : 27.065.05
Duration : 00:09:18
Source Network : NBC
Source Program : The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Air Date : 2005.05.20
Speaker : Hayden Christensen
Quote : "Yeah"
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information :
Clip : 27.066
Duration : 00:05:26
Source Network : Court TV "The Investigation Channel"
Source Program : Celebrity Justice CJCTV
Air Date : 2005.05.XX
Speaker :
Quote : "It's the FBI getting involved to bring balance to Hollywood's financial force."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Must be a Star Wars fan writing this script because the puns just don't stop. One of the key factors in Operation D-Elite was targeting a U.S. based Bit Torrent Tracker. To move this technology out of the hands of the casual users into a business solution. To accomplish this you have to handle the problem in pieces. The MPAA has more influence in the United States then anywhere else, most likely, so the RotS leak became their choice to make a point on their home turf. And the data they collected was enough to convince the FBI/ICE. The Bit Torrent protocol reveals the IP address of the people connected to a torrent. Users can block IP addresses when they connect to a torrent. If the industry had invested in the technology at the time of the release, developments like trackerless torrents and plug-ins which aid in the anonymity of online communications would have been less likely to be used by the majority of file sharers.
Clip : 27.067.01
Duration : 00:16:26
Source Network : CNN
Source Program : Sunday Night
Air Date : 2005.05.22
Speaker :
Quote : "In a statement, Lucasfilm says it will pursue anyone with the unauthorized sale or purchase of copyrighted materials and insure they are prosecuted to the full extent of the law."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : They have a good history of this. But in this case they farmed out the task to the MPAA who collected evidence then farmed out the job to the FBI/ICE. Bottom Scroll : "Counterfeiters were selling illegal DVD copies of "Star Wars: Episode III" on Beijing's streets." China is to the US what the US used to be to the UK. A pirate nation ignoring the copyrights of another country. The street bootlegs of New York and Beinjing most likely had the same source the Elite Torrents leak. And it would take a few weeks for an subtitler to create the backstroke of the west, which would laughably enchant those with the weird culture clash sensibility.
Clip : 27.067.02
Duration : 00:16:26
Source Network : CNN
Source Program : Sunday Night
Air Date : 2005.05.22
Speaker :
Quote : "The MPAA says penalties range from hefty fines to possible criminal charges."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Another example of a taking head reading a pre-supplied statement.
In this case several individuals served jail time, home arrest and fines.
Clip : 27.068
Duration : 00:05:14
Source Network : MSNBC
Source Program : Right Now
Air Date : 2005.05.21
Speaker : Paul Dergarabedian (Box Office Tracker)
Quote : "They've actually ahh prosecuted people for this. It's a huge offense it's a federal crime.
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Notice the pause. And then the roll into the phrase that pays, or at least makes the issue someone else's problem." Paul is the 'President of Box-Office' of a company called Media By Numbers. He takes stats provided by others and writes things about the stats for other press outfits to quote. Some of his brilliance is summed up in his review of 'Aliens vs. Predator' quote: "If you're a fan of the Alien movies, you want to see this movies. If you're a fan of Predator, you want to see this movie." So in essence like %20, Paul Dergarabedian is a shill.
Clip : 27.069
Duration : 00:02:26
Source Network : MSNBC
Source Program : Coundown
Air Date : 2005.05.20
Speaker : Keith Oberman
Quote : "An arrest, police make."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Tagline "Star Wars - Big Bucks, Big Scandal"
Clip : 27.070
Duration : 00:06:05
Source Network : ABC
Source Program : Jimmy Kimmel Live
Air Date : 2005.05.28
Speaker : Jimmy Kimmel
Quote : "And I personally glad to see the Department of Homeland Security involved in this. Now that we have the terrorism licked."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information :
Clip : 27.071.01
Duration : 00:12:00
Source Network : CNN
Source Program : Sunday Night
Air Date : 2005.05.22
Speaker : Clive Thompson (Wired Magazine)
Quote : "The genie is out of the bottle, and Hollywood is going to have to figure out, how to make money off of it."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Very few technological revolutions haven't been embraced by the wallets of the public. The recording of music onto wax cylinder didn't halt people from going to concerts, sheet music didn't stop people from hearing other artists perform that material, radio transmissions which broadcasted lots of music into every home didn't stop people from going out to concerts, even though their friends had the same record which they could have borrowed they still bought another copy, even though people could buy an audio cassette and record off the radio they still bought, even though the VCR allowed people to record television broadcasts they still went to movies and still watched commercials, CDs created perfect copies and unparalleled audio clarity and still people bought another copy, often of something they already had the record and cassette of, napster users had the largest library of music ever assembled at their mouse's finger tip yet napster users purchased more CDs on average then any other demographic. It's been clear for sometime that if the material is available it will be paid and payed attention to. But also what was learned from the napster generation is that with volume comes understanding and appreciation. 'Thee Backslacpkping With Media' attempts to show how the same logic can apply to future interactions with media, to promote a rational understanding of the society around us.
