We don't lock people away for life for any other kind of theft even if one buys the argument that all copyright infringement is theft. Sure we could have a "one strikes and you're out" rule for every civil or criminal infraction on the books but I suspect that might somehow work against society's interests. Whatever happened to the concert of a misdemeanor? One side of this debate has become unreasoning and irrational. When they come in off the ledge things might start to get better....
It's nice to see how the record industry treats those who actually *want* to pay for the music they use. Raising the fees 20x - 50x doesn't seem to be the way to treat those trying to do the right thing.
And, almost unnoticed, with this decision they've established a system where they get royalties per each play *and* per each listener which I don't think has been possible before.
Such things already exist. I know someone who works for a company that makes version control software for documents. Their biggest customers are law firms. Nobody in a fortune 500 company wants some new hire paralegal modifying a clause in a billion dollar contract that it took months to negotiate. Congress people know the system could be made more fool proof but that would remove one more venue of plausible deniability they can use with their constituents.
In Washinton crap just doesn't naturally roll down hill, it's designed to do so. Just as "Scooter"...
You all keep saying that you haven't done anything wrong and mere presence on a tracker doesn't infer infringement. But what you don't get is it doesn't matter whether you have infringed or not. The point is to get your ISP to pull your high speed connection and ban you as a customer for life. Your ISP isn't going to take any chances. You don't have a right to broadband. These blacklists are real. Once you are blackballed by all the high speed net providers in your town how much torrenting, legitimate or not, are you going to be doing on dialup?
You guys are waving around a law book trying to defend yourself when the guy you're up against has a shotgun and will gladly use it to take you, and any one around you, off at the knees.
It's got nothing to do with infringing. I've been on the receiving end of one of these RIAA/MPAA "stings". It doesn't matter whether you have infringed or not. The point is to get your ISP to pull your high speed connection and ban you as a customer for life. Your ISP isn't going to take any chances and there is nothing in it for them to stand up for you. Your not worth that much as a customer to them. Everything you will ever pay to your ISP in your lifetime will be a drop in the bucket compared to the legal fees they might incur. They can ban you for just about anything they want. Read your terms of service. If you not just passively surfing the web and checking email you are probably technically violating your contract with them. You don't have a right to broadband. These blacklists are real.
And once they cancel your account how many other high speed options do you have? And once you are blackballed by all the high speed net providers in your town how much torrenting are you going to be doing on dialup?
The whole point is to consign you to the dirt road of the information superhighway. Welcome to the slow lane.
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We don't lock people away for life for any other kind of theft even if one buys the argument that all copyright infringement is theft. Sure we could have a "one strikes and you're out" rule for every civil or criminal infraction on the books but I suspect that might somehow work against society's interests. Whatever happened to the concert of a misdemeanor? One side of this debate has become unreasoning and irrational. When they come in off the ledge things might start to get better....
It's nice to see how the record industry treats those who actually *want* to pay for the music they use. Raising the fees 20x - 50x doesn't seem to be the way to treat those trying to do the right thing. And, almost unnoticed, with this decision they've established a system where they get royalties per each play *and* per each listener which I don't think has been possible before.
Such things already exist. I know someone who works for a company that makes version control software for documents. Their biggest customers are law firms. Nobody in a fortune 500 company wants some new hire paralegal modifying a clause in a billion dollar contract that it took months to negotiate. Congress people know the system could be made more fool proof but that would remove one more venue of plausible deniability they can use with their constituents. In Washinton crap just doesn't naturally roll down hill, it's designed to do so. Just as "Scooter"...
You all keep saying that you haven't done anything wrong and mere presence on a tracker doesn't infer infringement. But what you don't get is it doesn't matter whether you have infringed or not. The point is to get your ISP to pull your high speed connection and ban you as a customer for life. Your ISP isn't going to take any chances. You don't have a right to broadband. These blacklists are real. Once you are blackballed by all the high speed net providers in your town how much torrenting, legitimate or not, are you going to be doing on dialup? You guys are waving around a law book trying to defend yourself when the guy you're up against has a shotgun and will gladly use it to take you, and any one around you, off at the knees.
Apple without Steve Jobs would be like what De Lorean was without John De Lorean. No one really wanted De Loreans after John De Lorean left either.
It's got nothing to do with infringing. I've been on the receiving end of one of these RIAA/MPAA "stings". It doesn't matter whether you have infringed or not. The point is to get your ISP to pull your high speed connection and ban you as a customer for life. Your ISP isn't going to take any chances and there is nothing in it for them to stand up for you. Your not worth that much as a customer to them. Everything you will ever pay to your ISP in your lifetime will be a drop in the bucket compared to the legal fees they might incur. They can ban you for just about anything they want. Read your terms of service. If you not just passively surfing the web and checking email you are probably technically violating your contract with them. You don't have a right to broadband. These blacklists are real.
And once they cancel your account how many other high speed options do you have? And once you are blackballed by all the high speed net providers in your town how much torrenting are you going to be doing on dialup?
The whole point is to consign you to the dirt road of the information superhighway. Welcome to the slow lane.