Notice of DMCA received on TL...

[Cabalo]

There's a far easier way to be safe than the stated above.
Just move on to the newsgroups and use torrents if you ever need something very specific not found on the USP servers.

[anigav]

Or take a seedbox.

[Cabalo]

Or take a seedbox.

... if you are willing to spend money aimlessly.

[megabyteme]

There's a far easier way to be safe than the stated above.
Just move on to the newsgroups and use torrents if you ever need something very specific not found on the USP servers.

True. However, we are seeing all forms of file-sharing under attack. The suggestions are all basic, and don't involve much "work" beyond downloading the IP filter. They are just "smarter procedures" for those who do prefer BT.

[anon]

As always, great advice (Cabalo mentioned IP filtering, also), anon. I stopped my client immediately, and will start doing both. I'll grab television shows from TL, but refrain from grabbing readily-available movies from there. I will especially avoid the big-budget bombs- every DMCA notice I have received (3 over the years) has been just that. I'm almost certain studios are either using DL'ing as a scapegoat for losses, or are trying to cut losses through extortion schemes. It makes sense, doesn't it?

Thanks for that link, I will implement it ASAP.

Cams and workprints should probably be specially avoided. I recall there was drama with that X-Men leak back in 2009.

I'm surprised you were using no IP filter so far, as they're pretty mainstream. Remember to keep it updated, as new blocing-worthy IPs are found and formerly "bad" ones are reused for something else. The one I linked to is apparently updated once a day, but getting a new copy every 1-2 weeks should be okay.

I will also cut off any seeds that are new movies that have been going for more than 4 days. The notice indicated that I had been seeding for (date X to date Y)- apparently, they go after people who are seeding for long periods- that seems to be the case with each notice I have received, also.

Does your upload speed allow you to keep a good ratio on those torrents within such a short timeframe?

So, so far things for people (including myself) to implement to be "safer":

*snip*

I'll add more to this list if there are other good suggestions made. Thanks to everyone who has helped already!

I guess you can add using a VPN, but that should be evaluated on a per-case basis and with the money good services cost, you can probably just acquire a Usenet subscription as Cabalo rightly stated. (After reading your last post, made while I wrote this, suffice to say it's not a "basic" measure )

[anigav]

Or take a seedbox.

... if you are willing to spend money aimlessly.

Taking a modest seedbox for around $10 per month for a 200GB seedbox, imo is money well spent. No hassle - let it run 24/7, secured - all transfers to you are encrypted..

[username-]

Will they notify TL to take the torrent down or are they just there to catch people?
Seems like a dumb question, but I remember Stardock contacting Demonoid when they found their products uploaded there and Demonoid removed them.

[megabyteme]

Cams and workprints should probably be specially avoided. I recall there was drama with that X-Men leak back in 2009.

I'm surprised you were using no IP filter so far, as they're pretty mainstream. Remember to keep it updated, as new blocing-worthy IPs are found and formerly "bad" ones are reused for something else. The one I linked to is apparently updated once a day, but getting a new copy every 1-2 weeks should be okay.

I will also cut off any seeds that are new movies that have been going for more than 4 days. The notice indicated that I had been seeding for (date X to date Y)- apparently, they go after people who are seeding for long periods- that seems to be the case with each notice I have received, also.

Does your upload speed allow you to keep a good ratio on those torrents within such a short timeframe?

So, so far things for people (including myself) to implement to be "safer":

*snip*

I'll add more to this list if there are other good suggestions made. Thanks to everyone who has helped already!

I guess you can add using a VPN, but that should be evaluated on a per-case basis and with the money good services cost, you can probably just acquire a Usenet subscription as Cabalo rightly stated. (After reading your last post, made while I wrote this, suffice to say it's not a "basic" measure )

The workprints do seem to piss them off LOTS. I remember (places plug for people to read the NEWS section here) not too long ago, the guy who first uploaded Wolverine got a year in prison. Shows what can happen to "the little guy" when corporations get angry...

As for the IP filter- I had one for a while, and even posted about it. I thought it was a good idea, but about half of the people who responded (some fairly well-known, reasonable members) kinda felt it unnecessary. After it crashed on me a couple of times, and made eMule impossible to connect, I stopped using it altogether. My mistake/laziness, I suppose. Now that I have received a warning, I find vigilance a bit more important.

My speed, and monthly bandwidth (250GB) allows me to keep decent ratios. If I don't quite pay back on one torrent, another usually covers me. Most sites tend to want 2-4 days as a courtesy. I doubt that would put anyone in "the danger zone" for a notice. I believe I had been seeding for 9-ish days, if I remember correctly. I recently started grabbing more 720p files (upgraded my HT room with a HD projector recently ), and just kinda left that one running. Started watching/downloading it on one of my Ambien nights, and never got back to seeing it clear-headed. The impression I (vaguely) remember is that it is a shit movie...

I think by the time BT gets so ugly that people need VPN's, all internet freedom will have fallen, and we'll be paying each time we look at a copyrighted image. Hopefully, that day will be held off for as long as possible. Yet I fear it will someday happen...

Will they notify TL to take the torrent down or are they just there to catch people?
Seems like a dumb question, but I remember Stardock contacting Demonoid when they found their products uploaded there and Demonoid removed them.

I am not certain what kind of relationship/contact TL maintains with DMCA notices (I am not active at all in their forums, and only download there). I believe this campaign would be focused on catching people/IPs. These campaigns take different forms, as I briefly mentioned in a couple of my other posts here.

[Quarterquack]

Avoid bigger websites like TL/IPT/RTT. Disable peer exchange and DHT.

Buy a new router, or spoof your router ID. I won't get into the details of security* but just go do it. You'll secure yourself against hundreds of exploits that were opened thanks to google.

When downloading always try to download a torrent from the uploader only, or from the guy by the highest sharing ratio, by blocking every other IP (this is a legal measure - if the uploader facilitated the download and the information collection, evidence collected against you is void under illegal collection of information**), if the torrent is new.

If pushed or bullied by a law firm, notify them of the ruling of US Judge Harold Baker in VPR Internationale v. Does 1-1017, and since they don't have more conclusive DHT information, their information is worthless.

That is all.

EDIT: Also consider investing in a VPN. It'll be the most secure decision you made in your pirating life.

* - Some exploits not only can give a home address through an IP, but can also get a computer's signature behind a router through exploits. These are all rendered useless for a router bought after google maps street view was made for your area. This might sound like a long shot, but you never know what information "the man" is keeping.

** - The basic argument is if an illegal method is used to obtain your IP, there's no reason the accusing party isn't selectively discerning. A counter case can be put forth that they provide files to a lot of IP's and apply filtering to incriminate people with historical possession of the IP address to finance the most revenue from a case. This argument will hold in court.

[Funkin']

I'm surprised you were using no IP filter so far, as they're pretty mainstream.

I don't ever use one either. In fact I'm not even sure how to with rtorrent. Guess I should look into it though. But then again I pretty much only use bittorrent for music and usenet for everything else. Plus my TL account must have gotten disabled for inactivity(which it looks to be a good thing), so I'm not overly worried about it.