The "Raphael posts links to his latest blog posts"-thread

[Raphael]

I don't understand how people ever run out of content. If there are n things in your world, then there are n×(n-1)/2 pairs of things. Take bananas and robots, for example. What are the difficulties in building robots that pick bananas? Is fruit bruised too easily without the human touch? Do a deep dive.

Oh, I don't think I'll ever run out of things that I could theoretically talk about. I have just, for now, run out of things that I want to say anything about that I don't think has already been said often enough by others.

[Raphael]

Bad news, everyone:

While researching laws related to publishing things in Germany, I discovered yesterday that Germany has some legal provisions that effectively make it impossible for any private individual who values their personal safety to legally maintain a blog.

Effectively, these clauses mean that if you want to legally write a blog while you live in Germany, no matter where the blog is hosted, you're legally required to doxx yourself.

That's a risk I'm not quite willing to take. So I first made my blog private, and then I deleted all the posts and pages on it (after downloading them). Since I've paid for the domain and Wordpress package until next June, for now I plan to keep the empty, private blog website around until then.

I really, really, really don't like this. There's usually not much good stuff going on in my life, and occasionally working on blog posts had been one of the things that kept me focused. But I don't see any other option now.

Oh, and don't believe anyone who lectures you about how great Germany's privacy protection rules supposedly are, ever again.

[hwhatting]

Do you have a link to those rules?

[Raphael]

Do you have a link to those rules?

https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/tmg/__5.html

The first line might make it sound as if it only applies to commercial business entities, but various legal websites have indicated that the courts and authorities interpret the word "geschäftsmäßige" in an extremely broad way, to effectively include even free-to-read blogs that don't sell or advertise anything.

And

https://www.gesetze-bayern.de/Content/Document/MStV-18

This time, the term that seems to be often interpreted in a very broad way is "journalistisch-redaktionell". (It's a Staatsvertrag between all 16 states, making it, legally speaking, simultaneous state law in all of them. I'm linking to the version on a Bavarian government website because that's the first search result I got for an official source that allowed linking to individual paragraphs.)

For websites providing explanations of what it all means, type Impressumspflicht into a search engine.

[hwhatting]

Wow. I wasn't aware of that; so I either have to give out my private address to everybody or to rent a location they can deliver official mail to just for posting my opinions without risk of being fined...

[rotting bones]

Is this law actually enforced for small, personal blogs?

[Raphael]

Is this law actually enforced for small, personal blogs?

Perhaps not that often, but I don't want to take risks.

[rotting bones]

Is this law actually enforced for small, personal blogs?

Perhaps not that often, but I don't want to take risks.

Can you give it away as a free Kindle ebook?

[Raphael]

Can you give it away as a free Kindle ebook?

No comment for now.

[Creyeditor]

Is this law actually enforced for small, personal blogs?

Just wanted to mention some info that I got from various news. It seems that in Germany these laws are not actually enforced for small blogs by any kind of law enforcement, but there are some lawyers who somehow made a bussiness model out of this.

[hwhatting]

Just wanted to mention some info that I got from various news. It seems that in Germany these laws are not actually enforced for small blogs by any kind of law enforcement, but there are some lawyers who somehow made a bussiness model out of this.

Not so much lawyers, but Abmahnvereine - specialised organisations that write cease-and-desist letters demanding adherence to rules, sometimes to protect competitors who adhere to the rules, but frequently just to squeeze money out of the offenders. These tend to go mostly after small businesses with websites, though, because that's where the money is, not after small blogs.

[Travis B.]

Don't you guys over in Deutschland have lawyers who regularly unilaterally file lawsuits against alleged (often technical) violators of copyrights or licenses regardless of what the owners of said copyrights happen to think?

[Raphael]

Don't you guys over in Deutschland have lawyers who regularly unilaterally file lawsuits against alleged (often technical) violators of copyrights or licenses regardless of what the owners of said copyrights happen to think?

I haven't heard about that yet, but I wouldn't be surprised about it.

[hwhatting]

Don't you guys over in Deutschland have lawyers who regularly unilaterally file lawsuits against alleged (often technical) violators of copyrights or licenses regardless of what the owners of said copyrights happen to think?

I haven't heard about that yet, but I wouldn't be surprised about it.

Me neither, but maybe Travis is referring to the GEMA system for music rights?

[Travis B.]

Don't you guys over in Deutschland have lawyers who regularly unilaterally file lawsuits against alleged (often technical) violators of copyrights or licenses regardless of what the owners of said copyrights happen to think?

I haven't heard about that yet, but I wouldn't be surprised about it.

Me neither, but maybe Travis is referring to the GEMA system for music rights?

I have heard of the GEMA thing, but I have also heard of this such as with images and CC licenses being aggressively enforced by third parties (of course to collect a fee for "representing" the rights holders) over in Deutschland.

[hwhatting]

I have heard of the GEMA thing, but I have also heard of this such as with images and CC licenses being aggressively enforced by third parties (of course to collect a fee for "representing" the rights holders) over in Deutschland.

That sounds like the Abmahnvereine mentioned above. They don't only go after Impressum violations.

[Raphael]

I have now published most of my blog posts, together with a little bit of new material, on Amazon. (Sorry, I couldn't think of a better option for English-language self-published books.)

Print version:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CWFH5MY9

Kindle version:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CWFPDS72

If you're either Ares Land or rotting bones, since your quotes are on the cover of the print version, I think I owe you a free Kindle version if you're interested. In that case, PM me.

[Ares Land]

I have now published most of my blog posts, together with a little bit of new material, on Amazon. (Sorry, I couldn't think of a better option for English-language self-published books.)

Print version:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CWFH5MY9

Kindle version:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CWFPDS72

If you're either Ares Land or rotting bones, since your quotes are on the cover of the print version, I think I owe you a free Kindle version if you're interested. In that case, PM me.

Oh, nice! Congrats. (I'll buy one, it's basically the equivalent of buying you a beer.)

[Raphael]

Oh, nice! Congrats. (I'll buy one, it's basically the equivalent of buying you a beer.)

Thank you!

[Torco]

german laws never cease to amaze me. please don't respond if this would remotely endanger you, but is it really illegal to say, you know, beggining by a stream and up until the big amount of water?