BT ordered to block pirate links

[stockhausen]

A High Court judge has ruled that BT must block access to a website which provides links to pirated movies. Newzbin 2 is a members-only site which aggregates a large amount of the illegally copied material found on Usenet discussion forums.

The landmark case is the first time that an ISP has been ordered to block access to such a site. It paves the way for other sites to be blocked as part of a major crackdown on piracy. (BBC online)

Seems reasonable to me; I have never understood why ISPs were allowed to make money out of piracy

 

[stockhausen]

...Also; How to ISP's make money out of Piracy?

Let's put it this way - as a result of this ruling, some people will move from BT to other ISPs (probably NOT Sky ). BT will lose that revenue / money and someone else will gain it . . . by virtue of facilitating piracy - QED.

If your local pub allowed drug dealers to operate form the premises, it might be seen as a USP, encouraging people to drop in for a pint when they needed to score, thereby profiting from drug dealing, no?

 

[stockhausen]

How do some people continue to post such rubbish opinions in the face of almost universal ridicule. Do they genuinely believe that they are right and 99% of other people are wrong.

Christ stockhausen, just engage your brain before giving a brief and idiotic view.

What

Are you actually capable of posting anything even approximating to a serious comment

 

[stockhausen]

Can the OP please answer how does an ISP make money from Piracy?

Why don't you just read the entire thread?

 

[stockhausen]

Ok, then please give us a decent answer.

If you would care to tell me what exactly is indecent about my answer, I will try to make it more appropriate for a family forum

While it is quite depressing that BT have agreed to implement this ...

I don't think that BT exactly 'agreed' to this. As I understand they were told by a judge to block access to this site.

... there are ways around these feeble tactics. ...

I'm sure there are, and I have no doubt that a few of BT's customers will stay with them and find ways around this block.

... The main thing is that today is the day the BT fell in-line with the Chinese and the likes of the Nazis etc. ...

Uhhhh, yeeess, certainly a point of view.

... Customers will be jumping off the BT ISP ship as we speak in their hundreds.

And BT will lose a wee bit of money

 

[stockhausen]

... Google shows me pictures of a Prince who is married to a woman who looks suspiciously like a horse, so surely this should be blocked also ?

That's TREASON!

 

[stockhausen]

... Studies have shown that downloading is a method of trialing before buying ...

Yup, I can accept that.

You download Captain America: The First Avenger, watch it and find that you enjoyed it so much that you simply have to rush out to HMV to buy your own copy . . . yeah, right

 

[stockhausen]

... "Illegal downloads" aren't actually "illegal", it's about time people actually understood that, the "illegal" part is uploading or "distributing" copyright media.

Possibly true; you may be right that possessing / viewing / listening to a ripped film or music isn't actually against the law of the land. It is however, certainly dishonest and immoral . . . in fact, a bit like entirely legally abusing benefits or tax dodging.

If the people who own the copyright object to your listening to or watching their material, I really don't see why they shouldn't take whatever legal steps they can to stop you . . . do you?

 

[stockhausen]

Do you consider borrowing a game from a friend immoral? ...

Personally, no, I don't; any more than I consider it o be immoral to borrow a book from someone and read it. My opinion might be different if you were 'renting' the game from your friend. I do accept that many organisations consider that when you buy their product, it is non-transferable - Microsoft are absolutely God-awful about this.

I believe that there used to be a guy called Philippe Kahn who tried to get software treated in the same way as a book - I believe that his company disappeared very many years ago

... Yes massive corporations should be allowed to bully governments into beaiting us into submission.

I agree that any corporation, large or small, should be allowed to protect their intellectual property; the same applies to individuals. Do you disagree

 

[stockhausen]

It isn't theft and should never be treated as such.

What he actually said was (more or less)

. . . they need to bring copyright law more into [line] with theft laws . . .

Why do you think that accessing for free something that someone wants you to pay for shouldn't be treated as theft?

Do you feel the same about travelling by train or sneaking into a cinema to watch a film without paying?

 

[stockhausen]

So we're on the same wavelength. ...

Uhhhmmmm, no, we are not on the same wavelength.

... Now say your friend rips you a copy of the movie to watch, and you delete the copy of the mkv from your hard drive after, is there a difference because you 'borrowed' it over the internet? ...

Yes, there is a difference, he didn't lend me the original DVD; he gave me one of an indeterminate number of copies of the original DVD.

Incidentally, I really don't think that many people acquire a copy of a DVD or CD 'from a friend' over the Internet

 

[stockhausen]

How is it different? Remember the DVD you own is just a copy from another format.

The DVD for which I paid MONEY!

Dear God, give me strength

You're talking ridiculous technicalities though. The beginning and end result are the same thing, there's very little difference in what's happening, the simple fact that one situation has physical media present, where the other doesn't is completely beside the point.

What to you may be just a 'ridiculous technicality' is money to the copyright owner.

If it is simply a 'ridiculous technicality', why don't you just go out and buy it? The end result to you would apparently be exactly the same and I imagine that the copyright owner would be perfectly happy.

 

[stockhausen]

So by letting your friend borrow and watch your dvd, you're depriving the company of money, therefore facilitating your interpretation of copyright infringement! ...

Go back and read my earlier posts, I really haven't got the patience to try and explain to you again.

 

[stockhausen]

But downloading "illegally" from the internet isn't hurting anyone ...

If a train is running from Liverpool to London and you get aboard it without a ticket, are you hurting anyone?

Should you be allowed to do this?

If everyone did it, why on earth would a train operator bother to run trains?

If everyone had your selfish attitude to intellectual property rights why on earth would anyone bother to make music or films?

... As I keep saying, it's about ego and control, not about revenue and "lost sales".

You do indeed keep saying this.
Do you have any basis for doing so?
Do you know many people in the entertainment industry?
Are they all egotistical control freaks, unconcerned about their incomes?

 

[stockhausen]

All credit to you there kylew, you certainly don't give up easily . . . you keep right on stealing other people's work wee laddie

 

[stockhausen]

It's a silly ill informed judge who thinks he can regulate the internet so easily. ...

The judge is not there to 'regulate the internet', he is there to interpret the law. Do you think that judges understand every last detail of every case they hear?

 

[stockhausen]

... No but Governments think it is there job to 'regulate' the Internet. ...

On what do you base this assertion, in relation to the UK

Can you please explain in what way the Government was involved in the latest dispute between BT & Newzbin

... Funny how you bash the Conservatives in every thread you make yet sound just like one in this thread! ...

Do you really think that it is ONLY Tories who are opposed to theft?

 

[stockhausen]

... What I don't understand is why iPlayer does not let you download in full quality ...

Does iPlayer allow you to 'download' at all? I was under the impression that it only allowed you to 'view' online?

I can quite understand why the BBC wouldn't make it easy to download a digital copy of most of their programs - they do try to make some money from overseas sales you know.

 

[stockhausen]

EA/bioware banned accounts of people who posted unfavourable comments on their forums. ...

Surely not

Posts openly criticising the policies or posts made by the owner in a rude or disrespectful way, or demonstrating a lack of respect for him are not permitted. He pays the bills and charges you nothing - remember that.