US piracy cyberlocker operator gets 3 years in prison, must pay $100k

Files would be replaced with "different links to the very same infringing files."

Read the whole story

 

[genphp]

Never heard of it and ipirateeverything

 

[Nowicki]

Because streaming/downloading/copying to unauthorized device is worse than or the same as gun trafficing in terms of offense.

http://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/7/71/ ... rafficking

 

[WhyNotZoidberg]

People still use sites like that? I thought torrenting had pretty much made them irrelevant. Last time I visited one (looking for an old piece of software) I was bombarded with so many popups and other crap I gave up.

 

[iPirateEverything]

genphp[/url]":wqgvhxo5]Never heard of it and ipirateeverything

HEY!

 

[Mr_Cynical]

WhyNotZoidberg[/url]":3uszivju]People still use sites like that? I thought torrenting had pretty much made them irrelevant. Last time I visited one (looking for an old piece of software) I was bombarded with so many popups and other crap I gave up.

Unlike with BitTorrent, it's unusual (though not unheard of) for individual users to be targeted for legal shakedowns.

 

[Nowicki]

WhyNotZoidberg[/url]":2bmq0omd]People still use sites like that? I thought torrenting had pretty much made them irrelevant. Last time I visited one (looking for an old piece of software) I was bombarded with so many popups and other crap I gave up.

People do. but the successful ones are completely off shore, owner and all. Places like vodlocker have these streams and sites like projectfreetv have the links organized for use.

 

[Nowicki]

Mr_Cynical[/url]":3e9swupw]

WhyNotZoidberg[/url]":3e9swupw]People still use sites like that? I thought torrenting had pretty much made them irrelevant. Last time I visited one (looking for an old piece of software) I was bombarded with so many popups and other crap I gave up.

Unlike with BitTorrent, it's unusual (though not unheard of) for individual users to be targeted for legal shakedowns.

This is why comcast is adopting the three strikes system for copyright so if people are streaming the system has recourse. They want to be able to scare people into not pirating even without a subpoena. Unsurprisingly it works like most fear mongering.

edit for
They havent been rolling it out like they planned because it got a lot of attention, but its still in effect, and deterring people with notices from their ISP

 

[groghunter]

Once again, don't live in the country that works the hardest at criminalizing copyright infringement if your business model is copyright infringement.

Extradition treaty countries aren't a great idea either(though we still have to see whether they manage to pry Kim Dotcom out of NZ.)

 

[Wickwick]

Why bother with registering an agent for DMCA claims if you're not going to actually follow through on them? Obfuscate your identity as best as you can. Pay everything in bitcoin. Use Tor to access your servers. That is, if you're planning to run a criminal copyright service.

 

[dxppxd]

I'm glad the law is bringing the hammer down on these dangerous individuals that destroy the very fabric of society and damage our democr…
oh, copyright infringement?

Nevermind, move along people, nothing to see here.

 

[dxppxd]

I'm glad the law is bringing the hammer down on these dangerous individuals that destroy the very fabric of society and damage our democr…
oh, copyright infringement?

Nevermind, move along people, nothing to see here.

 

[andrgl]

Wickwick[/url]":shcyhc8t]Why bother with registering an agent for DMCA claims if you're not going to actually follow through on them? Obfuscate your identity as best as you can. Pay everything in bitcoin. Use Tor to access your servers. That is, if you're planning to run a criminal copyright service.

I actually had a very lengthy reply typed out but thought better of posting it. I'll leave the two flaws to your plan:

1) Can't anonymize purchase of a TLD. Even if you could, then you won't have full control over the domain and it could be snatched up.

2) Fine, you use a Tor domain. How are you going to advertise your service? Paid plugs can drive huge traffic if you find a webmaster willing to take bitcoins. (No recourse if they screw you over.)

3) Advertising**. To get paid you'll be handing over very incriminating info. Okay, let's say you find a blackhat that wants to use your site and will pay you in bitcoins... enough said.

**This is what it's all about. Why else would someone go through all the trouble to throw-up a cyberlocker if you can't even break even.


Disclaimer: don't do it, it's not worth it! Seriously. If you want to make a quick buck, there are much safer blackhat shit you can pull. Better yet, go do something positive. You'll feel better about yourself and people and family you know will hold you in high esteem. It's a sad thing to see juvenile thinking prolong itself into adulthood.

