 December 30, 2013 - 6:59am | Couple of thoughts just popped: federal law requires local tv stations to broadcast on the airwaves so that people are not forced to buy from the cable companies. I'm one of those people that refuses to pay for cable and my kids make do with PBS programs and re-runs of House since they are fascinated with doctor programs. It got me thinking about Star Play and regulation of entertainment and holo vision. Certainly it will be on a planet by planet basis as to what the regulation would be and no doubt Star Play is very concerned and spends money when talk of regulating its industries come up. I would bet that Star Play loves situations where its not required to broadcast stuff and force all the customers in a market to buy "cable" . Here in MA there are situations in some town where the cable company has been in the town and Verizon wants to expand its Fios service there but the town has essentially asked for a kick back for Verizon entering the market. Verizon would be paying to be there when the cable company would not which wouldn't be good for business so some town have no Fios service at all. Its all cut throat, politics, and the "envelope please" but thats life in MA. You can bet Star Play does not play nice if it dont have to on certain planets. lots of room for Merco thugs to put pressure on small companies Star Play wishes to squeeze out. Next thought is piracy. Piracy of movies is seriously common in MA. I dont like it but its what it is. I even bought a DVD movie at a CVS that turned out to be a pirated copy with really crappy detail to its image. the quality of video is night and day. Now you hear all sorts of stuff about it being a serious crime in the real world but you betterbelieve that Star Play treats piracy as a serious crime when it comes to its holo vision programs. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 December 30, 2013 - 4:51pm | The Frontier being a Confederation with each planet determining its own laws and UPF handling interplanetary disputes I would think Intelligent Property Piracy would be handled by Star Law. We should remember that just because part of a planet likes something doesn't mean the whole planet does. Point of fact the legal marijuana law in Colorado is not state wide. Seem quite a few counties and townships just said No. Colorado Springs the 2nd biggest city in Colorado was one of them. Although that might have something to do with Fort Carson being so close. Also should think about space stations. They might allow a little let up in restrictive laws to keep the spacers coming. Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
 December 30, 2013 - 7:44pm | ...and then there's the regulation where the commercials aren't supposed to be loud anymore as of 2011. One of the few things that was actully passed...but apparently not enacted or enforced. And when you have to deal with 20 minutes worth of FBI/Interpol warnings in 47 different languages followed by another ten minutes of CGI intro graphics for the production company, sound company, film company, writers guild, caterers, basket weavers, etc...pirated movies actually start to look pretty good because when you put it in the player you get to (gasp) watch the movie right away. Yeah, you really don't have to apply the fantasy game factor to it.  |
 December 31, 2013 - 2:12am | When I read the title, I though it might have been about gambling and prostitution, instead of access and IP laws -- much less the former. Given the free-market nature of the Frontier and the monopolistic nature of the mega-corporations, I doubt there would be a lot of laws to restrict how the megacorps do things, especially those that allow them to get a foothold in any given market... As long as credits speak! If someone like Pan-Galactic want to corner the market by having everyone buy their equivalent of "cable" to watch broadcast services, or have people sigh-up to their equivalent of "Google Plus" to use their equivalent of "YouTube", then they would do so, even if it was a shitty idea to begin with. They have the money and the power -- they can buy regulations to their own ends (like in the USA). On the other hand, what are the regulations with regards to gambling, prostitution and recreational drug-use... If any? |
December 31, 2013 - 6:30am | Warriors of White Light gave us one example of a planetary government cracking down on a mega corp's activities in an extreme way: Clarion and Streel. I can see various planets with significant population and powerful economies passing laws that mega corps dont like. On the the other had lower population planets with marginal economies would be far more likely to kowtow to mega corps. Perhaps this is why Tacton established its headquarters at Lossend a low population ag colony? I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 December 31, 2013 - 1:03pm | I do not see the UPF as powerfull enough to enforce laws on all systems that are not related to military defense. Star law enforces some trade laws, but there are holes where some systems do not sign up for the given law. The basic rule is that the systems are soverign and go their own ways except where mutual defense is needed. Some agree on trade laws just to keep the peace and prosperity. Mostly they make laws between each other for profit sake. I do imagine that the UPF places its' fleets sometimes to strengthen weaker systems that are in need of protection. However this is not policy but rather the actions of the military privetly playing politics. -iggy |
