[Fineus]

Hey all, this applies to UK visitors only but go here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3022170.stm

And take special notice if you download music from the net. I know this has been around for a donkeys age but given a friend of mine was filed with a restraining order for sharing Family Guy episodes - well it's incresingly becomming a "it could happen in your neighbourhood. It could happen to you" kind of deal.

My point is - what measures can I take to ensure I can do what I like on the net without running foul of the BPI / RIAA and so on? Granted the question is one of an illegal nature so I'll rephrase it.

How can I protect my privacy?

Any methods necessary will do - if it's dodgy then PM me it. I'm just curious as to ensuring I don't get an unpleasent suprise for downloading a few Tool songs that I have on album anyway.

Better safe than sorry!

[Drew]

use a proxy  

if you really want to know how to protect your annonymity, visit some hacker community boards.

http://www.hackerthreads.org/phpbb/
thats a kewl one. Visit the security forum.

[01010]

I tell you what, **** privacy, these assholes want me they can come and get me and I will make a stand. I will make myself heard OVER these lying, cheating, money grabbing corporate ****s.

However, there are ports you can block against them scanning and such though I've never checked these things out because I kinda want a lawsuit against me.

[Fineus]

That's kinda the point 01010 - I don't As much as I feel the same regarding freedom of speach, the fact that music is overpriced and so forth - I don't want to lose my own money / time / reputation over it by getting into legal proceedings at the tender age of 19

Not saying of course that I'm in the **** now, the point of this thread is a general information to make sure people dont ever get in the ****!

Drew, thanks for the advice - I'll have a look around

[01010]

Originally posted by Kalfireth
That's kinda the point 01010 - I don't As much as I feel the same regarding freedom of speach, the fact that music is overpriced and so forth - I don't want to lose my own money / time / reputation over it by getting into legal proceedings at the tender age of 19

Not saying of course that I'm in the **** now, the point of this thread is a general information to make sure people dont ever get in the ****!

Drew, thanks for the advice - I'll have a look around

Hey, I'm only just 21 and barely earning minimum wage. I'm also a complete wimp when it comes to confrontation, but I'd spend time in prison for what I believe. Music is art and art as soon as it reaches the public domain is public property in my eyes, what these record company ****s don't realise is that there was music before record companies and there will STILL be music when they die.

I find it highly ironic that both the BPI (British Phonographic Industry) and MPA (Motion Picture Association) complain about how much piracy is ****ing them over one day then the next they are positively gloating over their record profits. Something doesn't fit right with me and it shouldn't for anyone that is forced to pay through the nose for something that is made for pennies.

Not to say I don't buy CD's however, since the age of 17 I've bought over 70 of the ****ers.

[kasperl]

Originally posted by 01010


 BPI (British Phonographic Industry)

i keep reading that as BPI (British Pornographic Industry)

[01010]

Originally posted by kasperl


i keep reading that as BPI (British Pornographic Industry)

If that were the case I'd be sending them my C.V with alarming regularity.

[kode]

Originally posted by kasperl


i keep reading that as BPI (British Pornographic Industry)

I did too.

[Martinus]

Originally posted by 01010


If that were the case I'd be sending them my C.V with alarming regularity.

[color=66ff00]I'm top of their current list of stunt penis candidates.
[/color]

[01010]

Originally posted by Maeglamor

[color=66ff00]I'm top of their current list of stunt penis candidates.
[/color]

It's not what you know, it's who you know. Fancy getting us a job?

[01010]

Hmm, I've used the lol smiley twice in two posts. That has to stop right now.

[beatspete]

*opens kazza and starts a download in protest*

I've been downloading for almost 4 years, starting with Napster, and have ~550 mp3s (though more from my own CDs). I only download singles (which i wouldn't otherwise buy) andsamplers for albums, never a whole album. I've paid to download 2 songs before, but i cant use them on my home PC becuase of the .wma encoding, and I don't have a net connection (only in the uni) for it to 'verify' . Super.
In total i've propabably downloaded near 1500, but i deleted a lot of them because i didn't like them anymore - and I think thats the difference between downloading being helpful for the music industry, and it being harmful.

The decerning downloader is fussy about what they download, they enjoy their music, and take a lot of pride in it.  Critically for the music companies, this sort of downloader aslo takes pride in owning a CD copy of an album - if its not worth buying an album, its not worth downloading.

The sort of downloader the music bosses need to worry about - and potentially do something about - is the downloader with less passion for their music.  This sort of person downloads as much as they can, including whole albums - because they take less pride in their music.  They don't diversify their tastes, look for new bands, or really put any emphisis on quality music.  They don't really have a band they follow with much passion, or a genre (or few genres) they really enjoy.

Personally, I'd say the biggest record companies are themselves to blame for this second sort of person.  In an industy that launches endless new "bands" and "artists" into the pop market with huge promotion on TV and Radio, but with out a shred of talent, how can they expect people really to have much passion for whats put out?  Even if people can get into someone and start to buy their records (long term), the record companies already want to push their new "great talent" into their faces.
The big record companies endlessly pump out sexier, hotter, shinier crap, just to scrape the latest week's pocket money/allowance from the kids.  In this fickle market, can you really expect people to have passion for pop music?  The people can't break through the skin of makeup, expensive videos and arena tours to find some loveable music underneath.


...yey! - download's done.  Anyone else like the Von Bondies?

[Rictor]

My opinion is that, yes, by any definition it is theft. But I have no problem stealing from the rich record industry bastards, especially when they are responsible for the vile music that is being put out through the mainstream channels. I'll keep on stealing from them until they figure out a way to stop me, and then I'll figure out a way to circumvent it.

[Odyssey]

[color=cc9900]PeerGuardian. Sorted.[/color]

[mikhael]

Originally posted by Rictor
My opinion is that, yes, by any definition it is theft. But I have no problem stealing from the rich record industry bastards, especially when they are responsible for the vile music that is being put out through the mainstream channels. I'll keep on stealing from them until they figure out a way to stop me, and then I'll figure out a way to circumvent it.

theft - the act of taking something from someone unlawfully

Actually, its not theft, since you're not TAKING some THING from someone unlawfully. Its "unlicensed usage" in a strictly legal context. By no means is it 'theft'.