Piratebay Convicted

[gallowisgod]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8003799.stm I'm really angry. So angry. "There has been a perception that piracy is OK and that the music industry should just have to accept it. This verdict will change that," he said. ARE THEY SERIOUS? Humans are materialists, just because there aren't as many CDs getting sold doesn't mean the music industry is "suffering". A lot more people are now, instead of buying the whole discography of bands they like, going to concerts-- and merchandise is more important now than ever; because liking a certain type of music, or even movies, is a fashion statement and in some cases even a political one! Ugh, it's all been said before, I know. But still. This is not the first nail in the coffin as they seem to think. No way. Am I the only one?

[AcesandEights]

Ugh, it's all been said before, I know. But still. This is not the first nail in the coffin as they seem to think. No way. This thread is a slap in the face of every nail in the coffin that will be buried forever on the other side of that hill where the grass is always greener! And that's my two cents. You're right, cliche-speak is a tool people in the media use to connect to their news-consuming audience easily on a basic, linguistic level, but it also, unfortunately, all too often helps contribute to this over-hyping of all things news oriented.

[SymphonicX]

First nail in the coffin of the music industry is bad music!!! But as for Pirate Bay, I have been increasingly scared of using p2p and the like over the last year and now I don't do it at all anymore. it's over for me, just gonna have to pay for stuff...!!

[EvilNed]

The day Pirate Bay was convicted, a new internet company came along who delete all IPs from their records. In essense, they make you invulnerable to tracking.

[krakenslayer]

First nail in the coffin of the music industry is bad music!!! But as for Pirate Bay, I have been increasingly scared of using p2p and the like over the last year and now I don't do it at all anymore. it's over for me, just gonna have to pay for stuff...!! PeerGuardian is your friend

[SymphonicX]

I'm sure it can't be 100% safe...!!

[krakenslayer]

I'm sure it can't be 100% safe...!! Not 100%, but it reduces the chances of them locking onto you in the first place and makes it extremely difficult to collect clear evidence against you even if they do. These guys are more likely to go after idiot freeloaders who download thousands of songs without even knowing the dubious legality of what they're doing, because they're an easy target, as opposed to very occasional downloaders who are careful about what they do.

[EvilNed]

Actually, they go after both. The heavy uploaders to stop what they're doing, and petty downloaders to set an example.

[MinionZombie]

One thing I can certainly drop some comment-juice on is the calculation of potential losses that the RIAA keep coming out with - bollocks would every one of those downloads have resulted in a purchase otherwise. Absolutely, 100% no way would that have happened. Indeed, it ties back in to the common argument from the downloading side of the arena of "produce better music, then we'll talk" - there'll be people downloading a bunch of stuff that: 1) They'll never end up listening to. 2) They would have never bought in the first place, and only downloaded it simply because it was there, and if it wasn't there, they'd have easily gone without. 3) They download it to see what it's like, then end up buying the official thing. Also - I'd imagine that the vast, vast minority of downloaders are pure, hardcore downloaders - as in they don't buy anything - methinks the vast majority of downloaders are also the very ones who provide the huge Box Office numbers for The Dark Knight, and the huge DVD sales for Family Guy and etc, and so on across the myriad of media out there - games, movies, music. Also - especially in these recession-smelly times - folk don't have as much cash to spend, so they're buying less media, and then because it's available for free they'll trundle off there to nab it - a case of "too much media, not enough cash", in both good and bad financial times. Finally - if the media companies out there would hurry up and provide an effective iTunes-a-like service for the digital distribution of their stuff, they'll notice an increased uptake. In fact 51% of downloads are legal - heard that stat on the BBC t'other night, not sure if it was just about music or not though - but an interesting stat, and mainly thanks to iTunes methinks. Many people want quick, easy and immediate access to their media - provide the means, media companies, and they will come - iTunes being the example of how it's done. Then, really finally, there will always be some piracy, it can never be totally wiped out - and then there's the worst kind of media piracy - people BUYING ripped-off DVDs etc from dodgy dealers out of their car boot, where the money directly funds crime. At the very least your average 13 year old downloading some Eminem or what have you is getting it for totally free, so they aren't spending money on pirated goods. And that's another thing - why pay for pirated goods out of someone's car boot? If you're getting your wallet out, go to the shop and buy the real thing for a bit more...sheesh.

[DjfunkmasterG]

Lawyers for the four men convicted in the Pirate Bay case in Sweden said today (Thursday) that they will demand a retrial following revelations that the judge had been a member of three copyright-protection organizations. On Wednesday, the judge, Tomas Norström, confirmed a report by Swedish Radio about his membership in the groups but remarked, "I have not felt that I am biased because of those commitments." Peter Althin, the lawyer for Peter Sunde, who acted as the spokesman for the Pirate Bay four, told the Associated Press in Stockholm, "We should have known about this before. ... It is a clear case of bias." And Sven-Erik Alhem, Sweden's former director of public prosecution, has told the Swedish website Newsmill.se, "The attention this gets only leads to unnecessary questioning of bias in Swedish courts. Of course, the judge should have informed people of the situation prior to the process and thereby allowed the involved parties to decide if it was suitable or not."