Filesharing

Dont matter what program you use,there scanning all filesharing servers.


How do we gather evidence?
To begin with, our evidence-gathering process (like all our other anti-piracy techniques) is completely legal and involves searching only for files that are readily available to every other member of the public.

Here’s how it works: When you log onto a peer-to-peer network, your P2P software has a default setting that automatically informs the network of your user name and the names and sizes of the files on your hard drive that are available for copying.

Because all this information is publicly available to anyone on the network, it’s relatively easy to look for—and find—users who are offering to “share” copyrighted music files. The networks could not work if this were not the case. Given the huge number of P2P users (there are an estimated five million of them online at any given time), we use software to search the network for infringing files, similar to the way other users search the network.

When we come across a user who is distributing copyrighted music files, we download copyrighted music files (of our member companies) the user is offering, as well as document the date and time that we downloaded those files.

Additional information that is publicly available from these systems allows us to identify the user’s Internet Service Provider (ISP). After manually reviewing the information gathered by the software, we can then decide whether it justifies serving the ISP with a subpoena requesting the name and address of the individual whose account was being used to distribute copyrighted music. Under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, ISPs are required to provide copyright holders with such information when there is a good-faith reason to believe their copyrights are being infringed.

What gives you the right to go snooping around in people’s hard drives?
We’re not snooping around in anyone’s hard drive. Our evidence-collecting process involves nothing more than reviewing and downloading files that members of peer-to-peer networks choose to make available to all the other users on their networks. As the court noted in the Verizon ruling, “If an individual subscriber opens his computer to permit others, through peer-to-peer file sharing, to download materials from that computer, it is hard to understand just what privacy expectation he or she has after essentially opening the computer to the world.”

Why should I pay for music from an authorized site when I can download it for free from a peer-to-peer network?
Why should you pay for a CD at a record store when you can get it for free simply by slipping it into your pocket and heading out the door? Unauthorized downloading is just as illegal as shoplifting, and it is every bit as wrong. Not only does it rob recording artists and songwriters of their livelihoods—and threaten the jobs of tens of thousands of less celebrated people in the music industry, from engineers and technicians to warehouse workers and record store clerks—it also undermines the future of music by depriving the industry of the resources it needs to find and develop new talent. What’s more, when you download from an authorized site, you can be sure of getting a complete recording of the highest quality (as opposed to the hit-or-miss results you get from P2P networks).

What sense does it make for the music industry to sue its own customers?
The same question can be asked of retailers who go after shoplifters. And retailers do take action against shoplifters because they know the problem could get a whole lot worse if they didn’t. The cable and satellite industries have likewise take action against individuals who steal their services. Remember, this is not a victimless crime. Thousands of record company employees have been laid off, numerous record stores are closing throughout the country and due to declining sales, record companies do not have the investment to make in new artists.


This post has been edited by Numba1Stunna on Aug 19 2003, 01:02 PM

Soo...wats a site where we can DL music from...and pay like a monthly fee or sumthin??? Or is there one??

There's places like itunes.com and napster.com

I haven't tried either so I don't know if they're any good. Sounds like a good idea though, I'd rather buy mp3's than CDs, I got a stack of CDs here at the moment that I don't listen to because I've ripped them all to mp3 (I hate changing CDs)

In saying that I think some p2p networks are good, and I'm not against downloading mp3s. The problem comes when people would rather go and download mp3s than buy the CD. My flatmate is a prime example, he'd go into a record store and make a list of CDs he liked, then come home and download the mp3s.

I tend to download the mp3s first and then if I like the album, I'll buy it.

Filesharing isn't stealing, imo. It all comes down to the way you use it. Most people tend to just download albums and not buy the albums. Not me. I download albums to find new artists and new albums to buy. There is basically no other way for me to access the music I enjoy. The radio doesn't play it and they don't play the vids on the Top 40 Charts.
If it wasn't for file sharing, I wouldn't have found a lot of not-so-known and hard to find bands. They say it's impacting on CD sales - I say bullshit. Putting out dull, boring music is impacting music sales. I'm more than happy to pay for my overpriced CDs, but only if I can research my choices and listen to them first. There's no way I'm spending 30 bucks or more on an album/band that looks interesting. Also, ordering CDs is more expensive, so I'm really not going to take risks on that if I haven't heard the entire album.
File sharing, in my case, has opened the doors to lots of interesting and new music, and actually HELPED artists. These obscure artists would not have got my money if it wasn't for file sharing - because I'd never have thought to buy their album, or even know they exist.
And for you who just download and don't give back? Do me a favour and buy some CDs.

I know what you mean about finding lots of old or relatively new bands but honestly you're one of the few people who listens and also goes and buys the CDs.

It's a shame really - I get lumped into the same category as these other file sharers who really just want music without paying anything for it. I might consider the pay sites, but I already pay a shit load of money for CDs. It's not really a cheap addiction.
Spoils it for me and the other honest people out there.
What really bites is people burning albums and selling them to friends. Those are the real thiefs imo.

This post has been edited by Sheepish on Apr 8 2004, 03:17 AM

Yeah but I think that this is a huge wake up call to the CD industry that we don't want to buy CRAP anymore, and if quality music isn't given to us then we'll find it somewhere else. Granted, some of us will find something we like and actually go and support the artist but most won't which is what sucks.

How many of yall still dl...well what programs do yall dl?? cuz i dl from winmx and used to dl in kazza but sometimes it doesn't give all the song it gives me like 30 seconds of it..

i'm still with imesh... rarely download though.

I use KazaaLite but not all that much.

i use BearShare but i hardly ever dl.

i didnt feel like starting a new topic on this cause it might b considered advertising, so ill just put it in here since it has to do with a computer subject.


ok you guys that use internet explorer or netscape, theres this other explorer called Mozilla Firefox... its so much more cleaner, less pop ups and runs faster than the other two, all my computer dork friends told me to get it (they like listed all the pros... i cant remember them cause im slow) but yes.. very good explorer.

Mozilla Firefox Link

Hey, im gonna download that explorer (well im downloading it right now) & umm i wanna know if it'll totally erase IE and replace it with the THAT explorer? eessh, sorry if that didn't make sense. but like will it take internet explorer of? i guess that's what im asking.. lol

oh no it wont delete ur other browsers unless you go ahead and delete them yourself some other time.

it does ask you if you want to copy and transfer ur bookmarks from either ie or netscape... without erasing it from them - to the firefox browser... i still have ie and netscape on my computer but i havent deleted them yet

OK got it!

Umm for some reason it's not letting me write comments on cpixel.. is this happening to u, or is it just me?