Been using Usenet for a few years now, i'd say it's the best thing internet has to offer.
Now, i "hear" people saying that Usenet is under attack because of NZB files and there's a court in UK that has won a cause against it, so users are hiding, closing down forums ect....
Could someone clarify that ?
(_8(I)
This is all that has happened to my knowledge.
No cause for concern really.
yo
Hold The Line
I think a primary concern though to take from this decision is what it may pose for user indexed sites.
One of the main reasons cited for why a guilty decision was made was because of the fact that the site was designed to specifically encourage and facilitate the downloading of copyrighted files (in addition to seemingly gander large profits from it). Basically every user indexed site pretty much focuses on copyrighted content; while auto indexed sites will simply index everything copyrighted or not, which will probably put them under common carrier laws. Hopefully a saving grace that would make further cases sympathetic to indexing would be if they don't serve to profit from it, which would make it seem like less of a purposefully infringing enterprise than Newzbin.
I'm still waiting, for someone to show me a law book, that specifically states... "profiting from Usenet is illegal".
Problem is, there are xxx number of countries, and xxxxxx number of law books and probably xxxxxxxxx number of legal opinions, from judges or (in quite a number of those countries) whoever happens to hold guns at a particular moment in time.Originally Posted by Wwwildthing
In fact, in most of those countries, it's quite legal (and in fact, encouraged) to profit from the internet and it's sub-category, Usenet.
It's where someone's profit from those activities (or even no profit whatsoever) someone 'infringes' on someones else making a profit, or MORE of a profit.
A good example which nobody talks about, as opposed to ones which EVERYBODY talks about, is movie 'Reviews'. The longest running movie review tv program in the U.S. is 'At The Movies', which began on PBS way back in 1982... for a history...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At_the_...._TV_series%29
It latest incarnation, with Michael Phillips and A. O. Scott, has been canceled, as of August, 2010.
There are no other movie review programs, either network or in syndication. All local TV stations review shows have disappeared, and newspaper reviews are extremely few and far between.
Reason? Although both station managers and newspaper editors are loathe to discuss it, it's because the Hollywood studios do not like reviews (which they don't fully control), and have been known to yank advertising on those outlets that 'review' their 'product' unfavorably.
To say these people have a huge problem of some kind (I'll leave that to the shrinks), it's obvious that something beyond just the monetary reward drives their ego.
Several years ago, the head of the MPAA, Jack Valenti (who had known organized crime/Mafia connections), said:
"I say to you that the VCR is to the American film producer and the American public as the Boston strangler is to the woman home alone."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Valenti
Since Hollywood today makes more than half its profit from the home video industry.....
Personally, from a political standpoint, unless and until the MPAA repudiates that comment (and they haven't to this date), that any money they make from home video is forfeited.
Last edited by Beck38; 04-13-2010 at 09:05 PM.
I've been a Usenet subscriber since 1985... pulling headers isn't an issue for me.
Seriously... I couldn't care less.
Hold The Line
Exactly. No where does it say that profiting from Usenet is illegal, but profiting from something while concurrently breaking another law that purports your actions (in this case, purposeful copyright infringement) will most certainly delve into the realm of criminal activity.
You are using someone else's intellectual property and manipulating it to your own advantage in order to profit from it. That's illegal in most people's books.
If you couldn't care less then why did you bother to post in this thread in the first place
Seems to me, if that were the case, they'd be all over the Usenet provider's.You are using someone else's intellectual property and manipulating it to your own advantage in order to profit from it. That's illegal in most people's books.
I was referring to Beck38's opinion... your's too, now that you asked.If you couldn't care less then why did you bother to post in this thread in the first place.
Hold The Line
They can technically (at least they used to be, until further legislation) be considered under the common carrier laws. Usenet has many purposes other than downloading binaries (text, news, etc.) and usenet providers can cling to that to claim that they aren't purporting infringement, and that what their users do with their services isn't their fault.
However, Newzbin can't make that argument. They purposefully linked (as a user generated site) to infringing files for the large majority of their NZBs (nearly all). They had many, many unique site features that were also designed, seemingly, to help users infringe copyrights. And then, they made you pay for that service. Entirely different (at least legally).
I already realized that, and it doesn't change my point at all. There is no need to post remarks like that, especially since you were the one asking the question. Beck posted a thorough, in depth response to your question and you just blew him off with a "I could care less". Ok. Why the hell did you ask then?I was referring to Beck38's opinion... your's too, now that you asked.
Last edited by Rart; 04-14-2010 at 01:06 PM.
Poster
Pulling headers sucks. WHen I started with newsgroups thats how I was taught, before nzb's were so popular. But you just miss so much stuff because there are so many groups.
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