 

[Coriolanus]

Nowicki[/url]":13hl8qsl]Because streaming/downloading/copying to unauthorized device is worse than or the same as gun trafficing in terms of offense.

http://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/7/71/ ... rafficking

To be fair, you really can't compare sentences obtained after conviction and sentencing (as in this case) and sentences obtained after the defendant plead guilty pursuant to a plea bargain.

 

[TomXP411]

Cripes. He should get 10 years just for the name alone.

 

[Sulik2]

How is he being tried under the DMCA if all the offending files were hosted in the Netherlands, Russia and France? I'm curious as to how this works if none of the files breaking the law were actually stored on US soil.

 

[TomXP411]

Sulik2[/url]":3g2tq0mu]How is he being tried under the DMCA if all the offending files were hosted in the Netherlands, Russia and France? I'm curious as to how this works if none of the files breaking the law were actually stored on US soil.

I shot a man in Mexico.

I was on the US side of the border and fired across the line.

Which country tries me for the crime?

 

[gravical]

How is this criminal? So tired of my supposed "by common consent" going towards jailing people who don't obey some cartel's business plan. Fuck the cartels.

 

[trils]

andrgl[/url]":tpayboky]

Wickwick[/url]":tpayboky]Why bother with registering an agent for DMCA claims if you're not going to actually follow through on them? Obfuscate your identity as best as you can. Pay everything in bitcoin. Use Tor to access your servers. That is, if you're planning to run a criminal copyright service.

I actually had a very lengthy reply typed out but thought better of posting it. I'll leave the two flaws to your plan:

1) Can't anonymize purchase of a TLD. Even if you could, then you won't have full control over the domain and it could be snatched up.

2) Fine, you use a Tor domain. How are you going to advertise your service? Paid plugs can drive huge traffic if you find a webmaster willing to take bitcoins. (No recourse if they screw you over.)

3) Advertising**. To get paid you'll be handing over very incriminating info. Okay, let's say you find a blackhat that wants to use your site and will pay you in bitcoins... enough said.

**This is what it's all about. Why else would someone go through all the trouble to throw-up a cyberlocker if you can't even break even.


Disclaimer: don't do it, it's not worth it! Seriously. If you want to make a quick buck, there are much safer blackhat shit you can pull. Better yet, go do something positive. You'll feel better about yourself and people and family you know will hold you in high esteem. It's a sad thing to see juvenile thinking prolong itself into adulthood.

This reminded me of a talk I saw a while back and after some Youtube surfing I found it. So instead of just pointing out why or how it is possible to setup an anon service with a .com you can watch this 12min talk about the topic of someone setting up such a service.He set up a service to destroy peoples lives for bitcoins never doing the actual work (scam) but I guess if you aren't paid directly some xxx ad services will be happy to provide you with income.

Hacking Business: Chris Drake at TEDxNoosa
https://youtu.be/pkDaJwat6ic

 

[maxwell]

gravical[/url]":1zw62hwp]How is this criminal? So tired of my supposed "by common consent" going towards jailing people who don't obey some cartel's business plan. Fuck the cartels.

It's criminal to respond to a DMCA takedown request by simply renaming files. What he did was the equivalent of getting caught with a car, but then quickly repainting it and claiming it was a different car. Over and over.

 

[gravical]

maxwell[/url]":3lt9kctm]

gravical[/url]":3lt9kctm]How is this criminal? So tired of my supposed "by common consent" going towards jailing people who don't obey some cartel's business plan. Fuck the cartels.

It's criminal to respond to a DMCA takedown request by simply renaming files. What he did was the equivalent of getting caught with a car, but then quickly repainting it and claiming it was a different car. Over and over.

Except that no car was stolen.

 

[Azethoth666]

Sulik2[/url]":1yw1scjo]How is he being tried under the DMCA if all the offending files were hosted in the Netherlands, Russia and France? I'm curious as to how this works if none of the files breaking the law were actually stored on US soil.

Aw, a criminal lives in the USA and gets caught. Now you are butt hurt because you think he is somehow innocent because "waves hands about foreign based servers". Could you explain your novel legal doctrine please?

