Slashdot Mirror
The Pirate Bay Responds To Raid
An anonymous reader writes The Pirate Bay's crew have remained awfully quiet on the recent raid in public, but today Mr 10100100000 breaks the silence in order to get a message out to the world. In a nutshell, he says that they couldn't care less, are going to remain on hiatus, and a comeback is possible. In recent days mirrors of The Pirate Bay appeared online and many of these have now started to add new content as well. According to TPB this is a positive development, but people should be wary of scams. Mr 10100100000 says that they would open source the engine of the site, if the code "wouldn't be so s****y". In any case, they recommend people keeping the Kopimi spirit alive, as TPB is much more than some hardware stored in a dusty datacenter.
Working hard since 2003 to preserve your right to consume media without the annoyance of paying.
"First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
I appreciate the reasons for the war on piracy, but TPB was more than a pirate nexus: it was a great place to links to downloads via bittorrent that everyone could get to.
The internet needs to return to its wild west days of open file storage. True, lots of people are going to pirate, but that's technologically inevitable. The anti-piracy people are destroying necessary stuff along with what they fear.
Futurist Traditionalism
How much do you wanna bet the only reason he quoted the movie Spartacus is because he just torrented it?
He actually said "shitty". There's a right way and a wrong way to quote people, and this is the wrong way. If you're going to attribute something someone -didn't- say to them, then you shouldn't use quotes.
I need my free tv fix!!!
but people should be wary of scams.
This is a warning worth noting, as previous "pirate" domains have been taken over it becomes difficult to know who is running what.
That's means the MPAA (or other entity) could run a pirate site and easily gather more than enough evidence in the process.
"If any question why we died, Tell them because our fathers lied."
10100100000 (base 2) = 1312 (base 10) = 520 (base 16)
52 (base 16) = 'R', 0 = null
So this is Mr....'R' ?
Regardless of the licensing, a lot of the content on the site is useful because its just unavailable otherwise.
I wonder this about Youtube. What if it was just shutdown? At this point you can laugh but it has historical value. Beyond the cat videos there are documentaries, content from laserdisc, obscure commercials, very useful user howtos and reviews etc. This list goes on and on. If all you search for on youtube is funny videos then you are missing out on a treasure trove of content that spans many decades.
At some point I think the site will have to become a public archive. Which it kind of already is, it just needs the legal status so that some greedy corporation can't just turn off the switch. Now if only we could cut down on the crap that is a result of everyone trying to monetize youtube. But I guess that's wishful thinking because without that Google might just shut down Youtube outright.
If you wanna get rich, you know that payback is a bitch
(N/T).
the 800 pound Gorilla, George Lucas, vs the 1200 pound Mouse, Disney?
Because no offense, but Lucas hasn't been a little guy since the 70s. And he's certainly fucked over plenty of ACTUAL creative types thanks to long term copyright (Look at the way they've shat all over the extended universe. Most or all of which I believe they own, since one of the stipulations for using GL's valuable Star Wars IP was assigning the copyrights to one of the LucasBrand copyright arms.) Nevermind all the studios they shuttered just before the Disney deal, and the years of butchering their creative talent prior to that.
Furthermore since Disney would only get the 14+ year old version of things and not all the major changes in storyline etc that happened in the intervening years they might very well license it so they could creative material that was up to date and properly aligned with the current generations expectations of the Star Wars universe are. And in the case they weren't, and stuck to that 14+ year old storyline, it would most likely be due to the new creative material sucking, and the Free Market demanding an alternative canon 'fork' that aligned closer with what the consumers want out of Star Wars. Funny how under the current copyright terms that can't happen, eh? The free market and aligning with consumer demand are in fact being impaired by excessive copyright terms, thus stifling both creative and commercial competition to IPs which are in many cases based off public domain works with a 'spin' to begin with.
Live performance now equivalent to recorded media!
But seriously, Sparky, musicians used to make ALL their income from live performance. If your music's worth a damn, people will gladly pay to hear you play it. Recorded media should be viewed simply as a way to get new fans on board. Or do you actually *believe* the record labels' business model is legitimate? If so, please explain why most artists don't make much, if anything, off recorded media sales to begin with?
