The Biggest Corporate Fines

Sometimes businesses do some really sketchy... stuff. In this video we look at some of the biggest fines ever handed out, and some of them seem insanely unfair (especially in comparison).
Simon's Social Media:
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Highlight History: / @highlighthistory
Geographics: / @geographicstravel

[@nictennick1650]

WTF is a TV license? In Australia you can buy a cheap antenna and of you go! All the bad TV you want

[@ronniebon7163]

In the UK, the BBC makes you pay a fee yearly (something like $100 AUD) if you have a TV with access to BBC Channels, which all TVs sold in the UK do by default. You're not obliged to, but the BBC like to harass you alot if they don't see any license fees being paid from your address. They can't exactly do anything about it so they scare people into paying, in the 50s they claimed they had these high-tech vans that could detect what room you're watching the TV in and what you're watching. There's videos about it all over youtube, search "BBC TV License Van"

[@eismeister]

Don't ever consider moving to Germany.

[@SouthDunedain]

@@ronniebon7163 You are obliged to... It is actually a law, passed as part of the Communications Act 2003.

[@budlorry8937]

Canada makes you pay for far left wing CBC.....Watch it or not

[@jissanboermans5009]

I had never heard if it before either. So if I don't have a TV, do I have to pay? Plus what if I just got a TV for PlayStation videos games and not regular television? Sounds ridiculous.

[@danielkohli1542]

Truthfully as an American, I to am confused by medicine commercials too.

[@EMurph42]

Daniel Kohli as a fellow American they bother me so much. Especially when you see a drug ad right after a lawsuit ad for another drug. I know Google & WebMD are every doctors least favorite invention already. “Do not confuse my medicine degree with your google search” is a sign in a doctors office. Now they have patients coming in saying “is Otesla right for me?” I refuse to take any medication advertised on tv.

[@fizzypopization5399]

@@EMurph42 the sad thing is most doctors are far more stupid than doctor google. Some days I honestly wonder if the average doctor can even do basic calculus. I've thought about making a short quiz for my doctors because some of the most incorrect scientific shit has come out of doctors mouths. It makes me worry for people who are laymen as I can call bullshit on them (I have a biology degree).

[@Tfin]

We definitely don't need to ask our doctors about specific drugs. I expect that's more about getting the name out and having the patients do the job that should be done by the company's reps.

[@iammaxhailme]

They bother me, but not as much as commercials where they have a cute small child of 5 years go "I'm so glad mommy bought (product that no child would care about, like a vacuum cleaner or insurance policy)"

[@treborironwolfe978]

One time I went to my psychiatrist with a full thesis-style binder of things to ask her about.. She was not impressed.

[@loganstrong5426]

The reason for the "ask your doctor about..." commercials is because the drug is usually new/uncommon, so it's possible your doctor won't have heard of it. Also, some of it isn't even by prescription, but they say to ask your doctor so they don't get sued for you taking it when you don't actually need it. ALLEGEDLY.

[@mcmoose64]

VeeDub just copped a $150 million fine for this in Australia. That's Australian dollars , the equivalent of about 50 euro.

[@Excalibur-Sonic]

Yes Factfiend is awesome!! You both are!

[@jamesdenapoli7543]

Ok so I might be asking this on the wrong channel, this may be more suited to the Today I Found Out, this made me remember an old question. Why does it seem like the side effects of a drug are more dangerous thanthe illness they're meant to cure.(???)

[@jennylawrenson1712]

Simon and Danny...the ultimate dream team!

[@colladius1610]

But....Sam.....

[@fancythisgirl3]

And Sam*!!

[@egoryakubenku34]

Yes...Two of my favourite KZbin channels!

[@azargelin]

And Sam

[@thatguy-pl8py]

Ever heard of the American agricultural movement dubbed "right to repair?" I think y'all might enjoy it

[@flowertrue]

That's actually a good idea. I believe John Deere is the major offender. Some tech companies like Apple have similar policies. Simon and Co. could definitely make a video about that

[@samiraperi467]

American agricultural? It's a global movement about all tech.

[@victoryismine121]

It's more then just a agricultural movement. It's about all equipment and devices.

[@calska140]

Yeah that is villainy at an advanced level

[@TheVirtualObserver]

@@samiraperi467 Yeah I was gonna say... The fight for it is still going strong today. Hell, even the military has gotten somewhat involved because they aren't allowed to repair some of their own equipment due to legal reasons. It's insane.

