RIAA lawsuits make me say hmmmm

So, after my friend had his cable shut off over a misunderstanding I began to wonder about the legallity of what the RIAA and MPAA are doing. For example, I like to write poems. I write a lot of poems. About almost anything. I like to write about my experiences such as music I listen to or movies I see. Now in addition to writing them I like to record them into MP3 formats and save them. Perhaps I will put them on a peer to peer network to share with the world. Of course I wouldn't release the copyright to any law enforcement or RIAA or MPAA persons. But to everyone else in the world it would be free.

What do I do if the RIAA or MPAA decide to download one of my poems. For example what if a poem entitled Metallica.mp3 was downloaded by them and my cable modem turned off. Wouldn't I be entitled to sue the RIAA or MPAA for copyright violation? Hmm and wouldn't them having the cable company shut off my cable be proof that they downloaded it? Maybe we should all start writing poems....

 

To take a product and make it freely available to the public by definition makes it available to law enforement and the RIAA. It didn't work with pirate bulletin boards - who tried excliude law enforement from membership - and wouldn't work on the net.

If the RIAA was involved in your friend being kicked off cable, I would assume they examined the media that was downloaded, and not just used the name of a file before threatening them.

Then again the ISPs are being more proactive in enforcing their terms of use - which ususally include rules again piracy.

 

First of all I just want to clarify... I in no way implied or otherwise encourage the sharing of copyrighted material. My wife runs a photography business and copyright is very important to us (www.spgx.com). Every piece of software we have on our computer is licensed and we have the credit card bills to prove it.

My friend tried going out to look for different things on the internet but they wouldn't even let him in without sharing X number of files or MB. He doesn't believe in file sharing so he used a fake file generator to generate fake files. He then named these files things that didn't exist such as "conan the barbarian cartoons" Then he set his upload slots at 1k. So, if you did try to download one you would have to wait for days.

Anyway, his cable company shut off his cable and said he had to sign this document saying that he had broken the law and that the pirated files on his computer were no longer there. He refused to admit to breaking the law because he did not. He told them to just try and run those files. And come to my house and look on my computer and just try to find any unlicensed software. They refused but said just sign this form that says you admit to breaking the law. They didn't actually test the file. They refused and they refused to look at his computer.

Well, now he has DSL.

I have real issues with the way they are making the ISP's feel as though they have to police their customers. I believe it to be intimidation. As an ISP they have a huge amount of work to provide consistent quality service much less police and accuse the same people who are the reason they have a job. I believe in innocent till proven guilty.

I admit that it may not have been a wise choice to do things the way he did. I wouldn't have, yet I know him and I don't believe he would steal software. But not all software that is posted is copyrighted. I think this site is great in the fact that you can download shareware and trial versions of software. A truely great venue.

I just enjoy discussing issues like these. I am involved with the ISSA (http://www.issa.org/) where we discuss all sorts of issues like these.

 

To hell with his former ISP.

What are they going to do. cancel everybody?

Good for him. I would have done the same thing.

Signing that paper is admitting guilt.

 

Just FYI.... that ISP was called CableOne.

 

But he did go out of the way to give the appearance of piracy.

I don't know of CableOne, but in the interest of the bottom line, it is more economical to loose a customer than pay lawyers to take on the RIAA and/or investigate every incident for legitimate copyright infringement.

 

All I am saying is why would they be involved? Should the RIAA sue the power company too because you use power to run your computer to download files. How about the water company because they supply water to your house which is where you store the files that were downloaded.. how far to they go...

If I get a speeding ticket do they sue Chevy? To make me stop breaking the law....

 

Sad, but true. The ISP's that have tried to protect their clients have had very little luck in court, and very high expenses. It's a losing battle.

 

Not quite the same thing. They don't actually sue the ISPs, they just get a subpoena from the court demanding that they have access to the ISP's records that are relavent to a court case. The ISP's then have to spend money to fight the subpoena, if they want to. Power & water companies won't have any data relavent to the court case.

Not yet, but if I stupidly fly my Piper into the side of a mountain, Piper, and Continental, and lots of the sub-assembly manufacturers, and the shop that last worked on the airplane ALL get sued, even it was clearly my own stupid fault. That's the direction that ambulance chasers have been moving in recent years.

 

An increasing amount of doctors and other professionals are refusing to provide services to lawyers. I read about it in my local paper. Could be effective, unless lawyers are really soulless demons, then they won't need medical care, will they?

 

i was just kidding, i havne't downloaded any barb cartoons.

 

What....? this is confuseing, ... i don't think they can do that.
1st guy "are you a lawyer?"
2nd guy "why yes i am "
1st guy "we don't serve your kind here" ...

why would they refuse service to lawyers.....

 

One could easily make a case for them being inhuman, and then simply refer then to a veterinarian.



Lawyers are over-represented in small aircraft ownership, and where I used to work, we HATED most of our lawyer "customers". There are exceptions, but as a group, they were the most demanding, least understanding, and most likely to cause problems. Not to mention the most likely to sue you, since they could do it themselves.

 

A business that will not stand by their customers does not deserve to have any customers.

If Cable One continues to just get rid of people rather than to work with them. pretty soon they will be called cable two then cable three then cable we lost count.

Now days not only do you get your internet service but also your morality check all in one place. What's next your religioius rites too

 

It's starting to sound like that movie "A Murder of Crows" in here The one with Cuba Gooding Jr.

 

Heck I never seen that movie

what is it all about???

or should I go rent it

 

Actually, it isn't bad. My wife bought it quite a while ago for cheap and I was skeptical but turned out ok.