Clip : 27.072.02
Duration : 00:12:00
Source Network : CNN
Source Program : Sunday Night
Air Date : 2005.05.22
Speaker :
Quote : "They say downloading today can be compared to the threat to the movie industry, posed 20 years ago by the VHS tape. Which now makes millions for the industry."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : The problem seen by the content industries is that the digital format might be the final upgrade in their arsenal. Over the last century, recordings went from wax cylinder to vinyl records to tape cassettes to compact discs. Each time the same material was purchased with an upgrade of quality or convenience. The digital format at this point represents the end of this upgrading purchase issue. The mp3 of today is the same mp3 of tomorrow. Why the general public never orchestrated a boycott of new formats until the content industries provided some return for lesser pay when they bought the same material. That was the gluttony of consumer culture. But with environmental concerns looming, some individuals are choosing to consuming less.
The visuals of this segment are of "'John' Movie Downloader" and he's visiting the previous incarnation of newzbin.com a search engine which tracks .nzb files from a selective index. Similar to searching for a certain filetype in most other search engines. Newzbin was a public search engine at this time. In May 2008, after being contacted by the MPAA, Newzbin closed it's doors as a public search engine. The version of RotS was a version of the time coded workprint by a release group called ViSA. (file name 'Star.Wars.Episode.3.Revenge.of.the.Sith.WP.DVDR-ViSA' "swe3.scr-visa") Their logo a reworking of the credit card company except with lowercase 'i'. The .nfo for this release shows that ViSA probably re-released a version they found, many of the .nfo categories were filled in with 'dunno's. Quoting the .nfo "WEEEEEE, ripper named the rare funny, inst' he a hoot. nuke this if you want. it's real. check a rare or two could be a SCREENER, looks more like a finished Workprint, since there's 2 fuck off big timers :) Another release from ViSA:about time ViSA actually did something for YOU!" Ok 'John' Movie Downloader or someone else is highlighting the Viewed category, which is the number of times the .nzb was searched for, not the actual downloaded versions.
Clip : 27.073
Duration : 00:11:12
Source Network : MSNBC
Source Program : Right Now
Air Date : 2005.05.21
Speaker : Paul Dergarabedian (Box Office Tracker)
Quote : "You know, I don't know that that will, obviously it hasn't hurt the box office thus far. But I think the true fans, they don't want to see it on some bootleg DVD. They want to see it properly in a theater on the big screen."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Besides the first statement is is all wrong. Can't confirm the hurt box office idea since the predetermined outcome can't be enforced is the leak never happened to find out where the box office would have ended up. What the heck is a true fan? Some will watch these movies in any format at any time, they can appreciate the material how ever it is dished out to them. Again this is the push for the public to appreciate quality. But they faultier the argument by claiming that theaters are the correct presentation. Criticizers of bootlegs often point out that in bootlegs (which remember are recorded in theaters) have distorted pictures, people's heads in the way, noises of people around the recorded, etc. Why not realize that the theater experience is about seeing it with other people and their change in emotion. It's tons of fun to go see a movie opening day with a roaring crowd, of even then you go and the movie turns out to be not what everyone was expecting so people start yelling at the screen. Makes for a story to tell. The wider the spectrum the more attention might be given. Embrace tiered systems. Allow for as many variables as you can. Some people might want to watch a movie but they have an old machine so like with online trailers, have several sizes available.