[@crazykids666999666]

WTF is a TV license. You literally just buy a TV and antenna in the US, or pay for satellite or cable TV

[@princesstamika]

there ARE actually state and federal fees at the bottom of your satellite or cable bill that are essentially the same type of fees as a TV license. these rates fluctuate and annually probably amount to $150. source: worked for AT&T, people don't read or understand their bill.

[@noth606]

crazykids666999666 You could look this up easily but in many European countries the government runs its own "unbiased" TV and radio stations that typically do not have commercials. They have cultural programs and stuff in foreign languages to pander to immigrants and mostly stuff no one would pay for voluntary, so the government does what they always do, they force you to pay for it anyway. In other words if you own a radio and/or a TV set they charge you usually between $50-170 per year to fund the garbage you aren't watching or listening to, but you have to register to pay. Since no one would do this voluntarily, they have inspectors going from door to door visiting houses that do not pay for said license and if they find a TV and/or radio, they give you a fine and register you so you will get the bill next year.

[@garethbaus5471]

@@noth606 basically like PBS in the US except it doesn't have the asinine fundraisers, sounds like a decent deal.

[@frankieffbaby]

princesstamika that’s why you should just get the internet and stream your shows

[@cferracini]

Same in Brazil. That must be an UK thing

[@andysorensen1737]

We really need Simon to interview Danny...and then I realized it’d be an interview with himself 😂.

[@hazelault2323]

Is that the joke?

[@SarahLRSchneiter]

First, I thought "One like?!". Then I realized that the video was just uploaded. :D Here's a topic suggestion: Boeing and the 737 Max (or similar cases in the airline industry) :)

[@damiensadventure]

Im not someone that really gets involved in yt much anymore but man we need this channel to stay and grow! I have worked or have dealt with a decent amount of your companies you've made articles. As many of us are bound by NDA's ... I vicariously live through these reports screaming at the tv like its sportz television going "O M G i knowwwww that feeling!!" Cheering on Danny and you the whole way lol Anyway i just wanted to share this. So yeah. Also icing on the cake the moment you said you are bad at parking, in RL i saw a car hit front and back cars trying to pull into traffic 😆

[@brainblaze6526]

Hahah last year I fully smashed the whole side of two cars while parallel parking. Like three panels. Brutal.

[@TheKohada]

Danny is back! Great script.

[@patrickmalone1373]

Danny does seem to my favorite writer here

[@jissanboermans5009]

I agree as well, but Simon makes them all good either way.

[@613aristocrat]

"Exhaustive tests" Danny does like sneaking in his puns. :)

[@VeginMatt]

Ditto...this is why I read the comments. Thank you good sir!

[@Mace-1191]

Simon " I don't wanna get sued" Me "I don't believe him he didn't sound commited to those words but let's find out" Edit Me: "oh shit Simon actually didn't want to get sued well I guess he did say it at the beginning of the video"

[@susanrobinson910]

“Wow! Wherever did that TV come from?” Yeah, same exact shit happened to me in college, when a police officer showed up at the apartment I shared with friends. They were investigating the smell of marijuana coming from parts unknown. We claimed it wasn’t us...while at the same time, my roommate sauntered in with a loaded bong. Oopsie! Thankfully, they just confiscated the bong. We had plenty of other paraphernalia though...no worries! This was in 1998, by the way.

[@brainblaze6526]

amazing

[@georgecaplin9075]

Idea: Business Blaze binge, but take a drink every time Danny’s written “corporate company”. We’ll be smashed in no time.

[@TheVirtualObserver]

These days Danny could make Simon tipsy in no time since he's taken to calling them "corporate company corporations"! 😅

[@georgecaplin9075]

Cooked Panda he must be trolling Simon, surely.

[@dagnyjackson6381]

Anyone else enjoy hearing Mister Simon swear in his posh accent? For me, it’s similar to the inner-child glee I feel when Betty White says something that just seems ‘wrong’ coming from the mouth of a beloved grandmother figure. You go on with your bad selves, Miss Betty and Mister Simon. My inner-child thanks you.

[@artistwithouttalent]

"If I had a dick, this is where I'd tell you to suck it." -Betty White, 2000.

[@flowertrue]

Sometimes he says shit and sometimes he says shite. I wonder if there's like, a specified time you're supposed to use one or the other.

[@spacepeanut8993]

I got two Simon rimshots and even a "C'mon, Danny!" My day is now complete.

