The internet is a connection of computers (generally servers), that stay online all the time and process requests from a client (such as your internet browsers). Nobody really owns the internet, and everybody is free to host their own servers unless you are limited by your ISP. However, who knows how long this will last.
I know one thing is clear...many governments want to increase regulation and censorship of the Internet. I hope the US stand strong in their position on censorship.
Iran's decision of developing their own web was not appreciated by all and sundry as it was considered too naive solution of the Iranians cyber problems!
But now what these governments are up to..they are somehow doing the same thing, blocking people's access to various sites,and urging them to start
It's not a question of whether a technology can be used illegally. My car can be used as getaway vehicle by bank robbers -- but they're not going to arrest me unless I specifically start a business renting out cars to bank robbers, knowing that they're going to rob banks.
Same thing for Rapidshare. It can be used for both legal and illegal purposes.
The question is -- does Rapidshare know about the illegal purposes ahead of time? When it finds out about illegal use, does it immediately comply with the law? And does Rapidshare's business model deliberately encourage and promote illegal use?
In the car example -- if I run a car rental business, and the cops come to me and say, bank robbers used your car, I better cooperate.
And if bank robbers come to me and say, hey, can we rent a car to rob some banks? I'd better say; Hell, no.
And if my business partner turns to me and says, Hey's there's a real unmet need there for getaway vehicles. How about we spread the word -- on the down-low -- that we're okay with it and, as long as you pay cash, we'll be really forgetful about what you look like? I'd better get a new business partner.
I don't personally know which category Rapidshare is in. I don't know their business model, or what thinking went on behind the scenes, and whether they're working with authorities to help reduce infringement, or actively working against them to make infringement easier.
At some point, if there's enough of a case there, it will go to court, and we'll find out.
All people is copyright infringement , no body seems to care about the legitimate users of the megaupload. Rapidshare had almost same model as them. Most of these filehosting companies run on this model.
And there is another 'Safe Harbor' start lobying like Rapidshare.
Not sure what you mean exactly in terms of proof. Statistics about piracy in China are remarkably unreliable. Global media and software companies tend to count every single potential instance of an illegal download as evidence of money taken out of their pockets -- whether or not there's any evidence that the download replaced an actual purchase.
So as more people in China go online, the more examples of this kind of piracy there will be.
However, the amount of legal media is increasing as well, and the legal environment is improving as well.
I started covering this in 2007, 2008 -- my staff and I in Shanghai were doing stories for The Hollywood Reporter about just this. (I was still Maria Trombly back then.)
Today, Chinese websites have to take down infringing content when anyone complains (just like the US) and court cases have moved on to how fast this stuff is taken down, such as this suit won by Chinese writers recently:
In another sign -- when I started covering this five years ago, the top places for pirated movie and TV show streaming wer Chinese sites like youku and tudou. Today, there are still plenty of streaming sites, but they've moved elsewhere.
I'm not saying the problem in China isn't huge. I'm saying that the progress that's already been made is phenomenal, but in past five years that I've been watching it.
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