The RIAA and MPAA Target Day-Job Downloaders

BrianUofR points to this USA Today article, which says "the Recording Industry Association of America and the Motion Picture Association of America are sending a six-page brochure this week to Fortune 1000 corporations with suggested policies -- including a sample memo to workers warning them against using company computers to download songs and movies."

Comments

at work?

[astrashe]

I wouldn't want people I was managing screwing around with p2p software at work.

For managers, this is going to be a no-brainer.

Re:at work?

[NetJunkie]

Please explain hos this means treating employees like kids? There is no reason for an employee to be using a P2P app at work. I don't care if you own the CD you're downloading, rip your own at home and bring it in.

P2P apps should be banned just for the security problems alone...not even considering legal liability of the company.

Grow up. Get a real job.

Re:at work?

[Anonymous Coward]

There's something to be said for moral. Most techies intermix their day between doing solid 100% and doing solid 100% play and doing a mix of both for part of the day. It's only reasonable that we bring some of our play to work since most of us TAKE OUR WORK HOME.

Fortunately, my employer has me work from my house a couple thousand miles away and I use my own machines and bandwidth in my boxers in my den - so what I do *really* doesn't matter to anyone.

Re:at work?

[NetJunkie]

The problem is legal liability. If I know my employees download this stuff and don't do anything then the company can be liable. I'm not going to get in trouble and possibly fired so people I manage can warez Britney Spears.

Re:at work?

[Anonvmous Coward]

"Yeah, managers who think that their employees should be treated like school-children."

Who says it's about treating coworkers like 'school-children'?

I'm a sysadmin for a small company. I used Kazaa at home quite a bit. I'm against the RIAA's stance on P2P. Despite all that, I don't want it used at work, and I will (and have) told people to remove it. Not because I'm an asshole or because I wanted to use my 'power'. I did it to make sure that my company doesn't invent mindless policies as a result of problems that arise from it. If the net connection gets bogged down and it's traced back to P2P usage, then my company will respond with a strict internet policy. That would suck because my company has a "It's only a problem when it's actually a problem" stance on things like that.

The dude you just got shitty with is right. Don't put businensses into a position where they WILL have to create policy. Especially when it is completely unnecessary.

Good For Them

[Pave Low]

What the fuck does this have to do with my rights online?? My "rights" in the workplace are limited all the time at work.

My company has blocked access to p2p applications, all sorts of website, and limit my access to my PC. Should I be crying about my rights being violated?

Where is it part of my rights that I can illegaly download music at my desk, thereby wasting bandwidth and company time?

Re:do you wanna bet...

[The Man]

I'm a network admin, not a manager, and I'm happy to have something like this to give my boss to hand out. I'm neither for nor against the "free everything" mentality - I consider each person who produces something to have the right to distribute it under whatever terms he or she sees fit. Personally I distribute my work freely, and encourage others to do the same; not everyone chooses to do so. But regardless of your beliefs about the RIAA (evil) or the MPAA (evil) or whether you should be permitted to steal their property (you shouldn't), using your employer's property for personal purposes is always wrong. Viewing free porn is not illegal, but unless that is your job, doing so with your company's systems and networks almost certainly goes against both professional ethics and your employment agreement or contract. Therefore you should not do that. The same argument goes for downloading or viewing or listening to non-work-related material - if you're using company property to do it, you are in the wrong. Whether the material is legal or illegal, copyrighted or public domain, offensive, harmless, or valuable is irrelevant. Do it at home, not at work.

So I'm happy to have someone giving ammunition to help put these slackers out of business. The company doesn't need them, and they waste the resources for which I am responsible. Whether they are canned because the CEO worries over his company's legitimate potential liability to the evil conglomerates or because these people are being paid to work and are goofing off instead, means nothing to me. They are abusing company property for personal gain and should be fired. A warning letter like this is a valuable policy tool. That I personally do not care for the conglomerates' heavy-handed tactics does nothing to lessen the validity of their fundamental argument, and does nothing to diminish the value of a document issued by Legal telling slackers to knock off the network abuse.

Your use of Kazaa to steal from those who purchased the musicians is for any reasonable person equal to Microsoft including linux/sched.c in the next version of Windows or to that scruffy-looking man outside stealing my car. All three hypothetical offenders are taking from others without permission. A pity they don't hang cattle rustlers any longer.

Not children - Adults.

[nlinecomputers]

I happen to be a business owner.

MY bandwidth and My PCs are just that - MINE.

Don't like it. Don't work for me.

Maybe I don't want to be sued just because you are a thief. Personlly I think most of the IP laws are crap but that doesn't mean that I desire(or have the money) to be the fucking test case just because you are NOT adult enough to *gasp* ask my permission before you put MY company at risk.

So after I fire your ass I'll have your ass arrested for theft of MY bandwidth and MY storage space.

Is THAT adult enough? You self-centered little troll.

I sorry that you think that putting the rules down in writting is a "childish" act. It isn't. It is what adults do. Adults don't assume what others should know or expect. They explain out in front what is and isn't expected. Why? Because some people like yourself will assume that employment GIVES them the right to do it. It doesn't. Only if the employer is willing to allow it. And if he is then he should put THAT in writting too.

Re:do you wanna bet...

[Peterus7]

And the RIAA is still up to it's same old empty threats and unjust lawsuits.

What I don't get is how the RIAA plans to enforce this... Unless they for a RIAA gestapo, or something like it. Or put spyware on corporations, which would get them in even more trouble. So there's really nothing they can do about it. Except spew the same old BS they've been spewing, and of course that type of stuff sells on slashdot, lol...

Why is The Man trying to keep me down??

[sawilson]

But Seriously, I agree with most of what The Man
has to say from a purely (owning the network
and having to deal with all the bullshit)
perspective. I'm all for anything that's going
to mean that I don't have to waste a considerable
amount of time writting/revamping scripts to look
for the latest file sharing software. A few places
I've been already have strong stances on this stuff
because it costs a company a SHITLOAD of money for
bandwidth to support the 15 girls in customer
service, 10 guys in tech support, and ALL the guys
in admin that are downloading 30 gigs of movies,
mp3s, and warez a day. My opinion is, what happens
out of work is out of work. Do that shit at home.
Hell, I don't care if you bring a cd you burned
at home to work with your 200 alan jackson songs
on it. Just don't create work and trouble for me.
Stick to playing solitaire and minesweeper and all
the other important things you do on your wintel
machines. Save the bandwidth for important things
like first person shooters.

Yes, and?

[Duncan3]

Well, you are stealing their shit. And it is shit, least-common denominator teenie-bopper crap.

Maybe if people would get off their asses and explore the net for local bands they can go watch live, 99% of which will give you their mp3's online so you'll come see the shows.

No artist has ever made a cent off record sales, they make it from CONCERTS. So stop feeding the beast, and feed the artists. Go see something local, buy the Tshirt and CD at the concert if you must.

Stop all your damn whining about how people get mad when you steal their shit. You have two options, but you have to vote by spending your money. Stealing or bitching about it are both not voting at all.

Re:do you wanna bet...

[Nugget]

Would you stop the guy outside from taking a picture of your car?

Would you try to stop Microsoft from using GPL'd code in a closed-source product? After all, if someone uses GPL'd code in a closed-source product it's just a copy.