[@brainblaze6526]

:D

[@flowertrue]

I don't think he slapped the script though

[@SonjaPierce]

Simon is having a little too much fun but then I am too. 😂 Samuel did great as editor. Merry Christmas, folks, have some great holidays! 🎉🎄🎉

[@eathenalbrecht5072]

I wish you could do this show every day, but then I probably wouldn't watch anything else. You're doing really great work Simon et al. and I appreciate you

[@brainblaze6526]

Thank you :). Hopefully someday, I'd love to do this daily. It's a ton of fun to record :)

[@jissanboermans5009]

@@brainblaze6526 will we ever get to see Danny?

[@stevenutter3614]

Have you lost your mind, he has like 6 other youtube channels, You're trying to get blood from a stone eathen.

[@eathenalbrecht5072]

@@stevenutter3614 I know he's got other channels, I watch those too. But I like this one the most

[@sarj743]

@@eathenalbrecht5072 liar!! this is drek and you know it

[@jonathanseibert8832]

Business daddy! John Oliver! Love it

[@Capsaxian]

That was the first thing to pop into my head when he said that

[@brainblaze6526]

@@Capsaxian That's the reference :D

[@Bonanzaking]

Lines like that remind me why this my favorite channel that Simon runs.

[@hugh1997]

You always set off my Siri, it’s hilarious

[@Dijjledotcom]

TV license? WTF?

[@stuskivens4295]

You missed VW fined for stopping Italian dealers selling to other EU countries. And VW using emissions defeat devices on the 1970's beetle.

[@ignitionfrn2223]

3:30 - Chapter 1 - Volksvagen 8:00 - Chapter 2 - Google 12:45 - Chapter 3 - Glaxosmithkline 15:25 - Chapter 4 - British petroleum

[@Metalbass10000]

YES! AGREED!Companies are NOT PEOPLE!!! (yet in the U.S., they are, by certain really shitty definitions) YES! AGREED! Companies DO need to be regulated to ensure they are good corporate citizens, JUST LIKE ACTUAL PEOPLE, FREE PEOPLE, ARE REGULATED WITH LAWS AND RESPONSIBILITIES! I DISAGREE, on one point, when you say corporations are ONLY about profits, and just DON'T ever choose to do the right thing. Some companies do have some higher motivations, as every company's policies, standards, behaviors, employee expectations, statements, and actions, are 100% controlled by, and actively chosen by, the people, the human beings, that are directing the company in everything it does. Companies are not monolithic automaton s that just go forward doing what they f****** want and the people are just along for a little ride hoping to make a few bucks. Every company is a collection of people and their collective choices of words, and actions. Any company can have whatever set of priorities the people controlling the company decide it should have. Saying every company is just all about profits purely and nothing else absolves the people who run the company from any and all responsibility in their actual responsibilities to not make Society, the planet, or people working for them, or the people and places around them into something toxic, something horrible, or something dead. Otherwise, a bloody right entertaining bit of content, lads!

[@ChronosZero86]

After getting to the end of the video, and not wanting to get sued, I realized this must be before he discovered the word "Allegedly"

[@dougfewings5665]

"Danny I don't want to get sued " .... I love it!

[@Memento_Mori_Morals]

He needs his money to pay all those tickets.

[@SergiuD.]

and, by popular demand, Danny's back!

[@WaffleSSSSSPLUS]

when he saiid he messed up, he meant he messed up and got caught, not messing up about doing something illegal

[@klaatu9726]

Simon is easily my favorite part of KZbin!! Please keep up the amazing work! Also all the people behind the scenes, Bravo

[@brainblaze6526]

Thanks :)

[@valeniusthekat]

No scripts were harmed in the making of this video 👍

[@georgecaplin9075]

Simon: “yeah, its definitely illegal.” Also Simon: “now let me explain how I’d do the exact same thing with my shopping site.”

[@arcady0]

Thanks to the VW defeat Device, VW bought me a Tesla Model 3. Or rather, they had to buy back my old Diesel Jetta at nearly new price, plus a punitive fine, and that paid for over half of my Tesla back in 2018 - which is fueled by my home solar. That noted... I highly suspect a big part of why VW is now getting into electric is a desire to avoid a repeat performance... after all... my other option was to get my Diesel 'fixed' to have good emissions without cheating... and a few months after I got the Tesla, it came out that the 'fix' was also their engineers making a new defeat device to try and defeat the attempts to spot their defeat devices... oops again... allegedly... ;)

[@jenniferhof9448]

We had one of the huge swaths of land where the VW's that were recalled were parked near by. It got worse when a huge hail storm hammered all the cars too.

