Biggest BitTorrent Downloading Case in U.S. History Targets 23,000 Defendants

[tallywacker]

At least 23,000 file sharers soon will likely get notified they are being sued for downloading the Expendables in what has become the single largest illegal-BitTorrent-downloading case in U.S. history.

A federal judge in the case has agreed to allow the U.S. Copyright Group to subpoena internet service providers to find out the identity of everybody who had illegally downloaded (.pdf) the 2010 Sylvester Stallone flick — meaning the number of defendants is likely to dramatically increase as new purloiners are discovered. Once an ISP gets the subpoena, it usually notifies the account holder that his or her subscriber information is being turned over to the Copyright Group, which last year pioneered the practice of suing BitTorrent downloaders in the United States.

Subpoenas are expected to go out this week.


http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/05/biggest-bittorrent-case/

[derf]

Well then, I'm glad I steal my internets

[tallywacker]

http://sfist.com/attachments/SFist_Brock/Good_Luck_I%27m_Behind_7_Proxies.jpg

I use a IP in Singapore to download with

[OneSickPsycho]

I'll let you know when I get my letter.

[tallywacker]

I'll let you know when I get my letter.

Tunnel all your traffic through a VPN service.

http://proxpn.com/

[Corey]

Anyone who willingly downloaded Expendables in the first place is just begging for severe, harsh punishment.

[tallywacker]

Anyone who willingly downloaded Expendables in the first place is just begging for severe, harsh punishment.

I went to the theater to watch it, fucking horrible. Good thing I had a bottle of Bourbon in my woman's purse.

[Captain Morgan]

Glad I've stayed away from torrents and my internet is locked up tight.

[Tmall]

I can't wait to get my letter. I think I'll go download it again...

[101lifts2]

Just because they know who pays for an IP, doesn't mean they can prove who actually downloaded the video.

I use Torrents all the time.

[Particle Man]

I went to the theater to watch it, fucking horrible. Good thing I had a bottle of Bourbon in my woman's purse.
I walked out.

[EpyonXero]

I went to the theater to watch it, fucking horrible. Good thing I had a bottle of Bourbon in my woman's purse.

You carry a woman's purse?

[Particle Man]

You carry a woman's purse?

Gotta keep the bourbon somewhere... Why not next to the tampons.

[defector]

Bourbon soaked tampons...now that's a conversation starter.

[azoomm]

You guys are like threadjack professionals... it's an artform. :lol:

[tallywacker]

You carry a woman's purse?

Yes, I have a woman that carries it for me as well. It's there just to disguise my Bourbon with feminine hygiene products and other woman garbage.:dthumb:

[Dave]

This is why I have a ten year limit on things we pinch

[Particle Man]

You guys are like threadjack professionals... it's an artform. :lol:

*bow* thank you, thank you.

[Apoc]

I can't wait to get my letter. I think I'll go download it again...



I wonder if the suit could even legally extend to Canada?

Not that I give a fuck. Its not a movie i'd actually take the time to download, but im just wondering what the legal differences are here.

[tallywacker]

http://i.imgur.com/GxzeV.jpg

[fujimoh]

I hope they catch them all and fine them heavily

[Tmall]

I hope they catch them all and fine them heavily

Obvious troll is obvious. :lol

[Particle Man]

I hope they catch them all and fine them heavily
:lol:

Who left the lid up on the toilet again? There's trolls getting in through there.

[fujimoh]

Obvious troll is obvious. :lol



:lol:

Who left the lid up on the toilet again? There's trolls getting in through there.


Supposed someone stole your motorcycle. Would that be OK?

Illegal downloading is stealing someone else's property. There is no difference. Supposed you worked on a book, movie or App for a smartphone, would you want to be paid for your effort, or would you give it away for free?

Please tell me what the difference is.

[OneSickPsycho]

Trollin' trollin' trollin'... keep them posts a trollin'...

[Tmall]

http://25.media.tumblr.com/e2szWQjMkq4ur8f9geessyb0o1_500.jpg

[OneSickPsycho]

http://25.media.tumblr.com/e2szwqjmkq4ur8f9geessyb0o1_500.jpg

awesome

[pauldun170]

Supposed someone stole your motorcycle. Would that be OK?

Illegal downloading is stealing someone else's property. There is no difference. Supposed you worked on a book, movie or App for a smartphone, would you want to be paid for your effort, or would you give it away for free?

