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Interesting comment on illegal P2P file sharing

Oldjim
Resting Legend
Posts: 38,460
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Registered: ‎15-06-2007

Interesting comment on illegal P2P file sharing

Viewpoint: Illegal p2p file sharing?
Wednesday 26 August 2009 08:07:26 by Sebastien Lahtinen
http://www.thinkbroadband.com/news/4038-viewpoint-illegal-p2p-file-sharing.html
6 REPLIES 6
mentalist3d
Grafter
Posts: 371
Registered: ‎20-08-2009

Re: Interesting comment on illegal P2P file sharing

Interesting read
My personal opinion is that it should not be an ISPs responsibility to police their clients by canceling their internet. 
File downloading or copying is like getting a cheap preview before you decide to buy, and I think a lot of people are the same, they would always prefer the original if it is something they like. Film & music companies should embrace these technologies, provide their products on P2P networks with a couple of ads at the beginning, logo displayed throughout the film, text on the bottom with rotating sales messages "if you liked this film, please consider purchasing the original" etc.
Whether Joe Public is prosecuted or not for downloading it will not stop organised crime from downloading and selling copyright material, if it gets harder, they'll adapt and the companies will still lose their profits, so by releasing the material themselves they will probably undermine the market and be able to take more control. People have been illegally sharing files in one format or other for years, I still remember people selling copied VHS lol
throughroute
Hooked
Posts: 6
Registered: ‎29-11-2007

Re: Interesting comment on illegal P2P file sharing

Hi
I don't know if ISP's have taken onboard the implication of Mandy's (the unelected fool) three strikes and you're out policy. Surely what will happen is if customers who do download illegally get a warning letter concerning their dubious download activities they will simply desist and choose a dirt cheap provider just for web browsing or find an ISP who isn't as harsh. Who will lose in that deal?
Mandy is making a rod for the ISP's back in an economy that will never fully recover from the machinations of Tony, Gordon and most of their post war predecessors.
Another point to make is that since illegal copying has been an "issue" the cost of DVD's and CD's has tumbled from close too the £20 mark per CD/DVD to near £8. So what do you think would happen once the industries regain their stranglhold on video and music. It's obvious, Joe public gets the sharp end once again, as has already happened with utility bills, train fares and the like.  Blimey some people are so blinkered...........
VileReynard
Hero
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Re: Interesting comment on illegal P2P file sharing

If someone sends me one of these letters - and there is some genuine backing to it,
then surely I just pay for a personal VPN. Cheesy

"In The Beginning Was The Word, And The Word Was Aardvark."

seanbranagh
Grafter
Posts: 1,236
Registered: ‎02-08-2007

Re: Interesting comment on illegal P2P file sharing

The whole idea is completely insane. Who's business is it to monitor what I do with my internet connection?! Are Royal Mail going to employ people to monitor my mail at the sorting office for me also?
As P2P file sharing of non copyright material is not illegal, how exactly can illegal file sharing be stopped? I could download a DVD movie or music album as .iso or .zip for example. Is someone going to open and watch, listen to every single media file that passes over the P2P networks to decide if it is illegal or just stop file sharing altogether? Absolutely ridiculous!
mentalist3d
Grafter
Posts: 371
Registered: ‎20-08-2009

Re: Interesting comment on illegal P2P file sharing

It boils down to money, these companies post millions and sometimes billions in profit, but that isn't enough.
At least some people have embraced these new technologies, the best example I can think of is Radiohead with their InRainbows album which was free to download, and you can make a donation if you wished (but not required). Before they released the album to the stores, Thom Yorke mentioned in a Press Release that they had made the same amount of money (through the donations) as they did on their last album. When they did release the album to the stores I still purchased the original as it is a band I like and therefore don't mind stumping up cash for something that I appreciate (the download I took for free  :)).
A good site for legal music downloads is www.jamendo.com, a wide range of music genres provided by semi-professional bands, personal use of the music is completely free, some of the music can be shared and distributed for free under the Creative Commons license, commercial use of the music is allowed depending on what the bands have opted for (some do want royalties which is fair enough)
Oldjim
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Re: Interesting comment on illegal P2P file sharing

Letter to the times http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/letters/article6819093.ece
Quote
Sir, We agree that the creative industries play an important role in the UK and understand the challenge that illegal filesharing presents (letter, Sept 1). We do not condone or encourage such activity, but we are concerned that the Government’s latest proposals on the “how” to reduce illegal filesharing are misconceived and threaten broadband consumers’ rights and the development of new attractive services. Experience in other countries suggests that pursuing such an approach can result in significant consumer resistance. Any new policy must be considered very carefully.
Any decision to move to harsh and punitive measures such as disconnection must be genuinely underpinned by rigorous and objective assessment by Ofcom. Consumers must be presumed to be innocent unless proven guilty. We must avoid an extrajudicial “kangaroo court” process where evidence is not tested properly and accused broadband users are denied the right to defend themselves against false accusations. Without these protections innocent customers will suffer. Any penalty must be proportionate. Disconnecting users from the internet would place serious limits on their freedom of expression. Usually, constraints to freedom of expression are imposed only as the result of custodial sentences, or incitement to racial hatred, or libel. The proposal that internet service providers — and by implication broadband customers — should pay most of the cost of these measures to support the creative industries is grossly unfair since the vast majority of consumers do not fileshare illegally. Further, this payment approach would discourage content industries from developing new services.
We hope that the Government will consider genuinely consumers’ rights in its endeavours to protect the creative industries.
Charles Dunstone, talktalk
Ian Livingston, BT
Jim Killock, Open Rights Group
Ed Mayo, Consumer Focus
Deborah Prince, Which?
Tom Alexander, Orange UK