Also, if there weren't such blatant monopolies and price-fixing by media distributors and (re)broadcasters, then prices for such might actually be reasonable enough for everyone to not mind paying. As things stand now, people pay hundreds of dollars per month for stations they don't even want and aren't allowed to just cherry-pick-and-pay for the handful they actually do want.
So get off your high horse.
in the 800+ dvd's I own. I just cue up some shows in the am and they're ready when I get back from work. if I dont want them anymore I just delete the file. Newer shows I just wait till they are in a pawn shop for $5.
by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
Working hard since 2003 to preserve your right to consume media without the annoyance of paying.
More like "without paying twice" or "without paying in perpetuity."
DRM and copy protection are very much about crippling second-hand sales. Hell, they're about stopping first-hand sales too, in favor of forcing pay-per-view and rental models.
On the one hand I can understand not wanting to show your own code because you think (or know) that it's terrible, on the other hand it would make it possible for others to improve it.
From TFA:
"About 30-50 people from all over the world pitch their ideas against each other and whatever comes out of that is what will be the fate of TPB.”
It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
Working hard since 2003 to preserve your right to consume media without the annoyance of having to pay significantly different prices for the same media simply because you live north or south of the equator.
If the price difference for digitally delivered content was simply the conversion of currency then there would be significantly less people annoyed at paying retail.
You need to check the fitment of your tinfoil hat, I think it's loose. http://www.nachi.org/forum/att...
All the while ignoring the main issue. The problem isn't whether or not people copy stuff without paying. The problem is people not paying. And sorry, this won't be fixed by more stings, more domain hijacking, more rigid DRM because the only thing this accomplishes is that I get even more discouraged to buy any content. It's already bad enough since, well, there is very little content worth watching, let alone paying for it. And no, before anyone jumps to conclusions, it's not even worth wasting the bandwidth downloading it.
Not that the movie, the game, the song, the whatever was bad. Oh, far from it. There's great movies, songs, games and whatever else out there. I just cannot agree with the licensing terms. Dear copyright industry (I used to call you content industry, but let's call a spade a spade and be honest here, your business focus is copyright, not content anymore): A contract needs two parties agreeing on it. And I simply cannot agree to your conditions, while you're unwilling to offer conditions that I could agree with. In other words, no sale will take place here.
And I am by no stretch alone, or a minority. There are people who would be very willing to pay for your content.
But not at these conditions. We do not want malware on our PCs. We do not want to watch your annoying ads or "FBI warnings". Has it ever occurred to you that the ONLY people who get to watch this "copying is stealing" bullshit are exactly those that did NOT copy it? Because rest assured, the first thing stripped from whatever is to be spread is dead weight like that. It's, quite literally, a waste of bandwidth. But back on topic.
We want to pay for content. And we want to get what we pay for. Content. Nothing more, nothing less. Give us what we want and we will buy. Try to force us to jump through your hoops and beg for scraps like dogs and we'll lift our leg on you.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
And I am by no stretch alone, or a minority.
You're not alone. You're _definitely_ a minority. If the studios offered the content for free, but with current DRM, people would be lined up down the block. If they dropped the FBI warnings, etc. from the start of DVDs, sales would go up 0.1%.
One has to wonder how game studios survive that don't drown their games in DRM...
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
I'm surprised more people aren't using Tribler. It's an open source, cross-platform application which allows people to search for (and download/share) torrents in a peer-to-peer fashion. This removes the need for central torrent indexes like Pirate Bay or other big sites. http://tribler.org/
If more people were sharing torrents in a P2P style rather than relying on sites like TPB, users wouldn't be affected by website outages like this.
1. PC gamers are a much smaller, and techier, market than the market for movies or music. Hardly representative.
2. Even in the PC game sector, DRM, outside of a few egregious cases, doesn't seem to be much of a barrier to success (a la most games on Steam).
To flip it around, extensive DRM doesn't seem to hurt console game sales, which far outstrip PC game sales in both units and $.