Please tell me what the difference is.

Now back to reality....
Lets restate the "what if someone stole your property argument" to something to what it really is


Supposed someone made a copy of your motorcycle. Would that be OK?


Lets look at it from another perspective.

Supposed you spent a century building up a business model that sold replicas of original performances and then someone came along and offered it for free. would that be OK

And next.....

"What if someone paid you to make copies of something that you made and someone else comes along and gives away copies for free?"

Now lets look at the point of copyright.
To ensure that original authors have control over the distribution of their work.

[Particle Man]

Supposed someone stole your motorcycle. Would that be OK?


I think Paul about covered it.

Speaking of motorcycles, you ride what? Or are you just here to troll?

This thread has been on topic for too long. Too much conTROLL

[Rangerscott]

You dont take away from them. They just dont make money. No one is hacking into their bank accounts and actually taking money away.

[derf]

I kinda gotta side with foojimoh, just because its an asshole move, the original act is still illegal. It might be better if they try and find a sustainable business model rather than suing their customers, but in the meantime, we are still going of archaic digital laws that have been used in BS ways that they were never intended to be used.

[Particle Man]

I kinda gotta side with foojimoh, just because its an asshole move, the original act is still illegal. It might be better if they try and find a sustainable business model rather than suing their customers, but in the meantime, we are still going of archaic digital laws that have been used in BS ways that they were never intended to be used.

I wasn't saying he/she/it is right or wrong (although the analogy drawn is, IMHO, flawed). I just don't believe in trolls. So far, I haven't really seen a post of substance or even a simple introduction that would cause me to take 'em seriously.

Hence the "troll" reference.

If I wanted just random people popping in just to say random non-forum related shit and then leave, I'd log in to CF. :)

[EpyonXero]

Book hits #1 on Amazon thanks to piracy.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/15/taj-gibson-dunk-dwyane-wade_n_862248.html

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51UHdP8qDZL._SS500_.jpg

Mark reviewed a funny parody of a kid's picture book called Go the Fuck to Sleep late last month, and it's since gone to be the number one bestseller on Amazon.
Except, it hasn't been published yet. It's reached the number one slot on the strength of pre-orders.

How did this remarkable thing occur? Piracy.

In an age of e-books, piracy has been a rising concern amongst publishers for a few years, although none of the publishers contacted by The Bay Citizen could recall a PDF of a book going viral in the vein of "Go the Fuck to Sleep." This volume had a few key properties that enabled its electronic popularity: an undeniable title, a good-looking cover and a short length, making it easy to read, post and pass on. Also, the long lag time between the book's pre-sale (it was originally scheduled to go on sale in October) and the buzz made online sharing necessary.
'Go the F--- to Sleep': The Case of the Viral PDF

[Tmall]

I kinda gotta side with foojimoh, just because its an asshole move, the original act is still illegal. It might be better if they try and find a sustainable business model rather than suing their customers, but in the meantime, we are still going of archaic digital laws that have been used in BS ways that they were never intended to be used.

You also cannot walk a duck in nyc on xmas eve, (fake stupid law, but you get the idea) that doesn't make walking ducks wrong.


In other words, I ain't going to buy their shit to begin with, so the money they're losing doesn't exist.

Before the "try to justify it" crowd pops in, I'm not justifying. I don't give two shits about the profits of the media. Motherfuckers make more bank in a week than the majority of us will see in a lifetime. If they have to make due with the second tier of personal jet instead of the top tier, I can still sleep soundly at night.

[Papa_Complex]

Supposed someone stole your motorcycle. Would that be OK?

Illegal downloading is stealing someone else's property. There is no difference. Supposed you worked on a book, movie or App for a smartphone, would you want to be paid for your effort, or would you give it away for free?

Please tell me what the difference is.

Yes, it is, but let me run something by you here. What if you were a photographer, who used recordable media to send images to your clients, but were forced to pay a 'levy' to the recording and movie industries on every blank CD/DVD that you purchased?

You see that's the position, that we're in, here in Canada. My work gets ripped off, just like theirs does. I have no recourse other than petitioning the thieves for redress, or suing them. I don't get any of that money, that's pinched from me when I buy blanks. I don't get to 'opt out' of paying it, for my legitimate use of blank recording media.

