MediaFire CEO: We Don't Depend On Piracy

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MediaFire CEO: We Don't Depend On Piracy

Posted by Soulskill on Monday January 23, 2012 @06:41AM from the everyone's-entitled-to-an-opinion dept.

New submitter libertyernie writes "Although FileSonic has disabled sharing and Uploaded.to has blocked access to the U.S., the CEO of Texas-based MediaFire is not concerned about government action against his company. 'We don't have a business built on copyright infringement,' says Derek Labian. 'Like many other cloud-based sharing services like Box.net and Dropbox, we're a legitimate business targeting professionals.'"

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Maybe Should Have Went with "No Statement" by eldavojohn · 2012-01-23 06:42 · Score: 5, Insightful

"We try to steer clear of things that would attract scrutiny," Labian said. "If people are pirating on our service, we don’t want those people to use it."
So what you're openly admitting is that you just don't know the extent of piracy on your service? I probably would have said "no comment" rather than risk the Eye of Sauron ... er RIAA/MPAA's gaze. From what I gather, it could 0% it could be 100% of your service based on pirates sharing files with each other but since you don't know it's okay? Unless you have some sort of Youtube-like fingerprinting going on, I'd just keep your mouth shut.

Another reason Labian said he wasn’t worried about the government stepping in is because the company maintains a "good relationship" with various government bodies, including "Homeland Security, ICE, and the FBI."

Right but those are just the enforcers, your real problem is the MPAA and unless you're paying elected officials more than they are you could be next.

--
My work here is dung.
1. Re:Maybe Should Have Went with "No Statement" by SuperKendall · 2012-01-23 06:48 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  So what you're openly admitting is that you just don't know the extent of piracy on your service?
  Yes, so they can claim common carrier status... seems pretty smart to me. If you have any idea at all, you are screwed.
  Right but those are just the enforcers, your real problem is the MPAA
  As long as they respond to take-down notices and do not ACTIVELY seek traffic based on piracy as MegaUpload did (judging by emails they had to turn over) they, and companies like DropBox, should be fine.
  
  --
  "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
2. Re:Maybe Should Have Went with "No Statement" by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-23 06:51 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  All we can say for certain is that every pirate starts with Google.
  Also I'm bored with all this MPAA/RIAA demonising. It's obvious that all this is just an excuse for top-down control of the Internet, one of many recent laws designed to control the people. Your "real problem" starts when you do things which increase freedom for others and your "real problem" ends when you do as you're told. This changes according as the pressure from people interested in preserving freedoms for the common man, whether that's libertarians or trade unionists - since the '80s the steady flow of neocon propaganda plus distraction technology has minimised this pressure. The UK is more thatcherite than Thatcher; the US more reaganite than Reagan - remember, individualism always leads to consolidation of power which leads to removal of assistance and restriction of freedom.
3. Re:Maybe Should Have Went with "No Statement" by project5117 · 2012-01-23 07:22 · Score: 2
  
  Very cool. And thanks for chiming in.
  Are you confident that in -every- case you considered infringing the content was not authorized by the copyright holder? Sometimes it is difficult to say from the downloading side of things; I recall that some of Trent Reznor's fans got approached by his previous record company for leaks which he personally authorized (to promote Year Zero? If you're interested I can look for some references for you).
4. Re:Maybe Should Have Went with "No Statement" by makomk · 2012-01-23 07:37 · Score: 2
  
  MediaFire claim to delete encrypted files unless you're on one of their paid plans on the assumption that you're probably hiding pirated content in there. Expect other providers to follow suit.
5. Re:Maybe Should Have Went with "No Statement" by Kjella · 2012-01-23 07:37 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  The problem is that it's like selling knives to people and the most common thing people do is stab each other with them. You can try keeping up appearances and say we're only selling a tool, but sooner or later someone on your staff is going to crack and say "Yes, our tool is used for stabbing. You know it, I know it, we all know it's the 800lb gorilla in the room we can't talk about." Even if you're legitimately trying to minimize the illegal potential, admitting that your awkward stabbing weapon still could be used for stabbing is an admission. And that you didn't sell an even duller knife even though it'd be useless as a knife too, you are still saying you didn't do everything you could to stop stabbers. In short, you can't talk about them. I guarantee that if you do, their lawyers will find more than enough rope to hang you with when things are taken out of context and interpreted in the most cynical way.
  
  --
  Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
6. Re:Maybe Should Have Went with "No Statement" by fish_in_the_c · 2012-01-23 07:59 · Score: 2
  
  Don't most people use knives to eat food with?
  Gun's would make a better analogy. Their are some types of Guns that are illegal, ( automatic weapons) because it is almost impossible to use them for legal purposes ( other then perhaps target practice if you are someone who enjoys that kind of thing) . But just because something MIGHT be used in an illegal fashion is not justification for preventing it's reasonable legal use.
  on the flip side of the argument there are lagitimate legal uses of all kinds of banned weapons.
  Target practice is one of them, private security is another, so you have to ask why are they illegal, why not allow the sail of ak47 and anti-aircraft missiles to those could make a profit by having people pay them to do target practice is some empty dessert?
  I think part of the answer is the level of possible harm vs good done.
  A Handgun _might_ kill 1 person , but an anti-aircraft weapon _might_ kill hundreds i one shot not to mention destroy the perception of safety of flight in the whole country.
  I'm not sure if that extends to copyright or not? Each individual infraction is small. And no one is killed, people just loose jobs and livelihood, jobs and livelihood they would not have if the government had not created a legal right for the purpose of supporting the arts.
  
