Sharebeast, the Largest US-based Filesharing Service, Has Its Domain Seized 122
An anonymous reader writes: The RIAA says that the FBI has seized the domain of file-sharing service ShareBeast, shutting down what it said was responsible for the leaks of thousands of songs. The site now only displays a notice saying the FBI acted "pursuant to a seizure warrant related to suspect criminal copyright infringement." In a statement, RIAA CEO Cary Sherman called the seizure "a huge win for the music community and legitimate music services. ShareBeast operated with flagrant disregard for the rights of artists and labels while undermining the legal marketplace."
who? (Score:3, Funny)
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I'm having a real problem lately, not just with google, but even with VPN extensions. None suddenly work. Not one. I just get "unable to connect to VPN server". If I use a web based VPN server it doen't work either. I haven't been able to find anyone else complaining on the web about it though.. Is it because I'm in Canada? There's some alternative news websites that I can't access without a VPN vbecause Canada blocks them, it's not even for bypassing video restrictions.. so it sux...
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I know you're not into slashdotting them
I think "slashdotting" links died 5+ years ago. There's probably more traffic from web bots scanning slashdot pages that hit the links on slashdot than real people clicking them....
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Maybe TPB and other sites should set up some honeypots to attract the attention of the feds? Sounds like a few hundred $$$ invested will result in a few million $$$ wasted. Asymmetrical warfare and all that
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"then I have to wonder how many millions of $$$ and hours of manpower they're wasting on useless BS."
Don't worry, they'll just claim it as lost profits to "piracy".
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Re:who? (Score:4, Informative)
I found myself asking the same thing, so I checked Alexa (I'm certain there are better sites to check these days). It was rated #8546 worldwide (#9215 in US) in a fairly steady decline since its peak around #4250 in November of last year. Those are "okay" but unimpressive numbers, and it's pretty much been steadily dying. By comparison, a specialty news site like torrentfreak.com is #3808 globally (#3012 US) and reaches the top 2000 when stuff is hitting the fan.
Sharebeast's user base (by IP) was 25.7% US, but 21.4% Indonesian. UK (5.3%), India (4.7%), and Saudi Arabia (4%) also had "significant" shares. The most popular search terms leading to it are not English terms.
Source: http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/... [alexa.com]
As I said, I'm sure that there are better sites for domain metrics these days, and I can't even see most data Alexa lists because I don't have an Alexa Pro acct. I'd welcome better data from anyone who monitors domain metrics regularly/professionally.
But it really doesn't look like the Feds took down any sort of powerhouse, more like a dying target of convenience (unless they were really worried about Indonesian piracy)
(Incidentally, I was surprised to see Alexa report that slashdot.org (#1672 globally, #1272 in US) gets 40.6% of its visitos from India (where it ranks #302) but only 29.4% from the US)
Hello! (Score:1)
Do you guys eat soy burgers more, or something else? (patties made from wheat, almonds, peas, etc?) If one of you ever visits Canada, try the original Sol Cuisine burgers!
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My thought's exactly when I read the title. Odd that they're the US's largest such service.
What is "the music community"? (Score:2, Insightful)
More people over more time have shared music than tried to restrict it.
And record labels have had "flagrant disregard" for the natural rights of musicians for quite some time now.
If you're an artist and you want money, set up concerts. If you want more money, ask for people to pay directly to your bank account, or via a credit/debit card processor. No record label nor RIAA has anything to do with improving the music community.
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I don't know if any singular event can be cited as when the relationship between labels and musicians went crazy,
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Before the Beatles and The stones, where Allen Klein suddenly changed from a musician raper to a "record breaking deal maker" ..although, oddly enough, the artists saw no more out of these new deals than the old R&B acts he "represented" previously.. However, until then, you made a record to promote yourself. And, basically, to pay back the indentured sevitude you entered into when you signed a deal with any of the majors such as RCA, Warner or Atlantic. The smaller labels such as King RPM, or others
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The evolution I'm referring to here is probably the mid 60's to the late 90's (somewhere in there). There was actually a period in the middle of all that mess where the label wasn't constantly calling the artist saying "I'm not hearing a hit" or ""give me more cowbel"".
