Demise of Bit Torrent

[0iD]

UK man threatened with BitTorrent lawsuit American movie studios are getting tough with Brits who are involved with BitTorrent sites, but they may have a fight on their hands
http://newsletters.zdnetuk.cneteu.ne...09667/22916/0/

The above article is typical of many appearing at the mo, sending the message to the new wave of (illegal) file sharers , post Napster, that big bro is watching yous. But I must admit, Bit torrent is a very clever technology imo & it'll be a shame to force it underground.

I do realise that there are many perfectly legal torrent sites but from what i can ascertain the majority of torrent use is not so legit. And what of the rest? The e-mule/e-donkey/morpheus etc users. Next on the hitlist?

[Rave]

Well, either the guy facilitated copyright infringement or he didn't. If he didn't, he has nothing to fear surely?

[0iD]

Bit of a grey area probably. But my point is, will Bit Torrent, as a technology, survive the onslought of the copyright police?

[Rave]

I think it will, since there's nothing about the technology that encourages piracy, it just facilitates downloads of any sort be they legal or illegal. Lots of things have both legitimate and illegitimate uses (knives, metal rulers/slimjims etc. etc.) and they remain legal.

[Norky]

The American movie companies have been sending emails to ISPs with user details of those sharing files. I got one from Paramount for sharing on BitTorrent. I don't think they legally have a foothole in this country though, as it was nothing more that a polite email to the ISP.

[mike_w]

I think Bit Torrent will continue simply because it is, in principle, legal. As Rave said, there are plenty of things that are legal, but can be used illegally. As a computing example, CD burners can be used to create illegal software, but it would be ridiculous to ban CD burners because you could use it illegally.

[0iD]

I think it will, since there's nothing about the technology that encourages piracy, it just facilitates downloads of any sort be they legal or illegal. Lots of things have both legitimate and illegitimate uses (knives, metal rulers/slimjims etc. etc.) and they remain legal.

Oddly enough, I have one of each of those on my desk at the mo. Scary.

[Rave]

Better expect a knock on the door soon then....

[DaBeeeenster]

The only thing that bittorrent "needs" is a distributed way of publishing .torrent files in the same manner that it handles the files themselves. Once that has been written (and I have no doubt that it will) there is little that the studios can do.

What "the suits" need to understand is that they are NOT going to beat the technology. They have to learn to live with it. In the same way that the music business originally pushed back against casette tapes, and the TV industry pushed back against the VCR, the song has remained the same.

For example. 24 is one of the most pirated TV shows in the UK. Why? Because the US shows air a few weeks ahead of the Sky shows, and you can get your fix more easily by downloading an illegal copy than by waiting. There's a very simple solution here, but clearly Murdoch hasn't quite "got it" yet.

[0iD]

Better expect a knock on the door soon then....

Craft knife & steel rule are tools of the trade and the other is a request from someone's friend in the AA (getting a batch put on the lazer).

It's very difficult I think to police Bit Torrent owing to it's very nature. And people will allways pirate audio & video. So, what si the entertainment industry to do? A few big profile prosecutions to put the frightners on joe public? I don't think that's going to work somehow.

[davidstone28]

BT is at risk simply because you need a way of accessing the .torrent files so inevitably the forum or websites that holds the torrent is always going to be a potential target. I think the main torrents sites are going to get hit hard a la Suprnova.

But P2P really is never going to die. Once the BT comes down (and in my view, thats only a matter of time), they'll be a new P2P network springing up in its place. BT has become incredibly popular because of its speed, reliability and file integrity. I have no doubt, that someone somewhere will come up with an alternative once BT bites the dust.

[Norky]

For example. 24 is one of the most pirated TV shows in the UK. Why? Because the US shows air a few weeks ahead of the Sky shows, and you can get your fix more easily by downloading an illegal copy than by waiting. There's a very simple solution here, but clearly Murdoch hasn't quite "got it" yet.

The American episodes are also aired in HDTV, making it very very easy to produce a high quality file of each episode.

[Tomahawk]

I got one from Paramount for sharing on BitTorrent. I don't think they legally have a foothole in this country though, as it was nothing more that a polite email to the ISP.

Did anything more come of this email?.. Or did it just 'encourage' you to stop?.. And what do you mean they don't have a foothole in this country.. Surely if they want to sue, then they will, wont they?

Just a bit confused!..

Thanks



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In reply to the original question, I don't believe that these legal battles will take the Bit-Torrent client down.. or ban it for that matter.. For many of the same reasons mentioned already.. That it has great legal uses, but can also be used illegally.. As many items already mentioned can be. .

[Norky]

Did anything more come of this email?.. Or did it just 'encourage' you to stop?

The ISP simply gave me 72 hours to remove the materials. If it was still there after 72 hours they would remove my internet access until I could prove I'd removed it.

[Spud1]

Bit Torrent will continue for its many legitimate (although frankly rubbish) uses.

P2P itself will probably continue forever, but its never going to be a major threat to the record lables, film/software companies anyway. Want an explanation? ok

Cant go into too much detail cos we aint allowed on this forum, but the p2p networks are not their main problem. Ok its where the masses get their illegal stuff from, cos its easy, fairly anonomous, (usually) free; but the amount of stuff on there isnt really that great. Movies appaer on P2P normally days after they are released onto FTP dumps, same goes for software, tv etc. No group worth its salt would ever release anything onto a p2p network.

The studios go on and on about how P2P is threatening their livelyhood etc, when they should really concentrate on the source of the problems - the many warez groups out there such as Deviance, Centropt, POT etc etc. Chasing them works too, a few years ago the FBI arrested and disbanded Fairlight (at the time the best/most respected warez release group) and RAZOR1911, another highly respected group. This stemmed the tide of illegal software for a while.

The point I am trying to make here is that theres no point in them going after P2P, it has no influence on whethere films etc are pirated or not, its just a way for joe bloggs to get hold of some illegal software etc without putting in the time to get into a community

[scotty6435]

They may not have any legal foothold in the UK but they can certainly put pressure on the ISPs in the UK. IF they do get the powers to prosecute individuals then it's concievable that those ISPs not co-operating will be punished in some way also. It's underhand but there's nothing we can do to stop it.... except wait for the next P2P program to come out and use that instead