Frankly, even if TPB is a "bad thing," I'm glad it exists for the shear notion of showing media holders that their current distribution methods need refinement. Take Valve/Steam as a prime example on how to improve on cost/distribution versus the piracy that existed beforehand.
Actually, the main reason why DRM doesn't hurt console game sales is that it is "felt" less by console gamers than it is with PC gamers. Just wait 'til they come up with the great idea of "always online" and similar bull.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Click on site. Popup "Alert!!! your browser X is infected, click here for a software update" (malware). Dismiss. Banner ads everywhere promoting penis enlargment pills (scam), "dating" sites (prostitution), video editing software (malware), make money from home (scam), win great prizes (matrix scam). Click a link to a torrent. Pop under window appears promoting a fabulous investment scheme (ponzi). Click download torrent link - haha fooled you, that's a banner ad to install malware torrent app. Cancel. Click the right link - "you can only download this software if you are signed on". Begin registration with fake name & email. Registrations says you must complete one of these scammy offers to be accepted. Rinse. Fucking. Repeat.
The people who run these sites are such a noble breed of warriors.
Not that the movie, the game, the song, the whatever was bad. Oh, far from it. There's great movies, songs, games and whatever else out there. I just cannot agree with the licensing terms. Dear copyright industry (I used to call you content industry, but let's call a spade a spade and be honest here, your business focus is copyright, not content anymore): A contract needs two parties agreeing on it. And I simply cannot agree to your conditions, while you're unwilling to offer conditions that I could agree with. In other words, no sale will take place here.
Fair argument, but please take care of your part too, to respect the license agreement. The artist didn't intend it to free distribution. You said "a contract needs two parties agreeing on it". If you are the party not agreeing, stay away from that content. Don't buy that media, but don't pirate that either. Use entertainment that is licensed in other terms. Otherwise you are sending a contradictory message.
Analogy: if you pirate the content, it's like not putting up with a woman's terms, but still wanting her so badly that you rape her.
Whilst TPB is mainly an illegal system, however, its existence has accelerated the "on demand" video/tv market we have today. And I for one am grateful of that.
Without TPB, we probably wouldn't have Netflix/Amazon instant video today.
Without TPB, we probably wouldn't have Free to Play games. (minus the companies that abuse it outright, Candy Crush...)
TPB has changed the world, not just for the illegal downloads, but for the good of everyone who wants digital content in a better distribution system.
Companies have been forced to listen. At 1st they tried to fine everyone doing it, but then they realised there's a new and exciting open market which they have nearly mastered (netflix).
So thank you TPB, for forcing and accelerating companies to make a better world of digital content distribution.
Ask CD Projekt Red. There doing quite well without putting DRM on their games. There one of the only developers I pay full release price for, since I want to support their decision to release AAA titles DRM free.
Forget Asimov.... flog Robert Jordan to finish the Wheel of Time. No insult to Brandon Sanderson who did a good job finishing it with the notes left behind.
I only look human.
My mother is a halfling and my dad is an ogre, so that makes me an Ogreling
I thought that was evident from the text, but allow me to clarify it: Of course I do not copy content (unless the license agreement actually allows it). I had to do with a lot of games that I really wanted to have. Which in hindsight has more often than not actually saved me from some grief, anger and disappointment (from Sim City to Assassin's Creed).
It's a matter of principle. I can do without their content. The question is only if they can do without my money. Because lost sales actually hurt by as much as you'd pay for it, considering that there is near zero proportional costs in content, and fixed costs have to be recovered by fewer units being sold.
Give me what I want and I'll buy. Don't and watch how I'll survive without it, and without too much of a dent in my quality of life.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Thanks for the clarification. In that case, I fully agree with you.
sporty?
Maybe if they kept the dust under control the site would have been more robust.
WAR IS PEACE FREEDOM IS SLAVERY IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
"Mr 10100100000 says that they would open source the engine of the site, if the code "wouldn't be so s****y". In any case"
Really? That would seem like an excellent reason to open source it so others can help making it less shitty.
And if it's open-sourced it shouldn't just be as a tarball, it should be at github so it's easy for others to join in.