Founder of Oink music piracy site 'had $300,000 in bank'

[Roark]

http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article6979380.ece

Something to think about the next time your favorite popular P2L site tells you they don't have money to upgrade the server or time to implement a feature (looking at you BitMeTV :P).

[Rart]

Here's the TF article:

http://torrentfreak.com/oink-admin-received-nearly-300k-in-donations-100107/

I found this interesting:


After his arrest, the prosecution said that Ellis told officers: “All I do is really like Google, to really provide a connection between people. None of the music is on my website.”

[7th]

Well, I don't really care about how much they have on their bank accounts... I'm sure the guys from bitmeTV (just an example) have to "invest" a lot of time on their trackers to keep things running the way it runs... some of them probably see this as a real job opportunity and so what?

The question is: who wants to do all that and take all the risk for free? :unsure:

Sorry to say that but if you ever thought they do this just because they like it, welcome to real life! :)

If someone donates to a tracker, he does it because he is convinced that it is worth the donation...

now, if they lie about their needs, that's another question... :P

[Roark]

now, if they lie about their needs, that's another question... :P

That's sort of the point, right - Oink was lying about his needs by taking donations every month.

[ca_aok]

now, if they lie about their needs, that's another question... :P

That's sort of the point, right - Oink was lying about his needs by taking donations every month.
No he wasn't. Donations aren't the same thing as a membership fee.

When you run a site, which is a 24/7 job, and you put your ass on the line for the authorities (especially on a huge site like Oink), then I think you deserve some sort of compensation (though 300K is pretty crazy lol).

As for sites that don't need it, I've personally worked on a site that was hundreds of dollars in debt and came close to shutting down. Most smaller sites run a deficit each month, it's the large sites with tens or hundreds of thousands of members that have enough potential donors to get by easily.

Of course there's the other side of the argument where a site begs its members for donations and then the owner spends the money on an engagement ring. Or shuts down the site a few days later. Good times ;)

[7th]

That's sort of the point, right - Oink was lying about his needs by taking donations every month.
then I think you deserve some sort of compensation (though 300K is pretty crazy lol).

is it too much for risking your freedom? I don't think so :huh:
if you say that those guys are crazy for keeping a tracker like that, that I could understand :P

[Slickerey]

OiNK's owner has a good amount of money on him. I wonder how much Feeling has... :naughty:

[John1988]

OiNK's owner has a good amount of money on him. I wonder how much Feeling has... :naughty:

http://skeptisys.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/am-postdock-now-i-has-many-many-money-now-loljuz-kidding.jpg :D

[cinephilia]

OiNK's owner has a good amount of money on him.:naughty:
i'm afraid he doesn't anymore lol.

[KushBlow]

They don't really specify if the money is from the donations/site though. Even if it is it's not a big surprise, taking into account the prominence of OiNK at that time...

[dvdasacd]

First off, I am vehemently against making money off piracy. I'm sorry, but don't try and justify it. For most tracker owners it is NOT a 24/7 job, far from it, once it's set up and running.

Profiting from site donations is the no. 1 thing which can corrupt the owner of a large tracker - and the no. 1 hardest thing to truly assure ones innocence in and gain trust with - just "saying" you're legit and having a squeaky clean reputation in everything else, is not enough to prove it. There are ways to do this though, and one way is to have one or two 100% trusted staffers with full access to the paypal account to see that nothing is taken out for personal use, and they can be witness of the proper use of donation money.

[Hombre]

I imagine how much TL and revTT do. Must be crazy. SCT was easy to make accounting: 20€ per invite, plus the huge member rotation...

[Night0wl]

I personally don't care if he made money, but one thing I do know is that not once during my membership there was I nor anyone I know even hinted that we should donate. So unlike those sites asking for donation, every donation was voluntary on OiNK.

[7th]

First off, I am vehemently against making money off piracy. I'm sorry, but don't try and justify it. For most tracker owners it is NOT a 24/7 job, far from it, once it's set up and running.

I respect your opinion but I would never take the risk for nothing... you neither, am I right? :ermm:

anyway, I'm quite sure they do get money from it whenever they can hehe :P

I have no profs about that but I've only seen (that I remeber) one tracker (and one time only) leaving a note at the home page saying something like: "hey guys, thanks for the donations, we got what we needed to do what we promissed; you don't need to donate anymore for now". And that doesn't mean they just got what they needed and nothing more :unsure:

[AdrianPhoto]

Where did he get that?

[WhatMan]

I don't believe it at all. The press and prosecution have been twisting the facts since day one - why do you believe anything from the people who say that members HAD to pay 5 euros to invite a friend?

I, for one, know how much money a site like the size of OiNK brings in, and I know how much one costs. I can tell you - even for a huge site with thousands of donors, it is very difficult to earn operating costs if you don't offer pay-to-leech. OiNK had enormous operating costs - I suspect on the level of 3-4,000 euros per month. I've always been amazed that they were even able to break even.

