So here’s an excellent example of how this ‘copyrights issue‘ thing works.
Here I am – a notorious pirate, because fuck the entertainment industry, right? – actually attempting to buy digital content. I want to support the creators of the documentary ‘The Internet’s Own Boy’ , because the subject is important to me and I believe the filmmaker should be enabled to spread this information further.
The Wikipedia article on Aaron Swartz is impressive. He is one of the icons of the digital age and a hero to most pirates, so obviously I’m going to want to watch this film about his life.
As the official site summarizes:
“The Internet’s Own Boy follows the story of programming prodigy and information activist Aaron Swartz. From Swartz’s help in the development of the basic internet protocol RSS to his co-founding of Reddit, his fingerprints are all over the internet. But it was Swartz’s groundbreaking work in social justice and political organizing combined with his aggressive approach to information access that ensnared him in a two-year legal nightmare. It was a battle that ended with the taking of his own life at the age of 26.
Aaron’s story touched a nerve with people far beyond the online communities in which he was a celebrity. This film is a personal story about what we lose when we are tone deaf about technology and its relationship to our civil liberties.“
So I click the ‘buy’ button and this happens.
Click to enlarge.
The very concept of ‘regions’ on the internet denies the nature of the medium itself. Attempting to keep the people that identify with a freedom of information activist like Aaron Swartz from downloading a documentary about his life is simply one of the dumbest things anyone could have done. The irony can not possibly be lost on anyone. Were they drunk?!
I give you one guess what the next URL in my browser is.
Dear entertainment industry. Fuck you. You just missed out on a purchase and you don’t get to decide for me. I finished downloading the film before even finishing this blogpost. Now that’s some freedom of information for you!
LuciousLisa 
Actually the documental is available as free and regional restriction free at the Internet Archive site https://archive.org/details/TheInternetsOwnBoyTheStoryOfAaronSwartz
Hi Lisa, from notorious pirate to notorious pirate :-), the documentary is also available for free and without regional restriction at the Internet Archive website https://archive.org/details/TheInternetsOwnBoyTheStoryOfAaronSwartz
Reblogged this on Meneandoneuronas – Brainstorm and commented:
The truth is that Aaron was in favor of disseminating culture & Knowledge for free and without restrictions, I guess that is why the guys at Internet Archive NGO decided to host the documentary for free and without regional restrictions on their website.
The Director of IA made a vibrant defense of Aaron at a memorial held on the west coast.
[…] The copyrights issue in an ironic reality Jul […]