 

[gravical]

The entirety of space and time is a mechanic of copying information. All of quantum mechanics, all of human communication, all of DNA and genetic replication obey that simple law: copy. What the fuck is "the law" that it claims the unabashed right to use violence against human beings for doing the only thing reality allows? And then to demand our respect for it? Fuck that. Copy is a fact of mathematics, and it will never end.

 

[Azethoth666]

gravical[/url]":2tun0qcm]

maxwell[/url]":2tun0qcm]

gravical[/url]":2tun0qcm]How is this criminal? So tired of my supposed "by common consent" going towards jailing people who don't obey some cartel's business plan. Fuck the cartels.

It's criminal to respond to a DMCA takedown request by simply renaming files. What he did was the equivalent of getting caught with a car, but then quickly repainting it and claiming it was a different car. Over and over.

Except that no car was stolen.

Analogy: "a comparison between two things, typically on the basis of their structure and for the purpose of explanation or clarification."

So yeah of course no car got stolen in the analogy. Duh.

As for having to pay for goods and services, that's because we live in a capitalist society. I realize you are only 14 and mommy and daddy pay for everything and your allowance is inadequate to buy everything you want. However that just means you need to live within your means. Music is quite affordable from Apple, Spotify, Pandora, and a number of legal sites. Your cartel babble is just pure bs.

 

[Azethoth666]

gravical[/url]":1m01he3a]The entirety of space and time is a mechanic of copying information. All of quantum mechanics, all of human communication, all of DNA and genetic replication obey that simple law: copy. What the fuck is "the law" that it claims the unabashed right to use violence against human beings for doing the only thing reality allows? And then to demand our respect for it? Fuck that. Copy is a fact of mathematics, and it will never end.

Do you even have a job? Do you know people with jobs? You must because you have the ability to post here.

Now please follow the money trail. How and why do they get paid? At some point valuable goods and services exchange hands. The reason these were made is because there is a way, money, to get compensated. It is called capitalism and it works. This very website only exists because people make stuff, advertise it here, then people coming here look at the ads and buy stuff.

Please explain this alternate system you want where you just take stuff and everyone else just makes stuff just for you for free. You need to explain how everyone else lives though and why they give a shit about you.I know that is hard for a solipsist like yourself. Just pretend that everyone else is not a figment of your imagination.

 

[Sulik2]

Azethoth666[/url]":300xo24x]

Sulik2[/url]":300xo24x]How is he being tried under the DMCA if all the offending files were hosted in the Netherlands, Russia and France? I'm curious as to how this works if none of the files breaking the law were actually stored on US soil.

Aw, a criminal lives in the USA and gets caught. Now you are butt hurt because you think he is somehow innocent because "waves hands about foreign based servers". Could you explain your novel legal doctrine please?

Where did I mention saying he was innocent? I certainly don't agree with piracy, but I'm not a lawyer. I am actually interested in how the law functions in this situation where the pirated material is stored in countries that aren't under the domain of DMCA. Is it because he used a .com registered in the US? If he used a foreign register could they not have charged him?

 

[godel]

I'm more concerned with the cyberlocking aspect which has the potential to cause real financial harm and emotional distress to individuals.

Depending on the circumstances, three years may not be enough.

 

[PeterWimsey]

gravical[/url]":1ppmkibs] Copy is a fact of mathematics, and it will never end.

So is subtraction, but that doesn't mean I can kill someone even if the result is one fewer person.

 

[TomXP411]

Sulik2[/url]":i9tp1szs]

Azethoth666[/url]":i9tp1szs]

Sulik2[/url]":i9tp1szs]How is he being tried under the DMCA if all the offending files were hosted in the Netherlands, Russia and France? I'm curious as to how this works if none of the files breaking the law were actually stored on US soil.

Aw, a criminal lives in the USA and gets caught. Now you are butt hurt because you think he is somehow innocent because "waves hands about foreign based servers". Could you explain your novel legal doctrine please?

Where did I mention saying he was innocent? I certainly don't agree with piracy, but I'm not a lawyer. I am actually interested in how the law functions in this situation where the pirated material is stored in countries that aren't under the domain of DMCA. Is it because he used a .com registered in the US? If he used a foreign register could they not have charged him?

