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Sharebeast, the Largest US-based Filesharing Service, Has Its Domain Seized
An anonymous reader writes: The RIAA says that the FBI has seized the domain of file-sharing service ShareBeast, shutting down what it said was responsible for the leaks of thousands of songs. The site now only displays a notice saying the FBI acted "pursuant to a seizure warrant related to suspect criminal copyright infringement." In a statement, RIAA CEO Cary Sherman called the seizure "a huge win for the music community and legitimate music services. ShareBeast operated with flagrant disregard for the rights of artists and labels while undermining the legal marketplace."
But was the company actively involved in the illegal activity?
Probably. To understand the legal arguments, the Limewire case is instructive. Essentially to be guilty you need two things:
1) Aid others in copyright infringement.
2) Intend to do so.
Youtube avoids guilt by providing several tools for copyright holders, and also by actively removing infringing movies. Thus although they are aiding infringers, you can't prove that's their intent. They don't have to be perfect at it, just good enough to avoid the legal standard.
I don't know how Pinterest avoids copyright infringement lawsuits, but your characterization of their business model made me laugh: it's so true.
"First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
I found myself asking the same thing, so I checked Alexa (I'm certain there are better sites to check these days). It was rated #8546 worldwide (#9215 in US) in a fairly steady decline since its peak around #4250 in November of last year. Those are "okay" but unimpressive numbers, and it's pretty much been steadily dying. By comparison, a specialty news site like torrentfreak.com is #3808 globally (#3012 US) and reaches the top 2000 when stuff is hitting the fan.
Sharebeast's user base (by IP) was 25.7% US, but 21.4% Indonesian. UK (5.3%), India (4.7%), and Saudi Arabia (4%) also had "significant" shares. The most popular search terms leading to it are not English terms.
Source: http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/...
As I said, I'm sure that there are better sites for domain metrics these days, and I can't even see most data Alexa lists because I don't have an Alexa Pro acct. I'd welcome better data from anyone who monitors domain metrics regularly/professionally.
But it really doesn't look like the Feds took down any sort of powerhouse, more like a dying target of convenience (unless they were really worried about Indonesian piracy)
(Incidentally, I was surprised to see Alexa report that slashdot.org (#1672 globally, #1272 in US) gets 40.6% of its visitos from India (where it ranks #302) but only 29.4% from the US)