Seven Percent · 1:30am May 25th, 2012
While perusing my punk-o-matic forums the other day, I saw an interesting thread. Apparently, the xbox 360 is banned in Germany, following a suit of Motorola versus Microsoft. The issue was several Motorola-owned patents, which decode video content from discs and hard drives, that Microsoft has used in their Slim 4GB and 250GB systems. I voiced my opinion, got a reply, and now I'm here to rant a little.
According to the sources, Motorola has asked for a minimum of seven percent per bond, which (after calculating the sales of systems and the cost of the patent rights) would produce quite a pretty penny. Microsoft has asked for a more suitable two-point-five percent instead, which Motorola responded by stating it would rather a full one-hundred percent coverage.
For now, it looks like Motorola is in the right, and Microsoft may need to restrict and/or recall their systems due to this suit. If they cannot use the patents needed to decode information, they'll need to find other means. I don't have all the facts, but apparently this is real, it's current, and it is going to happen.
My issue isn't with the sales of the consoles. It isn't with the Intellectual Property rights, which I support on principle. It isn't with the battle of Microsoft versus Motorola. Rather, my issue is with the seven percent of value that Motorola has demanded.
As I've stated in my forums (which you may not be able to see if you're unregistered), I understand Motorola's stance, and can relate to their issues. However, I do not support it, because down the road, this is gonna mean seven percent of Microsoft's manufacturing/technology employees no longer being able to buy food every week. And, sure, perhaps they can find other careers while this one goes up in smoke, but that'll still leave lots of time without a steady living.
One of my fellow admins mentioned how this is all business. And, yeah, I understand that - I work as an integral part of a business. I know how important numbers are, how they work, and how they need to rise and fall in order to scrap a profit. I do understand the need to protect patents and Intellectual Property (you can see me give disclaimers on EVERY chapter of EVERY fanfiction I write). And I understand Motorola's desire to be paid what they're due. But do I support it? Hell no.
Business, in my mind, is going to ruin the world. Not nuclear strikes, not anarchy or riots, not politics and war. Business, and its' undeniable tendency to turn people, and their work, into numbers, will bring about the end of civilization. Seven percent? Well alright. Let's gather every country's population, quarantine seven percent of their towns and cities, and expect them to go on like nothing's wrong. Let's go into grocery stores and food markets, take seven percent of the inventory, and throw it into traffic. Let's figure out which company is using our patents, demand seven percent of value, and ignore the resulting outcry of families who can no longer eat.
Perhaps I'm being too emotional about all this. Or perhaps seven percent is the new 'acceptable' loss. I dunno, folks, I just write stuff, but this all seems wrong.
~Leo
I think most people who aren't on the side of those pushing to receive that seven percent would agree with you. And there's always a mirror image to the issue--for the seven percent of Microsoft's employees that don't get to eat, there are seven percent of Motorola's employees that get to eat just a little bit better.
Totally with you on business ruining the world, though. Only war rivals business in the ability to turn people into numbers. I can't remember who it was, but someone once said "one death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic." Or something along those lines, anyway. We turn people into numbers in a database, and they slowly lose what makes them human to us in the first place.
It is true ,I have that impression too. I just look at the journal sometimes ,and see that the popular people get their name on journal if they die or are hospitalized and that. But for other people (who are not popular → majority of people) ,they are only refered like ''20 people died ; 1000 people died ; 50 people died; etc...'' . I just think these people are handled like numbers ,like they weren't humans anymore ,and that only the big ones are humans. (totally re-saying what you said.)
And I nearly totally agree with SatoshiKyu fact about :
,that's it when talking about riches and poors ,though there are more poors than riches ,meaning 1 person lives for like 100 personnes. (That remembers me of a case in Portugal ,where they said that 1 person had 50 jobs! And high paid jobs! This list included 20 personnes ,meaning that 1000 jobs were covered by 20 personnes...) I would rather say : 7% of Microsoft employes living worser → 3% of Motorola employes living better (the bosses in my opinion)
Side notes :
Yeah ,your disclaimers are funny to read.
I never though like that : Cutting the profit by % of a entreprise is the same to cut a % of people of their income and possibly ,their ability to survive.
I don't agree that much with you with the 'business will end the world' thing , I say it's natural disasters who will do it (So many people who die because of that
). There 's no money when forces of nature are in the account. But that just my opinion ,and I respect yours.
And thank you for the watch!
134205 I remember that saying. Dunno who said it first, but it's one of those quotes that has stuck with me.
134623 A Portuguese person working twenty jobs? Jesus, that's something. In my humble opinion, all the folks here in the States who are needing jobs can always move to Portugal. Apparently, they have openings to spare!
My disclaimers (and the "Written by ___") sections on the headings) are something that I want to always keep unique. It's just a quirky challenge that I like to do.
You should have seen some of the ones I did when I wrote for Golden Sun.
Naturally, when I say "business will ruin the world," I'm referring to the personality of humankind and the value of individuality. Natural disasters and the like will always be an exciting problem, and I'm awaiting the day when a rift opens in the Pacific and swallows the Eastern Hemisphere...or something like that.
You're welcome for the watch!
134959
Ehm umm you know at how many % the unemployment at Portugal is? (It's over 20%)
I said the BIG ones had that many jobs!
You know what you could do for the disclaimers? Put some OCs or the mane 6 talking with you like :
Me : Just the usual disclaimer ,saying that I don't own anything what belongs to Hasbro and that. Yes that includes you too ,Pinkie.
Pinkie : What are you talking about silly filly? I don't belong to any 'Hasbru' or whatever you are saying. I'm a free pony *pulls out banner of liberty*
Hasbro : We shall see that. *takes banner from Pinkie*
Pinkie : Hey! Give me that back!
Me : Right...let's get moving too the story ,I think.
(Lol just an example ,you can do other things)
threadbombing.com/data/media/73/He_Mad.jpg
135034 Ah, the big guys had lots of jobs. Well. Um...*Cough*
Personally, I've never been fond of that kind of disclaimer exchange. I enjoy poking fun at myself and cracking a few jokes, but the character's have their place in the story, and that's enough for me.
I remember a few years ago, on my first long fanfiction, I had a running gag of me being kidnapped, hung upside-down in a basement, wrapped in duct tape, and forced to hold up a sign saying who owned the copyrights. That was one of my longer ones haha.
And of course I'm mad. If I wasn't, these stories of mine would probably never work. [/logic]
135054
Oh and of course ,madness are what the genius had.
135080 The story is here, and the chapter that has that gag is here. Another story I had (a continuation of that first one, in fact) revisited that gag, which can be found here.
135117
Lol
dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Pinkie_loool.png dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/Pinkie_Pie_lolface.png