Clip : 27.074.01
Duration : 00:18:08
Source Network : CNN
Source Program : American Morning
Air Date : 2005.05.26
Speaker :
Quote : "There's no company behind this, no individuals, sorta organic software. So they are targeting users."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : After their initial mistakes with their understanding of Bit Torrent, they get closer. But what's the difference between an individual and a user? So in the RotS leak case, the MPAA collected information in which they were able to differentiate between when the downloaders did what they did, and were able to track, locate, and eventually arrest many involved. So why did they not cast a wider net and collect funds from the tens of thousands who they caught in the act. Both content industries headed by the RIAA and MPAA have repeatedly made examples of certain infringers. The RIAA has taken the lead and attempted the hard push legally, while the MPAA has bided it's time since their content has the weight of significance and is a larger file size. I wonder if the time will come where the general public will become more cognizant of the split between information and entertainment. And as that happens will they drift away from content perceived as entertainment. For instance if everyone had their home videos online, would more people watch that material over the latest television broadcasts. If individuals used their phones to record events would people watch less of the infauxnews opinion programs. How do things shift when everything is recorded and made available for review and comment.
Clip : 27.074.02
Duration : 00:18:08
Source Network : CNN
Source Program : American Morning
Air Date : 2005.05.26
Speaker :
Quote : "Still makes a record this past weekend."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information :
Clip : 27.074.03
Duration : 00:18:08
Source Network : CNN
Source Program : American Morning
Air Date : 2005.05.26
Speaker :
Quote : "yeah, all the people who steal it, are probably going to see the movie anyway, and go buy it as well. But we know about people who are that into it. Ah... Ah let's talk about."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Oh these are the moments I hope for watching television, the moment where you sense that someone is going to speak what they believe. Unfortunately this individual caught themselves and moved onto another issue. But a more defined explanation about 'those people' who steal, go see and buy a movie would have been fascinating TV.
Clip : 27.075
Duration : 00:09:00
Source Network : FoxNews
Source Program : Fox 5 News - NYC
Air Date : 2005.05.20
Speaker : Andrea Day
Quote : "Counterfeiters costs the movie industry million of dollars every year. But when we saw what was on this foney DVD. Your best bet is to see it here."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : The worst part of counterfeiters is that it's a waste of materials. These copies are generally thrown out, very few survive, they are seen as disposable. This culture of disposability is a product of the consumer product culture, where objects are made as cheap as possible to reach a wider audience, but also leading to the use of worse components which leads to less wear and tear these devices can endure in a normal life time. Also the voiding of warranties to fix products is beyond the reach of most users. This leads to more items in the landfill etc. So a generation or two has grown up buying a series of products they re-buy every 5 years. This disposability on a one hundred dollar device, means that a two dollar movie will receive the same treatment. So who knows how many counterfeit items are piling up in landfills. The footage in China and elsewhere of bulldozers destroying mountains of discs also leads to the disposability of media. Shifting most media consumption away from a physical medium will be very great for the environment.
Clip : 27.076
Duration : 00:06:06
Source Network : MSNBC
Source Program : Right Now
Air Date : 2005.05.21
Speaker : Paul Dergarabedian (Box Office Tracker)
Quote : "There's this notion of maybe releasing films day and date, both on DVD and in the movie theater, to avoid the pirates."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Also most five years later and some of this is starting to happen.
Clip : 27.077
Duration : 00:02:29
Source Network : MTV
Source Program : Total Request Live (TRL)
Air Date : 2005.05.XX
Speaker :
Quote : (visual Hayden Christensen wearing a Darth Vader helmet enters a Blockbuster)
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : This transition worked well, guy talking about day and date release. Flip to main actor of said movie entering video rental chain, then cut to clip of said main actor in actual movie going...
Clip : 27.078
Duration : 00:04:03
Source Network : SkyOne
Source Program : Feel The Force
Air Date : 2005.05.XX
Speaker : Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen)
Quote : "I want more. And I know I shouldn't."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : We go to school for the first major portion of our live, and we're told to learn more and more, yet all of a sudden we should stop wanting to learn more.
