Kinda Freaked Out - Copyright Infringement Notice...

[GFLPraxis]

Oohh, this is a little reassuring,(I haven't downloaded anything like that much) was there any time-frame? Could you specify anything as to that? Like the time of the offense to the time of you notifying?

If it makes you feel better, your ISP can't actually sue you. You're not infringing their rights. The worst they can do is cancel your service, and you'll just go somewhere else.

The ISP is just covering their rear so that if the RIAA catches you, they don't get caught in the lawsuit, so they're going around busting their customers and telling them not to pirate. Good for them.

As long as the RIAA doesn't find out that you are pirating, you are safe. Of course, tick off your ISP too much and they might report you to the RIAA, so I'd recommend listening to them But it's in the ISP's best interests not to get the RIAA involved, and it's in both of your interests to cooperate and stop downloading.

 

[Xander562]

You will not be sued by your ISP. your ISP sends you a letter to basically let you know that they have noticed some bad internet behavior. It does not necessarily mean that the MPAA, or RIAA even know you. So with a letter there is no statute. You break your contact once, they warn you, they could kill your service next time, even after a year or two, it's the ISPs choose, they won't sue you, but they will kill you service or apply charges to your bill the MPAA or RIAA will sue you, get a letter from them and well, it's been nice seeing you use the internet. Right now, don't worry, but since their watching, maybe you should not download anything that is not legit.

Oh yeah no kidding, I'm not downloading anything ever again.

However, it's not just Charter who's notifying me. It was Charter, who's attention was brought to me by this other company who works for Paramount or something like that.

 

[Xeem]

Just thought I'd point out that the kind of file you are sharing is what really matters. I pretty much only download TV shows, and seed them all day long, and nobody cares; my friend, however, had his internet disconnected by his ISP less than an hour after he began seeding the movie "300" (I think it was the very night it was released in theaters), and his service was stopped after only a few hours of seeding AutoCAD on a separate occasion. The next incident of illegal file sharing is going to get his internet suspended for up to two weeks, and a fourth violation might mean termination of service (all according to his internet provider). Moral of the story: both new and expensive things are often tracked, ESPECIALLY MOVIES STILL IN THEATERS. Don't try to pirate anything that is still being counted upon to make a profit.

 

[synth3tik]

Oh yeah no kidding, I'm not downloading anything ever again.

However, it's not just Charter who's notifying me. It was Charter, who's attention was brought to me by this other company who works for Paramount or something like that.

The ISP that contacted yours is most likely one that has a customer that you uploaded to while you were downloading, or seeding too.

 

[GFLPraxis]

Heh, wonder how well Adobe's tracking all the people rushing out to download CS3 right now?

 

[Xander562]

The ISP that contacted yours is most likely one that has a customer that you uploaded to while you were downloading, or seeding too.

No Charter was contacted by a company that all they do is be anal and look for people infringing on copyright laws. --- for profit. (specific companies hire them to do this).
Their website is: www.baytsp.com

 

[yg17]

My brother got one from Charter. It basically said "Copyright infringement is bad, don't do it again, blah blah blah"

From what I hear, Charter won't do anything until you get 3 notices. You're a paying customer, they don't want to lose you. (which they've made sure of by having a complete broadband monopoly in my neighborhood, money grubbing bastards...but I digress)

 

[hayduke]

You have nothing to fear, but Guantanamo!

 

[wongulous]

This thread is so amazingly and ridiculously alarmist and paranoid, with no explanation or citing references, and peppered heavily with hearsay. I love it!

 

[Sdashiki]

Heh, wonder how well Adobe's tracking all the people rushing out to download CS3 right now?

Guaran-friggen-teed, they got many many IPs out there just sniffin bit torrent.

 

[weckart]

Lol you should use something like peer guardian. I DL movies, games, songs whatever all the time.

Get peer guardian, it blocks those stupid companies from seeing you.

Peer Guardian/Vanguard does nothing of the sort. That myth was debunked a long time ago.

Here is a brief explanation why.

http://thisismyinter.net/?p=3

You can find geekier details all over the web.


As for the letters, experience has shown so far that a letter from your ISP is a warning. A letter from the copyright holder means you should think of trashing your HD pronto.

 

[blackstone]

The act of downloading music is not really illegal, but the act of uploading music, software, etc. is. Just like in a lot of places it is not illegal to buy drugs, but it is illegal to sell, have,or use them, but not to buy.

Sorry, you're wrong. See U.S. Code, Title 17, Section 106. Under U.S. copyright law, copying a protected work without permission is illegal, period, unless it falls under "fair use" or one of the other (extremely narrow) statutory exceptions. There may be a few extra exceptions in Canada, but Canadian laws can't be too different, because there are a number of international conventions involving intellectual property protection to try and make laws uniform between countries. China is, AFAIK, the only major industrialized country that doesn't adhere to those conventions.

