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Thread ID: 38153 2003-09-29 03:32:00 Is it safe to download music? amazon (3976) Press F1
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178811 2003-09-29 21:18:00 Im downloading while I surf. Yesterday i downloaded the entire pink floyd the wall. I dont consider this theft but man its crystal clear in comparisson to my record. Im slowly backing up my entire record collection, should take a few years. I dont suppose the RIAA have agents here in NZ to bust my ass... dotcommander (4338)
178812 2003-09-29 23:29:00 There is RIANZ, but I don't think you'll find they are as heavy handed as their US counterpart. I just read in FFWD that they are more interested in "educating" people about how bad "piracy" is rather than going after people.

In a way this is quite sad, because I think people will get the idea that sharing is bad. Sharing is not bad. Sharing is good. The whole basis of the internet is sharing. Sharing is only bad when you share something that you were not given permission to share.
segfault (655)
178813 2003-09-30 00:47:00 No matter what sized ISP you use, no matter what software you use, you can still be tracked. Even if you do it from someone else's phone line, you can still be tracked. Technology has gone so far that they can identify your computer, and take your personal information off it. If they want to prosecute you, they have all the information they need. A simple court order will allow them access to your ISP's logs, to track what else you've done. Your computer broadcasts a number, yes, and that number (IP address) personally identifies your computer. The ISP will be able to tell the police (on request) which user had that IP address at what particular time, what they did on the internet, and give them your personal details.

Nowadays it is impossible to cover your tracks. Disclosing information such as that you buy 2-3 CDs from your "friend" could lead someone to go after you. They have evidence of you publicly announcing that you buy pirated music, and a search warrant will let them obtain your personal information from IDG, as well as your ISP, which will lead to them finding you. They could then use you to track down your "friend" and prosecute him/her as well.

Of course, out of the millions of people doing this sort of stuff, the chances of you being caught are small. However, there is the chance, as the RIAA or RIANZ could simply randomly pick people to prosecute, to scare the rest. The easiest way to avoid prosecution is not to break the law in the first place.
somebody (208)
178814 2003-09-30 01:38:00 You know... it's quite funny this whole piracy issue... I mean, Sony on one hand is trying to protect its artists, etc.. .yet on the other hand, they create Minidisc, and CD writers.

The problem I have is that you can transfer your CD's to Minidisc and it's not considered piracy. You can burn your audio CD's on Sony's proprietary software which comes bundled with it, etc.

Then you get corporations like Xtra, who are trying to promote broadband... check out the wording of the latest ad featuring the Jetsons... You hear them talking about music, and files being downloaded faster! This from an ISP of all people. It practically encourages file sharing, without actually saying it...

I won't lie and say I haven't downloaded any music ever... I have used Napster, Audiogalaxy (which was the best possible) and now WinMX.

I do however still buy my CD's... I consider myself a bit of an audiophile and like to have original covers, songs, etc. The quality is very noticeable and another significant factor why I still buy CD's.

Lo.
Lohsing (219)
178815 2003-10-01 04:31:00 What about public libraries?? nomad (3693)
178816 2003-10-01 04:44:00 It depends on the music. If the "ancient stuff" is the Beatles, probably not too harmful, but if you find yourself downloading Max Bygraves's "Tulips from Amsterdam", your brain has been irreparably damaged. B-) Graham L (2)
178817 2003-10-01 04:47:00 The Recording industry mainly targets those who upload at least 1000songs, as quoted in the herald and FFWD magazine. So i dont think there would be much to worry bout on our small scale downloading, but still that 12yr old girl who got sued for dowloading 3songs, thats quite freaky, so just dowload in moderation, dont overdo it like dowloading 40 songs in one day :D vk_dre (195)
178818 2003-10-01 05:02:00 No, the RIAA targeted people who 'shared' more than 1000 songs on their hard drives. Furthermore, they took a txt list of what was shared, without actually having those songs.

Now if you were smart enough, you would realise that the onus is on them to prove the songs listed in the txt list were actually what they said they were. If they weren't then you can't possibly be done for copyright infringements, etc.

Oh well... my 2c worth.

Lo.
Lohsing (219)
178819 2003-10-01 05:12:00 > No, the RIAA targeted people who 'shared' more than
> 1000 songs on their hard drives. Furthermore, they
> took a txt list of what was shared, without actually
> having those songs.
>
> Now if you were smart enough, you would realise that
> the onus is on them to prove the songs listed in the
> txt list were actually what they said they were. If
> they weren't then you can't possibly be done for
> copyright infringements, etc.

U say tomato, i say tomatoe, no big diff. :D
vk_dre (195)
178820 2003-10-01 05:14:00 > U say tomato, i say tomatoe, no big diff. :D

Yeah... you're right there... posted before read carefully!

Incidentally, if you use Kazaalite, then you have no probs.

Lo.
Lohsing (219)
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