Clip : 27.079.01
Duration : 00:02:22
Source Network : various
Source Program : Pepsi TV Commercial
Air Date : 2005.05.XX
Speaker : Yoda (Frank Oz)
Quote : "You do not want."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Another critic of the Star Wars phenomenon needs to speak about it's advertising. Yes advertising make money, but it also undermines the legitimacy of your material. Here we've got Yoda stealing sugar water from someone.
Clip : 27.079.02
Duration : 00:02:22
Source Network : various
Source Program : Pepsi TV Commercial
Air Date : 2005.05.XX
Speaker :
Quote : "I do not want."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information :
Clip : 27.080
Duration : 00:02:00
Source Network : various
Source Program : Pepsi TV Commercial
Air Date : 2005.05.XX
Speaker : Yoda (Frank Oz)
Quote : "Desire you not."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information :
Clip : 27.081.01
Duration : 00:04:08
Source Network : various
Source Program : Pepsi TV Commercial
Air Date : 2005.05.XX
Speaker :
Quote : "I do want."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information :
Clip : 27.081.02
Duration : 00:04:08
Source Network : various
Source Program : Pepsi TV Commercial
Air Date : 2005.05.XX
Speaker : Yoda (Frank Oz)
Quote : "Want do not."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information :
Clip : 27.081.03
Duration : 00:04:08
Source Network : various
Source Program : Pepsi TV Commercial
Air Date : 2005.05.XX
Speaker :
Quote : "Do."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information :
Clip : 27.081.04
Duration : 00:04:08
Source Network : various
Source Program : Pepsi TV Commercial
Air Date : 2005.05.XX
Speaker : Yoda (Frank Oz)
Quote : "Do not want."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information :
Clip : 27.082
Duration : 00:04:25
Source Network : none
Source Program : backstroke of the west
Air Date : 2005.XX.XX
Speaker : Anaking Skywalker (James Earl Jones)
Quote : "NNNnnoooooooooooooo!"
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Here's a clip from the backstroke of the west where the english term 'No' was translated into 'Do not want' as seen in the subtitles. Weird coincidence that even through the cross cultural current that the same motif that people should not desire is portrayed? This 'No' goes from RT03:08:50:08 to RT03:08:55:02. Almost 5 seconds.
Clip : 27.083
Duration : 00:04:22
Source Network : CNN
Source Program : Anderson Cooper 360
Air Date : 2005.05.19
Speaker : Anderson Cooper
Quote : "For our money though, why break the law when you can simple download the Star Wars Kid."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Notice how he says 'for our money'. Here's an individual blessed with unlimited media consumption, he works for one of the few (4?) major media organization, he never has to worry about ever 'NOT' being able to see anything. He's got an organization working to bring everything he wants/needs to his attention. The internet brings this a step closer to everyone. And what does he then do, he sends his audience to watch a viral video internet meme who's origins has brought significant pain to the one being taunted. A prominent case of cyber-bulling. Classic taunting power trip by the high and mighty of the media elite. Since the Star Wars Kid video was released in 2002 and gained popularity and meme status in 2003, how no one at CNN could have not seen the insensitivity of airing the clip and having the announcer comment further is another document of the rift growing between internet culture and the controllers of media. So anyway %20 replaced the Star Wars Kid segment with a cut scene from Star Wars of Harrison Ford saying 'Schmuck'. The internet attempted to get the Star Wars Kid into Episode III, the petition gained almost 150,000 signatures.
Clip : 27.084
Duration : 00:01:06
Source Network : MSNBC
Source Program : at the Movies
Air Date : 2005.05.21
Speaker : Han Solo (Harrison Ford)
Quote : "Schmuck"
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information :
Clip : 27.085
Duration : 00:02:14
Source Network : CNN
Source Program : Anderson Cooper 360
Air Date : 2005.05.19
Speaker : Anderson Cooper
Quote : "Ahhh the Star Wars Kid."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information :
Clip : 27.086
Duration : 00:01:06
Source Network : MSNBC
Source Program : at the Movies
Air Date : 2005.05.21
Speaker : Han Solo (Harrison Ford)
Quote : "Schmuck"
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information :
Clip : 27.087.01
Duration : 00:02:22
Source Network : SkyOne
Source Program : Feel The Force
Air Date : 2005.05.XX
Speaker : Peter Serafinowicz
Quote : "I don't like you either."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Here's the voice of Darth Maul doing an interpretation of Dr. Evazan. Edited in to reinforce the displeasure with the previous douchiness of a major media opinionews anchor.