Edit: Also, the drug analogy is off-base for a number of reasons -- perhaps most importantly, because possessing or selling drugs can land you in jail, whereas violating copyrights will only lead to the copyright owner demanding money damages and/or a halt to the infringing activity from you.

 

[howard]

interesting thread, it makes me wonder how they know/find out what your downloading and from where, and what is legal or not. is this torrents? is it limewire type stuff or online sites? can they "see" the file you are downloading and how do they know if its copyright infringement or not

 

[Sun Baked]

Use some lubricant BEFORE you sit down with their lawyers, and some toe touching exercises may help make you a little more comfortable if they decide to nail you in a 8 hour marathon session.

 

[efoto]

Always makes me wonder how some people seem to pirate for years and are left to be and others say they just did a file or two and get a warning

Not to endorse either side of it but in my mind the uploaders are the primary pursuit in the eyes of the xxAA companies. If they stop the uploaders then there is no file to download, problem solved. While I'm sure they don't like leechers I don't think they care nearly as much. My guess would be you uploaded something that someone didn't like....

 

[SkyBell]

I pirate music sometimes, but not much. Worst thing I ever pirated? Photoshop. (Yeah, and windows....but it never worked, so i dont think it counts)

I was notified by Apple to stop posting rumors and such on my website, so it's in discussion of what will become of it.

Be careful.

 

[Xander562]

interesting thread, it makes me wonder how they know/find out what your downloading and from where, and what is legal or not. is this torrents? is it limewire type stuff or online sites? can they "see" the file you are downloading and how do they know if its copyright infringement or not

Yeah, it was torrents. It was surprising how much information they knew.

• My IP address (no surprise)
• Infringement time (down to the SECOND)
• Infringed work
• Infringed work file name (Complete with all the weird periods and [DVDRip] stuff etc.)
• File Size
• Protocol (BitTorrent etc.)
• Infringed URL
• Infringer's DNS Name

Yeah.... kinda amazing. They sent the notice to my ISP less than 48 hours later. And my ISP took over 2 months to decide to tell me about it. --- By postal mail, the only thing slower probably would have been some dude on horseback.

 

[Sun Baked]

Yeah.... kinda amazing. They sent the notice to my ISP less than 48 hours later. And my ISP took over 2 months to decide to tell me about it. --- By postal mail, the only thing slower probably would have been some dude on horseback.

I don't know about that, it probably would have been faster -- but you have to wait until that Jan/Feb time frame prior to the Parada del Sol Parade.

Then you can get your letter sent via Pony Express.

 

[GFLPraxis]

(Yeah, and windows....but it never worked, so i dont think it counts)

Pirating Windows is more like robin hood than piracy.
Photoshop is more shameful though.

 

[SkyBell]

Pirating Windows is more like robin hood than piracy.
Photoshop is more shameful though.

Steal from the rich and give to the poor? Yeah I guess so. But most of us mac users ain't exactly poor.

I didn't even mean to get PS, I was looking for ShapeShifter, and I downloaded the wrong file. heh.

 

[lancestraz]

Steal from the rich and give to the poor? Yeah I guess so. But most of us mac users ain't exactly poor.

I didn't even mean to get PS, I was looking for ShapeShifter, and I downloaded the wrong file. heh.

Keep talking and you'll be getting infringement letters.

Oh, and I'm poor. And I'm typing this on a $2,000 computer. At least my priorities are sorted out.

 

[dornoforpyros]

In canada it works this way. You also cannot sell your back ups.
But download all you want... since we get penalized with a surcharge on cd-r's and dvd-r's

yeah I actually gone one from Telus. I wasn't too concerned since it took place in December and they haven't taken any further action besides one email.

 

[GFLPraxis]

Steal from the rich and give to the poor? Yeah I guess so. But most of us mac users ain't exactly poor.

I didn't even mean to get PS, I was looking for ShapeShifter, and I downloaded the wrong file. heh.

Steal from the rich and corrupt, that is. Microsoft is a convicted illegal monopoly in EU and US, so I wouldn't feel guilty about that. Plus the fact that 99% of us Mac users only use it because we feel we HAVE to use it (due to the aforementioned illegal monopoly), not because we consider it worth our money.

Adobe is rich, but they make a good product, and support our platform, so piracy is just theft.

 

[MongoTheGeek]

Pirating Windows is more like robin hood than piracy.

I would say proper punishment for pirating windows is having to run it.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Don't get me wrong, i did it, i was wrong. I've deleted ALL files that could even have the SLIGHTEST hint of being illegitimate, but it seems this is 2 months too late.

Any help?

Time to wipe the drive. If you don't have the files, how can they prove YOU downloaded them? It could have been some scumbag leaching your wireless (if you have wireless)...but don't take my word as gospel, I know flip all about the real legal implications.