B (2:31)

Okay, but that sounds like a good thing. I mean, stopping Internet piracy. Who could be against that?

A (2:36)

Well, that's a very, very good question. Basically, no one is against stopping Internet piracy, which these bills were framed around. However, these laws made it very easy for copyright holders. And when we say copyright holders, we're mainly talking about movie companies and recording agencies to prosecute or stop any website that they think is using copyrighted material.

B (3:15)

So in other Words, then these laws could be seen to be favoring Hollywood, I guess.

A (3:21)

Very, very much so. Fundamentally, companies like Google would have to really block access to or block their services just at the whim of a Hollywood studio or something like that.

B (3:40)

Okay, so that's why they introduced them. That's some of the problems. How do they actually work? What the actual mechanics of.

A (3:47)

Now, it wasn't finalized, but the way the original bills were written, if a film company or a movie studio such as MGM thought that a site like YouTube was using copyrighted material, they would simply have to write Google a letter and ask them to remove it from the Internet.

B (4:08)

Okay, supposing Google didn't want to?

A (4:11)

Well, Google could fight it, but the problem would be that Google would have so many requests to take down material that they would just start, stop or start blocking people.

B (4:23)

I see. So Google would actually be responsible for the content of every single website that they search for.

A (4:30)

Exactly. Which goes against the entire principle of a free Internet.

B (4:36)

Right. That would be ridiculous.

A (4:38)

Well, you know, the Internet is what makes the Internet work is that users provide material or content, and that's what makes the Internet such a wonderful, wonderful place. And if these services like Google would have to start filtering and blocking access to not necessarily copyright infringers, but just people who. Sites that have complaints against them, it would really stop the entire. The entire freedom on the Internet.

B (5:14)

Okay, and that was so Google responsible for the SOPA and pipa?

A (5:19)

Well, the United States. Google would have to respond to both of those bills.

B (5:26)

Okay, wasn't there something about the provider, the actual provider that people use? Weren't they responsible in some way?

A (5:31)

Well, that was more through the PIPA act where SOPA would have required Google to be responsible, whereas PIPA would have put the onus on Internet service providers or IP ISP providers. So, you know, here in Japan, I use an Internet service provider by the name of Sonet. And under pipa, if I was in the United States, my Internet service provider would then be responsible for monitoring what sites I am accessing. And if a complaint was put against one of those sites, then my ISP would be responsible from blocking me from that site.

B (6:14)

Wow.

A (6:15)

Basically, if it was only against piracy, that would. That's one thing, but the unintended consequences of the law are just unimaginable. So you don't know what January 18th is by any chance, do you?

B (6:34)

No.

A (6:35)

Well, what happened on January 18 was Google and Wikipedia and a wide array of other big Internet names had a blackout internationally of their services.

B (6:51)

I remember that now. Yeah, I remember there was no Wikipedia for a day. I didn't really. Didn't remember it being the 18th, though.

A (6:56)

I believe it was the 18th. But what happened? You know, actually, Wikipedia was the most. Or the most famous case. But if you actually went to Wikipedia, you could see a different site layout and it said blackout. But there was a little link at the bott. Wikipedia never actually did block access to their information. However, they did ask people to, if they were Americans, to contact their senator or their representative for their area and complain. And it was very effective because on that one day, something like 29 or 30 lawmakers removed their support for the both of those bills. Both of SOPA and PIPPA are now very much on the back burner.

B (7:45)

Okay, can you explain back burner for the listeners?

A (7:48)

Sure. Back burner, just like on your stove, the front burner is the. Where you are cooking. And if you just want to put something or delay cooking something, you put it on the back or the cooler area of the stove. So it's not. Yeah. In other words, to be on the back burner means it's not a priority right now.

B (8:09)

But it hasn't gone away either.

A (8:10)

But it hasn't gone away either. That's a very good point. So some people are very worried that this will work its way back into a law somewhere, maybe be buried in a different law. And so supporters of the Internet in the United States are keeping a very careful eye on what happens in the near future.

B (8:33)

So the worry is that they'll try and smuggle it in somewhere else as part of another bill, I suppose.

A (8:38)

Exactly. Which is often the case in US Politics.

