Relating to the Verizon file sharing supoena...

[Agathon]

Originally posted by GP

I think the legal questions have to do with complicity of the ISPs and such. No serious question that copying music itself is a violation of copyright.

Until someone is convicted of it, the question of how far "fair use" extends in this context will not be legally defined.

[BustaMike]

But how do they know it isn't a parady of the crappy new Metallica song? I mean wouldn't they have to go to this guys house and check his hard drive to make sure he had the stole goods?

Of course not. If it's being shared they can download it to check it's validity.

[TCO]

Originally posted by Agathon


Until someone is convicted of it, the question of how far "fair use" extends in this context will not be legally defined.

It's a stretch. People have been convicted of electronic copying of files. I doubt there is any question about it. Check out the Digital Multimedia Act.

[BustaMike]

Well, until a few years ago, in Tempe, Arizona it was legal to shoot someone for stealing your horse. Both laws are stupid.

[Kirnwaffen]

Check out the Digital Multimedia Act.

It's the "Digital Millenium Copyright Act", and it's constitutionally questionable, as far as many are concerned. I believe this is the first test of this particular article of that act.

[Dinner]

I bet they didn't have to many horse thieves in Tempe.

[Ned]

Verizon faces a problem. Each one of these requests costs Verison some $. The RIAA does not offer compensation. The number of these requests per year could run into the millions. The amount of dollars involved could be substantial.

Also, I can see the RIAA filing a class action against millions of Americans (mostly kids who are using their parents' computers for piracy). Of course the RIAA will win, and you, Joe citizen will be sent a judgment and be asked to pay. You have no defense. Even if your kid is responsible.

Each violation, each copy, has a statutory minimum award of $750. If your kid downloads 1,000 songs, your out of pocket to pay the RIAA would be a mere $750,000 minimum.

We are talking serious money here.

[Ned]

Also, imagine the plaintiff running dog law firms who will be chomping at the bit to take such a case! Their take of the awards could be in the billions!

[Dinner]

You could always move to Canada and download to your hearts content.

How's that for sticking it to the RIAA

[Dinner]

How long do you think it will be before someone comes up with a program that masks your IP number from *ahem* unwanted attention?

[Kirnwaffen]

I don't know that this is possible, the problem being that the IP is essential to the operation of the network. By the way, how, precisely, is the RIAA obtaining the IP

[Panag]

hi ,

and what when you use identity spoofing , ......


and since when does an IP confirm the fact a crime has happend , ......

they shall have to do better , ...

have a nice day

[Agathon]

Shouldn't the RIAA be getting the people who download the songs instead of the people sharing them, or only getting at the people sharing them if they are sharing music that they themselves have stolen.

It isn't as if they are broadcasting the music by making it available to share. Any more than I am if I leave my fair use copies in a place where others can steal them.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by GP


It is theft.

What, pray tell, has been stolen?

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov
What, pray tell, has been stolen?

Why do you think they ban video recorders from movie theaters?

Agathon: Since I don't know if anyone has answered your precedent question yet, does Napster fit what you are asking for?