December 31, 2013 - 5:12pm | Agree with Iggy Note Star Law's mandate is sathar agents (not really the sathar themselves though if they blew one away no one would complain) and interstellar criminals. The optimal question is what would make a citizen of the Frontier an interstellar criminal? No doubt committing a heinous crime on one world and fleeing to another as joining the UPF and having a seat on the Council of Worlds would involve signing a treaty that acknowledged extradition rights. So where do criminals go when they want to avoid extradition? Volturnus has never formally joined the UPF and has a UPF appointed governor so perhaps Volturnus is the one loop hole and if a criminal makes it there he can avoid extradition (sort of suggests a contract for a PC group - snatch and grab of a wanted criminal with a bounty on his head). Further the treaty arrangement between the Rim and the UPF means that extradition is honored between the sigantories of the treaty which means any planet that is a member of the COW in the UPF but in the Rim the signatories are the homeplanets of the Rim's native species only. In the other systems some have ratified the extradition treaties but not all: Klaeok/Piont Go has not, neither has Cryxia but Kasak which is home to a major military bases on the moons of Stenmar has. EDIT: note this leaves 3 planets as havens for criminals seeking to avoid extra dition. with Out Reach being a 4th but star law can expect little help with extraditing a criminal from there. PS EDIT: that would be 2 planets if you ignore the Zebs material. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 January 3, 2014 - 10:57am | Well RL has examples: Video Games are company system specific so maybe PGC stuff only works with PGC stuff. Computer Systems/Programs and DVDs are region specific. Which can be a real pain in the hinny for globe trotting customers. A DVD from the UK for instance will not work in a USA machine (unless you have a true "Universal" machine). Some DVD's I have had over the years will not work in some DVD players even though they are suppose to be able to. I think Local Customs Police would be big in enforcement "Never fire a laser at a mirror." |
January 3, 2014 - 11:25am | As for Gambling, Prostitution and things along that nature... I personally think it would be specific to planets/system governments. For instance I know of places where it is illegal to drink or gamble unless on a watercraft... so all the casinos and bars are on boats moored or moving about. Planet side could be illegal but might be legal only on ships and stations or just ships only. There are also those famous places where county or state juristiction lines cut through them, so one side can legaly do something the other half of the building can't... might be fun to have a spacestation like that. "Never fire a laser at a mirror." |
 January 3, 2014 - 1:14pm | ...and then there's the regulation where the commercials aren't supposed to be loud anymore as of 2011. One of the few things that was actully passed...but apparently not enacted or enforced.
And when you have to deal with 20 minutes worth of FBI/Interpol warnings in 47 different languages followed by another ten minutes of CGI intro graphics for the production company, sound company, film company, writers guild, caterers, basket weavers, etc...pirated movies actually start to look pretty good because when you put it in the player you get to (gasp) watch the movie right away. Yeah, you really don't have to apply the fantasy game factor to it. Quite a big exaggeration you have going on there! lol ----------------------------------------------- |
January 3, 2014 - 9:37pm | On the Video games when I was in the Army and stationed in Korea our local game seller (a nice Korean guy) had a side service where he could modify your Playstation so it would play Japanese games. These were titles available in Japan and imported to Korea that were not available in the US. As long as you worked through the instructions and dialogue in Japanese you were fine. I would think similar services would be available to get around any planetary government restrictions on entertainment. Wonder how far they pursue violators. Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
January 4, 2014 - 2:43am | Even if star law was suppose to pursue people pirating entertainment if Star Play felt it was losing enough money it would be proactive about shutting down the industry. Everything from new tech designed to prevent copying (which probably wouldn't work for long) to going after known piraters "the mega corp way". I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
January 4, 2014 - 7:17am | The Star Play Playstation Police Force, The Pan Galactic Regulartory Rangers, The Streele Secret Censor Society, The Trans Travel Anti-Piracy Patrol and More Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
January 4, 2014 - 12:00pm | Quite a big exaggeration you have going on there! lol The DVD part perhaps, but I swear the commercials have gotten louder since the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act was passed in 2011. Imaginations or exaggerations aside, they certainly haven't been addressed. |
