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Hands up who is concerned about the letters you may recieve

about illegal downloads??

eh?eh?...



  • what would the letter say?

    • Worse than the letter I recieve

      about TvLicensing?
      I don't think so!!!!!!!!!!!

    • I know what you're doing

      all in red capitals. Each word takes up a new line.

      • would be good

        if it was made using chopped up magazine pieces.

    • Seemingly,

      it indicates an example of what you downloaded and when. And threatens prosecution of you persist.

  • no.

    some dude upstairs sorts out our internet and it's all shared. they can't charge me with anything!

  • for those who don't know what this is in relation to..

    • law will pass soon in France

      they'll be allowed after a few warnings ( e-mail then mail ) to cut down your internet connection.

      • Typical French

        Break thier football team
        Break the internet
        Break the world

        ;-)

    • I will be gravely concerned

      if people don't know what I'm referring to....
      I say concerned. That's a fib. But it HAS been all over the news.

    • lol -

      at the end bit, I did read:
      "British Pornographic Industry"
      and spat some wine.

  • The internet has gotten very

  • not i

    u though?

  • BT might send them too

    The question is,how many people will they be willing to take to court for sharing illegal downloads? It's a bit of a lottery really.

    There has to be a better way to try before you buy.People don't want to buy an album after only hearing one song from it.

    • I think

      you're onto something there

    • Spending your day in

      Zavvi Oxford street listening to albums until they kick you out.

      • but..

        can you find really obscure European metal ,for example.I've seen the racks,there's hardly anything there from certain bands,if any at all.

  • its not law is it?

    Im sure some broadband provider will come alon and see a gap in the market of people who want to download and ill switch to them.

    How would they know though? I do most of my stealing through soulseek unless they make a copy of every bit of data they transfer how would they know

  • Not really

    • ^

      but then i don't really get 'concerned' about anything ever. i'm basically a model of modern apathy. like a government pawn. awesome.

  • Use Rapidshare or similar

    I'm pretty sure that's not traceable...

    Correct me if I'm wrong.

    • You stand corrected

      • who by?

        • Rapidshare etc

          are the most traceable means of downloading, as they are so well known. Fact.

    • Oh I meant to say "you could use, but you shouldn't"

      as its illegal and wrong. Yeah?

      Really wrong and illegal and awful and bad.

      I definitely don't use it.

      No way.

      Nope.

      No.

  • I've just taught my mum

    to use soulseek. I hope she doesn't get any letters about the songs she downloads for her school assemblys, i think she'd be quite distraught.

    • Imagine she got carted off at the school assembly?

      She'd be, like, the coolest teacher ever

      • Or at least

        as cool as you can be listening to Mika.

  • Nah

    I don't download too much, I think the suits have bigger fish to fry!

  • No

    Because I'm good and don't break laws.

    • don't be silly

      You've never watched a music video or TV clip youtube?

      • No

        Because I'm good and don't break laws that have a remote possibility of me being punished.

      • Although, the only things I really watch on Youtube

        Are things I support by buying anyway. i.e. clips that I could watch anyhow if I was less lazy.

        • so you admit to breaking the law

          but with mitigating circumstances

          how convenient

          • Whether I break the law or not doesn't really matter anyhow

            If someone is breaking a law or whatev, then it's reasonable that they can be punished for it, and they don't really have any right to complain if they do.

            If I got a letter saying "If you watch any more Youtube clips of licensed programmes we'll disconnect your internet", then I would stop watching them. If it's their right to do that, then fair enough.

            • ?

              http://drownedinsound.com/articles/3586049#r3586221

              are you withdrawing your previous statement?

              • is watching something on youtube breaking the law?

                i'd have thought uploading it would be but watching it would be stupid, im sure no one will ever ever be prosecuted for that

                • accessory

                  after the fact

                  • nah im pretty sure evey copyright warning I have ever seen

                    is about illegal copying and distribution nothing said about viewing, and the average youtube viewer watches content in good faith and cant be expected or actually be able to research if the uploader is legit

                    • then this same argument must

                      apply to downloaders of music

                      and thus you can ignore your letter from your ISP

                      • well

                        not exactly...