Here, in Canada, none of the illegal downloading cases have been successful, since the day that the industry managed to have that levy passed into law. The reasoning is that they asked for a way that they could be paid, for those illegal downloads, and the GOT IT. So of course, now, they want changes in the law so that they get two bites at the apple. All well and good, but what about protection for MY intellectual property?

Your "What if you...?" argument falls on deaf ears, with me, because all that I see is unequal treatment under the law.

[Particle Man]

Yes, it is, but let me run something by you here. What if you were a photographer, who used recordable media to send images to your clients, but were forced to pay a 'levy' to the recording and movie industries on every blank CD/DVD that you purchased?

You see that's the position, that we're in, here in Canada. My work gets ripped off, just like theirs does. I have no recourse other than petitioning the thieves for redress, or suing them. I don't get any of that money, that's pinched from me when I buy blanks. I don't get to 'opt out' of paying it, for my legitimate use of blank recording media.

Here, in Canada, none of the illegal downloading cases have been successful, since the day that the industry managed to have that levy passed into law. The reasoning is that they asked for a way that they could be paid, for those illegal downloads, and the GOT IT. So of course, now, they want changes in the law so that they get two bites at the apple. All well and good, but what about protection for MY intellectual property?

Your "What if you...?" argument falls on deaf ears, with me, because all that I see is unequal treatment under the law.

See, this works a lot better as an explanation than "What if someone stole your motorcycle"

[fujimoh]

Yes, it is, but let me run something by you here. What if you were a photographer, who used recordable media to send images to your clients, but were forced to pay a 'levy' to the recording and movie industries on every blank CD/DVD that you purchased?

You see that's the position, that we're in, here in Canada. My work gets ripped off, just like theirs does. I have no recourse other than petitioning the thieves for redress, or suing them. I don't get any of that money, that's pinched from me when I buy blanks. I don't get to 'opt out' of paying it, for my legitimate use of blank recording media.

Here, in Canada, none of the illegal downloading cases have been successful, since the day that the industry managed to have that levy passed into law. The reasoning is that they asked for a way that they could be paid, for those illegal downloads, and the GOT IT. So of course, now, they want changes in the law so that they get two bites at the apple. All well and good, but what about protection for MY intellectual property?

Your "What if you...?" argument falls on deaf ears, with me, because all that I see is unequal treatment under the law.

So you should clearly understand the need to protect personal and intellectual property.

I don't understand what the "levy" on recording media has to do with the theft of intellectual property.

This thread is about whether it is fair for people to pirate copyrighted material. If people are using your work without your permission or paying you royalties, you ought to feel the way I do that it is illegal and the thieves should be prosecuted.

Explain to me what that has to do with paying a surcharge on blank media like CD/DVD.

[Papa_Complex]

So you should clearly understand the need to protect personal and intellectual property.

I don't understand what the "levy" on recording media has to do with the theft of intellectual property.

This thread is about whether it is fair for people to pirate copyrighted material. If people are using your work without your permission or paying you royalties, you ought to feel the way I do that it is illegal and the thieves should be prosecuted.

Explain to me what that has to do with paying a surcharge on blank media like CD/DVD.

You don't understand? And here I thought that I had laid it out quite clearly. In Canada it isn't theft to download music/movies, because it's already paid for. Despite that, there is no such protection for people like me. It isn't about protection of intellectual property, but rather about toadying to business.

[fujimoh]

You don't understand? And here I thought that I had laid it out quite clearly. In Canada it isn't theft to download music/movies, because it's already paid for. Despite that, there is no such protection for people like me. It isn't about protection of intellectual property, but rather about toadying to business.

You don't have copyright or patent protections in Canada? You are right, I don't understand. I don't live in Canada and I don't believe this set of prosecutions is in Canada. But instead of trying to help me understand or educate me, instead posters on this thread are just acting like snarky aholes

[pauldun170]

That's it...
I can't contribute in this thread anymore until I start seeing some informed opinions.

http://www.copyright.gov/title17/

until then

http://www.threadbombing.com/data/media/2/lurker.jpg (http://www.threadbombing.com/details.php?image_id=5516)

[Papa_Complex]

You don't have copyright or patent protections in Canada? You are right, I don't understand. I don't live in Canada and I don't believe this set of prosecutions is in Canada. But instead of trying to help me understand or educate me, instead posters on this thread are just acting like snarky aholes

Of course we have copyright protection but for corporations it's preemptive, whereas us peons with intellectual property have to sue. Down there it doesn't seem all that different with the government going to bat for the people who need no assistance, while the regular guy has to fight for what he deserves.