Clip : 27.087.02
Duration : 00:02:22
Source Network : SkyOne
Source Program : Feel The Force
Air Date : 2005.05.XX
Speaker : Dr. Evazan (Alfie Curtis)
Quote : "I don't like you either."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : And the actual movie clip.
Clip : 27.088
Duration : 00:12:12
Source Network : none
Source Program : backstroke of the west
Air Date : 2005.XX.XX
Speaker : Obi-wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor)
Quote : "Who.... Who could have done this?"
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Ok this clip is used as a pause for reflection. The scene is filled with dead bodies strewn around, symbolically like the lives affected by the activities played out in the chapter. The backstroked subtitles ask the pertinent question, "This is what who fuck". What just happened? Who did this? Oh phuck. Now will this reflection ever happen, will society look back at the lives manipulated by their activities and the action/response of others. Track record says no, there have been several rounds of industry vs internet vs individuals and all those 'i's don't form an 'us' or 'we' just yet. and before we can catch out breath, back into the conflict.
Clip : 27.089.01
Duration : 00:07:22
Source Network : none
Source Program : l33t Subtitled Trailer of Revenge of the Sith
Air Date : 2005.XX.XX
Speaker : l33t m4r(
Quote : "Who could have done this?" (crapXXor! We got pawned!!!1!)"
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Here was a chance to show the same clip as interpreted by different creative entities. The original shows Obi-wan attempting to deal with the appalling actions of his apprentice. The backstroked subtitle imply what Yoda would have said next, that he knows but just won't deal. While the l33r subtitles go with the interpreted realization, that Obi-won's been duped by his apprentice.
Clip : 27.089.02
Duration : 00:07:22
Source Network : none
Source Program : l33t Subtitled Trailer of Revenge of the Sith
Air Date : 2005.XX.XX
Speaker : l33t m4r(
Quote : "Twisted by the Dark Side, young Skywalker has become." (A dirty haXXor that Anakin punk is!)"
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Jack Valenti, long-time president of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) had this opinion: "The excitement of unlimited access to untold quantities of information has blurred in the mind of some that taking what is not yours or what is not freely offered to you is stealing, period." And that's really not debatable, but there is a climate where significant portion of society will allow for their creations to be freely offered and reworked. The Creative Commons is the licensing policy which attempts to create this database of information. Viewing everyone as 'A dirty haXXor' will only get you left out of the Creative Commons revolution. So there's the thesis, this presentation shows how media could be reused to inform if people willingly gave too the system. I think people should be excited about unlimited access to untold quantities of information, if you can learn everything, would you not?
Clip : 27.090
Duration : 00:06:00
Source Network :
Source Program : TFocus
Air Date : 2005.XX.XX
Speaker :
Quote : "Eigen fleischer de Star Wars fans. Vieten de exclusivite di schletsetvisen"
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : I don't have any clue what's being said, but the clip of the monitor makes for a good transition.
Clip : 27.091
Duration : 00:03:24
Source Network : Nippon TV
Source Program : Zoom-in SUPER
Air Date : 2005.07.05
Speaker :
Quote : "Star Wars Episode Three Cokiadiedess"
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : I don't know how to spell that so this translation is incorrect, it's a try.
Clip : 27.092
Duration : 00:12:23
Source Network :
Source Program : Today
Air Date : 2005.XX.XX
Speaker :
Quote : "It's the final installment of the arguable the greatest movie saga ever told. Episode Three Revenge of the Sith. The third prequel which leads us into the Original Star Wars."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : and a nice slow read of the focus of these stories.
