TheDailyPlanet reveals Limewire.com's copyright conundrum

EXCLUSIVE REPORT from TheDailyPlanet.

TheDailyPlanet can reveal a critical inconsistency and potential major illegality, at the website Limewire.com.

Limewire.com is promoted, mainly through 'word of mouth', as a place where users can download files "hosted" on other's computers, and by far the most popular use for limewire.com is for downloading music files. Users do not have to pay to download, and nothing is paid to the artist for the download.

Here are the findings:-

When you go to limewire.com to download their software, during the initial setup process, the following is shown to you on a window in the screen :-

File Associations and Startup
X..........Associate .magnet and .torrent files with LimeWire
............Launch LimeWire at system startup

Content Filters

............Don't let me download or upload files copyright owners request not to be shared.


The window is shown defaulted to the above, ie with a tick in the "Associate .magnet" box, but NO tick for "Don't let me download or upload files copyright owners request not to be shared".

So in other words, if the copyright owners don't want their music pirated, they only have the opportunity to have a say if you tick the box - I can assure you that the vast majority will not tick the box. So limewire offers the default of "Bugger the copyright holders, leave unchecked to download anything".

Here is the information from limewire.com about their policies on this in more detail:-

The LimeWire filtering feature is designed to help ensure that all sharing is purposeful and not inadvertent, and that all sharing respects the law, the users of the P2P network and the wishes and rights of copyright owners. When filtering is enabled, before LimeWire downloads a file to your computer, LimeWire compares the digital signature of the particular file with a list of files that copyright holders have requested be filtered. If a copyright owner has requested that a file not be shared, LimeWire prohibits your downloading of that file. When you install the LimeWire software you will be prompted to select your filtering options.

I see, so if I don't tick the box then the protection to copyright holders is dropped, as the filtering system is switched off. So surely that is breaking the law.

I am myself a musician, my small music business sold over 1,000 CDs that I had produced (of myself playing the Piano) - all over the country, mail order. Now it is much harder for musicians to break into the market, due to the widespread "free for all". Why doesn't the law or Government act, when the evidence is right there in front of them? Will they act? In respect of my music organisation, I intend to act, and I imagine other music organisations will be looking to take action soon also.



[edit on 21-9-2009 by TheDailyPlanet]

Wow first it was the rape porn that you were looking at trying to get law enforcement involved now it is lime wire. Maybe te internet is not the best place for someone so sensitive.

Originally posted by TheDailyPlanet
So in other words, if the copyright owners don't want their music pirated, they only have the opportunity to have a say if you tick the box - I can assure you that the vast majority will not tick the box. So limewire offers the default of "Bugger the copyright holders, leave unchecked to download anything".

Limewire are not legally required to filter content, they added that feature purely as a courtesy to rights holders.

I see, so if I don't tick the box then the protection to copyright holders is dropped, as the filtering system is switched off. So surely that is breaking the law.

Limewire is not legally required to protect content. The option is added as a courtesy to the rights holders. As for the law, in which country are they breaking the law and which law are they breaking?

I am myself a musician, my small music business sold over 1,000 CDs that I had produced (of myself playing the Piano) - all over the country, mail order. Now it is much harder for musicians to break into the market, due to the widespread "free for all".

A the classic "I'm a crap artists so I'll blame downloaders for lack of sales". People who download your stuff are doing you a favour. They will get it for free, they will listen to it, and they will either like it or hate it. In either case they are likely to mention it to their friends, who will do likewise. In any other circumstance, none of these people would even know who the hell you are had they not seen you in passing on some file sharing site, and they would never have purchased your music anyway. You lose nothing, but if you are good, you might gain a reputation, and sales. Being a whiner will do you no favours, and people will purposefully spite you for doing so, and rightly so.

Next you'll be complaining that Limewire has changed their colour to red and you found a file named "knives.jpg" available for download.

Limewire is no different to Bittorrent, Utorrent, Azuerus, Kazaa etc etc except that it offers an option to filter out copyrighted content and charges the user for access. It's basically a complete rip-off.

In terms of illegality, that's really personal perspective at the moment. Torrents are being fought about in courts all over the world right now, with differing results in every case.

Truth is, unless the Movie, TV and Music industries lift their game and update their 50 year old business models then piracy is here to stay.

Originally posted by quackers

A the classic "I'm a crap artists so I'll blame downloaders for lack of sales". People who download your stuff are doing you a favour. They will get it for free, they will listen to it, and they will either like it or hate it. In either case they are likely to mention it to their friends, who will do likewise. In any other circumstance, none of these people would even know who the hell you are had they not seen you in passing on some file sharing site, and they would never have purchased your music anyway. You lose nothing, but if you are good, you might gain a reputation, and sales. Being a whiner will do you no favours, and people will purposefully spite you for doing so, and rightly so.

Now, now, you are going to hurt the 'artists' feelings. You might as well have told him/her to get a job. Next thing you know you'll tell him/her that the only 'artists' that have made money have done so through concert sales.

Tsk tsk

Well if you are making music on a piano making CDs yourself and selling over a thousand it sounds like you are doing great on your own, many people have trouble selling that many copies when they do everything themselves. So it does not sound like lime wire hurts you one bit.
So with the rape porn you looked it up watched it and wanted to get law enforcement involved, now you are using lime wire and crying about it. It sounds to me like you do things you think are wrong then cry about it.

bla bla. im a music artist myself. i would be honored if people shared my works. think about it like this. im a local artist in virginia what is the best way to spread my work? well word of mouth or p2p. as a local artist i make most of my capital from the shows i do at local venues not from cd sales. therefore in order to make some money i need to pack people in the venue. and in order to do that i need a name. how do i get a name? p2p spreading my art. thanks limewire, kazaa, bit torrent, and the original free napster. fellow artist especially big names can complain all you want. how many struggling artist started by handing out free tape or cds from the back of a car to get their name out? p2p is the same thing. [end of rant]

[edit on 9/21/09 by Djdoubt03]

Since a few posts mentioned my music, without first hearing it, the music can be found at:-

www.myspace.com/peterdew

where is free for listening, at no charge, with the artist's permission.

