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The Pirate Bay Founders Go Legit With BayFiles
An anonymous reader writes "The founders of The Pirate Bay, possibly the best-known BitTorrent tracking service in existence, are going legit with a new file-sharing site which they claim will adhere to all copyright rules and takedown requests. BayFiles, as the new service is named, isn't BitTorrent powered. Instead, the site borrows its method of operation from the likes of Megaupload and RapidShare: a user selects a file and uploads it to the site via their web browser, after which it becomes available for anyone to download, assuming they have the link."
So, basically, if the copyright holder complains, the file will be removed. But, if Rapidshare et al. are any instance, it'll promptly be reuploaded under a different name. Encrypted and password locked so the RIAA won't know it's there unless they manually go out and search all the sites linking to it. Or, in other words, it's just as "legitimate" (I honestly think it is legitimate) as TPB is, just with better ass-coverage, more work required on the part of the copyright cartels, and less chance of downloaders being traced. Perfectly legally, of course.
"None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license." --John Milton
Here's what I got from the article. It's registered in South America from Hong Kong company. Once you upload a file, you get a link but there is no way to search across uploaded files. So basically you can share that link out with only your close friends and no one else could possibly know about it and there was no mention of Bayfiles inspecting or fingerprinting these files actively -- only when issued a DMCA from a copyright holder.
I'm guessing their DMCA officers just wait for requests and then investigate the files and then delete them. Are there even any negative repercussions for the offending uploader? If so, just do it anonymously.
Sure, it's not possible for everybody to come and get whatever they want but it's quite simple for me to upload a few albums and sent the links over to my friends to get a zip download.
How is the RIAA (or anybody else) supposed to find files on here that violate their copyright? Sure, you can't post your link in a forum that will be found via Google but for close knit meshes of sharers, this is a dream come true (just like Usenet or even the Dropbox accounts my friends share).
My work here is dung.
Nap... whatnow?
Face it, no filesharing service survives "going legit".
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Nah, that's the protocol. The method is GET.
Which no one will use.
People (legitimate uploads at least) put their files on Pirate Bay because it offloads the server work and increases their customer base. Almost like free advertising for their software. You go to TPB, see what files are popular and download them. You might download software you could never have heard of since you have no other contact with that company. Can't go download something from a website you never heard of. And since it was torrents, popular files you could get in no time vs going to the company's main website for a direct download which could take way longer if they didn't invest in their servers/connections. Going rapidshare style almost blows the whole point of going to TPB.
Just that instead of torrents they use filesharing. I wonder why. Would have been interesting to have a torrent site which lets you share your own files without any problems.
Why? Because with BayFiles they will make money off the files being shared. Simple. But of course that is not their true intent. Truly they just believe there is the need of, yet, another file sharing service, because the hundreds that exist just aren't good enough :)
I'd say most of those hundreds really aren't good enough.
True confidence comes not from realising you are as good as your peers, but that your peers are as bad as you are.
Never used it for my uploads. Is it as simple as uploading the file and getting a link to share with your buddies?
For a start you'd probably have to seed it, so not really the same thing.
Nap... whatnow?
Face it, no filesharing service survives "going legit".
Napster was that company founded by Justin Timberlake
so really, you don't want a torrent site at all..
http://www.accountkiller.com/removal-requested
Then I shall have to make a webcrawler for it, and I shall have to call it BayWatch. Surely that name is available?
I do not respond to cowards. Especially anonymous ones.
I remember, from when the relaunched Napster legal-download site was closed down. Taking with it the DRM licence servers, and thus destroying the music collections of all those who had purchased music from the service. I remember, because that was when I felt the feeling of smug 'I told you this would happen' satisfaction.
What purpose does this serve that Amazon S3 doesnt ? Is it the "free" part or is there a category/search/index to help find your "legitimate" files ? Amazon S3 even supports torrents. No takedowns required. Push files, make them public. Sit back. Oh you pay some $ ... but very little.
Cosigned. If I have to twiddle thumbs at another jinkety-ass homescript "countdown before I'll give you your download link" page I'm going to gore myself to death with a Jolt can.
DRM: Terminator crops for your mind!