B (8:44)

Yes, yes, yes, it is.

A (8:45)

So that's a little bit about SOPA and Pippa. Do you want to tell us about Davos?

B (8:51)

Yes, sure. Go and ask me. Who's Davos, then?

A (8:55)

Okay. Who is Davos?

B (8:58)

Okay. Davos is not a person. Davos is a place.

A (9:01)

He's a place. Okay.

B (9:03)

It's a place in Switzerland. Apparently it's a ski resort, although I've never heard of anyone actually going skiing there.

A (9:10)

Okay.

B (9:11)

But once a year, they hold the World Economic Forum in Davos.

A (9:15)

The World Economic Forum?

B (9:18)

Yes. And it's not just politicians. It's politicians, business leaders, often even celebrities go there. And it's just like an enormous think tank, I suppose, and they all talk about different things and, you know, hopefully leave a bit wiser.

A (9:36)

So what happened this year?

B (9:38)

Well, this year straight, it was very subdued, as you can imagine. The main topic, of course, it's in Davos. It's in Switzerland was on. Was on Europe still. It's been going on for a long time. And the one image that I really liked was Christine Lagarde, who is the IMF head. She held up her designer handbag and she said she'd bought her little bag to collect funds for the imf.

A (10:10)

And what kind of reaction did she get with that?

B (10:14)

I think it was actually. LAUGHTER but what she actually meant was, you know, that she was there. The IMF wants people, countries, European countries to contribute to the IMF so that they'll have enough money to be able to bail out all the countries in Europe which need it. And then, you know, as you can, as you know, there were quite a few.

A (10:31)

Right.

B (10:33)

But the, the real debate that was going on was between austerity and then not too much austerity.

A (10:41)

So cutbacks and. Or, or how much to cut back.

B (10:46)

Yes, yes. What misled is a quote from Missile Guard. She says some countries have to go full speed ahead to do this fiscal consolidation, but other countries have space and room. They should explore what to do in order to help themselves. It has to be tailor made. So there's not just one answer. I think she's saying.

A (11:09)

So if I understand you, then she's saying some countries do need to really focus on austerity measures or cutting back, whereas others have a little bit more. I imagine she's speaking about Germany in this case.

B (11:24)

Yes. Which is saying the Germans have been very, very. Have been pushing austerity not just for themselves, but for the entire Eurozone. And I'll tell you, I'll quote someone else for you. Actually, George Soros was there.

A (11:40)

Okay.

B (11:41)

And we all know who George Soros is. The famous. He's Hungarian originally, financier. Okay. And Soros quote is quite an interesting one. He said. Where is it? There it is. This German insistence on austerity could destroy the European Union. This is reality. This is the harsh reality that we need to face. So what he's saying here, I think is that. Oh, the other one he also said was it could leave and lead to a lost decade of economic growth. So what he's saying is that the Germans are pushing austerity so far that there won't be, you know, the economies can't. Won't be able to grow because there used to be such a lack of money. Treasury Secretary Geithner was there also, and he made a similar point.

A (12:31)

Oh, Timothy Geithner.

B (12:32)

Timothy Geithner, yes. The American, the U.S. treasury Secretary.

A (12:36)

Okay, let me read you his quote.

B (12:39)

I'm not saying anything, I'm just quoting.

A (12:41)

That's fine. Very interesting.

B (12:43)

Okay. Tim Geithner said there's a risk that every disappointment in growth will be met with austerity, and that will feed the decline. And then this cycle, that this will become a cycle you have to arrest to solve the financial crisis. Crises. Yeah.

A (13:00)

You might have to explain that a little bit.

B (13:03)

Sure. What he's saying is that when a country disappoints and the growth disappoints, they panic. Then they have more austerity. So then, of course, that leads to less growth because there's less money in the system. And then the next quarter, they have the same things, and then they do it again, and you just get. You get into a vicious cycle you can never get out of. That's Secretary Geithner's point.

A (13:25)

So he's saying if you cut back too much, you're just stifling growth.

B (13:32)

Yes.

A (13:32)

Okay. Well, I mean, this is the big question. Do you cut back or do you. Or do you stimulate or, you know, like President Obama, he. He wants to. He wants to have a balanced approach of, you know, a certain amount of cutbacks combined with stimulus, so that.

