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It was in the news again this week about music companies clamping down on people using file sharing sites such as Kazaa and Morpheus.
Who exactly are the companies targetting when they're out to sue them?
And are the sites I just mentioned legal to use by Joe Public?
What do you reckon people?

You will find lots of news articles on the topic at The Register. EG http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/10/07 ... lesharers/ which explains the current situation in the UK.


If you want my opinion, if you are still using any of the peer-to-peer networks I would stop using them now, as the music industry will keep widening the net for formal legal action.

The topic of legality depends on a few things. Using iTunes for example is legal, as you are paying for legitimate copyrighted music. Other sites may charge you, but not provide kosher goods.

Using Kazza, and other peer to peer software, is not in itself illegal. However if you use it to supply or acquire copyrighted material (including music and movies) then you are probably on the wrong side of the law.

I laughed when I heard the news.
The UK is going to prosecute 28 people, just one catch, they don't know where they live.
Out of the millions downloading, 28 unknowns are going to get slapped wrists if found.
My arse.

I have close to 600 albums downloaded and none from Kazaa.
I used to use Kazaa but it has so many files mislabeled it's unreal.
Ah well, got some good full films off of it.

I find that hard to believe that people can't be tracked through their ISP

Recently a guy got done for file sharing 6,000 songs on kazaa in sydney
so obviously its not impossible to find where they are

cheers
B....OZ

It's not impossible Buttsie, it's just that the powers that be, over here anyway, have admitted that although they are going to prosecute, they don't know where the culprits are.
You'd think they'd wait til they had addresses.
Given the fact that millions of people download shit, you'd think the ratio for busts would be higher.

They can and probably will trace them through there ISPs although like you Holden I was amused that they as yet didn't know there addresses.

My brother works in the music biz and I spoke to him about it on Saturday morning and he says the 28 being targeted are "exceptionally" heavy downloaders i.e. bootleggers who are almost certainly making a living out of pirating copyrighted software selling it anywahere from market stalls to internet sites and that they aren't downloading the stuff for their own personal use. Hence why they are being targeted.

Therefore they are trying or will try to make an example of them with the idea that it will scare others from downloading. It won't but they'll try.

It reminds me of my time in Italy where tax evasion (not football) is the national sport. Everybody does it and nearly all get away with it.

So what do the authorities there do? They target high profile public figures and go after them because they simply don't have the resources to go after everyone.

The hope is that it scares the shit out of Joe Public and they fill out their tax returns correctly. It doesn't happen but thats the theory anyway.

Maybe different fields but they're attempting the same thing.

I agree Holden

As for the low level of prosecutions well thats easy,its all about revenue raising

Record Companies know they can't stop the illegal activities so just like governmnets do with speeding fines etc they're chasing the best possible chance of compensation

I'm betting the jail time doesn't even enter into the equation

cheers
B....OZ

> Kazaa and Morpheus.
> And are the sites I just mentioned legal to use by Joe Public?

The products like Kazaa are not in themselves illegal to use.

When you search on Kazaa you are not going to web sites but other
people's computers who have the songs, films etc on their hard disk.

So it is the electronic equivalent of going round to someones house
and asking to borrow some of their CDs (except of course you take
a copy and now you both have it).

So it is difficult to know how they may sue people. They cannot sue
the people who write Kazaa or other file sharing programs as they
in themselves are not illegal.

And if I happen to leave a few songs on my hard disk and someone
else comes in to my PC and copies them does that make me illegal
or them ?

Guilbert

The day they start going after the average Joe who downloads a hundred songs a year then you know they've got money to burn

The big fish who are uploading the original songs in massive quantities will be the targets

Even on this overall picture P2P site the legal area is the greyest of grey



but it does mention the only ones at real risk are the individual file sharers

Its a catch 22.....download and keep the files available for the Site and enhance your standing or download straight to disc and not share with possible exclusion for doing so

Think I'll just stick to the Radio...no worries

cheers
B....OZ