[@Memento_Mori_Morals]

There's car plant over near the city I grew up in (Rockford, IL) I wanna say maybe Chrysler? I dunno, but it's near Chicago, but after it was built, one year they had freezing rain... another year they had golfball to softball sized hailstones and some were larger. It ruined roofs and cars all over the area this past winter. TT____TT How large were the hailstones? XD And was it a freak storm or do things like that regularly happen? As I mentioned Northern IL often sees crap like that, it seems like a terrible place to put a car plant as it's on the edge of "Tornado Alley" I'm moving back there from L.A. this year and I'm so gonna put my car in a garage when I get a car again... (which will be nice to be able to afford one again.... freaking expensive Los Angeles lol)

[@jenniferhof9448]

@@Memento_Mori_Morals There's actually at least one really bad hailstorm at least once a summer here. I think this is the first summer where we didn't have one that hit the whole state. I remember that the year we bought our first new new car we had a bad enough hailstorm that cars were being totaled by hail damage simply because there was such a shortage of body panels and things. Our car barely avoided that because we had gotten a super good deal on it. Like by a thousand dollars. I'm sure our insurance was so annoyed at having to fix it instead.

[@Memento_Mori_Morals]

@@jenniferhof9448 nooooooo...oh no... I was cringing reading that, but I guess that is why you have insurance. Totaled cars are not fun. Storms regularly total cars in the winter in Illinois/"the Midwest" US. I grew up there and witnessed it, but also yeah spring/summer hailstones the size of golf balls are common, cause of the same weather systems that often cause tornados there. It's fun to watch from the safety of a house and gawk afterwards.

[@williamclarke8732]

Simon, you completely left out the Monsanto case where 3 people (I think) sued Monsanto after using cancer-causing pesticide called round up

[@zaneandre6387]

Folks-vaagen is how the Germans say it and instead of "vee-double you" they say "fau-vey" (or fow vay, i guess it could be written)

[@Kadeo-ms6qw]

What’s a TV license?

[@amandabromell9660]

It's a license to say the TV can have a gun

[@rachelb4398]

@@amandabromell9660 Oh, that gave me a good chuckle!

[@DarkWolfseternalfire]

Basically you pay the government a set amount per year if you watch live TV, that funds the broadcasting network (as it's still publically owned in the uk) and the bbc

[@jaynedavis4667]

Its for the BBC, which is a no advert government owned station.

[@8mark1]

In danmark it is a tax you have to pay if you can in any wey watch danmarks radio

[@ThreexOsc]

Is danny secretly karl? I must know.

[@AG-cz9cu]

When the hammer and sickle subliminally flashed on my screen, i instantly became hungry and the need to produce nuclear weapons...

[@cbandtheradio5610]

I think most American viewers of this video aren't going to know what a TV license is haha

[@brainblaze6526]

Apparently not ;)

[@riotson]

Nope! When the British government tried to make us pay silly taxes, we threw their tea in the ocean. You guys should give it a go, for having to pay a TV license... lol.

[@flowertrue]

Danny's master plan was to get Simon sued so he'd stop making videos and maybe unchain him and let him go. But Simon was wise to it.

[@mitchhuck]

Its called a dyno (The machine used to test cars)I run one every day lol

[@brainblaze6526]

Thank you! Yes!

[@OzzieTheHead]

Business Blaze. Simon's never-ending dance with the danger of being sued

[@rika8484]

We need some Danny merch.

[@brainblaze6526]

Agreed.

[@Xanthelei]

Yeah... Normally I'm with you on your gut reactions to stuff, but I remember when Microsoft got busted for being monopolistic about their software products being force fed to Windows users. I'm with the law on this one, even back then no one should have been forced to use Internet Explorer for more than downloading a better browser, or Outlook at all. Even as a kid I wasn't on Microsoft's side there, lol. I'm fairly certain that Google was basically being extortionist over the Android license too, both in terms of what companies paid them and in what could be pre-installed on the phone as far as competing apps. Both with Microsoft and Google, these actions fell under the antitrust laws put in place to deal with monopolies, which have already proven to be terrible ideas for the general economy and customers, so I'd love to see *more* stuff like that happen. We have some serious monoliths that need to be taken down a few pegs (hello Google and Amazon, how's that master file on my life coming along?). Also, Google Assistant handled your request just fine. Not sayin', just sayin'.