As the person who committed the offense, he was located in US Jurisdiction. It doesn't matter where he stored the data; the fact is that he was here in the US when he set up, promoted, and operated his media piracy operation. He is a US citizen who committed crimes on US soil, so he's subject to US laws.

 

[Ilikebundy99]

Azethoth666[/url]":3ae4tcq1]

gravical[/url]":3ae4tcq1]The entirety of space and time is a mechanic of copying information. All of quantum mechanics, all of human communication, all of DNA and genetic replication obey that simple law: copy. What the fuck is "the law" that it claims the unabashed right to use violence against human beings for doing the only thing reality allows? And then to demand our respect for it? Fuck that. Copy is a fact of mathematics, and it will never end.

Do you even have a job? Do you know people with jobs? You must because you have the ability to post here.

Now please follow the money trail. How and why do they get paid? At some point valuable goods and services exchange hands. The reason these were made is because there is a way, money, to get compensated. It is called capitalism and it works. This very website only exists because people make stuff, advertise it here, then people coming here look at the ads and buy stuff.

Please explain this alternate system you want where you just take stuff and everyone else just makes stuff just for you for free. You need to explain how everyone else lives though and why they give a shit about you.I know that is hard for a solipsist like yourself. Just pretend that everyone else is not a figment of your imagination.

Copyright isn't a capitalist construct, it is a monopoly. it is the very opposite of capitalism.

Creativity and creative expression existed long before the advent of copyright and in my opinion will exist long after we finally rid ourselves of it.

There are other ways to be compensated for creation than government granted monopolies...

for example the threshold pledge system: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_Performer_Protocol

But even if creativity were to be lowered (which i do not believe it would be) i still believe copyright causes more harm than good at this point and needs to be either severely reined in or abolished. Just my 2 cents.

 

[potato44819]

I had mentally hoped taht cyberlocker was actually cryptolocker, and that we had caught one of those assholes dumping ransomware on peoples' computers.

But no, it's something that doesn't affect the average american in any way instead.

 

[FoolsGold]

Ilikebundy99[/url]":28c5p1xm]

Azethoth666[/url]":28c5p1xm]

gravical[/url]":28c5p1xm]The entirety of space and time is a mechanic of copying information. All of quantum mechanics, all of human communication, all of DNA and genetic replication obey that simple law: copy. What the fuck is "the law" that it claims the unabashed right to use violence against human beings for doing the only thing reality allows? And then to demand our respect for it? Fuck that. Copy is a fact of mathematics, and it will never end.

Do you even have a job? Do you know people with jobs? You must because you have the ability to post here.

Now please follow the money trail. How and why do they get paid? At some point valuable goods and services exchange hands. The reason these were made is because there is a way, money, to get compensated. It is called capitalism and it works. This very website only exists because people make stuff, advertise it here, then people coming here look at the ads and buy stuff.

Please explain this alternate system you want where you just take stuff and everyone else just makes stuff just for you for free. You need to explain how everyone else lives though and why they give a shit about you.I know that is hard for a solipsist like yourself. Just pretend that everyone else is not a figment of your imagination.

Copyright isn't a capitalist construct, it is a monopoly. it is the very opposite of capitalism.

Creativity and creative expression existed long before the advent of copyright and in my opinion will exist long after we finally rid ourselves of it.

There are other ways to be compensated for creation than government granted monopolies...

for example the threshold pledge system: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_Performer_Protocol

But even if creativity were to be lowered (which i do not believe it would be) i still believe copyright causes more harm than good at this point and needs to be either severely reined in or abolished. Just my 2 cents.

You make a good point. So does Azethoth666 and the like you are responding to. How to reconcile these two opposing points of view?

My view is that it is very sad to see games released by pirates before they are released by the studio, or albums and movies available on pirate sites before they are released by the studio.

However, and that's a big HOWEVER, we are faced with blatant corruption by the MAFIAA in collusion with Senators, Congress, and even the President of the United States of America to stretch out copyright terms way beyond reason and impose it upon the whole world. We are also faced with situations like the USA illegally imposing their laws beyond their borders, like in the case of Kim Dotcom. What do we do as powerless citizens in the face of such an affront? I, for example, am not even an American so I can't vote these crooks out of office. Instead, the USA bullies my government to accept their terms under the TPP and there is nothing I can do about it. It seems Americans have lost control of their government.

