Kazaa's Australian Assets Frozen 137
sandstorming writes "Wired is reporting that Sharman Networks (the creators of Kazaa) and Altnet (which licenses technology to Kazaa) have had their assets frozen in the country of Australia. The verdict comes almost four months after the start of the trial prompted by five record company suits. The Australian federal court will convene on March 22nd for final oral submissions, and the verdict is expected several weeks later. Is this the beginning of the end for Kazaa?"
This is why (Score:4, Funny)
Re:This is why (Score:1, Informative)
first post! (Score:1, Informative)
Re:first post! (Score:4, Funny)
This is the End (Score:5, Funny)
I mean even if they did win. They'd have to install alot of spyware to pay for all the court costs.
freedom (Score:4, Insightful)
--Mike Godwin, Electronic Frontier Foundation
Don't balme to tools.
Re:freedom (Score:1)
Re:freedom (Score:2)
Re:freedom (Score:1, Funny)
Mike Godwin: "Why at my desk downloading porn of course"
Don't balme to tools. (who is the tool?) (Score:1)
Don't blame the tools, blame the people who misuse them, right?
EFF used to suggest that downloaders get sued [com.com] -- but as soon as those people get in trouble, it's all about "how dare these big mean companies sue music lovers".
Slippery, sloppy logic.
Re:Don't balme to tools. (who is the tool?) (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Don't balme to tools. (who is the tool?) (Score:1)
That's not what's happening -- people who get caught are mostly choosing to settle for a few thousand dollars, for sharing a few thousand files. Measured against files that cost a dollar apiece, it's tough to call that penaly "harsher than rape."
Re:Don't balme to tools. (who is the tool?) (Score:2)
Re:Don't balme to tools. (who is the tool?) (Score:2)
The RIAA can't know who they are suing before they get started, now can they?
Re:Don't balme to tools. (who is the tool?) (Score:2)
One does wonder how they get the names and addresses of people who've never owned a computer, though.
Re:Don't balme to tools. (who is the tool?) (Score:2)
As per last time, that info comes from the ISPs.
Re:Don't balme to tools. (who is the tool?) (Score:1)
YES!! They can and should. They don't have any right to go around netting up everybody just to catch a few. This whole pressing charges against an object(a la RICO) thing is outrageous and shouldn't be allowed. This the same as some redneck sheriff using RICO to steal your Suburban if he finds a roach in the ashtray.
Re:Don't balme to tools. (who is the tool?) (Score:1)
Well hell, some of those other cases, including rape, are settled, too. That means nothing. The point is that if one chooses to maintain his innocence or his rights, the penalty can be harsher than an assault charge. What you call settlement in the ??AA cases, I call blackmail. People are being blackmailed into not standing up for their rights. It happens all the time in drug cases, too. If you "cooperate", we'll let you off light. Maybe if enough p
Re:Don't balme to tools. (who is the tool?) (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:freedom (Score:1)
Re:freedom (Score:1)
There are plenty of perfectly legal uses for kazaa. Most of the users of kazaa use it to break the law but that dosen't mean the program (or the program maker) is inherently bad or illegal.
A hammer can be used to kill someone but do we sue hammer manufacturers?
Re:freedom (Score:2)
In fact, gun companies have to deal with this all the time.
What legal uses of Kazaa are not better served by Bittorrent?
Re:You are ignoring reality. (Score:1)
Which is why you should be angry at those using P2P in an illegal manner: they're screwing it up for everyone with legitimate uses. A freedom abused is a freedom soon lost.
P2P should be about subverting the traditional media...but not by providing (clearly illegal) parallel distribution of the same product. There's no point in this; the major media outlets already have control of
Kazaa - the golden days are over (Score:5, Insightful)
Is this the beginning of the end for Kazaa?
The beginning of the end for Kazaa came when Cohen released the first Bit Torrent client. The program has gone dangerously downhill since then, with ever-increasing corrupted or misnamed files being uploaded by corporations, a smaller user base with a smaller variety of files, and increased fear by the public of getting sued for downloading illegal MP3s - not to mention slower download speeds and an adware-riddled client.
Hopefully this is closer to the end of the end for Kazaa.
Re:Kazaa - the golden days are over (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:Kazaa - the golden days are over (Score:4, Insightful)
Oh it certainly will, suprnova.org has already proved that. But BT isn't based off a centralized hub. As long as you have google, you can find torrents, and they're likely to be more secure and non-corrupt.
The RIAA and MPAA will keep hunting, and the pirates and filesharers will keep on evading and moving further into anonymous and untrackable uploading on the dark side of the 'net. Just like how it took the **AA a year or two to catch on to BT, they're going to have to play catch up with whatever next generation secure P2P apps that come out.
Remember the days when they were targeting warez groups, and taking down a group like CLASS or MYTH was a feather in the anti-piracy cap? Well the anti-pirates have moved on to fry bigger and more user-popular fish, but the warez groups still operate in the largely unmonitored Usenet and IRC communities... protected by their obscurity.