  --
  âoeTolerance applies only to persons, but never to truth. Intolerance applies only to truth, but never to persons.
7. Re:Maybe Should Have Went with "No Statement" by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-23 08:36 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  I think people are confusing "common carrier" for telecommunications and "safe harbor" for intellectual property. (a VERY rough summary follows) Common carriers have to treat all content using their telecommunications system the same and cannot have tiered access to different content but in exchange are not liable for serving illegal content they didn't create. Safe harbor refers to a lack of liability of your users posting or saving information to your services as long as you don't solicit such posts by the user. So a website gets safe harbor but not common carrier protection. My cell phone company (which does not provide hosting) does not get safe harbor protection, but does get common carrier protection.
8. Re:Maybe Should Have Went with "No Statement" by dgatwood · 2012-01-23 12:52 · Score: 2
  
  Give it ten or fifteen years, and you'll probably see this happening. The entire entertainment industry is so small compared with the technology industry that such consolidation is almost inevitable if the entertainment industry continues to act the way that they have been lately. The tech companies will eat the entertainment "giants" one by one, and in so doing, become them. Then the cycle will repeat itself as some new disruptive technology changes the game again ten or twenty years hence.
  
  --
  Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.
Professionals? by JorDan+Clock · 2012-01-23 06:43 · Score: 4, Funny

Like... Professional pirates?
1. Re:Professionals? by jgagnon · 2012-01-23 07:00 · Score: 2
  
  There is nothing more terrifying than a Somali pirate hacker.
  
  --
  Remember to maintain your supply of /facepalm oil to prevent chafing.
Hmmmm by arcite · 2012-01-23 06:45 · Score: 4, Interesting

He might want to find a non-extradition country to relocate too....
You may pirate when ready... by ae1294 · 2012-01-23 06:48 · Score: 5, Funny

"MediaFire CEO: We Don't Depend On Piracy"
- But it sure helps the bottom line!
Blocked Access to the US by ohnocitizen · 2012-01-23 06:50 · Score: 4, Insightful

I wonder how many more companies will decide it necessary to block access to the US as ever more draconian actions are taken by our government?
1. Re:Blocked Access to the US by ohnocitizen · 2012-01-23 12:34 · Score: 2
  
  +1 AC. There is a reason other file sharing companies are worried about being attacked. Just because the government went after one which appears to have made missteps does not mean they will continue exercising the same restraint. It is baffling anyone would think so when PIPA and SOPA are an express declaration they wish to do away with as much restrain on the matter as they can get away with. But here is a citation anyway of a draconian action with regards to copyright infringement.
we're a legitimate business targeting professional by girlintraining · 2012-01-23 06:52 · Score: 4, Insightful

Legitimate business is kindof an oxymoron when dealing with copyright issues. There's no such thing as a "legitimate" business... only "Has many lawyers" and "has no lawyers".

--
#fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
Re:we're a legitimate business targeting professio by P-niiice · 2012-01-23 06:54 · Score: 2

Or, has contributed 250000 to my campaign and taken me on a trip to hawaii vs. has not contributed 250000 to my campaign and taken me on a trip to hawaii.
Re:How to fix file sharing piracy. by SuricouRaven · 2012-01-23 07:06 · Score: 2

6. Someone sets up a members-only site called TheGameBay.net and uses it to post links to roms hosted on your hypothetical site.
"I'm a legitimate businessman." by Sez+Zero · 2012-01-23 07:22 · Score: 4, Insightful

Alarms always go off when someone tells me that.
Similarly, different kinds of alarms that go off when some one says, "I'm not a slut."
1. Re:"I'm a legitimate businessman." by sexconker · 2012-01-23 07:39 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Alarms always go off when someone tells me that.
  Similarly, different kinds of alarms that go off when some one says, "I'm not a slut."
  
  "I am just a businessman, giving the people what they want,"
  "All I do is satisfy a public demand."
  Both are quotes from Al Capone
  Sluts also satisfy a public demand, but without a Venn diagram I do not know if Al Capone was a slut or not.
2. Re:"I'm a legitimate businessman." by AJH16 · 2012-01-23 08:20 · Score: 2
  
  What if they say "I'm not a slut, I'm a legitimate business woman"?
  
  --
  AJ Henderson
With apologies to Casablanca... by KingAlanI · 2012-01-23 07:25 · Score: 2

"I am shocked, absolutely shocked, to learn that there is copyright infringement going on with this filesharing website."
though seriously, this seems to be the standard argument that the overall service is OK because it has legitimate uses.

--
I listen to both RIAA and non-RIAA stuff if I like the music, tangential business/politics nonwithstanding.
Re:Gotta love it when.... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-01-23 08:13 · Score: 2, Insightful

That's what happens when poorly drafted, overly-broad, draconian laws are written.
"We don't do X, but we didn't think our competitor, Y, did either, and they completely disappeared from existance before so much as a single hearing had taken place, so we'd better scale back anything that we think might even *possibly*, in the worst light, be construed as anything kinda sorta like X!"
Re:I use Mediafire professionally by Goaway · 2012-01-23 08:21 · Score: 2

What would you even use it for internally?