I think the only non-violent response open to us is civil disobedience. Though I am not in the habit of downloading music from pirate sites, I feel I should put action to my own words and get with the program, download Bittorrent and learn to use it.

What do you plan to do?

 

[AliceWonder]

Wickwick[/url]":dl4l169m]Why bother with registering an agent for DMCA claims if you're not going to actually follow through on them? Obfuscate your identity as best as you can. Pay everything in bitcoin. Use Tor to access your servers. That is, if you're planning to run a criminal copyright service.

Didn't work so well for Ross...

 

[AliceWonder]

andrgl[/url]":2at9qnk7]

Wickwick[/url]":2at9qnk7]Why bother with registering an agent for DMCA claims if you're not going to actually follow through on them? Obfuscate your identity as best as you can. Pay everything in bitcoin. Use Tor to access your servers. That is, if you're planning to run a criminal copyright service.

I actually had a very lengthy reply typed out but thought better of posting it. I'll leave the two flaws to your plan:

1) Can't anonymize purchase of a TLD. Even if you could, then you won't have full control over the domain and it could be snatched up.

Namecoin

 

[Ilikebundy99]

You make a good point. So does Azethoth666 and the like you are responding to. How to reconcile these two opposing points of view?

My view is that it is very sad to see games released by pirates before they are released by the studio, or albums and movies available on pirate sites before they are released by the studio.

However, and that's a big HOWEVER, we are faced with blatant corruption by the MAFIAA in collusion with Senators, Congress, and even the President of the United States of America to stretch out copyright terms way beyond reason and impose it upon the whole world. We are also faced with situations like the USA illegally imposing their laws beyond their borders, like in the case of Kim Dotcom. What do we do as powerless citizens in the face of such an affront? I, for example, am not even an American so I can't vote these crooks out of office. Instead, the USA bullies my government to accept their terms under the TPP and there is nothing I can do about it. It seems Americans have lost control of their government.

I think the only non-violent response open to us is civil disobedience. Though I am not in the habit of downloading music from pirate sites, I feel I should put action to my own words and get with the program, download Bittorrent and learn to use it.

What do you plan to do?[/quote]

Try and convince others that copyright needs to be changed drastically or abolished... if we can get enough support then things can change. Of course there is still the MAFIAA, So i am hoping a generation of digital natives with more experience with copyright and the internet will displace the current crop of politicians eventually and not be willing to bend over for them.

 

[Biceps]

Ilikebundy99[/url]":gpqlfjh0]

Azethoth666[/url]":gpqlfjh0]

gravical[/url]":gpqlfjh0]The entirety of space and time is a mechanic of copying information. All of quantum mechanics, all of human communication, all of DNA and genetic replication obey that simple law: copy. What the fuck is "the law" that it claims the unabashed right to use violence against human beings for doing the only thing reality allows? And then to demand our respect for it? Fuck that. Copy is a fact of mathematics, and it will never end.

Do you even have a job? Do you know people with jobs? You must because you have the ability to post here.

Now please follow the money trail. How and why do they get paid? At some point valuable goods and services exchange hands. The reason these were made is because there is a way, money, to get compensated. It is called capitalism and it works. This very website only exists because people make stuff, advertise it here, then people coming here look at the ads and buy stuff.

Please explain this alternate system you want where you just take stuff and everyone else just makes stuff just for you for free. You need to explain how everyone else lives though and why they give a shit about you.I know that is hard for a solipsist like yourself. Just pretend that everyone else is not a figment of your imagination.

Copyright isn't a capitalist construct, it is a monopoly. it is the very opposite of capitalism.

Creativity and creative expression existed long before the advent of copyright and in my opinion will exist long after we finally rid ourselves of it.

There are other ways to be compensated for creation than government granted monopolies...

for example the threshold pledge system: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_Performer_Protocol

But even if creativity were to be lowered (which i do not believe it would be) i still believe copyright causes more harm than good at this point and needs to be either severely reined in or abolished. Just my 2 cents.

