Pirates are the hot topic of the hour, whether we're talking about the ones shaking things up off the Somali coast or those causing a stir on the Internet. As Somali sea pirates last week were threatening to slay Americans, operators of The Pirate Bay -- a site that allows users to track and download BitTorrent files -- were sentenced to a year in jail and a $3.6 million fine for violating copyright law (a decision they've since appealed).
Unauthorized file sharing online has become a huge problem. The New York Times pegs American entertainment industry losses at $20 billion annually.
But lawmakers are struggling to come up with a solution. One of the most drastic suggestions so far has come from French president Nicolas Sarkozy, who thinks illegal file-sharers who've ignored three written warnings should have their Internet connections cut.
This measure was shot down by the French government earlier this month, but it could still be revived. Many purported supporters of the law sat the first vote out, and Sarkozy says he intends to reintroduce the measure.
But if French lawmakers are anything like the Internet Evolution community, such a bill doesn't stand much of a chance. In a poll last week, over 60 percent of nearly 300 Internet Evolution readers voted against the idea of kicking people offline for file-sharing. (26 percent favor the idea; and 13 percent don't know... arrgh.)
The New York Times recently published a piece debating whether this proposed law infringes on a human being's right to connect to the Internet. Many believe that the ability to connect is now a basic human right and is necessary in order to be a productive member of society. Cutting someone's access is then akin to quieting someone's free speech or restricting his/her ability to receive an education.
But the issue goes beyond that when considering the reality of passing this law. Such a proposal to sever someone's Internet access assumes that we're still living in some Internet Dark Age, limited by a single connection. But in an age of smartphones, Internet cafes, WiFi-enabled devices, software that can hide one's own IP address, and beyond, cutting access might turn out to be little more than an irritant for these repeat offenders.
Sarkozy is clearly looking to take le couperet to the piracy problem, addressing it with force and little tolerance. But as the Internet evolves, writing laws that ignore how far we've advanced technologically is short-sighted... and a waste of time.
Enforcing existing copyright laws is a good start toward curbing this epidemic, but trying to hunt down everyone that is pirating software and limiting their online connectivity is sort of like herding cats, it can be a frustrating and time-consuming process with little chance of success.
In my experience working with former game developers that have been victimized by piracy, it is clear that the only way to effectively fight piracy is via technology solutions such as the emerging anti-tamper technology. In the gaming industry in particular, the majority of revenue losses come in the first few weeks after general availability, so protecting a new release from piracy for a matter of months can make a huge difference in the bottom line.
A technical attack on illegal down-loaders is easy. Media files can be easy masks for Trojan horses. dDOS is even easier. Problem is this has been to the courts, and the answer is NO.
Of course, do we all remember the first day download of a new Madonna song- MP3s all over the web. And what did they sound like: "Madonna saying "So what the F@*K do you think you are doing?"
This technique could go soft core too. The copyright holder could salt the pirate library with low resolution and otherwise flawed versions of of the media. 30 minutes into the movie it would start to skip and freeze?
In a recent survey, it was concluded that international terrorists that manage to steal military secrets from western military intelligence, also are some the biggest customers when seeking enriched plutonium.
So it's facinating that some the biggest thieves are also some of the biggest customers. I feel much better now.
When your hard work is stolen out from under your nose, and your struggling to feed your family, it should be comforting to use Perduco's survey.
well put!, punishing everyone for the actions of a few is not a productive way to solve ANY problem. The matter of the fact is that where there is a money making business, there will always be people who try to work the system to get the end result without money. People who sell bootleg stuff are like the shoplifters of the entertainment industry,and no matter how many protective measures we put in place people stll shoplift!
Cory Doctorow touches on this issue a bit in his latest Big Report: "Big Entertainment Wants to Party Like It's 1996." According to Doctorow, the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) contains a provision for disconnecting people across the globe from the Internet for piracy.
In a recent survey by Perduco for the Norwegian market showed that people that download "free" music buy 10 times more songs compared to those that do not engage in "free" music downloads. Check it here (sorry it is in Greek) or here (google translated).
Well, I am sure the Chinese or some other international hosts will take over. Those heavy users are the ones affected by the cap. I can only hope I don't download anywhere close to 20GB/month.
And then again, download from campus, download from a wifi hotspot or download from your neighbor's unsecured wifi connection - the cap is not the solution to illegal downloading. It's only Comcast moving the trash to someone else's yard.
Well said, ktroulos. And thanks for the information about the Norwegian ISP. That's a great example of why this policy won't work. Apart from simply being ineffective, it will likely make things more difficult for people trying to stop piracy. It doesn't make much sense.
The ThinkerNet does not reflect the views of TechWeb. The ThinkerNet is an informal means of communication to members and visitors of the Internet Evolution site. Individual authors are chosen by Internet Evolution to blog. Neither Internet Evolution nor TechWeb assume responsibility for comments, claims, or opinions made by authors and ThinkerNet bloggers. They are no substitute for your own research and should not be relied upon for trading or any other purpose.
Hey, IE Radio lovers: We're live right now with Jeff Jonas, chief scientist at IBM Corp. (NYSE: IBM). You won't want to miss this, so hurry up and head on over!
We hope you can tune in for an IE Radio interview today with a true industry innovator, Jeff Jonas, chief scientist at IBM. We're talking to Jonas today at 3:00 p.m. ET. Do. Not. Miss. It.
Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL)'s recent unveiling of its "magical" iPad may have fanboys counting the days until March, but if a recent poll on Internet Evolution is any indication, not everyone is buying into the hype.
We do a lot of grousing here on Internet Evolution, and usually for good reason, considering the amount of nonsense that keeps this industry afloat on its cloud of hot steamy air!!!! But... we can still happily acknowledge those titans who have succeeded in leading the way or paving new ground in their respective fields and, in turn, give credit when it is well deserved.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the National Security Agency (NSA) has been working with Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) to look into the attacks on its Chinese servers.
Smarter Collaboration: How to Thrive in a Challenging Business Environment Market conditions are changing faster than ever, and organizations need to improve their agility and adaptability in order to provide better service and improve processes. The ability to work with customers, business partners, and employees as effectively as possible - while at the same time holding down costs - is a key to success. READ THIS eBOOK
your weekly update of news, analysis, and
opinion from Internet Evolution - FREE! REGISTER HERE
Wanted! Site Moderators Internet Evolution is looking for a handful of readers to help moderate the message boards on our site – as well as engaging in high-IQ conversation with the industry mavens on our thinkerNet blogosphere. The job comes with various perks, bags of kudos, and GIANT bragging rights. Interested?
To save this item to your list of favorite Internet Evolution content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
Mobile TV is everywhere, and yet, nowhere. Nobody uses it – because the handsets aren't good, the pricing is too high, and the coverage is not good enough. But Qualcomm's FloTV Personal TV aims to change all of that.
BTI sent Steve a card calling him a tool. Unsurprisingly, he’s not happy, and he dons his Martha Stewart hat to show us how corporate holiday greetings should be done.
Telcos are falling over themselves to launch app stores – but are the app developers listening? Most telcos will need to do a lot more to engage their attention.
Saunders is wrong on Hulu, Fritz thinks. By most measures it's been
a success, and there's no reason this model won't become even bigger in the next three years. Oh, and he hates Steve's hat.
Research shows that the youth of today like Facebook – but not blogging or Twitter. Does that mean Facebook has won, or just that it's not yet out of favor? Will all the services we see today fade into Ovaltine-or-Wheaties status in just a few years?
What kinds of companies are doing the most innovation in the data center? Turns out it's midtier enterprises that are taking the "Just Right" approach.
Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Email This
TWEET THIS
