Hollywood muscles Australian ISPs over piracy via p2p networks
Posted on 15/01/03 16:28 by Dennis                             
Hollywood muscles Australian ISPs over piracy via p2p networks

According to this article Hollywood-based Warner Bros has started ordering Australian Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to disconnect users for sharing copyright material. Thanks goes to NickSTAR for submitting this news:


Australian ISP Managers were today hotly debating the topic of what to do in response to the demands. Some ISPs advocated warning or disconnecting users, while others were seeking legal advice to confirm their view that US companies had no jurisdiction in Australian law.

The company behind the letter is MediaForce, a New York based anti-piracy group that uses "advanced scanning techniques" to monitor piracy across the internet and report infringing users.

According to its website, the company monitors Napster/OpenNap, Aimster, Swapnut, Gnutella (Bearshare, Limewire & others), AudioGalaxy, Hotline, iMesh, KaZaA, Morpheus/MusicCity, Grokster, Xolox, FTP Sites and IRC.


The complete article, including the letter that MediaForce send to the Australian ISPs (which includes the network location where the infringement occurred, the number of repeat violations and available identifying information), can be read here.

Source: Whirlpool News

Reactions
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By Guest, Wed 15 Jan 2003 16:35
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I hate the MPAA!!!!! There sure better not be jurisdiction(international laws on copyrights) world wide!!! If there is I will be so pissed off!!!!!!
By Guest, Wed 15 Jan 2003 19:09
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why don't htey scan the donkey network?
By Guest, Wed 15 Jan 2003 23:29
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After all, exactly what kind of compliance would one expect from a colony populated by criminals?.....:4
By Savannah, Thu 16 Jan 2003 03:16
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Savannah'Advanced scanning techniques' to 'monitor piracy'? I find this quite difficult to believe. The only way I can see how it could be done is packet sniffing, and unless I agreed to that when I signed up with my ISP (which I didnt) then I believe that its illegal for them to do so. I cant see how it could be legal, after all their based in a county colonised by a person who lost his way to India. :4
By DawnLoader, Thu 16 Jan 2003 05:47
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LesterVegh, That is very funny. Savannah, Very true. MediaForce, Thanks for the list of services/servers I should be visiting. Thank you very much. Let the download begin.
By megod, Thu 16 Jan 2003 06:55
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I find this very hard to believe. I use P2P and Unless the Files are Put there by themselves to Monitor. I don't see how this is Possible. As it can take me weeks to DL a Certain files. I feel it is just another way of the American cash Strapped Companies to get more money for its Greedy shareholders. In which It would never win in court as it is very hard to Prove. :G
By themushroom, Thu 16 Jan 2003 08:38
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What's the point of scanning Audiogalaxy? It doesn't share files anymore... and what it does share, via Rhapsody, is paid for. And there's no f'ing way they can scan all the IRC, only the popular hangouts on specific networks. First the RIAA spreads lies for paranoia's sake, now the MPAA does too?
By Guest, Thu 16 Jan 2003 09:00
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Oi! We ain't no criminals! devil Firstly, I don't believe IPS's will take any action unless it's ordered from a local authority. Secondly, Mediaforce don't need to monitor all traffic. They can simply create several accounts over several p2p networks, share bogus files that masquerade themselves as copyrighted material and take note of who downloads them. Additionally, they can search and (partially?) download copyrighted material and take note of who shares it. I think some USA ISP's got hit with this sort of letter about a year ago, but now it's even more dubious because Mediaforce is trying to bully ISP's internationally.
By ianrossrosco, Thu 16 Jan 2003 12:05
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i'm an aussie and for a long time now we've been relatively free from the anti-piracy debate etc etc. but even now, i'm sure that where there are places to get copyrighted material online, there will be australians downloading it, no matter what. if Mediaforce want try their luck getting the aussie gov't to police piracy, then good luck, coz the current australian gov't seems mighty reluctant to do much about the issue. and i'm sure the australian people would rise in massed protest if any more restrictive laws were put in place Smilie
By spc, Thu 16 Jan 2003 13:30
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oh come on who would even give this a second thought if they stop us downloading shit we wouldnt have much need for the net and then the complete industry would be at risk as many people here in ozz would simply disconnect or scale down there hours dramaticly hence our governments reluctance to comply with this sort of shit, so come on media dicks come and stop us because your propergander simply aint working, nor is your threats.:4
By Guest, Tue 21 Jan 2003 11:32
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"Electronic snooping" will not work -- WHY? -- 1. Cause there are about 14 billions computers around the world -- about 2 per person. Only the most arrogant fools would even such an attempt at sniffing for piracy activity. 2. Certain PCs hosting alleged pirated material can be up or down randomly. PCs can change IP address or masked with advanced software to "deflect" silent or "morphed" sniffing programs. SO -- MediaForce will never ever succeed in its attempt! Companies who hire them to do da sniffing are fools. Laws are different in each country, and hence one country's copyright laws is next to useless in many other countries. Especially if those countries are poor and they don't give a rat about say, American Copyright Laws (boohoohoo)! I thought "internet" equals "sharing". If vendors make their products more affordable, piracy would start to drop (no totallly), and more people might buy originals as collectibles. Producing good (not shit) content also is an incentive for people to buy stuff. If we want to sue piracy, then let's rewind the clock and sue the Romans for "borrowing" Greek architecture; sue Europeans imperialists for "adopting" Chinese invention of gun powder, etc, etc... Piracy is part of our lives whether people like it or not! Wink

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