File-Sharing Barons Face Day of Reckoning (moved from ATSNN), page 1

posted on Jan, 3 2006 @ 02:26 AM

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Owners of File-Sharing programs, such as Michael Weiss, creator of the program known as, "Morpheus" are being shut down due to their illegal nature. These programs allow users to illegally download music and other programs on to their computer. Hollywood studios and other various recording companies are suing Michael Weiss for copyright infringement. Other file-sharing companies are also going to face court, part of the U.S. Supreme Courts decision. The decision caused some of these companies to shut down. Though these companies programs may be shut down, some of the already existent ones will remain alive, do to open-source networks.

news.yahoo.com
Weeks before the original Napster shut down for good in 2001, Internet users were flocking to alternative song-swapping programs. Nearly 20 million people used Morpheus in its first four months, for example, to trade music and other files for free online. But the man behind Morpheus was worried. Michael Weiss figured popularity could bring its own perils.

As he feared, the notoriety led Hollywood studios and recording companies to sue Weiss' StreamCast Inc. for copyright infringement. It was part of the entertainment industry's wider effort to contain Morpheus and other Napster clones such as Kazaa and Grokster from taking up where Napster left off.

Now, like Napster founder Shawn Fanning before them, Weiss and other file-sharing barons are facing their own day of reckoning after a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision last summer.

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

Well I think that these programs are not technically breaking the law, due to the fact that they do not "put" music into them, users download, and publish the music themselves. The U.S. Supreme court wants to blame them, because they have provided the public with a means to break the law. They are arresting the company because they can not arrest nearly 20 million users, some of which don't even use the program for illegal things.

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spliff4020

posted on Jan, 3 2006 @ 02:55 AM

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Then they better sue the president of Miller Brewing Company for all the drunk driving deaths, the president of Phillip Morris for all the cancer, and Winchester for making these "guns" that kill people.

Hollwood needs to realize that noone is going to pay 15 bucks for the pile excrement they want us to buy. The quality is gone. Their product sucks. I hope these companies just move to some off shore island and keep going. Screw Hollywood. We aint payin!!

Flyer

posted on Jan, 3 2006 @ 04:06 AM

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File sharing programs are about as illegal as a video recorder or a DVD burners. Hang on, we might as well arrest makers of ladders as they help people break into houses.

Amazing stupidity that could only come from the US legal system which is made to screw over the normal person and line the pockets of slimey execs.

Conspiracy Theorist06

posted on Jan, 3 2006 @ 04:33 AM

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I totaly agree with you. Seriously. I have a p2p thing. and they don't go after unless you got a thousand songs or so.

subz

posted on Jan, 3 2006 @ 06:44 AM

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All good points mentioned apart from the fact that P2P programs such as Kazaa and iMesh are dinosaurs. The warez scene moved on at least 3 years ago, they moved on to torrents. They can shut down these decrepit and inefficient P2P programs for all I care, at least it keeps them busy.

When they start coming after torrents with gusto they will also probably be 3 years behind the latest pirate technology. It's expensive enough trying to keep up with technological advancements when you're only buying the end product. Trying to sue against technological advancements will eventually bankrupt any firm, Sony, Disney, any company.

[edit on 3/1/06 by subz]