RapidShare Urges US To Punish Linking Sites and Not File-Sharing Sites

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RapidShare Urges US To Punish Linking Sites and Not File-Sharing Sites

Posted by samzenpus on Monday August 20, 2012 @08:14AM from the not-my-fault dept.

hypnosec writes "RapidShare has said that the U.S. government should crack down on linking sites rather than punishing file-sharing sites and strangling innovation. The file-sharing site is understandably a little worried about the recent crackdowns on sites involved in or found to be promoting piracy. Daniel Raimer, RapidShare's Chief Legal Officer, is to meet with technology leaders and law enforcement at the Technology Policy Institute forum. Responding to a public consultation on the future of U.S. IP enforcement, the company emphasized that linking sites are the real problem. It wrote, 'Rather than enacting legislation that could stifle innovation in the cloud, the U.S. government should crack down on this critical part of the online piracy network.'"

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War on Google by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-20 08:20 · Score: 5, Insightful

The problem with cracking down on "linking sites" is that it's way to broad. When you start attacking sites that provide users a collection of links, you're effectively attacking the basis of every web site on the Internet. It will no longer be safe to provide links. Further, it will undermine search. What is google but a collection of links?
How about we don't go after file sharing or linking sites and instead go after the RIAA and MPAA for buying our politicians and extorting money out of people by their frivolous lawsuits. I buy my content, but when they go after the basic foundation of the Internet, it makes me rethink that. No revenue means no buying politicians.
How does this even make sense? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-08-20 08:20 · Score: 3, Insightful

I doubt anybody would punish linking somewhere without punishing outright sharing too.
1. Re:How does this even make sense? by cpu6502 · 2012-08-20 08:37 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  The UK just did it..... sent a man to jail for 4 years because he provided links to piratebay, demonoid, and other sites that had TV shows/movies.
  Of couse the UK has demonstrated itself to be as bad as Russia when it comes to free speech, so I guess we shouldn't be surprised.
  
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  My AC stalker: " I personally agree with your posts most of the time, but that won't keep me from modding you troll"
2. Re:How does this even make sense? by Artraze · 2012-08-20 09:07 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  ... which is so awesome, even, because that's already down the slippery slope: Piratebay and Demonoid don't have TV shows/movies either, they only link it themselves (torrents are just oversized links). So that means there is now someone in jail for linking to a site linking to pirated bits. Can one even argue there's a difference between:
  https://thepiratebay.se/
  https://www.google.com/search?q=thepiratebay
  https://www.google.com/ seatch for "thepiratebay" and click the first link
  ?
  Sense is really just not a player here.
Re:Darn you Google! by hesiod · 2012-08-20 08:21 · Score: 5, Insightful

The problem isn't that I'm offering fake Rolexes for sale, it's that some law breaker is telling people about it!
Not that easy by thoriumbr · 2012-08-20 08:21 · Score: 5, Insightful

It is hard to go after the linking sites, they are way too much. The storage sites are just a few, and is easy to go after them.
Uploaders? by ThatsMyNick · 2012-08-20 08:21 · Score: 4, Insightful

Shouldnt they actually go for the uploader and not hosting company or the ones that link? Ahh going for uploaders would hurts their business, so they would rather have the authorities going for the ones that link.
1. Re:Uploaders? by VortexCortex · 2012-08-20 08:31 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Shouldnt they actually go for the uploader and not hosting company or the ones that link? Ahh going for uploaders would hurts their business, so they would rather have the authorities going for the ones that link.
  Shouldn't they actually go for the content creator and not the uploader or the hosting company? Ahh pointing out that content creators licenses are what causes the uploading, hosting and linking to be illegal makes them look stupid, so they would rather have unlimited copyright for "a limited time" that's actually THREE GENERATIONS OF HUMANS in length.
In the end, he loved Big Brother. by Tackhead · 2012-08-20 08:22 · Score: 4, Insightful

Daniel Raimer, RapidShare's Chief Legal Officer, is to meet with technology leaders and law enforcement at the Technology Policy Institute forum. Responding to a public consultation on the future of U.S. IP enforcement, the company emphasized that linking sites are the real problem. It wrote, 'Rather than enacting legislation that could stifle innovation in the cloud, the U.S. government should crack down on this critical part of the online piracy network.'"
"Rather than enacting legislation that could stifle innovation in the cloud, the U.S. government should crack down on this critical part of the online piracy network.'"
I guess that's Newspeak for "Do it to Julia, don't do it to me, do it to her!"
But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother.
It would be a dangerous precedent. by Jane+Q.+Public · 2012-08-20 08:25 · Score: 4, Insightful

As the first poster mentioned, it's not a crime. I can even link to a criminal site if I want, with the link saying "Look! Here's a criminal site! The bastards!"

If they start regulating what you can link to, the internet is doomed. Don't go there.

Besides, at least in the U.S., free speech is very much an issue when it comes to links.
Re:Rapidshare HAS NOW MADE THEMSELVES the problem by VortexCortex · 2012-08-20 08:32 · Score: 4, Insightful

Eliminate copyright. Problem solved.
Re:Darn you Google! by sidthegeek · 2012-08-20 09:21 · Score: 4, Insightful

I think this pretty much sums it up. http://i35.tinypic.com/o9mtf4.jpg
Re:Darn you Google! by spazdor · 2012-08-20 10:35 · Score: 4, Insightful

Quit thinking about business models, and start thinking about models for society and for culture. A world full of piracy may be a shitty place to try and make money as a publisher, but it's a marvelous place to grow up as a child with a love of music or film or literature. No one has ever said that publishing has to be a profitable business in order for a market or a society to thrive, except for publishers.

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