Clip : 27.093
Duration : 00:03:01
Source Network : MTV
Source Program : Total Request Live (TRL)
Air Date : 2005.05.XX
Speaker : Alani "La La" Vazquez
Quote : "We're hanging out at Skywalker Ranch, it's really really interesting."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : %20 thought the MTV coverage of Star Wars was atrocious. And this individuals expression and statement reinforce this notion. Plus the 'interesting' term is one of those words which is said when not meant, as a way to deflect. I should count the times this project got the interesting label.
Clip : 27.094
Duration : 00:01:00
Source Network : Animal Planet
Source Program : Animal Icon's "Star Wars Creatures"
Air Date : 2005.05.00
Speaker : George Lucas
Quote : "That didn't really work."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : So here %20 used the creator to reinforce his previous notion. See above.
Clip : 27.095
Duration : 00:00:25
Source Network : none
Source Program : l33t Subtitled Trailer of Revenge of the Sith
Air Date : 2005.XX.XX
Speaker : l33t m4r(
Quote : "ROFL"
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : Then use the l33t trailer to laugh at the joke.
Clip : 27.096
Duration : 00:03:18
Source Network : G4
Source Program : Electric Playground
Air Date : 2005.05.XX
Speaker : Julie Stoffer
Quote : "Stay tuned, cus we're going to be right back with more Star Wars excitement."
Commentary Review Continued Insight Information : and end the segment with a 'be right back' clip.
top
%20 Honors C&D l33t Week with an interview with RotS l33t Trailer creator m4r(.
One of the ephemeral internet creations which could be attributed with compounding the viral video craze which would spawn free video sites like youtube or dailymotion is the l33t subtitled version of the Star Wars Revenge of the Sith trailer. Created by m4r( (Marc Nuar) an avid gamer. As the internet culture expanded, it left a confusing adjustment period for all involved. Lucasfilm in the depths of the Prequel Trilogy releases felt it necessary to cease and desist m4r('s l33t'd trailer. That letter can be read on m4r('s site along with the translation into l33t sp33k. (http://nuar.lunarpages.com/) The Cease and Desist (C&D) is a tool in the belt of everyone with litigative aspirations or when you find something you don't or can't appreciate and want that action to halt all propagation. %20 interviewed m4r( on his experiences:
%20 : What made you create the trailer?
m4r( : As a Star Wars fan I was very excited when the trailer was released. After watching it several times with friends, all gamers of various sorts, we began making goofy comments about it. Those 'peanut gallery' comments inspired me to create the 133t subtitles for the trailer.
Seems like you had a full month before getting the letter?
Yes, the 133t trailer was up for just over a month before gathering enough attention for Lucasfilm to send the C&D.
How bad was the initial bandwidth hit? How did the setting of mirrors happen?
The first two days were not bad, as I just sent the page to a handful of friends. On the third day bandwidth started jumping upwards with over 1000 downloads, so a few friends volunteered to help by posting mirrors.
How many of them fell to the demand?
Suddenly, about a week after it was posted, it apparently went viral and the views exploded. All of a sudden I was getting hits from dozens of blogs, and even found that I was being linked from the front pages of huge sites like BoingBoing and Digg. In less than a 24 hours period it was downloaded over 10,000 times. My bandwidth (and the bandwidths of my first mirrors) crumpled. As the mirrors began failing, the internet community stepped in, with dozens of people offering to help by mirroring. The demand was too much for most mirrors, bringing down most within just a few days.
Any clue how many views it might have gotten in that first week, month, etc?
The first 5 days totaled about 10,000 downloads.
The first 7 days totaled about 30,000 downloads.
The first 14 days totaled about 120,000 downloads.
The first 25 days totaled about 200,000 downloads
By the time I took it down, after just over a month, it was downloaded an estimated 350,000 times across all mirrors. These number of course, only reflect downloads. I have no estimate for how many times it was torrented or viewed on sites lilke iFilm. All in all, it was quite amazing, considering YouTube didn't even exist yet, and online video was new to many people.
It sounds like there was just the one C&D contact, but how did that contact affect how you've worked afterwards?
Yes, I just got one C&D from Lucasfilm. I just made the whole thing for kicks and it had already gone WAY farther than I had expected, so I was fine with taking it down to avoid any possible legal complications.
