Hi guys I have a couple questions for all the people who live in the United States and pirate or know people who pirate software. In Canada we do it all the time and our internet providers do not report us to the companies nor track the type of things we download (at least to my knowledge). Now I have a friend in the united States who downloaded a the movie The Matrix (or some other sci-fi movie i cant recall exactly) and was promptly sent a letter threatening of a potential law suit. He read the user license agreement and discovered that he can not be sued if he owns a copy of the movie so he went out and bought one. My question being, how often does this happen, how often do people get sued, and what are the penalties for this, as i find it shocking that the companies/government would go so far over a couple programs or movies. Any responses appreciated.
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Pirating Software
- Thread starter Coldkill3
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Funny video. Just a quick question on the piracy note. Are there any cases of people putting malicious code into apple software that is "shared" via the internet?
Any great software come out of Canada? Eh?
It may seem insignificant, but multiply that 'couple' of movies and/or programs by millions...or even billions(can anyone say 'China')...and the losses ADD up.
How would you feel if you were any employee of one of these s/w or movie companies and you lost your job because they had to cut back due to the fact that they were losing too much money due to piracy?
I'd think you'd have a different outlook than you do now.Have you never heard about the music industry suing people? It's not in the news now, but it was big headline news before.
Any great software come out of Canada? Eh?
It may seem insignificant, but multiply that 'couple' of movies and/or programs by millions...or even billions(can anyone say 'China')...and the losses ADD up.
How would you feel if you were any employee of one of these s/w or movie companies and you lost your job because they had to cut back due to the fact that they were losing too much money due to piracy?
Have you never heard about the music industry suing people? It's not in the news now, but it was big headline news before.
Hey ugh you sound kinda like your attacking me so...
Firstly: I am an American Citizen and own 2 houses one in Chicago, Illinois and one in Henderson, Nevada I am just residing in Canada and plan to move back to the US for college
Secondly: I neither support the pirating nor am I against it because it does not harm me
Lastly: The point of this thread was so I could understand how prevalent piracy law suits are in the US and how often people receive those letters, your post it seems was to educate me on how bad piracy is for the industry so thank you for your 2 cents.
I would appreciate it if someone who knows of or is a person who has been sued by a company or threatened with a letter to add some input.
Well, you didn't state your position as well in your first post. I only had what you stated to go buy. I also did illustrate that yes an industry will go after you, the music industry being a good case. Never heard of that?
Why would you feel shocked? If someone stole your wallet, you wouldn't go after them?
Well, I've gotten one of those cease and desist letters. Actually, it came because I downloaded an older movie from the 1970s. I was an infrequent downloader and thus surprised by the letter. My ISP sent a warning notice with the RIAA statement saying that they did not send out any info to the RIAA, but if the letters from the RIAA continued they would comply if they felt their was enough reason. At that point, I cut off most of my pirate-y activities.
I don't think buying the movie really helps, unless your friend knows how to create the file from DVD to his computer and what software.
If they do press charges, I've heard settlements are somewhere between $2000-$8000, and I remember less than a year ago (I believe) a woman who did not settle was found guilty and had to pay a ridiculous amount of money.
I don't think buying the movie really helps, unless your friend knows how to create the file from DVD to his computer and what software.
If they do press charges, I've heard settlements are somewhere between $2000-$8000, and I remember less than a year ago (I believe) a woman who did not settle was found guilty and had to pay a ridiculous amount of money.
oh sorry i didnt mean to sound offensive as well but yea that does sound quite crappy... (well good for the companies however) in canada on the other hand we never get those warning letters =s strange that people continue to download illegally even with the risk of getting caught and sued...
I personally think these types of fear tactics are draconian. The fact that the government is allowing these industries to pursue this path is actually hurting them in the long run. We are not going to turn the clock back on digital media. These companies need to reexamine their business models and adjust. Allowing them to go after a few poor souls who downloaded a song or two for punitive damages is just silly. It is not going to scare the billions in China or India. There must be a better solution.
By the way media sharing has amazing marketing potential.
Just to be clear i don't endorse downloading illegally. I just think these types of tactics are wrong.
By the way media sharing has amazing marketing potential.
Just to be clear i don't endorse downloading illegally. I just think these types of tactics are wrong.
Just out of curiosity, how were you downloading? LimeWire, UseNet, torrents, etc?
i know someone who in fact download a movie from 2001 & kept it in his shared folder, on a mac, & was later contacted by his isp & "movie studio" telling him only to move it from the shared folder or face consequences.
he freaked out & left the message on the machine until they called back 3 more times with the threats escalating. he moves it from shared to his desktop & the problem cleared. . . i would still be worried that someone is still watching. . .since they always are *insert creepy music here*
he freaked out & left the message on the machine until they called back 3 more times with the threats escalating. he moves it from shared to his desktop & the problem cleared. . . i would still be worried that someone is still watching. . .since they always are *insert creepy music here*
Buying the DVD post downloading doesn't remove the fact that your committed copyright infringement.