I think the prosecution is twisting facts here - I'd bet money that the actual number is $300,000 spent over the course of the entire site's existence. This is not a highly unreasonable amount - with four high-powered servers in a leaseweb reseller, as well as peripheral costs such as proxies, over the course of three years, it sounds about as much as he'd take in and spend to me.

[dvdasacd]

Interesting thoughts, whatman. I wonder if the truth can ever be known to us, then. Perhaps not...I wish we did.


First off, I am vehemently against making money off piracy. I'm sorry, but don't try and justify it. For most tracker owners it is NOT a 24/7 job, far from it, once it's set up and running.

I respect your opinion but I would never take the risk for nothing... you neither, am I right? :ermm:No. How does making money make it "all ok"? Certainly not for me. But enabling people to share music with each other? Heck yeah. And that combined with taking steps to give myself a certain amount of security that I deem adequate, makes it a worthwhile endeavour for me.

[DonkeyPacker]

Holy shit.

[7th]

No. How does making money make it "all ok"?
it doesn't make it ok at all :P


And that combined with taking steps to give myself a certain amount of security that I deem adequate, makes it a worthwhile endeavour for me.
what you deem adequate is not always adequate :lol:

just kidding (and telling a little bit of truth hehe) ;)

anyway, I'm thankful that there are people like you out there...

[TP635]

I don't believe it at all. The press and prosecution have been twisting the facts since day one - why do you believe anything from the people who say that members HAD to pay 5 euros to invite a friend?

I, for one, know how much money a site like the size of OiNK brings in, and I know how much one costs. I can tell you - even for a huge site with thousands of donors, it is very difficult to earn operating costs if you don't offer pay-to-leech. OiNK had enormous operating costs - I suspect on the level of 3-4,000 euros per month. I've always been amazed that they were even able to break even.

I think the prosecution is twisting facts here - I'd bet money that the actual number is $300,000 spent over the course of the entire site's existence. This is not a highly unreasonable amount - with four high-powered servers in a leaseweb reseller, as well as peripheral costs such as proxies, over the course of three years, it sounds about as much as he'd take in and spend to me.

More likely the case.

[xa1ups]

Basically who cares. Oink was the best music tracker ever and if the guy made money from it good for him, I am glad that he did.
He never begged for donations (annoying pms in your inbox every fuckin day), he never forced someone to donate to dl new releases (lame waiting times and whatnot), oh yea and he didn't give VIP status to all and every cunt that would donate 5$ lol.
So yea good for him. I wouldn't mind donating w/e i can spare every month to a tracker like that and i really hope his trial and everything ends in his favor so that he can go and spend it all at the Bahamas surrounded by hot girls feeding him grapes.

[user12345]

TL just be LOVINGGG IT.
they have somany regular donaters because of there free2leech vip system and 180k users.

he may have had 300k but its probably going to jail now.

[whiteboy]

I love how people say hes wrong for making money off it. BUt your not the one going to prison are you?

And this article is BS I had given plenty of invites on oink and never once had to donate to get them.

[dvdasacd]

I love how people say hes wrong for making money off it. BUt your not the one going to prison are you?lol that makes no sense at all. how does being caught have *anything* to do with the issue of making money off a site? :S The issue is not whether he IS making money or not (we now know that is in doubt), but the general principle of doing it. :rolleyes:

[Villalltheway]

Basically who cares. Oink was the best music tracker ever and if the guy made money from it good for him, I am glad that he did.
He never begged for donations (annoying pms in your inbox every fuckin day), he never forced someone to donate to dl new releases (lame waiting times and whatnot), oh yea and he didn't give VIP status to all and every cunt that would donate 5$ lol.
So yea good for him. I wouldn't mind donating w/e i can spare every month to a tracker like that and i really hope his trial and everything ends in his favor so that he can go and spend it all at the Bahamas surrounded by hot girls feeding him grapes.

EXACTLY who gives a shit, its not like they held a gun against your head to donate, end of the day at it times it was the best tracker about.

p.s this thread is pointless bullshit.

[Albo Da Kid]

How in the world did he make 300K? Was any of it claimed earned working money?

[Ewwwyourface]

just never donate to sites save ur money lol

[cinephilia]

why do some trackers make so much money in so little time ? because of idle spoiled brats like 4pirates.

http://i50.tinypic.com/2i1obk3.jpg

[FACE_TO_FACE]

i think scc is now "The Big Company" when u know what i mean...

[whiteboy]

I love how people say hes wrong for making money off it. BUt your not the one going to prison are you?lol that makes no sense at all. how does being caught have *anything* to do with the issue of making money off a site? :S The issue is not whether he IS making money or not (we now know that is in doubt), but the general principle of doing it. :rolleyes:
No the issue is theres gotta be some reward for the risk. You think people should run sites just to be nice guys. Get a clue, you must be 14, this is the real world. You dont take a chance like that just so you can tell your friends I'm the sysop at oink.

Even more so this was a site that never asked for donations. But people still wanted to donate. Thats on them.