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Round Two for MPAA Lawsuits

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the stuff-to-read dept.

An anonymous reader writes "CNET is reporting that the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has filed a second round of lawsuits against individuals trading movie files. This follows the lobby's legal attacks on BitTorrent servers a few weeks back. A couple of commentaries on this latest legal barrage can already be found here and here."

7 of 525 comments (clear)

  1. Re:For parents? by AviLazar · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Don't worry this software is purely to help parents ensure their little kids are not growing up to be criminals...it won't be used by the MPAA at all to track those computers and send the info to the MPAA.

    Between that and the fact the parents may not know how to utilize the software I am sure it will be great SuckCess.

    I am waiting for the time comes when i purchase a movie, place it in my dvd player (flash upgrade) or in my computer and it will auto-install tracking software.

    --

    I mod down so you can mod up. Your welcome.
  2. Round Two! Fight! by Mitaphane · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Until the MPAA starts cracking down people actually selling their wares instead of people downloading them for free they will not get a tear of sympathy from me. Seriously, I don't understand it. When I was NYC, street vendors make no attempt to hide the fact they are selling pirated goods. Why isn't the MPAA cracking down on them instead of college kids that have nothing better to do with their bandwidth than download DiVX ripped movies?

    --
    -Shawn "If the Name Don't Rhyme It Ain't Mine" Conn
    1. Re:Round Two! Fight! by saddino · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Why isn't the MPAA cracking down on them instead of college kids that have nothing better to do with their bandwidth than download DiVX ripped movies?

      Because:

      1) The number of people who buy videos from street vendors is likely miniscule compared to the number of people who are already downloading ripped movies; and

      2) The quality of videos from street vendors is notoriously unwatchable; and

      3) The "college kids" that are downloading ripped movies are precisely the demographic that the movie industry depends on for generating theater revenue. If it becomes as popular as MP3 sharing, they're going to lose $, hence sue now before it becomes a major problem.

    2. Re:Round Two! Fight! by Eskimore_ · · Score: 5, Insightful
      The "college kids" that are downloading ripped movies are precisely the demographic that the movie industry depends on for generating theater revenue. If it becomes as popular as MP3 sharing, they're going to lose $, hence sue now before it becomes a major problem.

      I disagree with that. Although it is logical it isn't what is actually happening. In actuality the revenue streams of the music industry are not suffering. As proof I offer this article that shows that even though piracy is increasing SO ARE LEGIT CD SALES.

      It's not the actuall loss of sales that is affecting the content industry. It's the threat of lost control.

      You have to realize that it's not the artists that are freaking out here, it's the content distribution companies, who by the way keep the bulk of the profits made from sales. You see, before the Internet they had a lot of control over the end user experience. Now that control is slipping away. In fact, I would say that the internet will almost completely dissolve the RIAA/MPAA business model in the next few decades.

      But they want YOU to think the issue is lost revenue due to pirating. But it's not. It's potential future revenue loss for the distribution companies who, by the way, have reisited every major technological change in the history of the industrial revolution, even though time and again those changes made them richer. They're just plain short sighted.

    3. Re:Round Two! Fight! by j-turkey · · Score: 4, Insightful
      and as far as i know, RIAA has never sued downloaders. they sue uploaders/distributers.

      With BitTorrent, everybody who downloads is an uploader/distributor (unless of course, you're only counting people who seed).

      --

      -Turkey

  3. Better than a program to track P2P apps... by hal2814 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...would be the parents monitor what software little Johnny is installing on the computer and to ask what that software does (with demonstration of course). I know if I see icons pop up on the family computer desktop or start menu, I tend to ask the family who installed it and what it does.

  4. Re:Absurd! by grumpygrodyguy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What is this country coming to?

    It's coming to citizens having to personally reclaim their rights from corrupt lawmakers.

    --
    The government has a defect: it's potentially democratic. Corporations have no defect: they're pure tyrannies. -Chomsky