Megaupload closed down by the Feds.

[aimeeandbeatles]

Napster is a example of totally centralized network so totally vulnerable. It was similar to Megaupload in this aspect.

The ones like Edonkey or Bittorrent OTOH, while decentralized at some levels have weak points: For instance in Bittorrent case while you download the file directly from other peers you first need two centralized elements: a web page to post torrents and search for files and a central server called tracker to find other peers. So it is vulnerable.

There are other sharing protocols totally decentralized though without any central element to be shut down and consequently totally invulnerable to any governmental control. For instance Kademlia, Ares Galaxy, Freenet or Gnutella.

Actually I thought in a lot of cases a tracker wasn't really needed.

Actually, since we're on this subject of copyright, read this:
http://dmca.cs.washington.edu/

i hope the pic works....

Spoiler :

They managed to get a DMCA notice to an IP address belonging to a network printer

 

[kramerfan86]

Honestly we could be in the twilight of major piracy. Feds are clearly scaring off a lot of the centralized websites and I bet you if everyone retreats to decentralized services the feds will sabre rattle against a handful of particularly active individual users to frighten off tons of the little fish.

 

[Thorgalaeg]

Actually I thought in a lot of cases a tracker wasn't really needed.

Actually, since we're on this subject of copyright, read this:
http://dmca.cs.washington.edu/

i hope the pic works....

Spoiler :

They managed to get a DMCA notice to an IP address belonging to a network printer

You are correct, there are tackerless torrents and most clients can use them. Yet trackers are commonly used. And there is still the need for a web page to host and look for torrents wich is another weak point. A solution for making bittorrent decentralized would be to share and search trackerless torrents through a pure p2p protocol like Kademlia and then download the file through bittorrent, that way we would have the best of two worlds.

 

[BasketCase]

Householders right.
This server is private property. The internet isn't.
I can control what can be said on my site. That's fair.

Exactly.

As I said: the government can't take away something the people don't have.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

Exactly.

As I said: the government can't take away something the people don't have.

Where do you get that? If the government shuts down a website, your property, because of something you said, how is that not a free speech issue?

What if the government took away your printing press?

 

[Quintillus]

The effect spreads, FileServe has now de facto shut down by disabling sharing. Grab your Civ downloads while they still exist! They might not tomorrow.

 

[BasketCase]

Where do you get that? If the government shuts down a website, your property, because of something you said, how is that not a free speech issue?

What is a government? Governments are merely groups of people. In the end, it's people who are the problem.

Current infringements against freedom of speech in the U.S. are indeed coming from people--but usually not the ones in the White House. In the U.S., the problem is much closer to home.

 

[cardgame]

How does that answer her question in the slightest?

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

What is a government? Governments are merely groups of people. In the end, it's people who are the problem.

Current infringements against freedom of speech in the U.S. are indeed coming from people--but usually not the ones in the White House. In the U.S., the problem is much closer to home.

Why do I have a feeling this argument is an example of this?

I will let it rest.

 

[warpus]

Now I have to go watch that episode and pretend that Johnnie Cochran is BasketCase

 

[Traitorfish]

What is a government? Governments are merely groups of people. In the end, it's people who are the problem.

Yeah, but what are people? People are merely a bundle of molecules. In the end, it's molecules that are the problem.

 

[wolfigor]

You are correct, there are tackerless torrents and most clients can use them. Yet trackers are commonly used. And there is still the need for a web page to host and look for torrents wich is another weak point. A solution for making bittorrent decentralized would be to share and search trackerless torrents through a pure p2p protocol like Kademlia and then download the file through bittorrent, that way we would have the best of two worlds.

However accessing a tracker doesn't necessary mean that you are definitely going to download and share copyright material.
Once again the legislation lobbied by the entertainment corporations treat people as guilty until proven innocent and let the user the task of proving himself/herself innocent of the alleged copyright violation.

 

[The_J]

The effect spreads, FileServe has now de facto shut down by disabling sharing. Grab your Civ downloads while they still exist! They might not tomorrow.

Oh crap .

 

[Ajidica]

The effect spreads, FileServe has now de facto shut down by disabling sharing. Grab your Civ downloads while they still exist! They might not tomorrow.

Darn. Are there any good free upload sites left?

 

[Luckymoose]

FileServe is gone... they have taken all of the good services away from us! Rise up and flip your neighbor's car!

 

[The_J]

Mediafire, Rapishare, and a ton of others are still in bussiness .

 

[GamezRule]

Yeah, but what are people? People are merely a bundle of molecules. In the end, it's molecules that are the problem.

And molecules are just atoms, and atoms are just quarks assembled into protons, neutrons and electrons. Really, our only hope is the destruction of all matter.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

Mediafire, Rapishare, and a ton of others are still in bussiness .

Dont say anything. You may jinx them....

 

[metatron]

I think most of agree piracy is wrong,

I don't.

Big Entertainment is the real pirate. They have a 30 year track record of assaulting freedom and democracy all accross the western world.
Their success in rolling back freedom of expression has not helped their declining revenues at all. But they don't learn. They never will. Accepting reality would admiting that they are superfluous - ticks on the artists - loan-shark like gangsters on the customers.
The only viable reaction is all out boycott. Anybody who is freely giving their money to them is an enabler in the destruction of democracy, a rowing pawn on the ship of the real pirates raming our societies.

You give your money to Sony Music? Shame on you, not the pirates.


Of course that they now got Kim Schmitz (again), mostly for being a rather blunt fraudster rather than a copyright pirate (again) and can show his frivolous lifestyle on TV (again) is a somewhat old but none the less effective tactic.
That way they managed to portray Robin Hood as Notorious B.I.G.

Before anybody accuses me of being a copyright pirate, breaking the law, endorsing piracy or any such thing: i advise you that a) piracy vs. b) giving your money to Big Entertainment is a false dichotomy. There are other options. Among them is non-conumption.

 

[Mise]

The thing is, I'm quite in favour of IP rights over innovative products and technologies, and protecting IP generators from companies ripping off their ideas. I want to ensure that intellectual property rights are well protected, so that innovative firms and individuals can continue to generate new ideas and profit from them. The profit motive is a powerful one, and protecting IP in technology is important. The world needs more innovative products like iPads or cancer drugs. If piracy killed innovative firms like Apple or GSK, that would be a disaster.

However, I really don't give a rat's ass about the Film or Music industry. Does the world really need another Justin Beiber? If piracy killed Universal or Warner, that would be a minor inconvenience, and I don't see why so much money and legislation is dedicated to preserving their business models.