[@brainblaze6526]

Interesting. I was with Microsoft in the 90s.

[@AlphariusXXth]

Tv license? What is that?

[@DarkWolfseternalfire]

Dear gods I've answered this question a lot lol Basically if you watch live TV (or access the bbc streaming service) in the uk you have to pay the government a set amount per year. This funds the bbc and the broadcasting infrastructure as they are both still publically owned. The bbc differs from other state tv in that they have strict impartiality rules and typically go after politicians quite hard no matter what party they are from and typically criticise the sitting government more than the opposition (though they've been pretty awful at this in recent years)

[@brainblaze6526]

I don't know what Simon (Armstrong) is talking about. A TV licence is actually very similar to the idea of the "Licence to Kill" that the double-o agents get in the James Bond franchise. Once you have completed the complex background check and rigorous physical exams, you are given a special ID card which you can use to purchase a television, and because you posses the card, the chance of your television turning against you and your family is way less, as they know that at any moment you can terminate them with no legal repercussions. My Samsung lives in fear.

[@IgabodDobagi]

@@brainblaze6526 lol that's definitely the real answer. At least, I want it to be.

[@DarkWolfseternalfire]

@@brainblaze6526 I wish it was that, I'd get fewer red letters

[@DirgeTV]

Boy do I remember #1. "Dieselgate" was quite damaging for VW, the cheat device was developed by Bosch but they supposedly advised VW to not use it for those purposes if I recall.

[@Memento_Mori_Morals]

It really sucks for people in say like California cause we have super high emission standards for vehicles to pass. (though atm our air has been terrible cause the state's been on fire since like October.)

[@moebiusbedroon4542]

Yeah what is a tv license?? Is that like a cable subscription in the US??

[@Dreamwriter4242]

The UK has a government-run TV station (and radio, website, etc), BBC. A TV license is basically an annual tax to pay for the BBC's content, that is only charged to people who have a TV (you pay less if it's a black and white TV, and nothing if you are 75 years old or older)

[@papa_xan]

@@Dreamwriter4242 Wow, what a load of crap that is! Do you still have commercials on the channels there?

[@ThePoopsmith-12345]

@@jbird4478 US doesn't.

[@GILGAMESH97]

@@ThePoopsmith-12345 Would our public broadcasting not count, for example PBS?

[@papa_xan]

@@jbird4478 I've never been to the UK, so I've had no experience with the BBC. In the US we "pay" by suffering through commercials. We also have public television here, PBS, that is free, and rarely has commercials at all, except for ads for other programs on that station. They do however ask for donations.

[@swankshire6939]

Hey some business care about the environment. The place I work won't put dumpster outside and yell at us if our cars leak in the parking lot. I can't imagine a single way they could do more to help the environment.

[@mybraineatseverything7404]

I've actually seen medication commercials where they don't even tell you what the drug is for! Plus, the list of possible side effects is always at least twice as long as the rest of the advert.

[@garethbaus5471]

And the list of side effects is spoken so quickly it is hard to understand.

[@Memento_Mori_Morals]

@@garethbaus5471 Head On, apply to head... Head on, put on forehead... Head On, can be put directly on head.... and it turns out it's supposed to be for headaches or something, for the longest time I thought it was for acne.

[@benmiller7509]

I love Smallwood

[@marissabones]

What are you doing on Christmas? Me: watching Business Blaze

[@fatcat6984]

Yay Danny’s back! Welcome back Danny missed you lol. Also great script as always and another great video Simon!

[@brainblaze6526]

Thanks :)

[@jwhite3175]

P.S I'M ASKING FROM MERRRRRRICA PHAAAAAAAAA Q

[@michaellouton3870]

Thanks very much for this entertaining and informative, along with comedic elements sprinkled throughout, video. Keep’em coming as y’all’s video are great and awesomely addictive in the best kinda way.

[@brainblaze6526]

Thank you :)

[@zdskillz849]

Can you do HDDVD vs Blu Ray??

[@xwtfbobx697]

Toxic fumes blah blah blah, still less pollution than a Hummer

[@Tfin]

Hummers didn't have to cheat to pass emissions, so....