You can only makes (and the MPAA and RIAA don't want you to be able to) digital copies of DVDs you own. You cannot download anything.
You can only makes (and the MPAA and RIAA don't want you to be able to) digital copies of DVDs you own. You cannot download anything.
Stealing a wallet is taking something from someone else, rendering them without it. Stealing a movie doesn't take it from someone who doesn't have it anymore. That is the weak point to the piracy law. Don't compare intellectual property with tangible property, they are completely different in every way, except that they are property.
In some juristicions, the main offence is not one of 'downloading', it is of 'making available' to others, or 'unlawful distribution'.
i.e. when you download through Bittorrent, you are also sending out the same files to other people. When via kazaa, if it stays in your shared folder, then same thing, you become an illegal distributor.
It's like the legal difference between being a buyer of illegal drugs, and being a dealer of illegal drugs. One attracts far more severe penalties than the other.
The other side of the case is that Bittorrent / Kazaa have many legal uses, e.g.for distributing Linux DVDs etc just as guns and screwdrivers also have legal uses.
I won't even get into the shady tactics used by the recording industries, such as failing to prove a linkage between an ip that is observed to be distributing and the actual person who they happen to be taking to court.
i.e. when you download through Bittorrent, you are also sending out the same files to other people. When via kazaa, if it stays in your shared folder, then same thing, you become an illegal distributor.
It's like the legal difference between being a buyer of illegal drugs, and being a dealer of illegal drugs. One attracts far more severe penalties than the other.
The other side of the case is that Bittorrent / Kazaa have many legal uses, e.g.for distributing Linux DVDs etc just as guns and screwdrivers also have legal uses.
I won't even get into the shady tactics used by the recording industries, such as failing to prove a linkage between an ip that is observed to be distributing and the actual person who they happen to be taking to court.
That is the point where the conversation becomes disallowed here. You cannot discuss sources for piracy. (rules see #3)
p.s. this is a really weird thread.
OP: It's basically a crap shoot. The music and film industries in USA are doing the best they can to track down and prevent piracy, as is the software industry. But obviously, the internet is a big place, and policing it for a specific nation isn't easy, which is why pressure is being put on ISP's worldwide to assist in policing piracy.
Some nations are cooperating, and some aren't. Here's a link with some info about the UK, and France, and related links below the story as well. Knowing in advance who has or hasn't been busted for this illegal activity is not that relevant to someone considering participating in such activities.
You never know when they'll try to push a case with someone in order to make an example, scare others from pirating, or set a legal precedent.
Ever heard of a rootkit? Remember the Sony BMG rootkit scandal? The entertainment and software industries are constantly working to protect their interests, and this scandal is just one example where their methods were exposed. Who knows what else is out there, yet undetected by consumers. So, like I said, it's a crap shoot.
Some nations are cooperating, and some aren't. Here's a link with some info about the UK, and France, and related links below the story as well. Knowing in advance who has or hasn't been busted for this illegal activity is not that relevant to someone considering participating in such activities.
You never know when they'll try to push a case with someone in order to make an example, scare others from pirating, or set a legal precedent.
Ever heard of a rootkit? Remember the Sony BMG rootkit scandal? The entertainment and software industries are constantly working to protect their interests, and this scandal is just one example where their methods were exposed. Who knows what else is out there, yet undetected by consumers. So, like I said, it's a crap shoot.
Several years agao, there was a Japanese student living in my apartment buidling (this was in the US). He apparantly downloaded quite a lot of films, music, software, etc. Guess who got deported?
At the University I work at, we have a clutch of Saudi students that have barely had internet access since they joined as every time it gets granted, they download something again and it gets revoked. Crazy.
Yet the guy I sit next to is ploughing his way through every TV series known to man via some web based TV "archive" and hasn't even been questioned!
Is streaming piracy?
Anyone remember hearing stories about the 76 year old grandmother being sued for downloading a hardcore rap song? I forget the song's title but i remember it was really sexually explicit. I think her great granddaughter downloaded the song using grandmas computer. Nice recording industry way to take down grandma. Probably gave the poor lady a heart attack.
Yes, it happens in Canada. Not to me, but someone close to me. The weird part was that someone was hacking into their computer and doing illegal things.
But hey, it happens. I guess Canada is just a little more lenient.
Not all of us....
As a Canadian, I would just like to point out that we don't all pirate software. Yes, our ISP's are not under the same reporting requirements as in the US, but for the most part we are a law-abiding people. We do have some differences in the law as to what we are allowed to make copies of, however - this applies to personal use only. As a photographer (and therefore someone who works with intellectual property) I am especially careful.
Piracy is piracy.
As a Canadian, I would just like to point out that we don't all pirate software. Yes, our ISP's are not under the same reporting requirements as in the US, but for the most part we are a law-abiding people. We do have some differences in the law as to what we are allowed to make copies of, however - this applies to personal use only. As a photographer (and therefore someone who works with intellectual property) I am especially careful.
Piracy is piracy.