Hi All,
I what is certain to become a protracted campaign over the next few years, a law firm is now sending letters to 15,000 users in the UK it has supposedly identified as sharing illegal movies and games. Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8381097.stm
The question is, will this see the end, gradually of "casual" file sharing? Ultimately the industries will never care about a techie hardcore who continue to share with masked IP addresses, but they do care about kiddies in their bedrooms downloading the latest Leona Lewis single instead of buying it.
Tied-in with the new "three strikes" system the government is certain to introduce, will this be the end of unlimited "free" music, films and games albeit obtained on a morally dubious and technially illegal basis?
More crucially, will this lead to the end of the "free" Internet? While there are good arguments for surveillance (after all, who really thought Townsend was writing a book) it also has a big brother element to it that frankly turns my stomach.
Personally, I was a little shaken by this sudden campaign. I have never downloaded whole movies (porn or otherwise) and never a game, and I buy a lot of music DVDs and Games legally all the time, but how many people will be hit if this campaign continues?
A recent campaign on TV for PC World caught my eye, a rather annoying couple talk about downloading movies all the time! Surely the implication is they are doing this illegally, not legally? Additionally despite the current poor market share of legal downloads we are constantly sold faster and faster connections, for legal downloading only?
There needs to be a frank and fair exchange between all parties IMHO. Downloading is morally wrong, legal arguments and technicalities aside. This does not however justify threatening letter from lawyers, draconian actions by government and well, downright oppression to put it mildly.
I know a lot of posters here both will agree and disagree with me, but the "battle" over downloading looks to be ending, and with a firm victory for the establishment. I think the biggest casualty of this will be the freedom of the Internet.
I what is certain to become a protracted campaign over the next few years, a law firm is now sending letters to 15,000 users in the UK it has supposedly identified as sharing illegal movies and games. Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8381097.stm
The question is, will this see the end, gradually of "casual" file sharing? Ultimately the industries will never care about a techie hardcore who continue to share with masked IP addresses, but they do care about kiddies in their bedrooms downloading the latest Leona Lewis single instead of buying it.
Tied-in with the new "three strikes" system the government is certain to introduce, will this be the end of unlimited "free" music, films and games albeit obtained on a morally dubious and technially illegal basis?
More crucially, will this lead to the end of the "free" Internet? While there are good arguments for surveillance (after all, who really thought Townsend was writing a book) it also has a big brother element to it that frankly turns my stomach.
Personally, I was a little shaken by this sudden campaign. I have never downloaded whole movies (porn or otherwise) and never a game, and I buy a lot of music DVDs and Games legally all the time, but how many people will be hit if this campaign continues?
A recent campaign on TV for PC World caught my eye, a rather annoying couple talk about downloading movies all the time! Surely the implication is they are doing this illegally, not legally? Additionally despite the current poor market share of legal downloads we are constantly sold faster and faster connections, for legal downloading only?
There needs to be a frank and fair exchange between all parties IMHO. Downloading is morally wrong, legal arguments and technicalities aside. This does not however justify threatening letter from lawyers, draconian actions by government and well, downright oppression to put it mildly.
I know a lot of posters here both will agree and disagree with me, but the "battle" over downloading looks to be ending, and with a firm victory for the establishment. I think the biggest casualty of this will be the freedom of the Internet.
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