Automated DMCA Notices Still Full of Lies

dbaker writes "The MPAA filed a DMCA takedown notice against Superconnect, a software company. The letter is available here that demands the removal of roughly 120K of open-source TCL code that they believe to be a 'copyrighted motion pictures.' This is definitely a surprising case of the guilty until proven innocent world that the DMCA provides." And yet another: enrico_suave writes "The Entertainment Software Association falsely accuses the Interactive Fiction archive of pirating Doom 3. doom3.zip is a 114kb freeware DOS game from 1988. Reminiscent of when the RIAA sent C & D's to a Professor Usher who had an usher.mp3 file posted on his website."

Wow!

[OverlordQ]

Infringement Detail:

Infringing Work: X-FILES, THE Season 1-7
Filepath: /pub/tcl/sorted/file/X-Files1.21b/
Filename: X-Files1.21b.tar.gz
First Found: 2 Sep 2004 07:29:7 EDT (GMT -0400)
Last Found: 2 Sep 2004 07:29:7 EDT (GMT -0400)
Filesize: 113k

Damn that's some nice gzip compression, where can I get some of that?!

MPAA should compare MD5SUMs

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh, wait.

Newsflash

[Zorilla]

The letter is available here that demands the removal of roughly 120K of open-source TCL code that they believe to be a 'copyrighted motion pictures.'

In other news, proof of life on Alpha Centauri was found on a Bazooka Joe bubble gum wrapper yesterday.

Yeah, makes just about as much sense as motion pictures in code.

Re:Wow!

[Brian Boitano]

maybe they've converted the episodes to ASCII or something...

Re:Why Not Try To Screw The RIAA/MPAA?

[Anonymous Coward]

Better than that. Aren't there penalties for making false claims? I'm renaming my resume "Christina Aguilera's Greatest Hits" right now. Maybe it'll have the side effect of someone loooking at it, also.

Re:MPAA should compare MD5SUMs

[Zorilla]

This is the MPAA. We're going to have to ask you to cease and desist. It sounds too much like ID4.

Re:Why Not Try To Screw The RIAA/MPAA?

[That's Unpossible!]

Maybe it'll have the side effect of someone loooking at it, also.

Then I think you'll have to choose a different artist.

Doom3 is a dupe!

[Anonymous Coward]

doom3.zip is a 114kb freeware DOS game from 1988 I knew Doom3 was a dupe!

Let us hope...

[Zorilla]

...that no upcoming movie becomes named "stdio.h" or we're all screwed.

Brilliant!

[ajlitt]

I suggest we all hide random, public domain crap files in hidden or obfuscated links on all of our web pages. That way we can get back at the ??AA and ESA for spoofing files on P2P networks.

Re:I have seen this before

[JoeBar]

Yeah, that "master plan" they found was merely an upskirt shot named WMD.jpg

Re:MPAA should compare MD5SUMs

[Colonel Cholling]

Yeah dude, I totally remember the MD5s, they had that song "Kick out the Jams," man, it like totally rocked.

Re:Why Not Try To Screw The RIAA/MPAA?

[rjelks]

I'm gonna open a project for a FTP client on sourceforge right now. How does The_Princess_Diaries_2 sound?

Re:Newsflash

[shfted!]

You mean telnet://towel.blinkenlights.nl doesn't make sense to you? I've never though I'd watch a full feature film over my modem.

Re:Let us hope...

[ajlitt]

Probably not, but they're in for a surprise when they try to find 'copies' of The Core.

Re:Let us hope...

[mopslik]

...that no upcoming movie becomes named "stdio.h" or we're all screwed.

I think SCO's already got that one covered.

They should send a reply like this...

[optimus2861]

The operators of this [thepiratebay.org] BitTorrent tracker site got hit with a DMCA C&D [thepiratebay.org] from Dreamworks over alleged hosting of a copy of "Shrek 2". One little problem: the site's in Sweden, where the DMCA doesn't apply. (Obviously).

The reply letter [thepiratebay.org] included these gems:

As you may or may not be aware, Sweden is not a state in the United States of America. Sweden is a country in northern Europe. Unless you figured it out by now, US law does not apply here. (...)

It is the opinion of us and our lawyers that you are fucking morons, and that you should please go sodomize yourself with retractable batons.

Re:Why Not Try To Screw The RIAA/MPAA?

[Xzzy]

Already on it:

http://www.xzzy.org/warez/

When in reality, each of them are jpegs of kittens!

