Filesharing/p2p about to become illegal

[Kirkland Laing]

The controversial digital economy bill will be pushed through in the "wash-up" leading up to an election, after the government confirmed that it will receive its second reading in the Commons on 6 April – the same day that Gordon Brown is expected to seek Parliament's dissolution.....


The bill has proved highly controversial with many consumers and businesses because of the measures it would take against those accused of copyright infringement online. Hotels and cafes offering Wi-Fi to customers fear that they would have to shut the service off, while rights groups say that the balance of the bill is against people accused – but not proven–- to have infringed copyright. But groups lobbying for creative industries, particularly the music business, support the bill and say that it is proportionate.......


Digital economy bill to be pushed through parliament next month | Technology | guardian.co.uk


Apparently if you're caught filesharing/p2ping/downloading copyrighted stuff they're going to cut your internet connection or suspend it. That's going to mean watching boxing streams is illegal, downloading fights is illegal, downloading anything you should really be paying for is illegal. I've read stuff that says you can just encrypt what you're downloading but also stuff that says that that's impossible and you'll still get caught. I've also read that they're just going to block your access to certain sites eg. Pirate Bay so that you can't get links/torrents etc. in the first place.

I'd be interested if anybody knows anything about this, especially the tech side of it. Is it possible to bypass it etc.? Also anybody who knows about satellite internet. Apparently it's difficult to get a foreign satellite internet provider and the UK guys are going to have to monitor your traffic just like the telephone line-based isps. Can we get the hive mind going on this one please, this is going to be the law in a couple of weeks.

[generalbulldog]

Wow this is becoming law in the UK? I really think the govt. should stay out of things like this.

I remember from taking part in discussions like this and what I've read over the years, downloading copyrighted material is not illegal (not in the US), but uploading it is or spreading the files is illegal. I think that's one of the biggest misconceptions, this debate has been raging on for years.

The thing with most p2p programs is that while you are downloading you are also uploading/disseminating bits of the files also, this of course is a no no, that's where the problem lies.

Ways around it? Use Usenet/newsgroups, you are just mainly downloading material and not uploading anything. The movie and music studios can't do anything. You are not disseminating/uploading any material for it to be illegal. Or just use rapidshare/megaupload links, again just downloading and not uploading material, but then again I don't know about he laws in the UK.

[Gandalf]

It's a double edged sword for me. In terms of music, which is my main interest, I don't think downloading has stopped me buying a good product. I will download the album, decide whether I like or not, and if I do like it, then I typically go downtown and buy it. Yesterday I bought two albums that I had downloaded just a month or so previously. In this regard downloading has acted as a quality control on the purchases I make. Usually you can only go off the lead single or two and buy an album based on your impression of that. You can get the album home and then find that it's rather poor. Now, I don't think that is fair on the consumer either. I know not everyone is like me and that teenagers will take whatever they can get for free and not pay for it, so that is the part that frustrates me. If every music consumer was like me, then the corporations wouldn't have such an issue with file sharing. I see their concerns, but don't like my method of quality control being declared outright illegal. That's not fair on me or other music fans like me.

Downloading has been made illegal out here too, but the laws really aren't enforced; especially not for foreign products which are what I consume. I still download music quite freely and there are no repercussions. But I can see the UK being quite different and the system becoming quite draconian. The Koreans couldn't care less about me watching boxing streams and there is certainly no possible way for me to buy access to any of the fights anyway. Like I say, I can see both sides to the issue, but clamping down on everybody is only going to lead to a lot of bad will. The UK is such a nanny state. They take away half your income in taxes and then tell you where you can and can't blow your nose! A significant proportion of all laws exist simply to be broken and this might be one of them. It will be got around somehow. Where there is a will, there is a way.

[generalbulldog]

It's a double edged sword for me. In terms of music, which is my main interest, I don't think downloading has stopped me buying a good product. I will download the album, decide whether I like or not, and if I do like it, then I typically go downtown and buy it. Yesterday I bought two albums that I had downloaded just a month or so previously. In this regard downloading has acted as a quality control on the purchases I make. Usually you can only go off the lead single or two and buy an album based on your impression of that. You can get the album home and then find that it's rather poor. Now, I don't think that is fair on the consumer either. I know not everyone is like me and that teenagers will take whatever they can get for free and not pay for it, so that is the part that frustrates me. If every music consumer was like me, then the corporations wouldn't have such an issue with file sharing. I see their concerns, but don't like my method of quality control being declared outright illegal. That's not fair on me or other music fans like me.