Most of these tracks were recorded a few years ago, my style has developed - the tracks back then were all of a very relaxing nature, I have been studying Rachmaninoff music, and there is still some way to go before I reach the peak of my abilities.

[edit on 21-9-2009 by TheDailyPlanet]

Kevin runs SoMuchSilence.com, a 3-year-old indie music blog based in Phoenix, Arizona, that serves to promote indie rock and hip-hop, both nationally and locally.

Back in May, Kevin saw that the successful band, Travis, were busy completing their new album “Ode to J.Smith“. Kevin managed to acquire a copy of a track from the album, and since Fran Healy from the band had been encouraging people to share the song, he put a link to the track up on the site.

Then, in an email dated July 1st 2008, Kevin got quite a surprise. He told TorrentFreak that he received a notice from the IFPI indicating that he had posted an ‘infringing file’ and was shocked since Travis had encouraged people to share the track: “It was my first official cease and desist, so I just removed the file and was going to let it go. The IFPI also contacted my server host, who in turn sent me a notice about taking down the file.”

Travis Defends Fan from IFPI Threats

Real artists, with a few brain cells to rub together, do not need to resort to idle threats to fans in order to generate revenue from their art. Those who do are not deserving of their fanbase.

[edit on 21-9-2009 by quackers]

Originally posted by Djdoubt03
how many struggling artist started by handing out free tape or cds from the back of a car to get their name out? p2p is the same thing.

THIS!

Cake for you

Limewire.com also promotes abhorrent "rape porn" and other forms of illegal pornography amongst a significant proportion of their search results, if the user simply types "porn" or "sex". Hence if they were searching for porn, they would instead be offered all kinds of illegal films, and so far nothing has been done to stop limewire from failing to stop this.

[edit on 21-9-2009 by TheDailyPlanet]

reply to post by quackers


That is a classic example of the big music companies protecting their own money and interests rather than those of the artist they claim to represent.

That is why, when I hear some artists whinging about file-sharing and how they lose money, I remind them of stories like this that prove their whinging is just that - whinging.

Originally posted by TheDailyPlanet
Since a few posts mentioned my music, without first hearing it, the music can be found at:-

www.myspace.com/peterdew

where is free for listening, at no charge, with the artist's permission.

Most of these tracks were recorded a few years ago, my style has developed - the tracks back then were all of a very relaxing nature, I have been studying Rachmaninoff music, and there is still some way to go before I reach the peak of my abilities.

[edit on 21-9-2009 by TheDailyPlanet]

dude you rock. i wish i thought of creating a "trolling" thread to promote my music.

Originally posted by TheDailyPlanet
Limewire.com also promotes abhorrent "rape porn" and other forms of illegal pornography amongst a significant proportion of their search results, if the user simply types "porn" or "sex". Hence if they were searching for porn, they would instead be offered all kinds of illegal films, and so far nothing has been done to stop limewire from failing to stop this.

LOL you speak as if the torrent search function is rigged in some way. It simply searches ALL of the indexed torrent in the swarm that have been tagged with "porn" or "sex" then displays them according to their DOWNLOAD POPULARITY. It is the users themselves, in fact, that are dictating what searches appear and where.

Dude, you're just off your nut. Limewire has absolutely no control over what search terms people use. Are you going to go to Google, search for "goats and midgets" then complain about it when a result turns up that you find repulsive.

I think you're just trying to wind people up.

Originally posted by Djdoubt03
dude you rock. i wish i thought of creating a "trolling" thread to promote my music.

That hadn't occurred to me. Well spotted!

I love this guy. I think I'm going to buy 100 copies of his albums because he's such a genius. He goes to watch rape porn then thinks it's real (LOL!!!!) and says it should be taken down. Then he goes on Limewire, pirates music and downloads even more porn (after all how would he know it has "illegal" porn on there unless...he's watched it) and now wants Limewire to be taken down as well. You should talk to Senator Lieberman you two would have a thing or two in common.
So basically TheDailyPlanet, without having to make 20 different threads saying the same thing just come out with it and say it outright: You support censorship PERIOD. That's what all of this is about. You want the government to be able to ban all porn, ban all unwanted music downloads, etc. So basically you support a 1984 NWO type Big Brother government. I'd say you'd do well moving to China.

Originally posted by Kryties

Originally posted by Djdoubt03
dude you rock. i wish i thought of creating a "trolling" thread to promote my music.

That hadn't occurred to me. Well spotted!

I'm not actually trying to promote my music - the reason I put the link in is because someone insinuated that my music may be crap and that is why I have created this thread, but this isn't the reason. The reason I created the thread is to alert people to the matters of my opening post.

All the music made today is crap not worth downloading anyway. Who cares if Maroon 5 does not get their $20. They don't deserve it.

Give me some Dead, Floyd, and CSNY. That is music with heart and soul. Good thing that most of these guys are dead, dying, or too old and rich to care all that much.

Originally posted by rufusdrakI'd say you'd do well moving to China.

I think in this case, as severe as it is, China would be perhaps a tad liberal.