[@xwtfbobx697]

@@Tfin while I acknowledge that, the primary contributing factor for the entirety of dieselgate was more the deception than the emissions. Even without the software bypassing, real-world exhaust pollution was still significantly lower than the factory Hummers and H2

[@andrewhardiek9017]

Simon why do you keep picking up the clearly empty cup?

[@brainblaze6526]

Just habit. It's half prop, half drink ;)

[@marissabones]

I've actually never gotten a fine. I should have thought

[@brendanchase404]

What on earth is this channel? I have watched tons of Simons videos, and I like the format of the normal videos as he informative and fun. 50% of this content is just horrible to listen to. I hope for this to be more constructive criticism. I have some business too so I was very excited when Simon said he had a business-related channel. Watched the Tescos one too, sad.

[@brainblaze6526]

That's okay. This is a really different style, so of course, I don't expect everyone to like it :). Good news though, I have 6 other channels where I present things in a more straight way :)

[@brendanchase404]

@@brainblaze6526 fair play, good luck

[@vanessakrystal1064]

I find it very entertaining and weird that in most of the videos you're like having a one way conversation with Danny -whom we can't really picture... so it kinda seems you're fighting, agreeing, disagreeing or making fun of a made up person 😂

[@Nobe_Oddy]

WAIT WHAT?!?!?!!? PAY FOR BROADCAST TV???? TV LICENCE??? You ARE JOKING right?!?!?! I have NEVER heard of this, and it is ABSOLUTELY ABSURD!! And you guys STILL have to pay it??!!?!?!? What about cable TV?!? There is NO WAY to detect if you have a TV tuning into broadcast signals, just like a radio... WAIT... Do you have a RADIO LICENCE TOO?!?!?!? THOSE FUCKING IMPERIALIST SWINE!!!!! Your 'highness" my ass!! WTF EUROPE?!?!?! You learn something new everyday I guess. Thank You Business Blaze (the BEST of Simon's Channels) ｡◕‿‿◕｡

[@dstrottman]

When I lived in the UK the TV license was 90 pounds for a black and white tv and 100 pounds for a color tv. This was in the mid 80's. Now being a US service member stationed there, some members brought their TVs from home to watch VHS tapes they bought at the base exchange. US TVs (NTSC) will not play UK broadcasts (PAL) but the TV patrol stopped at their house and fined them for not having a license for the NTSC only TV. The BBC sucks for this. If it was a multi system TV, like what I had, I can expect this, but for a single system TV not compatible with BBC broadcast, that is just theft.

[@jwhite3175]

Wtf is a TV LICENSE

[@TheHoagie13]

*I was on Cymbalta (Duloxetine) between 16-18yrs old.* I had to stop when I enlisted and went through some of the WORST WITHDRAWALS in Basic Training! *I called them "brain-zaps"*

[@Meatsweats_o_O]

now you can get a dieselgate VW (especially if you're in the US and know someone with a car dealer license to buy them at auction) for CHEAP. like a 2015 with 20-30K miles for 8-12 grand. also the Google thing, totally what Amazon does right now if you search for damn near anything. I don't understand how it's legal. fucking monopolies.

[@WesternOutlawPhotos]

Out of all your channels this is my favorite. Keep up the great work.

[@brainblaze6526]

Thank you :)

[@dwarlord3716]

Now that I've seen this video, I have to lookup the u.k. TV license thing. And straight off the cuff, it sounds like you have to pay a yearly fee just to watch public broadcasting channels. Which, should be free, because off things like public safety on a global or national or state scale (i.e. volcanoes, tornadoes, emergence shelter location, aliens attacking, ECT.). Not including the commercials that pay for things At TV stations. Do the u.k. channels have fund drives like the pbs? This fee raises many moral and ethical questions. If you can't beat the 4th estate with propaganda, tax them out of existence!

[@sarahharrison5622]

Hey Simon, love all your channels and I've commented before requested more matter of fact videos for us Americans to know the truth as opposed to the gilded bold faced fibs we're told about our own history. Now I'm actually requesting more videos about Europe, amongst other places as well, but more videos like when you've explained Tesco...because I find myself really wa wanting to know why the f*** you guys need to acquire a TV license to have a TV. It seems a bit bizarre to me but I've got to remind myself that in sure there's an understandable explaination.....so yea this. Thanks and keep it up, you re awesome

[@DFSJR1203]

I had to go threw a US Military Base to get to my job and I received a 300 dollar fine for going 26 MPH in a 25 MPH zone (Base Speed Limit). I had to appear before the federal Magistrate to pay the fine which sucked. Only fine I ever received.