Downloading has been made illegal out here too, but the laws really aren't enforced; especially not for foreign products which are what I consume. I still download music quite freely and there are no repercussions. But I can see the UK being quite different and the system becoming quite draconian. The Koreans couldn't care less about me watching boxing streams and there is certainly no possible way for me to buy access to any of the fights anyway. Like I say, I can see both sides to the issue, but clamping down on everybody is only going to lead to a lot of bad will. The UK is such a nanny state. They take away half your income in taxes and then tell you where you can and can't blow your nose! A significant proportion of all laws exist simply to be broken and this might be one of them. It will be got around somehow. Where there is a will, there is a way.

I'm gathering that you're not too keen on big government and intrusions like this?

I also see file sharing as a big shit filter. I'm not out there to rip off the corporations or artists, but see it as a sort of preview of what I might be getting. I think it's mainly kids/teens/young adults that wants to get the free stuff, but I see the older folks as the type of person that if they genuinely like a product out there produced by their favorite artists or companies then they usually support them and I came from the generation when Napster was big 10 years back.

But then again it could be the same motherfukkers that don't support whatever great product out there and is just sponging off it for free that companies and artists are getting pissed off on. I've always been of the mindset that if you like a product, support it and get the legitimate thing.

[Gandalf]

It's a double edged sword for me. In terms of music, which is my main interest, I don't think downloading has stopped me buying a good product. I will download the album, decide whether I like or not, and if I do like it, then I typically go downtown and buy it. Yesterday I bought two albums that I had downloaded just a month or so previously. In this regard downloading has acted as a quality control on the purchases I make. Usually you can only go off the lead single or two and buy an album based on your impression of that. You can get the album home and then find that it's rather poor. Now, I don't think that is fair on the consumer either. I know not everyone is like me and that teenagers will take whatever they can get for free and not pay for it, so that is the part that frustrates me. If every music consumer was like me, then the corporations wouldn't have such an issue with file sharing. I see their concerns, but don't like my method of quality control being declared outright illegal. That's not fair on me or other music fans like me.

Downloading has been made illegal out here too, but the laws really aren't enforced; especially not for foreign products which are what I consume. I still download music quite freely and there are no repercussions. But I can see the UK being quite different and the system becoming quite draconian. The Koreans couldn't care less about me watching boxing streams and there is certainly no possible way for me to buy access to any of the fights anyway. Like I say, I can see both sides to the issue, but clamping down on everybody is only going to lead to a lot of bad will. The UK is such a nanny state. They take away half your income in taxes and then tell you where you can and can't blow your nose! A significant proportion of all laws exist simply to be broken and this might be one of them. It will be got around somehow. Where there is a will, there is a way.

I'm gathering that you're not too keen on big government and intrusions like this?

I also see file sharing as a big shit filter. I'm not out there to rip off the corporations or artists, but see it as a sort of preview of what I might be getting. I think it's mainly kids/teens/young adults that wants to get the free stuff, but I see the older folks as the type of person that if they genuinely like a product out there produced by their favorite artists or companies then they usually support them and I came from the generation when Napster was big 10 years back.

But then again it could be the same motherfukkers that don't support whatever great product out there and is just sponging off it for free that companies and artists are getting pissed off on. I've always been of the mindset that if you like a product, support it and get the legitimate thing.

I think big goverment and laws like this are both a double edged sword. I can see the reasons on both sides, but kind of feel that on the individual level I am the one being treated harshly. I don't what to pay for the kids of fatherless teenage mothers and I certainly don't want to be criminalised because I like to know if an album is good before I buy it.

[OumaFan]

I still buy stuff too, one of the things I download is CD's or movies or whatever that I've already purchased before. And then lost or got scuffed up or something. And, yeah, technically I know its my fault that I lost it or got the disc scratched up but I've already paid for the thing.

I downloaded Radiohead: The Bends the other day and the Band of Brothers dvd set. I just don't see why I should pay for something twice because of my own incompetence Its a weird set of downloading ethics.

But that's not the only things I download. For instance I've been downloading The Pacific just cause I cancelled HBO but don't want to wait for the DVD's to come out. But there's a real chance I'd buy the DVD set anyway.

And then there are times when I just download shit cause I don't want to pay for it. But I still buy albums, movies, etc, too. A fair amount of them actually.