06-27-2003, 08:49 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Canada
Posts: 1,093
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The crack down on music freeloaders has begun!
The RIAA has started the crack down on picking users with a large amount of music files... Heres some FAQ stuff from the morning newspaper..
Quote:
Q: I though the internet was anonymous. How can the record inustry find out who is sharing music files?
A: Nearly every computer that's connected to the internet (with a few exceptions) has specific identifying information so it can send and receive data. File-sharing networks use those indentifiers to connect computers to one another to upload or download files. The record industry can easily find the identifiers of file sharers and can tell which internet service provider is involved. But only ISPs can link data with the names of their customers.
Q: Why is this happening now?
A: Until recently, privacy was shielded unless there was a court order and ajudicial hearing at which wrongdoing was alleged, for example. by law enfrocement agencies.
But recent court rulings against Verizon ---an ISP that is still appealing its case --- have significantly eased legal requirements for copyright holders to obtain the identities of suspected infringers. Several internet users whose names were turned over by Verizon and earthlink, another ISP, have received cease-and-desist orders from the Recording Industry Association of America.
Q: Am I breaking the law by downloading free music?
A: According to the RIAA, and it's backed by court decisions, sharing unauthorized copyrighted works is considered "direct infringement." A recent decision found that swap services such as Grokster cannot be held liable for the actions of their users, but that the users themselves can.
Q: Who is the record industry going after?
A: To start, the industry says it's interested in the most "egregious" violators --- people who share a large number of files --- though the RIAA set no limit. But sharing large numbers of files is not difficult to do; when users log on to these systems, their music folders usually are automatically open to anyone who wants to get songs from them, the average music lovers can have hundreds of thousands of files being shared without fully aware of it. (You can turn off sharing in Kazaa by going to options, clicking on the "traffic" tab and checking "Disable sharing of files.")
Q: If there are millions of people swapping music online, what good wil going after just a few of them do?
A: The real purpose of taking such drastic action and of announcing the campaign in advance, is to convinve otherwise law-abiding users that the danger sof using swap services outweigh the lure of free music, and to convert them to legitimate alternatives.
Q: I burn mix CD's of music I have purchased. Am I liable?
A: Generally, if you purchase music you can make copies for your personal use, though making copies to give to others is a questionable area and selling copies is a no-no. The industry's current campaign is specifically against online file-sharing, which makes large numbers of songs easily available to millions of people at the same time.
Q: My child shares music on the internet. Am I liable?
A: If a child is sharing music online and is tracked down by the record industry, parents may be liable.
Q: What is my legal liability for infringement?
A: According to copyright law, damges can be p to $150,000 US for each song, though recent settlements with four college students were lower. It's unclear what damages the industry will seek in the next string of cases.
Q: What can i do now?
A: The industry says that enforcement started yesterday. To avoid being caught, you can do what industry hopes you will do: Log off unauthorized swap services (or at least disable file sharing), uninstall the software, and start paying for your music.
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Wow.. finally done typing all that.. :D
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