Hosting a filesharing site in the US ... (Score:1)
... is like tying a bloody steak to your dick and running through a pit of hungry lions; it only results in a razor-toothed fellatio.
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No results found for "razor-toothed fellatio".
Shut them down (Score:3)
It's well past time the RIAA were shut down.
Just how much is the music industry actually worth? I suppose there's no hope of crowdfunding enough to buy them out, but maybe if a few philanthropist billionaires were willing to help ...
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In the USA? Seriously? (Score:5, Insightful)
wtf were they thinking?
USA is probably the worst place to operate something like this.
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Of course the US is the worst place to fileshare.
And so is pretty much any other country.
This is why you must move your filesharing to a place that is not subject to ANY jurisdiction... one that is NOT FINDABLE.
Move your filesharing to the ANONYMOUS INTERNETS.
The solution to the copyright/patent mess is to keep on sharing
till their business model is completely destroyed.
Start by ripping and sharing all the physical media you own.
And do it over anonymous overlay networks such as I2P and Phantom.
That way you
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That way you can share 24x7x365 without fear of the MAFIAA.
SOLAR SYSTEM NETWORK TRACE BEGINS. That 'year'=7year time span most closely corresponds to the orbital Synodic period [wikipedia.org] of near-Earth asteroid 99942 Apophis [wikipedia.org]. If you were actually located on Apophis you'd be using the Siderial period for measure. Therefore I assume you're probably just co-locating on Apophis, using a server whose clock-year tied to its relative position with Earth. At its closest pass [nasa.gov] of ~23,500 miles gives a fiber ping guesstimate [oneneck.com] of ~419ms ping under best-ever conditions on April 12, 2029. B
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It's funny because your own "arbitrary format choice" about using FLAC means more work to get a file I can use (AAC or ALAC) on OS X, iTunes, iPod and iPhone. Same thing about using a VOB directory vs a single m4v file.
Not that I care anyway, because I'm a nice little citizen and I pay for my media because otherwise the people
Re:In the USA? Seriously? (Score:5, Interesting)
But was the company actively involved in the illegal activity?
It was it just some users.
Because YouTube is also home to hundreds of thousands of pieces of pirated material on any given day.
And my personal favorite copyright violation tool is Pinterest, whose entire business involves republishing and distributing copyrighted works.
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The RIAA says that the FBI has seized the domain of file-sharing service ShareBeast, shutting down what it said was responsible for the leaks of thousands of songs.
Yeah, how about arresting the RIAA employees and band reps who leak these songs out onto sharing sites to drum up interest in new groups or new albums from old bands?
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Because YouTube is also home to hundreds of thousands of pieces of pirated material on any given day.
I captured a video from Battle Field 3, flying the F-35. The F-35 has a warning tone when damaged, some company claimed rights to this sound; allowing them to place ads on that video (which as far as I can tell haven't done yet - but it sees little traffic).
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I searched for this but came up empty. Could you post copyright notice you received?
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I searched for this but came up empty. Could you post copyright notice you received?
This is a hard request. I can't find the video on youtube so need to log into my youtube account, which I can't seem to do.
Then it gets deeper; Google Domains and usage of Webtools under the same account hardwired (as in being routed) the two I use the most into one. I think I've lost control of the two accounts, I need to dig further.
You'd be looking for Trax852 or II-Trax-II, remarks would mention "f-35 going under a bridge "Gulf of Ohman"" any DRM issues are addressed with that account; some icon gets yo
Re:In the USA? Seriously? (Score:4, Informative)
But was the company actively involved in the illegal activity?
Probably. To understand the legal arguments, the Limewire case [wikipedia.org] is instructive. Essentially to be guilty you need two things:
1) Aid others in copyright infringement.
2) Intend to do so.
Youtube avoids guilt by providing several tools for copyright holders, and also by actively removing infringing movies. Thus although they are aiding infringers, you can't prove that's their intent. They don't have to be perfect at it, just good enough to avoid the legal standard.
I don't know how Pinterest avoids copyright infringement lawsuits, but your characterization of their business model made me laugh: it's so true.
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I don't see evidence that they were HOSTING in the US, just that their domain was ".com". The COM top level domain is US, and the domain was seized, not the servers.
If you know the IPs that the domain USED to point to, you can probably still use their system.
