In this case, its true. I really want no part in it. But, alas, its now part of my job, whether I agree with it or not.
Yeah, but they don't go after you unless the "infringed" company reports your IP to your ISP. That would require getting it from the torrent and download sites, correct?
That actually sounds quite reasonable...Ofcourse I only download free mmos legally so I'm in the clear I guess.
Oddly enough. I'm really not worried in the slighest. Daily Internet usage: Facebook Youtube TFW Deviantart scroll between those four tabs until dinner time Hulu Netflix Tvnihon Youtube choose between those four and the first four until whatever I watch is over School Porn Facebook Porn Email Porn Ebay Porn Scroll between those tabs before bed... Really, I have no shame. Besides, for some reason the stories in porn/hentai have really been getting highclass. I'd mention a few titles but... kids...internet...eh?
This is correct. The ISP (at least mine), doesn't monitor customers directly. It keeps track of what IP address each customer has had at any point, which is standard practice for any company. The Infringed copyright holder notifies them that this IP downloaded this file on such and such date, the ISP looks up the IP to see who had it at that time, and notifies them. At no point, does the ISP give the infringed the customer's info. In most cases, you're warned, you stop, you're done. You pay nothing and everyones happy.
Truthfully, I could rant all day and write essay upon essay in regard to how I feel about the Content Industry and Big Media these days and the kind of control they want over the masses, the internet, and elsewhere. But I'll just say this: my prediction for this ISP policing of users? A clusterfuck lies ahead.
My understanding of the new system coming in July is that the ISPs will now take the initiative on determining and penalizing those who are infringing rather than the IP holder as it was previously.
I agree, sounds good to me also. But, I am of the mindset that we as techies and gamers need to get out in front of all this piracy and illegal torrent downloads before we lose everything on the Internet we've built up over the last 20 years. If you want to be able to make legal backups, transfer something from one media to another without getting hassled, stream across approved medium (HuluPlus, HBO Go, etc.), download games for cheap on platforms like Steam, or torrent media already available to the public for free (like an episode of LOST that it still up on ABC.com for free) then we need to try and weed out the bad apples (i.e. HAHA, LIK I'M PAYING FOR THAT< DAY 1 PIRATE!). Otherwise, we're going to be up to our eyeballs in DRMs and forced Internet connectivity where they watch your every move and don't allow us to do anything. No, I don't care if you are young/broke/lazy/poor/etc. If you didn't buy it, you can go without (as far as electronic media goes; if you're poor, I hope you can get food, shelter, etc.). I know piracy doesn't really affect sales, but as long as 70+ year olds are CEOs of companies and have zero knowledge of how the Internet works, you're messing with the abilities for everyone trying to live in the digital age. /former software pirate //now IT system admin and I've seen when sales don't go well, it's not the CEO that gets the pink slip ///doesn't want a system like XBL to run all digital media in the future ////slashies
The problem with this methodology is that it presumes subscriber Z is guilty, and that company B is accurately representing the situation.
The problem with your position is piracy has nothing to do with it. The type of system you say you don't want is exactly what the content providers DO want and are using the excuse of piracy(which you admit has no impact on sales) to get. If they didn't have piracy to use as their reason they would find another. The problem isn't piracy it is that an entire industry has become used to completely controlling the marketplace of entertainment from production to consumption and they are not going to give that up without a fight. They want to turn the internet into another pipeline just like TV, movies( and XBL), where they control all your options and charge you for the privilege. There has even been a proposal to monetize your remote control and wire every peripheral you own into their online matrix. You want to fast forward through ads while watching an on-demand program? That'll be $1.50. You want to skip the previews on that new Blu-ray you bought? We offer that feature for $1.00 a use. You want to be able to compete in a multiplayer game? Then you better pay up at the DLC store or those who do will pwn you unmercifully. Pirates or no pirates they will keep trying to find a way to monetize the dissemination of popular culture in this new era. And others will keep finding new ways to circumvent them and their agenda.
This. Though I do think piracy does effect some sales. But I also think it's negligible in the long run. The digital age is making the business model they've held on to for years more and more obselete. Instead of spending money to try to innovate and evolve to better fit their consumer base, they're trying to fight against the changing tides by holding onto their old business model. And the more they push for control of consumers and the internet (something almost the entire world has embraced as a huge part of their lives), the less respect consumers will have for them. I'm an example - I'm not a downloader, but I'm disgusted by them. They're turning consumers against them with the attitude they've taken against the internet as well as the consumers themselves. There is no way to 100% stop piracy, but if they made more solid efforts to change with the times and listen more to what consumers want instead of spending their money to gain control over things they shouldn't have control over, I do believe there would be less piracy for them to worry about. The world shouldn't stop evolving for anyone. No matter how deep their pockets are.
I can see where you guys are coming from, and I'm not saying you're wrong, I just think if we can take piracy down to a very minimum, then we might get more public support against whatever the next reason to control the media turns out to be. Right now, urban house wife #3 has no idea what SOPA was, but Facebook is fun, and piracy is bad. They have money, and they vote. Those are the supporters we need. Also, honest, non-flamebate question. Just taking TV (not movies, games, or music because downloading those are technically piracy if you don't already own them in some form), if you torrent a TV show, you aren't watching commercials (which in turn pay the networks), and in the case of something like HBO, you aren't subscribing to the network. CEOs and Hollywood stars will always make millions of dollars, so how do we get TV shows made? Are we just going to ditch it completely for user created content ala YouTube?
You know what would take piracy down to a minimum? Giving consumers the experience they want with paid products. It shouldn't take me 5+ minutes to get through the all the ads and warnings on a blu-ray disc to get to the movie. I shouldn't have to watch 8+ minutes of commercials to see 22 mins of TV show. I would pay for a service that let me watch TV shows commercial free on my own schedule(and not months after they're relevant on DVD ie Netflix), but right now the only outlet for that kind of experience is pirated content. Look at how successful itunes has been for music distribution. People are more than happy to pay for a good experience. It's too bad the TV and movie industries can't see that it's their business model that creates piracy. Kind of like the war on drugs creates drug crime(we learned nothing from the prohibition of alcohol apparently), but there's too much money to be made on both sides of the issue for any kind of rational approach. All the media companies can see are ways to squeeze more money out of consumers by limiting choice.
You realize the ISP's themselve have been FORCED into this position by broadcasting and media companies right? It's all about the money, that's all these people ever care about.
... I never purchase a product unless I have sampled it 1st that is true for Films, TV-Series and Film/TV Soundtracks. I refuse to waste cash on items that don't meet my own standards.
No they aren't being forced unless you count being paid a lot of money as force. The recent SOPA/PIPA etc laws would have forced the ISPs, but those were shut down so the content industry(who are supposed to be going broke due to piracy) offered to pay ISPs big bucks to do the dirty work without being required to by law.
Different matter all together. Hell I know cops and other people in the law enforcement area who download shit. You start arrest pirates, there wown´t be jails large enough to house what amounts to 70% of the computer using population. Our mentality here is "Are you selling stuff on the streets? No? Then we don´t give a fuck."