Was the supposed violation ever explained further?
No. I even sent two emails to Lucasfilm, but they responded to neither.
Did any of the mirrors get the same C&D?
Not to my knowledge.
What's your opinion of the Cease & Desist process?
The current C&D process set in place by the DMCA may work for corporations, but it can, in essence, bully the individual or small developer by pitting them directly up against the faceless legal department of a behemoth. Lucasfilm was not required to respond to my inquiries and, since I have no legal weight to throw around, did not have to defend their stance.
Do you think you got contacted because of your paypal donation link?
I don't think so, as it wasn't mentioned in the C&D, and many of the mirrors were on business sites and sites with paid advertising. I ended up getting donations that were enough to cover my initial bandwidth overage charges plus another two months of my standard hosting plan
Or was the explosion of mirrors/hits causing a disruption to the official trailer, in your opinion? When you started offering merchandise?
At its peak, my 133t trailer page was showing up as the 3rd Google result when searching for Star Wars trailer. I think that this is probably what triggered the C&D. Even today a the page shows up on the first page of results when Googling for star wars revenge of the sith trailer. lol
Did you track the expansion of your piece as it migrated through the internet/bloggosphere?
I did look at my web stats quite often, especially the referring pages. Google, BoingBoing, and Digg were the top referring sites by volume. There were probably hundreds of forum threads and blogs linking to it.
Any odd places in your opinion where it ended up?
There were links and discussions on it from the official Lucas forums and theForce.net. Many posters there were upset when Lucasfilm sent the takedown notice.
Were you able to discuss the issue with a lawyer? What were their suggestions?
No. I wasn't interested in getting a lawyer, as I had nothing to gain from it. Lucasfilm's lawyers did not respond to my emails. I had just done the whole project as a laugh and I went much, much, much beyond what I had expected. I was pleasantly surprised by how many people had enjoyed it.
How was that process? Did you reply or just follow through with their request?
I just complied with their request. My work was already done. :)
With the 5 year anniversary of the trailer coming up, any plans?
lol. Not really. I've given thought to putting the trailer back up, but there isn't much point to it.
Your initial iFilm.com mirror is now owned by Spike.com which has an exclusive deal with Lucasfilm to air the movies, odd, weird neeto?
Amusing! I find it funny that I have to watch a commercial on their site before it plays the 133t trailer.
Did anyone ask you to l33t speak other trailers or projects?
A few people made suggestions, but I think it was best left as a one-time work.
What would you have changed, now looking back?
I would have changed a few of the translations. lol. A few of them I never really liked, but I didn't think it would matter, as I didn't expect it to become widespread at all. Other than that, it was a fun experience.
What's your opinion of video hosting sites which continue to play the l33t trailer?
Good for them. lol It wasn't my trailer to begin with, so I claim no ownership. The only ones that do irk me are the ones who have watermarked their website name on the bottom of the video or the ones who have replaced the closing credits with their own, claiming to be the creators. But the world is full of uncreative people whose only hope is to try to steal credit for themselves, so I don't pay those much mind.
Why do you continue to keep the take down page alive?
I left it up Because it still gets lots of hits. lol Even now, over 4 years later, it still gets several hundred hits a day (mostly from various google searches now) and I still get an email every few months from someone who enjoyed it or wants to find it.
Well, that was an entertaining trip down memory lane.
mARC
Many thanks to m4r( for his time. And if you seek it out, one of the mirrors is still active spreading the subtitled L33t trailer luv.
To continue the re-appropriation spirit of this work, the Intermission of 'Thee Backslacpkping With Media' takes the RotS Trailer l33t subtitles and composes them over a live performance of the Revenge of the Sith trailer performed at the 2005 Star Wars Celebration.
The Cease and Desist is a tool for anyone. To deny it exists or believe you don't use it is teh suxx.
According to Lucasfilm Representative Steve Sansweet Quote: "Other studios filing cease and desist orders, going after the fans, this isn't what Lucasfilm was about." (quote via: http://www.digitalcity.com/2009/07/28/comic-con-steve-sansweet-on-star-wars-fandom/)
Here is a random selection from teh Lucasfilm Cease and Desists archives.