So the faster they track, the faster people run. Eventually they'll all come full circle.
Re:Kazaa - the golden days are over (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Kazaa - the golden days are over (Score:2)
You go ahead and keep thinking that.
Re:Kazaa - the golden days are over (Score:1)
Re:Kazaa - the golden days are over (Score:1)
Re:Kazaa - the golden days are over (Score:1)
Re:Kazaa - the golden days are over (Score:1)
The beginning of the end of the Internet (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:The beginning of the end of the Internet (Score:2)
But it IS happening.. More and more governmental and commerical 'control'..
Need to go back to the old direct dial BBS days..
attacking technology (Score:1, Redundant)
A bit off topic (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:A bit off topic (Score:1)
Re:A bit off topic (Score:1)
Re:A bit off topic (Score:1)
Re:A bit off topic (Score:1)
*Cringe* There are over 240 countries, actually, but not all are UN members. I know this isn't "news for geographers, international politics that matters", but this kind of basic information is only a google away...
"...theres got to be at least one that doesnt give a shit about the US and its extreme copyright law."
Yep. North Korea, Iran, Syria, Cuba, Libya...does this list look familiar?
Corporate World (Score:4, Interesting)
Its corporations in general, *world wide*, who now have more power then small countries.
This of course doesnt mean governments are also an issue, but today it looks like the corporations are a much larger threat in general.
Dont blame the USA for a systemic world problem.
Re:Corporate World (Score:3, Interesting)
But this is in part the US insisting its trade/copyright laws are mirrored by everyone else.
This is a side-effect of US corporate-friendly practices causing corporations to have more sway. If someone buys^H^H^H^Hlobbies for a law in the US, it frequently gets exported to other countries.
Canada (Score:1)
Re:A bit off topic (Score:1)
And check out this [michaelgeist.ca] too, if interested in what we think up here.
Re:A bit off topic (Score:1)
Re:A bit off topic (Score:1)
You can still get sued using BitTorrent (Score:1, Informative)
Wow (Score:1)
simple lesson (Score:2, Insightful)
Until this took place, the industries really didnt notice, or care.. It just increased the market share in the long run.
If things had been kept 'free', with no commercial angle, there would have been no massive lasuits and attacks on our digital rights..
Re:simple lesson (Score:2)
Re:simple lesson (Score:2)
Re:simple lesson (Score:2)
Yeah, bend over & try to enjoy what the corporations do to you. Remember, if you push back against people trying to wipe out your personal liberties, you'll be hurting the children and helping the terrorists.
Not in australia's interest (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Not in australia's interest (Score:3, Informative)
Slimy, yup, but thats what kind of pressure the **AA is put
Re:Not in australia's interest (Score:2)
Correct. And that is a damning indictment of the fucked-up st
Re:Not in australia's interest (Score:1)
Sharman Networks (Score:4, Informative)
Source: various articles on Google found by searching for "creators of kazaa".
Fact is.. (Score:1)
IF we CAN we WILL. Im reducing my "paid" software regulary once they become viable alternatives, ie openoffice instead of Office, tbird instead of outlook and so on. I dont do that out of morality, I do that because I like those products. I still use pirated copies of VMware Photoshop etc because there are no other alternatives that suit my needs and I cannot
Re:Fact is.. (Score:1)
Re:Fact is.. (Score:3, Funny)
If you love yourself... (Score:2)
Anyway, this is like blaming Smith & Wesson for people shooting each other in the street.
"The trial primarily focused on the authorization of copyright infringement. Lawyers representing the music industry say Sharman can prevent the transfer of illegal material. It doesnt, it says, because the primary activity of Kazaa users is to infringe copyright."
This is interesting though - can you really tell the
Re: (Score:1)
Re:Errrrrp.... what about Skype? (Score:3, Informative)
Remifications for other networks? (Score:1, Redundant)
Re:Remifications for other networks? (Score:1)
But... but... I thought it was summer... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:But... but... I thought it was summer... (Score:2)
Australia is a country? (Score:2, Funny)
Australia is a country now?
I thought Australia was a penal colony of the British Empire. This is very disturbing news indeed.
I fear what will happen if this news spreads to other parts of the Empire. What if the barbarians of the American colonies want to govern themselves?
The mere thought almost makes me feel nauseous enough to skip high tea.
Re:Australia is a country? (Score:2)
Re:Australia is a country? (Score:2)
Usage Note: Traditional critics have insisted that nauseous is properly used only to mean "causing nausea" and that it is incorrect to use it to mean "affected with nausea," as in Roller coasters make me nauseous. In this example, nauseated is preferred by 72 percent of the Usage Panel. Curiously, though, 88 percent of the Panelists prefer using nauseating in the sentence The children looked a little green from too many candy apples and nauseating (not nauseous) rides. Since there is a
Re:Australia is a country? (Score:2)
The mere thought almost makes me feel nauseous enough to skip high tea.