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No it isn't. The top level domains are INTERNATIONAL! Just because the TLD's are managed by an entity that lives in the US does NOT mean they are US. That is just an assumption that has been made by a lot of people, but you will find that a lot of non-US organisations use the TLD's if they operate internationally. the convention should be that you have a country specific suffix to indicate where you are based. I manage sites using both country specific and TLD's with one suffix pointing to the other.
But bac
I felt a great disturbance in the Internet, (Score:2)
But really, hosting something like that in the U.S. was stupid. Who in that company didn't think that the MAFIAA wouldn't get the goverment to crush them like an ant at some point?
RIAA statement (Score:3, Interesting)
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Besides, the average person doesn't care.
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What i find interisting is they congratulate themselfs continuously for allowing security breachs on their production facilities to a point where the songs / videos are published in the pirated markets ahead of the normal markets.
RIAA, something something glass houses (Score:2)
... a huge win for the music community and legitimate music services. ShareBeast operated with flagrant disregard for the rights of artists and labels while undermining the legal marketplace."
Look, I agree that ShareBeast (first I've heard of it, though, so how big was it exactly?) was screwing over the artists. But the RIAA has just as much contempt for the artists as anyone - even more than pirates, since the pirates at least appreciate their works - and there's no end to the stories of hardworking musicians who've been bankrupted by RIAA execs with lots of big promises and lots of fine print in the contracts.
Just sayin'... I expect a similar statement to be made about the RIAA and its me
pursuant to a seizure warrant (Score:2)
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...you keep getting what you got (Score:4, Interesting)
Who in their right mind would host a file-sharing site in the US? Why not just put on a pair of fake antlers and run around in the Wisconsin woods on the first day of deer season?
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Many believe "military action is in order". I hope not, but I hear people say hings like that all the time.
Sure, and there are people out there who would like to return the United States to life in the 1950's, except without 'negroes' and no voting rights for women. They're the ones who need to be stamped out, not the rest of us. Luckily humans have a finite lifespan, and the 'great white male' is slowly but surely dying out.
racist
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>> and the 'great white male' is slowly but surely dying out.
> How the actual fuck are you calling me 'racist"
I can't imagine why anyone would call you racist. I must not be "great white maile" enough to imagine hatred for genetic or sexual class would possibly make anyone think you're even biased, much less racist.
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Wow, triggered much? Are you one of these 'social justice warriors' that I keep hearing about, or are you just another garden-variety Internet troll trying to stir shit up? Tough to decide. No matter, I'm not taking your bait, one way or another. On the off-chance you're neither SJW or troll, then you need to realize that 'race'-related issues are real, and they're a big problem, and sticking your head in the sand about them isn't going to solve them. Being squeamish about even the language necessary to discuss the issues at hand is as bad (if not worse) than just ignoring the problem entirely; trying to 'sanitize' the discussion by prettying-up the language used is disingenuous at best. You want to change hearts and minds on issues of race? Then everyone needs to experience how ugly and disgusting it actually is.
Of course race issues are real and a big problem. But, wishing the "white man" dies off is not solving anything either. In fact, you're just being a hypocrite and a giant douche. Racism works both ways, and it will not end when people keep being racist (such as yourself). That's just the simple fact. If you can't grasp that, then you should probably seek some sort of help for assisted living since you probably can't tie your own shoes, wipe your own ass, or even eat without drooling food all over yourself.
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.. you'll definitely get dealt with, boy.
(emphasis mine, on that last word)
I'm a middle-aged white man and I'm criticising other men (and women, where applicable) in my same demographic, and that makes me racist, eh? I think not, I think I'm just 'telling it like it is', which to reiterate: There are people in my particular demographic (the aforementioned 'great white males') who would wish to return the world to the 1950's -- except without any blacks in it (to which they were referred to, historically speaking, as 'negroes') and without voting rights for women.
(and since you're apparently such a SJW, how come you're not trying to pin 'sexist' on me as well, hmm?)
..oh, and as to the quote of you, above? That definitely sounds like you're assuming I'm a black man (and I am not) -- and in that case, you DARE to refer to me a 'boy'? Really? Sounds to me like I was right, YOU are the racist here.
