Slashdot Mirror


RIAA/MPAA vs. xMule Author, EarthStation 5

Two bits of news in the ongoing battle between the RIAA/MPAA and the rest of the internet: One P2P company, apparently based in Palestine, has thrown down the gauntlet to the movie industry. Meanwhile, a developer of another P2P tool who unwisely chose to live in the USA has been shut down (mirror) by the RIAA.

12 of 1,107 comments (clear)

  1. Not that it needs to be said, but by InterruptDescriptorT · · Score: 5, Insightful

    this is getting fucking ridiculous.

    It saddens me as a developer that you can't even deign to write a P2P add without the assumption that it will be used for sharing copyrighted materials and thus shut down by the RIAA/MPAA. It's really amazing to see what lengths these bastards will go to to protect their industry after a major, earth-shattering shift in their profit model.

    I urge everyone reading this to be very diligent in your boycott of buying new music or going to see movies. I haven't bought a CD in 22 months and haven't seen a movie since (believe it or not) 1999. You can't cheat and plead, just one movie! It's the Matrix! I have to see it. Nothing but the bottom line is going to get through to these people. If these folks don't get the message and soon, you may find yourself asking for permission to write anything on your machine that moves bits around.

    --
    Karma: Excellent Birds (mostly as a result of listening to Laurie Anderson)
    1. Re:Not that it needs to be said, but by varith · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The problem is that the entertainment industry is using dropping revenue as proof that they need to implement tighter controls to prevent file sharing. So any boycott may be backfiring!

    2. Re:Not that it needs to be said, but by TopShelf · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The whole second-hand thing could be a good option. If you buy a used CD/DVD, that doesn't send anything to the RIAA/MPAA, right?

      Back in college, I had good success buying used CD's. If I recall correctly, only once did I have a problem with skips, and the store gave me a refund right away.

      --
      Stop by my site where I write about ERP systems & more
    3. Re:Not that it needs to be said, but by operagost · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Now I understand the mindset of Arab Muslim terrorists, who think it's okay to kill innocent people because they're part of the evil Zionist system.

      --

      Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
  2. Extracts from ES5 press release by borgdows · · Score: 5, Insightful

    (...) Earthstation 5 is at war with the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and the Record Association of America (RIAA), and to make our point very clear that their governing laws and policys have absolutely no meaning to us here in Palestine, we will continue to add even more movies for FREE.
    (...)
    ES5 (http://www.es5 .com) does not require any signups, registration, credit cards and/or any other personal information to watch the first rate streamed movies like TERMINATOR 3, BRUCE ALMIGHTY, MATRIX RELOADED, etc. Our secure software protect our users who use our P2P application and there is nothing that you can do to stop us, says Ras Kabir, president of Earthstation 5 (http:/www.earthstation5 .com).
    (...)
    Ras Kabir's warning to the RIAA and the MPAA, "The next revolution in P2P file sharing is upon you. Resistance is futile and we are now in control".

    OMG! It's what I call a man who has BALLS!!

  3. Re:Full text of article by darkov · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I intend to flee if you try to arrest me.

    Not quite, I think he is saying that he has to relocate to continue his work. Let's face it. The US is a pretty fucked place to live unless you're rich and have several lobbyists on the payroll.

  4. Re:It's Idiotic. by Hatta · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You have the right to do anything you want until the state takes that right away. The ES5 live in a country where american copyright is not recognized. You may argue that what they are doing is unethical. You might have a point, law does not dictate morality.

    Now users of this software may be be breaking the law, but I would argue that they are doing nothing unethical. After all law does not dictate morality.

    --
    Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
  5. Re:Precedent against this sort of suit by Rogerborg · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Sure, we should make guns illegal to ensure that only criminals have them.

    --
    If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
  6. Re:You forgot something... by Xerithane · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I don't agree with the Palestinian suicide bombings, but all the evidence that I've seen suggests that Israel poses a far more immediate threat to most Palestinians than Iraq ever posed to the US; so if we're going to complain about killing civilians, let's start at home.

    I'm pretty sure that Israelis wouldn't fuck with anybody if people stopped blowing them up. I've never lived there, but talked to quite a few people who have, and have family members and that seems to be a general consensus amongst them.

    That should be their new slogan, "Stop blowing us up and we'll stop taking your land."

    --
    Dacels Jewelers can't be trusted.
  7. Don't buy in to it by nahdude812 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    As loudly as they proclaim, "Get your Illegal Warez here, we will protect you, we got nothing but illegal sutff," I don't trust them to not be a trap for users. Think about it, RIAA/MPAA set this up, make it super duper abundantly clear that the only purpose here is to be illegal, they score a two fold victory: first their case is strengthened against P2P in general, and second, they eventually sue said company and in an "out of court agreement" come away with complete logs of who did what on the network. Now they get to really sue those people, and their case is all the stronger, "More people watched Terminator 3 on the net than went to see it in theatres!"

  8. A thought.. by Awptimus+Prime · · Score: 4, Insightful


    Isn't it amazing how something so unimportant as a few studios that produce screen plays and music can drastically change the laws in a huge country full of freedom loving (wanting) people?

    The RIAA and MPAA members wealthy off our dollar. Please don't spend more money with these people unless you don't mind kissing more freedoms goodbye.

  9. Ah..but in 1983 you would have paid a fair price! by Newer+Guy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    See, in 1983, before CD's came out, LP albums cost about $6.98, and tapes about the same. Then CD's came out, costing TEN DOLLARS MORE! The industry's excuse was that CD's cost more to make, "better sound forever", and other rubbish. Now we know these all were lies. CD's now cost about 1/10th as much to press as records cost at their cheapest (and I'm speaking 2003 dollars here which are worth about half of 1983 ones). CD's STILL cost almost 20 bucks apiece. The record companies' excuse is that inflation has finally caught up, which is more bullshit. In essence, they TRIPLED the price of CD's over LP's, got rid of LP's (to remove choice), got rid of singles (to make sure that you HAD to pay $17.98 to get the ONE song you liked), raped the consumer for over 20 years, formed cartels (which would have been illegal in 1983!) and now when the consumer finally has the ability to fight back they respond by bribing our lawmakers to maintain the status quo by passing the DMCA, throwing the Constitution out the window in the process. Yep..sure sounds like an upstanding business model and a fair deal for the consumer, huh?