[Apoc]

So you should clearly understand the need to protect personal and intellectual property.

I don't understand what the "levy" on recording media has to do with the theft of intellectual property.

This thread is about whether it is fair for people to pirate copyrighted material. If people are using your work without your permission or paying you royalties, you ought to feel the way I do that it is illegal and the thieves should be prosecuted.

Explain to me what that has to do with paying a surcharge on blank media like CD/DVD.


Bla bla bla. I sure as fuck dont feel sorry for multi-billion dollar movie studios. As a matter of fact, until they bring down the price of movie tickets, Blu-rays and DVD's, I think EVERYONE should pirate everything until they get the picture.

The music industry is slowly starting to get the idea, and altering and improving their online sales models. Now if the gaming and movie industries would start doing the same, perhaps i'd have a little more empathy for them. As it is, I dont give a fuck about their intellectual properties. As long as they are charging 12-15$ to see a movie, i'll continue to pirate those that I dont deem worthy of that price.

Gaming is another story, because I cant play online games with pirated copies, so I buy most them, and theres also companies I like to support, like Valve. But I have no pity on huge companies like EA and Activision, with their ridiculously high pricing models for games and downloadable content, and will continue to pirate their single player games until they come around and realize they are ripping people off. I refuse pay 15$ for 3 multiplayer maps when I have already paid 60$ for the game itself. Especially when other companies like Valve, CD Projekt, and other smaller studios can afford to give that DLC away for free.

Its pure greed. So don't come in here on your moral high horse and expect us to give a fuck about the intellectual properties of greedy corporations.

[fujimoh]

So you think it is OK to rip off Papa Complex, since he is part of that evil corporation? I don't think he is some kind of mega millionaire, but people are ripping off his work without paying him. That's OK with you?

[Tmall]

So you think it is OK to rip off Papa Complex, since he is part of that evil corporation? I don't think he is some kind of mega millionaire, but people are ripping off his work without paying him. That's OK with you?

Did you read anything Papa Complex wrote? I don't think so....

[Particle Man]

Did you read anything Papa Complex wrote? I don't think so....

Crusade. Tunnel. Etc

[anthonyk]

Just so I make sure I'm up to speed, it's cool to steal from big corporations (for various reasons on either side of the border)?

But still not cool to steal from, say, your friendly local trackday photog?

Nobody's suggesting that the digital nature of the stuff they're stealing makes a difference, are they?

(BTW, that levy on blank media to offset piracy is f'ed up. Yeesh.)

[Papa_Complex]

Crusade. Tunnel. Etc

A bit different from the usual sort of comment here.

"Hot dog. Hallway. Etc."

[Papa_Complex]

Just so I make sure I'm up to speed, it's cool to steal from big corporations (for various reasons on either side of the border)?

But still not cool to steal from, say, your friendly local trackday photog?

Nobody's suggesting that the digital nature of the stuff they're stealing makes a difference, are they?

(BTW, that levy on blank media to offset piracy is f'ed up. Yeesh.)

They're pushing to extend it to flash media also so I'll likely get to pay both while originally making my own intellectual property AND while sending it to clients, without gaining the benefit of it myself.

[Apoc]

So you think it is OK to rip off Papa Complex, since he is part of that evil corporation? I don't think he is some kind of mega millionaire, but people are ripping off his work without paying him. That's OK with you?



Ummm, how is Papa Complex a corporation? He's a man with a small side business trying to make a decent living. He is not, however, overcharging people for garbage and making millions off them. Guys like him are the ones I have empathy for, as they are trying to get by.

Im sorry you cant understand these simple concepts.

[fujimoh]

Ummm, how is Papa Complex a corporation? He's a man with a small side business trying to make a decent living. He is not, however, overcharging people for garbage and making millions off them. Guys like him are the ones I have empathy for, as they are trying to get by.

Im sorry you cant understand these simple concepts.

I do understand it. You are right, it is a simple concept you don't seem to understand. When you are illegally downloading anything without paying for it, how do YOU know who owns the material? How do you know if you are ripping off a mega corp like Sony or a one man show like Popa?

The concept is really simple. When you illegally download, you are stealing. Why should it matter if you are stealing from Microsoft or Popa Complex?

Stealing is stealing, doesn't matter if it is music or video download, or the helmet and jacket off your parked motorcycle, theft is theft, if you get caught, you should be punished.