Get correct. The world does not need more of your kind of person in it. Time for you to stop flying that Confederate flag, it amounts to hate-speech.
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Notice, nowhere in the definition of the word "boy" does it say anything regarding a racial slur. You're just an idiot and backpedaling at this point. Nice try. And, I'm about as anti-confederate flag as it gets. You think I'd be getting all over you about racism if I was a confederate flag waver? Are you really this dumb?
So, how does it feel to have false judgements and accusations shoved in your face? Did you enjoy it? Was it fun for you?
Please bugger off now. I'm done with you. Besides which you're just embarssing yourself.
Whatever Happened to Rule of Law? (Score:5, Insightful)
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when the real public backlash starts, they'll bring the plight of the children into it, compare anyone who disagrees with them to Hitler, accuse them of being Holocause deniers or climate change deniers, the usual discredit tactics loser trolls like to employ. Only they'll be using it to distract from the fact that yes, absent a bench warrant for seizure, the FBI did in fact break the Law by depriving an innocent concern of business by removing its ability to operate! And remember folks, in the United State
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In this case the site itself is like a semi-truck full of stolen goods. It can be taken and then documented for the trial.
A truck full of stolen goods would certainly be seized.
The participants are innocent until proven guilty, but the assets regarding such prosecution can certainly be taken (look into asset forfeiture, it's a much more terrible version of this situation).
domain seizures on suspect? (Score:2)
Can the FBI take over a company's retail shops, black out the windows, lock the doors and put up FBI seizure signs over it if they're suspected of criminal activity?
I don't see how that's any different than taking a domain name.
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Can the FBI take over a company's retail shops, black out the windows, lock the doors and put up FBI seizure signs over it if they're suspected of criminal activity?
I don't see how that's any different than taking a domain name.
The cops can seize real property (store front), inventory, and assets if a prosecutor can make a convincing case that they are part of an ongoing criminal enterprise: e.g. stolen goods, contraband, part of a money laundering operation. It's somewhat comparable to jailing a suspect prior to trial. You want to halt the suspected criminal activity and make sure the evidence doesn't disappear, so you "arrest" the property.
Once a trial takes place if the business owner is cleared of charges, the property would
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The copyright cartel has FAR better lobbyists, and essentially the FBI and DHS are now the ones who enforce these things.
Getting DHS responsible for copyright enforcement (via ICE) means they can now pretty much do anything their corporate masters ask of them.
Which is astounding since it means the US government now jumps at the call of multinational corporations. Which is a pretty sweet deal if you're a multinational corporation.
hmmmm (Score:3)
So a lot like RIAA's members then.
"[...]while undermining the legal marketplace." (Score:2)
"[...]while undermining the legal marketplace."
Isn't that SOP for every music label, when it comes to every other music label?
Songs were "leaked"? (Score:2)
Are songs now secret?
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Are songs now secret?
Yes, they are. You are to pay for them but you may not listen to them.
Let us all now celebrate! (Score:1)
That's not how any of this works... (Score:3)
There are, of course, the legal ramifications (*cough*FourthAdmendment*cough*) regarding seizure without a court's say in the matter. (IANAL, etc, etc...)
There is also the fact that those that really cared about this site probably know the site's IP, and with that in hand, who cares what they do with the domain? Add the IP to your local /etc/hosts file (or its Windoze equivalent), and you're golden.
I'm pretty sure at this point that the RIAA (and MPAA for that matter) spend far more in legal fees from their delusions than they actually make in profits.
Isn't the IP address more important? (Score:1)
commentsubjectsaredumb (Score:2)
So shut down the Internet.
The associative chain of causality is but a tool for the powers that be to leverage at will.
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fuck you talking about? Bahamas is that bit between fucking Florida and fucking Cuba. It's nowhere near fucking China.
(with fucking apologies to Gordon fucking Ramsay).
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How to Shove a Yoda Doll up your ass! The 9 Step Greased Up Yoda Doll Shoving process. Go Linux! Tsarkon Reports [.............]
But you can never leave
Hey look, I have already got chest pains. Making me laugh so hard is both unfair and cruel. I thinkl the late Mr Zappa has serious competition in the whole "Zappa-esque" humor category...
You win the top cookie for today!