Feds shut down nine websites in movie piracy crackdown

Feds shut down nine websites in movie piracy crackdown

www.latimes.com

Federal authorities announced that they had seized domain names from nine websites engaged in the "criminal theft of American movies and television." The websites include TVShack.net, PlanetMoviez.com, ThePirateCity.org and Ninjavideo.net. Combined, the sites drew 6.7 million visitors a month, authorities said.

(visit the link for the full news article)


Related News Links:
www.megaupload.com

I was a big fan of ninjavideo.net and was grossly disappointed to learn that it is now gone. My opinions on hollywood in general is difficult to outline, but Phara of Ninjavideo put it really well in their manifesto. Which was also their last podcast. I've added the megaupload link of the PDF version to the additional news links. I'm uncertain of what court cases are to follow, but if the feds were involved so heavily in this investigation, they're likely to staple them all to the wall.



www.latimes.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

I don't believe that piracy, as mainstream would define it, is in any way a problem. If it costs $50-80 dollars to take your family to the theater, actors get paid tens of millions of dollars, opening weekends break profit records set the previous year, and the government chases after the little people for "stealing" from the rich... there is something wrong with the whole media/movie industry model.

[edit on 30-6-2010 by Durrilll]

Originally posted by Durrilll
.. there is something wrong with the whole media/movie industry model.

I would have to agree with that.
Hollywood has all the entertainment
you want .... as long as you are rich
enough to buy it. Doesn't matter to
them the world is in a global recession.
When the world needs a break and a cut
in prices to make ends meet what does
Hollywood do????

Raise the price of ticket sales !!!
And pay the actors record breaking
amounts of dough. It's sick.

Well I bet that if they start shutting down these sites, people still wont go to the movies, and then those millions of dollars they thought they lost, will never come back, what they fail to realize is that a lot of people that watch movies on those sites, some actually go out an buy the movie because they liked it so much.

Id rather get some of the money that comes from piracy, then none at all, the same way people that promote their music for free, end up getting more sales later on, because more people heard their music.

I think this one is going to bite them in the end. Those actors get money because their face is seen more on those sites then at the movies, so be it, I bet it will be a matter of time before they change this one, your face being out there is what makes their salary. If Hollywood was coming out with such crap movies we wouldn't have to try before we buy.


Peace to you....

I love TVShack. I watched the first 3 seasons of MI5 (Spooks), then swtiched to the seasons on television. I fail to see how watching a tv program online hurts anyone. The episodes had already aired, what did they lose?

Wow this sucks. ninjavideo.net was the only way I ever saw any of my fave TV shows. I just can't handle the commercials and always forget to set my DVR. What's the diff if I set my DVR and record or they do it for me? Seriously. Ridiculous. Now pirated movies might be a whole different story....

Related News Links:
www.megaupload.com...

how many points do you get for my download of the news article?

rewards






[edit on 1-7-2010 by Zeta Reticulan]

They will not defeat anyone.

For every 9 sites taken down there will be 20 more that pop up just to spite them.

As part of a new initiative against Internet theft of intellectual property, federal officials on Wednesday said they had seized nine domain names of Web sites that were found to be offering first-run movies. Source

See movies I understand. But TV?! I'm furious frankly.

“We are dedicated to protecting the jobs, the income and the tax revenue that disappear when organized criminals traffic in stolen movies for their own profit,” John Morton, assistant secretary for the immigration and customs agency, said in a statement explaining the new initiative.

Yeah, well, government you weren't that freaking concerned about protecting our jobs when millions of our jobs went offshore for the corporations' own profits and that tax base eroded. Hypocrites.

[edit on 1-7-2010 by ~Lucidity]

Ok this is getting no where, cracking those sites down because of the movies wont sell well? i wont be buying anymore movies nor flims on dvd.



This getting ridiculous, this needs to be stopped.

“We are dedicated to protecting the jobs, the income and the tax revenue that disappear when organized criminals traffic in stolen movies for their own profit

they are dedicated to protect the jobs, and yet make crappy reamakes of movies which no one will ever dare to buy them but rather to download it and now the indursty is making this big nonsense for nothing?


Same goes for video games, what if there is this game where its old and no where to be found in the stores? nor on Ebay and your only opition was to download the torrent?

Come on you can tell they are destroying freedoms

[edit on 1-7-2010 by Agent_USA_Supporter]

reply to post by ~Lucidity


there are thousands of tv sites

Search

damnit!! I was just about to watch hells kitchen on ninjavideo right after looking at ATS!!

reply to post by Zeta Reticulan


None that good and complete and dependable. In my opinion. I'm perfectly capably of doing a search, but I appreciate the link. megaupload as compared to ninja sucks. Incomplete. Random time outs. Too much searching. Too many formats. Hitting pay sites. And way too much cheesy porn spam. My opinion.

[edit on 1-7-2010 by ~Lucidity]

reply to post by boondock-saint


I agree but here's the big bummer the theatres that show said movies make literally pennies on the dollar to show these movies, that’s why a soda and popcorn requires a lien on your house.
They don't even give their distributers a break.

Originally posted by Tuvok112
damnit!! I was just about to watch hells kitchen on ninjavideo right after looking at ATS!!

I was about to watch True Blood. I noticed the domain wasn't responding. This has never happened to me for this domain. I decided to google it up and found the LA article. Came to ATS and ran a search, found nothing. Thus, I made this thread.

As others above have stated, this is getting out of hand. Why are federal agencies involved at all? The issues surrounding this topic is evident, and its Hollywood that needs to change. It evolved from the $2 movies and $1 dollar popcorn when I was a child to a behemoth of as high as $30 per person for a ticket, drink, snacks, etc. I've gone from going to the theater once or twice a month to once or twice a year. Even then, I'm very careful to try and pick a movie that I'm certain I'll enjoy. I've grown bitter over the years from paying so much for the theater experience only to be immensely disappointed with the movie itself.

I'd gladly be an actor for the same low wage I'm making now as a book keeper / programmer. I can't believe how high society has taken such a hold like this. I'm disgusted.

I'm probably going to stop going to the theater... and I'm likely to stop buying DVDs too.

Do you know what this means for other sites? MASSIVE amounts of new viewers, which = higher priced ads.

ThePirateCity.org still works i jsut went to it..

reply to post by ~Lucidity


there is always www.hulu.com...

but they have commercials



[edit on 1-7-2010 by Zeta Reticulan]

Hey

If the movie catches my attention enough, I go to the big screen and see it, 3d if possible


Trust me, that is a whole lot better than a torrent or pirate movie on my little pc monitor


Who is kidding who.