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Grokster Shutting Down?

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the evil-is-as-evil-does dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Yahoo news is reporting that Grokster is shutting down. In a settlement with Hollywood and the music industry Grokster will be permanently banned from 'participating directly or indirectly in the theft of copyrighted files and requires the company to stop giving away its software.'" A continuation on their deal with Mashboxx, or the end of grokster entirely?

11 of 302 comments (clear)

  1. Propaganda from the AP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful
    The article begins, "Grokster Ltd., a leading developer of Internet file-sharing software popular for stealing songs and movies online,"

    Uh, wait, I thought file-sharing technology was used for a variety of things. Yeah, it's mostly file-swapping of copyrighted material, but hardly the only use. According to the AP, let's just ignore the legal uses entirely and pretend that the whole purpose of this technology was to steal.

    1. Re:Propaganda from the AP by ydra2 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      "then I had something as simple as my taillights on my truck stolen, and realized how crappy it feels."

      I remember how awful it was when somebody stole my headlight. I was in the car out in the parking lot one cold night, just letting the engine warm up when some nasty thief came up and used my headlight to check something in his wallet. Damned thieves have no right to steal my light!

  2. Temporary Victory by mysqlrocks · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "This is a chapter that ends on a high note for the recording industry, the tech community and music fans and consumers everywhere," said Mitch Bainwol, head of the Recording Industry Association of America.

    This is a temporary victory only for the RIAA. They can't change the fact that their business model is becoming obsolete.

    --
    Bradley Holt
  3. The tech community???? by technoextreme · · Score: 4, Insightful
    "This is a chapter that ends on a high note for the recording industry, the tech community and music fans and consumers everywhere," said Mitch Bainwol, head of the Recording Industry Association of America.

    Cue the almost unanimous outcry about how this guy is not speaking for us.
    --
    Ooo man the floppy drive is broken. No wait. The computer is just upside down.
  4. I'm curious... by skelly33 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    as to what other kinds of software might be construed as having a hand "directly, or indirectly" in piracy and is subject to being shut down? Apache HTTP server? Outlook Email? Mozilla Firefox? "The Internet"?

    It seems you just can't fight corporate giants with billion dollar legal power...

  5. Napster... by Chickenofbristol55 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    They'll probably be back, but you'll have to pay for the service.

    --
    public class null extends java applet { System.out.print ("Tabula Rasa"); }
  6. Not a big loss, really. by Red+Samurai · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Grokster was never really that popular anyway. Anyway, they can shut down whatever network they want, and they can arrest anyone they want, but they'll never kill P2P off. As long as pirates exist, P2P will exist. It's a fact.

  7. Uh-oh... bad wording choice there, Mr. AP by Red+Flayer · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "Grokster Ltd., a leading developer of Internet file-sharing software popular for stealing songs and movies online, agreed Monday to shut down operations...
    ... bans Grokster from participating directly or indirectly in the theft of copyrighted files..."

    Righteous anger its-not-theft-there's-no-deprivation-of-property flamewar to begin in 3... 2... 1...

    Seriously, though, if you want a certain company's product, pay for it. If you wouldn't pay $0.01 for it, then why bother downloading it at all?

    And just to forestall the inevitable, NO, I DON'T WORK FOR THE RECORDING INDUSTRY. I just believe that if you don';t think a product is worth the price offered, then you shouldn't buy the product... nor should you look to the black market for the product. Do without, it won;t kill you. And by not pirating the product, you won't help drive the *AA's assertions that they are losing a ton of cash to piracy.

    --
    "Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
  8. Article Says BitTorrent is a Service by putko · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The article says "BitTorrent" is a service.

    Is this true? I thought it was a file transfer protocol.

    --
    http://www.thebricktestament.com/the_law/when_to_s tone_your_children/dt21_18a.html
  9. Timeline: by voice_of_all_reason · · Score: 5, Insightful

    1990: We'll add passwords for computer games. Piracy "stopped."
    1995: We'll copy-protect audio CDs. Piracy "stopped."
    1997: We'll copy-protect DVDs. Piracy "stopped."
    2001: We'll shut Napster down. Piracy "stopped."
    2002: We'll shut Kazaa down. Piracy "stopped."
    2005: We'll shut Grokster down. Piracy...

  10. Re:Historical Precedent when Xerox was Outlawed by ScentCone · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Back in the mid-twentieth century, a company called Xerox was producing a machine which could be used to illegally copy copyrighted materials in books.

    Sarcasm is a more useful rhetorical device when the truth that it (directly or indirectly) points out resonates with the sarcastic statement being made. But since Xerox didn't ever position its products as a way to "get free stuff" or spread around copyrighted works by the millions, their equipment's use in copyright infringement was despite their corporate position and publicly proclaimed admonishments. The P2P services that have found themselves in trouble have been loudly supporting piracy since the get-go. Intent is the difference, and lack of it makes your example fall flat. Maybe more fun to allude to old-style forgeries, counterfeiters, or all those other classical (and already blatantly understood as illegal) methods to make your point. Um, except the point wouldn't mean as much.

    --
    Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.