So, no job then? My company employs thousands of writers and editors, and we sell our content - which is the best in our industry. Because we sell this content directly to tax payer funded organizations, you have paid for my company's content when you paid sales tax on that candy bar you bought. Thank you for being a customer!! And, you have free access to that content - legally - through your local public library. You could get similar information in a crowd sourced form on the web, but the quality sucks.

This parallel exists in my experience for most of the free 'substitutes' for premium content. Low quality, questionable authority.

While good content does not require a professional to create it, much of the best content is created by professionals. If you feel copyright law is wrong, then spend your time working to change the law. But if you steal content others pay for, I think you should be prosecuted under the current laws. I felt this way long before I worked for a content creator.

 

[ruddy]

FoolsGold[/url]":k7a9iq5f]
I think the only non-violent response open to us is civil disobedience. Though I am not in the habit of downloading music from pirate sites, I feel I should put action to my own words and get with the program, download Bittorrent and learn to use it.

Or you could, you know, grow up. And stop deluding yourself that stealing content is civil disobedience. Rosa Parks would spank your ass.

 

[colejohnson66]

andrgl[/url]":35putbw4]

Wickwick[/url]":35putbw4]Why bother with registering an agent for DMCA claims if you're not going to actually follow through on them? Obfuscate your identity as best as you can. Pay everything in bitcoin. Use Tor to access your servers. That is, if you're planning to run a criminal copyright service.

I actually had a very lengthy reply typed out but thought better of posting it. I'll leave the two flaws to your plan:

1) Can't anonymize purchase of a TLD. Even if you could, then you won't have full control over the domain and it could be snatched up.

2) Fine, you use a Tor domain. How are you going to advertise your service? Paid plugs can drive huge traffic if you find a webmaster willing to take bitcoins. (No recourse if they screw you over.)

3) Advertising**. To get paid you'll be handing over very incriminating info. Okay, let's say you find a blackhat that wants to use your site and will pay you in bitcoins... enough said.

**This is what it's all about. Why else would someone go through all the trouble to throw-up a cyberlocker if you can't even break even.


Disclaimer: don't do it, it's not worth it! Seriously. If you want to make a quick buck, there are much safer blackhat shit you can pull. Better yet, go do something positive. You'll feel better about yourself and people and family you know will hold you in high esteem. It's a sad thing to see juvenile thinking prolong itself into adulthood.

Regarding (2), there is PRQ. It's run by the same people who run The Pirate Bay. Not that I'm encouraging piracy, but there are certain registrars who accept bitcoin if you want to remain anonymous.

 

[Hack-n-Slash]

Biceps[/url]":31gm3l2y]

Ilikebundy99[/url]":31gm3l2y]

Azethoth666[/url]":31gm3l2y]

gravical[/url]":31gm3l2y]The entirety of space and time is a mechanic of copying information. All of quantum mechanics, all of human communication, all of DNA and genetic replication obey that simple law: copy. What the fuck is "the law" that it claims the unabashed right to use violence against human beings for doing the only thing reality allows? And then to demand our respect for it? Fuck that. Copy is a fact of mathematics, and it will never end.

Do you even have a job? Do you know people with jobs? You must because you have the ability to post here.

Now please follow the money trail. How and why do they get paid? At some point valuable goods and services exchange hands. The reason these were made is because there is a way, money, to get compensated. It is called capitalism and it works. This very website only exists because people make stuff, advertise it here, then people coming here look at the ads and buy stuff.

Please explain this alternate system you want where you just take stuff and everyone else just makes stuff just for you for free. You need to explain how everyone else lives though and why they give a shit about you.I know that is hard for a solipsist like yourself. Just pretend that everyone else is not a figment of your imagination.

Copyright isn't a capitalist construct, it is a monopoly. it is the very opposite of capitalism.

Creativity and creative expression existed long before the advent of copyright and in my opinion will exist long after we finally rid ourselves of it.

There are other ways to be compensated for creation than government granted monopolies...

for example the threshold pledge system: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_Performer_Protocol

But even if creativity were to be lowered (which i do not believe it would be) i still believe copyright causes more harm than good at this point and needs to be either severely reined in or abolished. Just my 2 cents.