Funny that you'd have a High Tea, the commoner's (working class) supper mean, when your language speaks of a more rarified upbringing; I'd expect you'd be more likely to have an Afternoon Tea? http://coffeetea.about.com/cs/culture/a/aftervshig h.htm [about.com]
God I hope not, the RIAA may look into real P2P (Score:1, Insightful)
Frozen Assets (Score:4, Funny)
I don't thik it would be possible to freeze my assets in Australia.
SO? (Score:2)
Kazaa's Australian Assets Frozen (Score:2)
- I'd have told them it was a bad idea to keep their money in a PayPal account, but they never thought to ask me I guess.
Why do Record Companies want DRM in music download (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Why do Record Companies want DRM in music downl (Score:2)
What scares the industry is the lack of degeneration from copy to copy. They also don't like one copy providing thousands of duplicates.
When CD's came out ther was no such thing as a consumer CD burner. The only way to copy a CD was to copy it to tape. This is done one copy at a time. A one hour CD takes an hour to make a single copy (most people only had one cassette deck) and the copy was degenerated from the original. A copy of the copy is
Re:Why do Record Companies want DRM in music downl (Score:2)
Because it's the only way to make obscene levels of profit from producing and distributing music now that consumers have cheap and easy access to duplication and distribution facilities.
Re:Why do Record Companies want DRM in music downl (Score:1)
How many times must it be said...
Does anyone have a transcript? (Score:2)
I would like to get a transcript of what is being said in this court room because I expect someone is not telling the whole truth.
Required reading on court proceedings (Score:2)
Re:Gawd I really hate the RIAA (Score:1)
Although the files are DRM-infested I find paying $1 for a track and not being constrained to buy an entire album is more than acceptable considering I can do most things with the legally-acquired file including burning it to CD from where it can then be MP3'd.
Re:Gawd I really hate the RIAA (Score:1)
Re:Gawd I really hate the RIAA (Score:1)
Re:Gawd I really hate the RIAA (Score:2)
I use iTMS quite frequently to buy music - both tracks and albums. On the other hand, I also download files illegally from sources such as Bittorrent and IRC.
While I know it's illegal, I class it on the same scale as driving over the speed limit on a road which I would consider it not life-endangering to do so. However, it's a risk I take in that generally there isn't much chance of me getting caught speeding on a road where everyone else is speeding, and similarly with filesharing and dow
Re:Gawd I really hate the RIAA (Score:2)
Current DRM is the equivalent of the dealership keeping the keys AFTER I buy the car, and having to ask their permission and borrow the keys whenever I want to drive it, which they grant only if I'm going to drive on roads they approve of, to destinations they approve of, with passengers they approve of.
Re:Gawd I really hate the RIAA (Score:2, Insightful)
Oh yeahhh shudder, because someone might come and make a COPY of a car...
It ain't the same thing. Before, people used to tape songs off the radio. Now you can download them off the internet. They used to moan about it then. Now they are prosecuting - why? Because those downloads can be traced. That's the only reason. Their arguments are the same: copyright infringement is costing them money. Still I haven't seen many of their
Re:Gawd I really hate the RIAA (Score:2)
This is not a current problem, but you have hit the nail on the head. Within 20 years we'll have full-blown nanotechnology and copying any physical good will be trivial.
The coolest part is to be able to keep inventory in its original form: dirt and sunlight. When you need a new part (or hamburger), just load the appropriate blueprint, and the device will pull in enough dirt and sunlight (and perhaps resize itself, if the obje
Re:Gawd I really hate the RIAA (Score:2)
Re:Gawd I really hate the RIAA (Score:1)
Re:Gawd I really hate the RIAA (Score:1)
Re:I say good riddence (Score:1)
That's the problem. Most of the time, it isn't, and I delete it.
Re:I say good riddence (Score:3, Insightful)
You're right though. You won't see quality performers sales declining because of downloads - but what's the incentive to buy a Ashlee Simpson CD if you know you'll get tired of it in two weeks?
Re:country of Australia (Score:1)
It isn't obvious, even Australians mistake Australia for an extra state of the US, including our Prime Minister...
Re:OT: Australia Sucks... (Score:1)
That does suck. Unfortunately our government has had no trouble appealing to the petty, bigoted side of the national character, and so keep managing to get re-elected (a useless opposition doesn't help)
"- non-profits NOT required to show donors how they use the money collected (eg, how much they pay to fundraise)"
Again, true. However, having inside information from some of the board members of Oxfam/CAA and various other NGO aid organizations, I can tell you
Re:OT: Australia Sucks... (Score:1)
Yes, the word "organizations" was redundant, I know...
Re:OT: Australia Sucks... (Score:2)
We've decriminalised it? Sweet!
Re:OT: Australia Sucks... (Score:1)
But really, if you hadn't noticed the law changed, you should probably cut down...
Re:OT: Australia Sucks... (Score:2)
Re:OT: Australia Sucks... (Score:2)