Decentralized File-sharing Tools Ruled Legal

[$cirisme]

Streamcast and Grokster have won a major court decision in Los Angeles, shifting the tides of the on-line P2P legal war. Federal court Judge Stephen Wilson has dismissed much of the studios' claims in their lawsuits against them, stating that Morpheus and Grokster were not liable for copyright infringements that took place using their software.

http://winamp.com/news.jhtml?articleid=10000

[Em7add11]

The only problem with that is this:


NY Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/07/technology/07PORN.html?ex=1063512000&en=6e7e3d22b5da6fe0&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE)
The recording industry, struggling to curb music piracy, is shining the spotlight on another demon lurking on the Internet: pornography.

The industry is trying to enlist broader public support with a campaign intended to show that its nemesis — the peer-to-peer networks for swapping files like KaZaA and Morpheus — are used not only to trade songs but also pornographic images, including child pornography.

"As a guy in the record industry and as a parent, I am shocked that these services are being used to lure children to stuff that is really ugly," said Andrew Lack, the chief executive of Sony Music Entertainment.

That's a pretty bold statement coming from a leader in an industry who has done more to sexualize youth that probably any other industry in America. This is also probably the most patently offensive tactic yet. Coming down hard on college students wasn't getting the kind of response they had hoped for so it looks like the new trick is to pretend like they are looking out for our children.

[$cirisme]

Our children? :hrm:

Neither of us have any children. :poke:

[Em7add11]

cirisme:

Our children? :hrm:

Neither of us have any children. :poke:

That we know of. :hrm:

[$cirisme]

Got some sins you wanna confess? :eek:

[Em7add11]

:shifty:

[$cirisme]

It's worse than that...

http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/03/09/06/1911237.shtml?tid=103&tid=153&tid=158&tid=99 :


The result is H. R. 2885 (available via Thomas), which has the remarkably clear and honest intent 'To prohibit the distribution of peer-to-peer file trading software in interstate commerce.'


[R]equire P2P developers and distributors to obtain and store users' personal information -- ostensibly for age verification, but one can think of other reasons that the RIAA might be interested in that info.

:no:

[Em7add11]

It seems like a pretty sneaky tactic to the technically-inclined folks. We'll see if the lawmakers have any smarts on this issue.

[$cirisme]

http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=77487&cid=6889111

:thumb:

They are doing worse. They continually market underage (or barely of age) girls in a way that sexualizes them (and their blind followers, the pre-teen crowd). Just look at what the latest so-called pop artists are wearing nowadays. Now look at the 12-year-olds at your local school.

I charge that the RIAA is responsible for creating the image of children (the ones on TV and our own) in sexually suggestive clothing, poses and attitudes.

[Em7add11]

Right on. :thumb: