Online Piracy Solution?

[David Alexander]

This morning's Chicago Tribune has an interesting article about a lawyer who hunts down porn pirates. He developed some software that tracks bit torrent usage. It cost about $250,000 to develop.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/loca ... 3930.story

He then finds the names of the downloaders and threatens them with a Federal lawsuit for illegally stealing porn. Most don't want their names in such a suit and willingly pay up a fine that he claims ranges from $1,900 to $3,000.

Since stealing magic files doesn't carry the "stigma" of stealing porn in the privacy of your own home this probably wouldn't be that effective for magic, but it's a thought nonetheless.

[mrgoat]

I know a little about this. It's Steve Lightspeed and his pathetic ambulance chasing idiot 50/50 "lawyer".

He hasn't developed any 250k software. What happens is they look on a PUBLIC tracker to see which IP address (computer connection to the internet) is downloading one of Lightspeed's old porn films. They then make the ISP give up the person who pays the bill of that IP address' address. They then send him a blackmail letter saying pay us 1900 or we'll take you to court.

Lightspeed has admitted it is his new business model and that he doesn't want anyone to go to court, the plan is to make them settle out of embarrassment and extract as much money as possible from them. Which he then splits with his lawyer. It's genius, if you have no morals.

The problem is, an IP address is not evidence of guilt. If it DID ever go to court, it would be laughed out. It could be open wifi, and then ANYONE could have done it. Could be a professional landlord letting the house, and paying the internet for the 5 students there. The students steal the porn, the landlord gets the blackmail letter.

It's already been done in the UK by the movie, music and software industry and been stopped now as the public outcry was too big.

HTH

[Jonathan Townsend]

So the idea is to aim your wifi at the neighbors house and download gawdawful movies and wait for them to get "you been naughty" letters then sit back and enjoy the fun?

[Richard Kaufman]

Damian, I don't know ... I think there are some magicians who could be really embarrassed if their friends in the magic community knew they were watching Michael Ammar "Easy Magic" videos.

[Joe Mckay]

This reminds me of a great short story by Roald Dahl called THE BOOKSELLER.

Joe

PS Forget Roald Dahl's children's books. His short stories (for adults) are much better...

[Bob Cassidy]

I'm thinking of including some porn in my Ebooks. Then this technique might be useful.

Bob

[the Larry]

Or one uses an Anonymizer service then the IP address logging doesn't work.

[espermachine]

To follow up on mrgoat's post :-

Something similar has been happening in the U.K. and more or less imploded spectacularly a few months ago when 4chan targeted a legal firm responsible for hunting pirates, ACS:Law, ultimately resulting in the leaking of a list of names, addresses, billing invoices and the title of the media allegedly downloaded by file sharers.

The list is floating about on google.

Uproar ensued across the forums of affected ISP's with many users protesting their innocence and anger at BT for having transmitted unencrypted data (which they admit) following a court order, and ACS:Law for allegedly having stored it unencrypted on their server. Data Protection Act out the window and then some.

I think I am right in saying not one of those accused of downloading copyright media in this particular instance (at least up until the leak) had been taken to court despite the threat of prosecution - alternatively a sum of 500 for each illegal download payable instead - many contending ACS:Law didn't / wouldn't have a leg to stand on.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority are, according to one website, currently investigating the conduct of ACS:Law.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11434809

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/bl ... ng-accused

[Jonathan Townsend]

"I'm thinking of including some porn in my Ebooks. Then this technique might be useful." That seemed to do pretty well for Ricky Jay's Cards as Weapons and Sharpe's Expert Card Mysteries. And let's use the word 'erotica' - not sure what constitutes porn these days and to who.

[Richard Kaufman]

A photograph of a nude woman is NOT pornography. Idiots!

[Doc Eason]

Richard's post reminded me of

do you know the difference between nude and naked

Nude... you have no clothes on

Naked.. you have no clothes on ... but you have a plan....