So, no job then? My company employs thousands of writers and editors, and we sell our content - which is the best in our industry. Because we sell this content directly to tax payer funded organizations, you have paid for my company's content when you paid sales tax on that candy bar you bought. Thank you for being a customer!! And, you have free access to that content - legally - through your local public library. You could get similar information in a crowd sourced form on the web, but the quality sucks.

It seems to me that you just got done thanking him for taking part in crowd-sourcing your product, and then you turned around and argued that crowd-sourced product is of low quality.

While good content does not require a professional to create it, much of the best content is created by professionals.

Crowd-sourced does not mean 'amateur'.

 

[Azethoth666]

FoolsGold[/url]":3ldwgfbe]

Ilikebundy99[/url]":3ldwgfbe]

Azethoth666[/url]":3ldwgfbe]

gravical[/url]":3ldwgfbe]The entirety of space and time is a mechanic of copying information. All of quantum mechanics, all of human communication, all of DNA and genetic replication obey that simple law: copy. What the fuck is "the law" that it claims the unabashed right to use violence against human beings for doing the only thing reality allows? And then to demand our respect for it? Fuck that. Copy is a fact of mathematics, and it will never end.

Do you even have a job? Do you know people with jobs? You must because you have the ability to post here.

Now please follow the money trail. How and why do they get paid? At some point valuable goods and services exchange hands. The reason these were made is because there is a way, money, to get compensated. It is called capitalism and it works. This very website only exists because people make stuff, advertise it here, then people coming here look at the ads and buy stuff.

Please explain this alternate system you want where you just take stuff and everyone else just makes stuff just for you for free. You need to explain how everyone else lives though and why they give a shit about you.I know that is hard for a solipsist like yourself. Just pretend that everyone else is not a figment of your imagination.

Copyright isn't a capitalist construct, it is a monopoly. it is the very opposite of capitalism.

Creativity and creative expression existed long before the advent of copyright and in my opinion will exist long after we finally rid ourselves of it.

There are other ways to be compensated for creation than government granted monopolies...

for example the threshold pledge system: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_Performer_Protocol

But even if creativity were to be lowered (which i do not believe it would be) i still believe copyright causes more harm than good at this point and needs to be either severely reined in or abolished. Just my 2 cents.

You make a good point. So does Azethoth666 and the like you are responding to. How to reconcile these two opposing points of view?

My view is that it is very sad to see games released by pirates before they are released by the studio, or albums and movies available on pirate sites before they are released by the studio.

However, and that's a big HOWEVER, we are faced with blatant corruption by the MAFIAA in collusion with Senators, Congress, and even the President of the United States of America to stretch out copyright terms way beyond reason and impose it upon the whole world. We are also faced with situations like the USA illegally imposing their laws beyond their borders, like in the case of Kim Dotcom. What do we do as powerless citizens in the face of such an affront? I, for example, am not even an American so I can't vote these crooks out of office. Instead, the USA bullies my government to accept their terms under the TPP and there is nothing I can do about it. It seems Americans have lost control of their government.

I think the only non-violent response open to us is civil disobedience. Though I am not in the habit of downloading music from pirate sites, I feel I should put action to my own words and get with the program, download Bittorrent and learn to use it.

What do you plan to do?

I plan to keep buying music and going to movies. I am directly voting with my money for artists, directors, actors and the whole ecosystem to keep making entertainment products I like.

All this pretense that the RIAA or MPAA are evil corporations is just hogwash. They are organizations that represent the artists making the products. They perform valuable services for the artists: they take care of boring stuff so artists can focus on what they are really good at: art. Every moment an artist spends on not art is a moment they and us will never get back.

Now for copyright. Just because Disney directly caused the longer version does not make it bad. Basically it amounts to life + 70 years and slightly different rules for a corporation based on publishing date. So if you make a hit song at 20 but die at 25 your wife and kids get to benefit as if you lived out your life.

I think this is a good thing. I want artists to live a secure life with lots of incentive to concentrate on their art. I do not want them to be paupers with no time to create art. Art enriches my life and everyone else's. I want as much of it as possible.

We can argue about the lengths, but about a human lifetime is about right. If you make it shorter, then for instance a company suddenly has incentive to kill Michael Jackson so that they get to use his songs 10 years later when it hits public domain. Making it shorter is just being a giant dick to the artists and their families. Don't be a dick bro.