[@marcbeebee6969]

I want to add that many Other manufactures Like Mitsubishi for example was using Volkswagen Diesel engines in their Cars Like the Lancer. That explains the extreme extent and why Other manufactures could Not me Held responsible. BMW and Peugeot where developing theyr Diesel engines together in contrast. Toyota was in the Hybrid Game so They bought theyr Diesel engines from somewhere aswell i think french but cant remember

[@watfordjc]

I used the GDPR/DPA to get the BBC Trust's data controller to accept there exists a legitimate purpose to store my data for longer than 2 years, granting them permission to store my details in TV Licensing's "no licence needed" database for 50 years. TV Licensing haven't written to me for 4 years.

[@lacswe]

The TV licens in Sweden.. During a certain amount of time it was required to pay this fee if you owned any of the following: A TV, a computer, a phone, any kind of phone, tablet or other hardware with a screen.. Yes.. This was actually true.. Funny story, when they called me to ask if I had any of these I said no and the woman calling me then asked if I had a phone which I also said no to.. And she accepted.. Like.. What?! This is the level of the people trying to inforce the TV licens in Sweden.. Buuuut since a year back it's now a manditory tax that every person with an income has to pay, scaling with the persons income.. So instead of one TV licens per household, you now pay per person in the household, oh, and the fee is still the same amount so if you are 2 people in the household, you have to pay double the previous amount... GREAT TIMES! Rant over.

[@bedtimeat8]

I have a friend who was/is part of the Australian legal team of VW. I have a lot of fun giving her shit for being every bad stereotype of a lawyer. VW was just fined (20 dec 2019) $125 million AUD.

[@jamessutton3461]

I'm Canadian. I had to Google what a TV license is. Apparently it applies to anything a video could be viewed on. What sort of bullshit it this? How does the government justify charging a fee for something they are in no way involved with? If I'm watching a KZbin video, on my phone, delivered to me by my cell phone service provider, by what right would the government demand the equivalent of a few hundred dollars for me using my own electronics? I really want to know the justification for this.

[@Devadas44]

New videoes 3 times a week, 52 weeks in a year. this video is 4 years old. that is 156 vidoes a year, and 624 videoes since. Not counting holidays and sickness... this is a factboi not knowing COVID-19 is about about to strike.

[@KelticTim]

Oh Simon, you know they have those super secret vans that drive around search......dammit you just brought up Smallpeckers video. I highly recommend ppl go watch it, but smash the dislike button, he abandoned Simon, and his channel.....not so great.

[@MrFmiller]

Sounds like a good scam to me: Do you own a TV? I’m from the Federal Television Tax Bureau. You will be fined a million dollars unless you provide me with a McDonalds gift card number and secret code. Don’t hang up!!!

[@YeeSoest]

Many places don't have TV licenses but instead fees that support their public TV and infrastructure. Either way, if you want to have good, neutral, well made public TV, someone has to pay for it. I know americans won't get why TV isn't just free everywhere, but here it is in simple terms: Imagine a tv channel that was by law required to hide any bias and report in a neutral and uncorrupted way, especially about the government. Imagine what they would say right now...

[@januszkurahenowski2860]

We have a TV licence equivalent in Poland, but I think they will just make it free (paid by our taxes unfortunately) since nobody pays it anyway. In the UK you at least get some value with the bbc channels, and we basically get the governmental propaganda of success. It's kind of weird that it is actually kind of enforced in the uk, with people asking to see if you have a TV in your house.

[@mbainrot]

It's funny with the TV licensing, Gough Witlam was the PM that abolished it in Australia in 1974. He was also the first prime minister to be dismissed by the govt general not but a year later after the abolishment of tv licensing due to a parliemental deadlock that meant funding to govt agencies got frozen (sound familiar friends in the US? :) )

[@gslim7337]

I would suggest to those Australians in the comment sections that are doing the "WTF is this TV Licence stuff about Huh??!!" to remember that Australia once had both TV and Radio licences. www.nfsa.gov.au/latest/radio-and-tv-licences They were abolished around 1974 by the Whitlam Government. We still remember the PMG man coming around checking licences. He would say that they could tell we had a TV by the aerial on the roof. It made my father laugh. Back in Holland the local council would send a letter telling you that your licence was due. In the letter they would spell out how many TVs you had, what the model and serial numbers were of each, when you bought them, which shop you bought them from and how much you paid for each. He said that was what he loved about Australia. The only way someone knows that you have a TV is to look at your house and check if you had an aerial. I asked him why he though our system was better. "During the war the German would grab the records from the town hall knowing that those records listed exactly how many Jews there were and where to find them. Holland made it so easy"

[@duanesamuelson2256]

Android is an open source platform which Google used to create Google Android (ASOP..android open source project). It was led by Google but as open source not owned by Google. A quick search will turn up other flavors of Android.