                        • it's a grey area

                          and a fine line etc

                      • not really because copying a cd for a friend

                        clearly would be illegal, when you download music you are making a copy

                        • so how on earth

                          if there is the clear distinction in law that you suggest, can VIACOM successfully demand google's youTube viewing log which contains ID numbers and ISP addresses?

                          • because I dont think viacom want the data

                            so they can go after the individual viewers that would be actually insane, they probably want it so they can assess how much they are losing out in potential lost earnings so thay can sue google, maybe

                            • but they wouldn't need ISPs and IDs

                              to crunch the numbers

                              • google want the data to be anonomised

                                which sugests there is a use for the data without the personal info

                                • yup

                                  but that's just a (very public) request which is up to viacom to accept or reject - the judge has ruled that the log be handed over

                                  either way, I feel we're none of us immune to the trickle-down effect of corporate lawyer bravado

              • I changed my statement

                See two posts down from that one.

        • and you've never leant a CD to anyone?

          • Well, no

            That's not to say I wouldn't lend a CD to someone. But again, in the current situation, there's zero chance of me getting punished for that. I somehow doubt record companies are going to fill the country with CCTV cameras to see if any CDs change hands....

            • of course they will

              haven't you seen this?
              http://www.drownedinsound.com/articles/3585301
              IT'S THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS THE END OF PRIVACY AS WE KNOW IT

            • and that is the crux of the issue

              i.e. with digital data transfer tracking the law may not have changed but the mechanisms with which to uphold and prosecute that law have taken a quantum leap

              so the whole thing becomes absurd in the sense that if a lend someone a CD manually I am unlikely to be punished but if I lend someone a CD digitally I am suddenly some kind of renegade scumbag who deserves to be thrown in prison

              this goes against legal tenets somewhat and has provided a handy excuse to trample over a bunch of civil liberties - or at least threaten to

          • is that breaking the law surely it is your property

            • ...

              "Unauthorized copying, hiring, lending, public performance and broadcasting strictly prohibited"

              check your CD cases

              • cd cases arent the law

                • it is like when gig tickets

                  say must not be resold is not the law

                  • nope

                    must not be resold is a warning that carries no legal charter in the case of gig tickets

                    the CD case warning is the letter of the law as writ in international copyright agreements

                    • hmm I reckon it is a grey area

                      with fair use being debatable, lending probably means for money, im sure record comapnies interpretation would be different stricter than others, is their a precendent of someone being prosecuted

                      • as far as I'm aware

                        (and I may be wrong in this) there haven't been ANY criminal or civil prosecutions for downloading

                        for uploading there have been civil prosecutions but I don't think there have been criminal prosecutions

                        like I say, I may not be totally up to date on this

          • she'd need friends first

            LOLOLOLOLOL I'M KIDDING

            or am i?

            • I'm pretty sure

              I've never pretended that I have actual friends....

    • To be honest

      I really don't know much about the arguments either way. But my favourite thing pretty much ever is affected by a similar issue, and if I'm applying it to Manga publishers v Manga scanlations, it seems inconsistent not to also apply it to music issues.

      • ^ I should qualify that with post-American licensing

        I have no issue with scanlations/fandubs for unlicensed series... in fact, I support that. But when they become licensed, I'd consider it right for them to be taken down.

        I realise I'm talking about something that nobody knows/cares about here. I just have difficulty relating issues to music now...

        • I get ya

          like if its un-signed and hasnt been picked up by a label or publisher or something then its fair game to grab it, as that is what the artists wants, just to get it out there. But then when it gets picked up and sold propily with licencing and all that jazz it should be payed for.

  • no

    because i steal peoples wireless.

  • I will only be worreid if they get me to court hehe

    I'm not a huge downloader anyway. The dance music momunity thrive off sharing mixes and all of that shizzle I doubt anyone could be arsed untangeling that mess of copy wriet infringment... Who wants to track down people who made a techno tune in 86 and now works in a garage and use to make tunes under about 50 names hehe

  • yeah virgin are really tight on that shit though

  • One of my friend's Facebook status is...

    *** got a threatening letter from Virgin Media, he must stop uploading immediately...

    Hmmmmmm