I'll never happen

[Anonymous Coward]

That would bankrupt most of the lawyers in USA. That's like, half the population of United States!

Well, I think it's actually pretty funny.

[ackthpt]

Is ANYONE that's gotten one of these ever going to call them on this bullshit and have them sent to jail for perjury?

I'm actually pretty jealous they get these kinds of things. I should put up a page on my site with some old junk files, like resumees or code from old projects tar'd and gz'd and see if I can attract one of these fine letters. I feel it's important to be the first one on my block to receive and frame one of these masterpieces, before all you other weasels realize what fun this could be and set up your own web pages with likenamed and structured directories and files.

Suppose after they've spun tens of thousands of these things they might realize they're on the wrong track with automating such a lame process?

/pub/downloads/iron/giant.tar.gz
/pub/downloads/lotr.tar.gz
/pub/downloads/space/balls.tar.gz
/pub/downloads/fahrenheit/911.tar.gz

They may not be in the United States...

[Anonymous Coward]

But they sure sound like our Vice President.

Hmm..

[panic911]

I'm tempted to put some 1x1 pixel transparent gif images up on my site and link them to 0byte files called doom3.zip and stuff to see if I start getting some letters...

Profit

[Eudial]

1.

$apt-get install proftpd
$cat > /home/ftp/welcome.msg << EOF
This is a private server, you do /not/ have
permission to access the information stored
on this server. Please disconnect immediately
or face legal countermeasures.
EOF
$ mkdir /home/ftp/warez
$ touch /home/ftp/warez/LOTR.{1,2,3}.divx.avi
$ touch /home/ftp/warez/Star\ wars\ episode\ III.avi

2. ???
3. Sue MPAA for unlawfully accessing your FTP server. (profit)

Forget bogus file names

[BeBoxer]

Let's just start sending C&D letters to the RIAA. Or more specifically their ISP which seems to be Verizon (ironic, eh?)

After all. I have a copyrighted image file named logo2.gif. Coincidentally, the RIAA seems to be hosting that very image. At least as far as I can tell, right? The filename matches, and I certainly can't be bothered to compare the contents of the file. Just fire off a letter! Damn, I just did some more checking. The FBI stole my banner and put it at http://www.fbi.gov/homeimag/banner.jpg. Bastards! I better send off a letter to their ISP as well!

Re:Why Not Try To Screw The RIAA/MPAA?

[Kenja]

"When in reality, each of them are jpegs of kittens!"

Hey... Thats my kitten! You thieving bastard!

Sound like a good deal to me.

[jzilla]

I should have them handle my new and upcoming movie, "Index.html".

Re:Got your infringing work right here

[Anonymous Coward]

Sounds like a conspiracy to commit copyright violation to me. You know people are breaking the law and distributing copyrighted material without permission. Now you are suggesting to aid that activity to hindering the efforts of the agents of the rightful owners of said materials.

Re:Experiment...

[Soul-Burn666]

You mean like this [xzzy.org] ?
(Originally posted here [slashdot.org])

Re:They should send a reply like this...

[danila]

Other countries, like Russia, give you even greater rights.
Confirmed. Among other things we are legally allowed to buy pirated CDs/DVDs, we also have legitimate online music stores that sell tracks for a few cents a piece. We also have almost legal online libraries.

P.S. Don't despair, though, we've got the copyright law updated a month ago, extending the copyright term and making computers illegal.

P.P.S. Still, the strictness of the laws in Russia is always compensated by the lack of enforcement. :)

Re:Why Not Try To Screw The RIAA/MPAA?

[Anonymous Coward]

Do you own the copyright on those images of kittens?

If not, he's committing a feliny.

Ba-dum, tssssh!
Thanks folks, I'm here all week, try the veal..

Re:Actually I think it COULD be seen as purjury

[jd]

On behalf of all the AI's to be written (possibly in the next 50 years), I wish to complain about your accusation that "automated systems do not have 'good faith beliefs'". AIs are entitled to have their own faiths and beliefs, as set out under the 7th amendment.

For example, the mutant killer attack droids from Area 51 that are currently in charge of the MPAA and RIAA are clearly into some obscure form of Satanism.

Just sent an email to [e-mail]

[csoto]

"Dear idiots,

http://sc.com/~dbaker/dmca.html

You're all stupid.

Affectionately,
Charles"

Re:we hereby state...

[Anonymous Coward]

u can do better than that :
http://static.thepiratebay.org/dreamworks_respo nse .txt