[pauldun170]

I do understand it. You are right, it is a simple concept you don't seem to understand. When you are illegally downloading anything without paying for it, how do YOU know who owns the material? How do you know if you are ripping off a mega corp like Sony or a one man show like Popa?

The concept is really simple. When you illegally download, you are stealing. Why should it matter if you are stealing from Microsoft or Popa Complex?

Stealing is stealing, doesn't matter if it is music or video download, or the helmet and jacket off your parked motorcycle, theft is theft, if you get caught, you should be punished.

Nope..

[Tmall]

I do understand it. You are right, it is a simple concept you don't seem to understand. When you are illegally downloading anything without paying for it, how do YOU know who owns the material? How do you know if you are ripping off a mega corp like Sony or a one man show like Popa?

The concept is really simple. When you illegally download, you are stealing. Why should it matter if you are stealing from Microsoft or Popa Complex?

Stealing is stealing, doesn't matter if it is music or video download, or the helmet and jacket off your parked motorcycle, theft is theft, if you get caught, you should be punished.

To top it off, if it were stealing, people would be charged with theft. Not copyright infringement or whatever nonsense they try to charge people with.

[fujimoh]

To top it off, if it were stealing, people would be charged with theft. Not copyright infringement or whatever nonsense they try to charge people with.


All right, Y'all win! Just be sure to post up about it when it happens to you

[Papa_Complex]

All right, Y'all win! Just be sure to post up about it when it happens to you

Already did.

[Tmall]

All right, Y'all win! Just be sure to post up about it when it happens to you

If you don't believe me, click this Here (http://torcache.net/torrent/6D1DD17812BE84793E00C667AA4E211679A76D2A.torrent?t itle=[kat.ph]the.expendables.2010.dvdrip.mxmg)

[fujimoh]

If you don't believe me, click this Here (http://torcache.net/torrent/6D1DD17812BE84793E00C667AA4E211679A76D2A.torrent?t itle=[kat.ph]the.expendables.2010.dvdrip.mxmg)


No thank-you, my firewall says it is malware

[Papa_Complex]

It's not.

[Avatard]

Yes, it is, but let me run something by you here. What if you were a photographer, who used recordable media to send images to your clients, but were forced to pay a 'levy' to the recording and movie industries on every blank CD/DVD that you purchased?

You see that's the position, that we're in, here in Canada. My work gets ripped off, just like theirs does. I have no recourse other than petitioning the thieves for redress, or suing them. I don't get any of that money, that's pinched from me when I buy blanks. I don't get to 'opt out' of paying it, for my legitimate use of blank recording media.

Here, in Canada, none of the illegal downloading cases have been successful, since the day that the industry managed to have that levy passed into law. The reasoning is that they asked for a way that they could be paid, for those illegal downloads, and the GOT IT. So of course, now, they want changes in the law so that they get two bites at the apple. All well and good, but what about protection for MY intellectual property?

Your "What if you...?" argument falls on deaf ears, with me, because all that I see is unequal treatment under the law.

I'm in recording, and audio.

I remember the DAT tax.

Remember DAT tape? Came out around the time of CD? It was supposed to be the replacement for cassette tapes, as the CD replaced vinyl (recordable CDs and computer DAWs would ultimately kill the need for the format entirely some years later).

The media was digital, like the CD, and was to offer recording at 48Khz, slightly better, but incompatible with the 44.1Khz rate of CDs in order to prevent copying.

Inexplicably, US regulatory bullshit fucked that up. It was feared the quality would be still too good. They added copy protection flags, but oddly, also allowed recording at 44.1 (?). It went back and forth, and finally, they just decided to tax the media, to offset the piracy (yeah, the logic is flawed, but play along).

End result, when all the dust settled?

DAT took so long to define legally, it tanked in the marketplace, and became a mastering format for professionals WHO MADE FUCKING CDs by "default" (it was more affordable than the professional "DASH" format).

So now, the people who would supposedly be getting ripped off (like, say; ME), would theoretically get just compensation from those supposedly stealing (say; ME) from the taxes on the tapes they purchased.

Oddly, I never saw any of that money...

Hmmm.

:skep:

Papa, I feel your pain...this is a legacy tax from this very fucking debacle I speak of. Someone's keeping the money, and it's not the professionals that this legislation pretends to protect.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMh6O7HuI08