I'm in it?

Looks exciting
Actually, one quote in there that I found really interesting was from io9.com that filmmakers should be worried that independent and amateur makers can craft such fun, exciting films that may be better than some of the original source material.

I think that the professionals could take a cue from backyard makers given the level of passion and desire that these people bring to the works.

This is great. I really hope streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Instant pick this up and that they start making it a habit to make little indie films available. That should provide a modest revenue stream that just putting it on YouTube or bittorrent can't, just in case it takes off.

I guess it depends what your goals are. Getting the thing watched by a significant number of people is one potential goal, getting it accepted into a very narrow distribution channel that might provide some monetization is another. Frankly though, these things are kind of 19th century - the people who will pay for this will pay for it regardless of whether they can see it for free, and the people who won't pay for it will see it free regardless of whether you or someone else put it on bt. You're better off uploading it to bt and asking for donations.

Aha - you misunderstand me for comic effect! I do think the idea of making it difficult for people to see you movie through your channels unless they give you money is from the 1800s. If the paid version is more difficult to use than the free one, well, we know where that leads...

...

*blink*

Are you trolling?

Teague - we're back at the 'things' analogy. How can I explain to you how a physical thing is different to an idea? If, indeed, I came to your house and drank all your wine, you would not have any wine. If, however, I came to your house, and you told me a joke, and I told it to someone else, I would have copied some information you gave me. You would still have it.

That's not theft.

With regard to the industry you work in, and how you wish the world was different so that it would be easier to make a living, I do understand that. It's just not reasonable for a particular industry to hold back technology and progress in order to prop up a business model that used to work. Imagine if the buggy-whip manufacturers had managed to convince Congress that every horseless carriage sale was the theft of a sale that would otherwise have gone to them?

Now we're getting somewhere. If I were a professional joke writer, I think I would want to get paid by the hour, because the idea that it would be illegal for someone to repeat a joke they heard is horrific to me. I hope it is to you, but at this point I am not sure.

I for one don't want to live in the kind of world where we have to mail residual checks to joke-writers, or worry that we might be overheard by copyright police 'stealing' jokes.

The fact is though that a joke is not (in most instances) a copyrightable thing. Nor should it be.