NetFlix Caught Stealing DivX Subtitles From Finnish Pirates 284
An anonymous reader writes with word that NetFlix recently opened its streaming service in Finland and was promptly caught stealing movie subtitles from a local DivX community site. How were they caught? NetFlix failed to remove references to the pirate site in the subtitles.
Re:but they will waste no time (Score:5, Insightful)
The article summary is deliberately inflammatory. It's not "stealing" - it's exactly the sort of sharing which I assume a "pirate" would support. The original DivX site hasn't lost the use of these subtitles. Indeed, it's been given free advertising. The best thing it could do is issue a press release congratulating Netflix for acting in the spirit of cooperation and free dissemination. Everyone wins.
Re:but they will waste no time (Score:2, Insightful)
I don't think Netflix has done much whining about piracy. They don't produce much in the way of content.
Re:but they will waste no time (Score:5, Insightful)
The article summary is deliberately inflammatory. It's not "stealing" - it's exactly the sort of sharing which I assume a "pirate" would support. The original DivX site hasn't lost the use of these subtitles. Indeed, it's been given free advertising. The best thing it could do is issue a press release congratulating Netflix for acting in the spirit of cooperation and free dissemination. Everyone wins.
Except that they demand money.
Ripping of some ip and sharing it for free is different from ripping it of and selling it for profit.
It is only a crime ... (Score:5, Insightful)
hypocrites (Score:3, Insightful)
Stealing? How? Were the pirates deprived of the subtitles? The Slashtard hypocritical use of "stealing" then whining when the "MAFIAA" uses it the same way is hilarious.
Re:but they will waste no time (Score:5, Insightful)
I don't see how that means it's stealing.
It's stealing royalties (Score:5, Insightful)
The people that should have made money from writing those subtitles and that probably have done so for Finnish Television or Cinema companies, have not been paid, nor has their product been used. That means that these people are deprived of royalties in favour of illegally obtained translations that have violated the copyright of the show in question.
Either that, or the whole model doesn't make sense, take your pick.
Re:but they will waste no time (Score:5, Insightful)
Also, it's hypocrisy on the part of Netflix, since Netflix opposes piracy. Instead of sending out s press release commending Netflix, they should ask Netflix to send out a press release saying that piracy is good because it's nothing more than what Netflix does themselves.
Re:Fair enough... (Score:5, Insightful)
The pirates are stealing from them (from the whole industry), so what's wrong with stealing a little from pirates?
Well, apart from the fact that it's not stealing, it's unlicensed copying, nothing.
I guess these pirates can see how it feels now.
Probably: great; I would be laughing like hell if I had done this and Netflix took my subtitles.
However, you are completely missing the point here. There are some of us who think it's okay to "pirate" and do so. There are others, like myself, that feel that unlicensed copying should be allowed in many more circumstances but don't feel like breaking the law. Until now there's been a third group which is benefitting from the laws, but was following them. Finally there's been group, such as congressmen's children, which are breaking the law because they can get away with it.
What we are seeing now is that in fact, there's no third group. The RIAA "pirates" music for their ads. The big media distribution firms demand adverts on other people's YouTube videos because of some real or false positive fair rights use of their material. The media distribution companies, like Netflix, are completely happy to "steal" material from anywhere they feel like. These people do things that, if you did them, would end you up in jail or paying hundreds of thousands of dollars of fines [pcworld.com]. They pay nothing and rarely even apologise.
This is all about the Amercan corporate royalty and their "Droit de Seigneur [snopes.com]" with your ideas, privacy and creations. This is not news because the copying is immoral; it is news because, it's yet another slip of the front and makes it 100% clear that you too are plebs [independent.co.uk] and the only thing wrong is letting you know it.
Re:but they will waste no time (Score:4, Insightful)
Unless you, as a content creator, wish to license your content to Netflix DRM-free. As the GP's link shows, they won't let you do that.
Re:Arrrrgg...... (Score:3, Insightful)
Hang them from the yardarm by their lutefisks.
Well, if I was netflix I would just say that the the credits were left there *intentionally*, i.e. they didn't want to remove the author's signature.
But the summary says this: "How were they caught? NetFlix failed to remove references to the pirate site in the subtitles", i.e. the clever thing to do but have been to just remove the credits and be done it with. What would we be saying if this was code instead?
Also, did they just take a transcript or a translation? Not the same thing.
Re:but they will waste no time (Score:5, Insightful)
Copyright in the US is automatic, so they are taking copyrighted information.
Absent a specific licence for use, there is no licence. Posting on a public website does not constitute a licence; certainly not a commercial use licence. This means they are using it without permission.
So they are, in fact, pirating this information.
Incidently, in regards to your claim that Netflix not stealing anything: neither are the pirates.