B (13:58)

Yes, well, there is some talk in the states of QE3, you know, the quantitative easing one and then quantitative easing two, this talk, that you might even see a third one.

A (14:07)

You keep telling me that, but I really can't see that happening in this next year with the election in November.

B (14:16)

Well, I mean, it's in President Obama's interest that the economy is looking good. But the problem is, of course, that America's debt is so large now that any. If they add to that debt too much that then, you know, they'll get down. They'll get downgraded again by the S and P and Moody's. So they're walking a knife edge there, I think.

A (14:39)

Well, we're getting off on another topic. Anything else about Davos you want to say?

B (14:44)

Yes, yes. This is an interesting one. It's a very interesting one, in fact. What's that? Okay. It was a document leaked to. The Financial Times has suggested that Germany could be asking Greece to give up financial control of its taxing and spending and give that control over to Brussels.

A (15:06)

Really?

B (15:08)

So that would mean.

A (15:09)

That sounds really unbelievable.

B (15:11)

Would mean that Greece is a sovereign nation that has no control over its finances. I don't think that's ever happened before.

A (15:20)

Well, I don't know if you can be classified a sovereign nation if you don't have control over your spending and

B (15:28)

you're taxing your taxation? No, I don't know. It's never happened before.

A (15:36)

That sounds like, you know, similar to, you know, an adult, a senior citizen who has lived their life as an independent person and then in their old age, move in with their children and their children are in complete control of their spending.

B (15:57)

Yes, but let's not forget though, that that would be a senior citizen that has spent unbelievable amounts of money, borrowed huge amounts of money, then had to move in with their children, like perhaps

A (16:08)

myself in 20 years.

B (16:10)

You never know.

A (16:11)

You never know.

B (16:12)

You're not moving in with me.

A (16:13)

But that's. That was just a rumor. That's.

B (16:15)

Yes, but apparently the document that was leaked, most people believe was genuine.

A (16:21)

Wow. That will be interesting to keep an eye out for.

B (16:24)

Yes. Anything else? There was one more quote I wanted to give you. Oh, yes, this was George Osborne, who's the. He's the Tim Geithner of Britain, the Finance Secretary.

A (16:38)

Okay.

B (16:38)

I think that's his title. And the quote here is the danger here. He's talking about Greece again. He said the danger here is that the tail wags the dog throughout this crisis. In other words, the inability to deal with specific problems with the periphery causes shockwaves across the whole European economy and the world economy. So that analogy that tail wagging the dog means that, you know, Greece is a minor player in Europe, but its core, the amount of effects it's had have been massive. And until we deal with Greece, the problem's never going to go away. And just throwing money at them isn't really going to help. That's George Osborne's point.

A (17:20)

I think that's a pretty good idiom. We should point out to our listeners the tail wagging the dog, where the minor part is in control of the major part.

B (17:35)

It's very easy to picture as well, isn't it?

A (17:38)

Sure. Greece controlling the entire outcome of the European. Or the Eurozone.

B (17:43)

Yes, the Eurozone, world economy, even.

A (17:47)

Yes, very good point. I have to get out of my mind that this is only a European problem. It certainly is a global issue.

B (17:56)

It has become so. Yes. And that's about all I have to say on Davos.

A (18:01)

Well, thank you very much, Daz. That was very interesting.

B (18:04)

Thank you. For Pippa and sopa.

A (18:23)

So that's it for D2B today. Thank you very much for listening. As always, please visit our website. And even though today's PDF is not available for a free, free download if you would like, we really appreciate the support. I should just point out that for any of you who have ever purchased D2B product in the past or have made a donation. There will be a free copy of today's audio script sent to you as soon as we post this.

B (18:53)

Yes, I mean, I think we'll be supporting our loyal. Our loyal supporters for sure.

A (19:00)

Okay, Des. Thank you very much.

B (19:02)

Thank you. See you again soon.

A (19:05)

Goodbye, everyone.

B (19:06)

Goodbye.

A (19:14)

The music in today's show comes from Mi Vo's Music Alley. Check it out at music.meevio.com.