[@ashleymarie6682]

TV license??? Wtf? You have to pay to own a tv??? That’s ignorant. It’s your private life. The no person should EVER pay to watch tv. That’s like asking someone to pay to read a book, or pay to have a stove or a microwave or to cook in your own home. And on top of that local channels (which include weather and current events) are free and should never be denied based on inability to buy a license. How dumb is that. Wow. Im glad i live in America. I can watch free tv and go to the doctor when i say.

[@thatkidmorganmariah]

wait... whats a tv license? like you pay for a tv, you pay for tv programming (cable/satellite/etc) and then you ALSO pay to use those things together?? i dont understand.

[@BronxBastard730]

Heys Simon "Volkswagen" is properly pronounced "FolksVaagen" or "Planet killer" depending if you ask a german or greta thunberg ...

[@AmericanBaker]

There's a TV fee in Germany, too, although it also includes radios and costs about 50€ a quarter.

[@luciiidnights]

I suggest talking to Legal eagle about if the businesses can actually sue you😆 great content by the way! I love me a VW roast 😂

[@ZeldaboyOG]

Holy crap. Going for the comment hat trick. That's a sports thing right? I am American and I was forced to take Paxil and Wellbutrin as a child from 2001 to 2002.

[@IlluminatiBG]

Is this actually works? For Google, it kind of it did. For EU zone Google shopping results are based on bidding over multiple providers, one of which is Google. And it also applies to EU only, as it is obvoius that the change is not driven by fairness, but by the prospect of losing money.

[@natetheshocker7547]

Simon, help me out here. A T.V. License? Is this a license to own and operate a T.V. in your own home? What in the actual fuck are you talking about? I know I'm American and uncultured, but this sounds like the premise for an episode of The Twilight Zone!

[@SplotchTheCatThing]

Can't quite believe I'm saying this, but honestly I agree with Simon on the whole Google thing... it's their search engine and if they want to ruin it for everyone else that's their business. As it is, I remember when those ads would show up on google searches and, yeah, it was a little bit annoying, but I could work around it, and I don't think "a little bit annoying" is worth two and a half billion dollars... Maybe there's something I'm not seeing. I wouldn't be entirely surprised if some folks weren't tech-savvy enough to work around the annoyance that well, but I still can't imagine that they'd have no other option but to buy from Google when they didn't want to.

[@SaguaroBlossom]

On your last story you missed the chance to show the clip of the BP CEO complaining "There's no one who wants this thing over more than I do. I'd like my life back." Yeah dude. So would a dozen dead employees, all the dead sea life, and the thousands of people whose homes and livelihoods you destroyed, while you still have a job and giant pristine home to return to.

[@misschief4283]

Android is an open source OS based on the Linux OS, technically it is distributed under the Apache Licence... which allows users to use the software for any purpose, to distribute it, to modify it, and to distribute modified versions of the software under the terms of the license, without concern for royalties. So yeah Google can't really tell people what they can and can't do with Android ;)

[@chrisstoner15]

Never paid for a TV licence, never use live broadcast TV services or BBC iPlayer. Had them at the door, showed them around and they left, but not before trying to convince me that I still needed a licence. Cue a court order several weeks later, attended-explained situation to the judge, judge laughed it out of court-no fine.

[@ericstamps4717]

i was prescribed Paxil at 15 for depression. Ended up depressed because erections became painful for weeks after I stopped taking it. Not a good time. Definitely bad this was pushed on anyone, especially underaged people by GSK.

[@caninedrill_instructor5861]

Mr. Whistler & Danny, The fine assessed against BP was ordered by a judge, not the U.S.D.O.J.. The D.O.J. acted as the prosecutors in the case.

[@route2070]

Ah yes the good times, where the phrase of "with everything going on" isn't the known way of saying "due to the fucking pandemic" in a professional way, as this was the last Blaze before 2020.