Still buying CD's ??

Anybody still think this wont happen?

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The music industry's trade association is asking a federal district court to force an Internet service provider to turn over private information for a subscriber, heating up the legal war between technology and entertainment companies.

The Recording Industry Association of America wants Verizon Internet Services to turn over information on one of its subscribers, who the RIAA suspects of offering a large collection of MP3s for download.

Wednesday's legal filing with the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia came after Verizon refused to comply with a July 24 subpoena issued by the same court, saying the legal merits of the order were wrong. A spokesman said the company would continue to fight the matter.

"Under any circumstances, we are concerned with the privacy of our subscribers and with the copyrights of the entertainment industry," said Eric Rabe, Verizon's vice president of media relations. "But this isn't an area that we should be rushing into. We'll comply with proper legal orders, but we want to make sure we are not overreactive."

Verizon finds itself on a slippery slope. ISPs promise users to protect their identities, but entertainment companies are increasingly putting pressure on Congress and the Justice Department to crack down on people illegally sharing songs and movies.

At issue in the Verizon case is how much protection ISPs have from prosecution under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the controversial law meant to thwart digital piracy.
While the DMCA lets copyright holders stop anyone from distributing software that removes security locks from content, it doesn't allow them to challenge the company that provides the gateway to the Internet.

Legislators gave service providers "safe harbor" protection, which means ISPs can't be held liable for what their subscribers get up to online.

There is a catch, however. The protection disappears if the ISP finds out that a subscriber is illegally sharing files. The RIAA claims that Verizon's protection should have been dissolved after it informed the ISP of the infringement by this individual. The court agreed, and ordered Verizon to turn over the subscriber's name.

It's a chilling prospect that an ISP could be forced to turn over private information on its customers, but the recording industry said this action is limited to one subscriber who is engaged in massive piracy.

"The subpoena seeks limited information relating to a computer connected to the Verizon network that is a hub for significant music piracy," said court papers filed in July.

http://www.wired.com/news/mp3/0,1285,54678,00.html

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If anybody wants to carpool with me to washinton so we can piss on Congressmen (no, that is not a threat MR. FBI, I am simply stating an unpleasant taste left tim my mouth from my new found lack of effective representation), I think we should really start trying to stop this tidal wave of DMCR abuses and other such terrible travesties against American rights, security and privacy.

The RIAA is really ridiculous. Oh no, cd sales are down, must be those damn pirates and not the crappy cds and outrageous prices we're charging. What I want to know is how far will they go. If I continually buy 50 packs of cdrs online, will the RIAA try to get the companies to report my name as a potential pirate. Nevermind the fact that cdrs can be used for data backup. Does anyone know what's happening with the "hollywood hacking" bill?

No, but the RIAAs plan 'b' is swinging into effect even as we speak. Use the below link to see where the DOJ weighs in on this matter.

http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1106-954591.html

hmm. i see 80 gig hard drives selling for approximately 100$. I see dvd discs for dvd recorders selling for 3$, and cds selling for 25c, and of course these are vague approximations, for prices at August's end, '02, in the U.S. Does anyone think that jailing a few (<1%) for file swapping will stop simple economics? Software developers, I pity your plight. None the less, file swapping of every variety will continue, if perhaps somewhat diminished, but (if diminished) this makes the PROFIT for 'crackers' greater.. not less. Prohibition produced Al Capones 'evil empire'.. and civil corruption, and disorder, more than it HELPed anyone. Prohibition, effective or NOT, is not the answer. A MS copy of XP is (about) $200-250, and a 'hacked' version is perhaps 5$ to 20$, and the disproportion is inarguable. Therein lies the motive, and disregarding private opinion, the REASON why folks are gonna continue file swapping, and sharing, and copying. As long as it's convenient to believe in Robin Hood ethics, folks (MANY folks, if not all) will embrace them. Without creating a law that at least 90% of folks can agree with about ANY info that can be digitized, p2p is here to stay, legal or not. Get used to it.

MitchShrader, part of the reason these proces are so low, on things related to mp3s might be companies dont want to get stuck with a hugh over-stock, when the **** hits the fan.

Allenb1963 thats some artical. the DOJ doing the recording industries dirty work. If they figure each recording on a computer to be around the price of a single, if they catch you with 300/650 mp3 your penality would not exceed five years in prison. thats a relief

ISPs off the hook in swapping suit

http://news.com.com/2100-1023-954782.html

Looks like the site in China was shut down. I was hoping that they had dropped the suit for a better reason, e.g. it was completely stupid in the first place.

really? cd sales are down? people dont have money to spend on entertainment? go figure. some people have a hard time buying things that they need, let alone things that they want, as someone who dabbles in P2P, i can vouche that even though i dl and burn, i still go out and buy a cd or two, hell, i've even sent a few bucks to a band in japan cause i downloaded alot of their music and couldnt find them over here. and i didnt feel like paying the middle man - shipping and handling from japan. P2P proggies introduce people to new music. i dont listen to popular bands anyway.

I think we should just boycott any entertainment company
that's attacking our privacy. Even animal rights people got
McDonalds to improve their policies on their meat farms, how
is entertainment any different?

carbonlifeform, animal rights folks really care about their cause. they pound their government representatives with mail, faxs and phone calls. they raise support for their cause and make it a public issue. if you want a boycott to work you have to go public with it. although AO has over 100k members, id venture to say 85% of them would be too busy download haxor tools somewhere or mp3s to get involved or be any help at all. Most of the people walking around arn't even awary this is an issue.