Hip Hip Hooray! Did you know... we all just won a big victory! The Infotainment industries of America keep fighting and winning for us consumers. Here are two of the most spectacular victories from recent weeks:

The TV Industry

“We regard this decision as a major victory for consumers in the protection of free, over-the-air television signals and programming”, said a spokesman for the conglomerate of TV, sports and broadcasters who had just managed to shut down Jump TV and IcraveTV, both firms that made US television available to Canada over streaming broadband. As a result, Canadians will be unable to view these TV programs until the corporations choose to broadcast them in Canada.

The Movie Industry

Jack Valenti, president of the Motion Picture Association of America, said a ruling that prevented movies older than 70 years from becoming public domain was also a “victory for consumers everywhere" because "copyright, whose aim it is to provide incentive for the creation and preservation of creative works, is in the public interest."

Conclusion

Any kind of victory (no matter how at odds with the needs of the customer) can be seen as a victory for consumers as long as prices are kept cheap and the shelves are kept full. This is a specious expression, in that it is often seems almost plausible that denying one right might benefit a greater good; The phrase is nearly allways used in the context of a corporation trampling all over the rights of the consumer!

If these are examples of victories I would really hate to see what the defeats look like.