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Online Antipiracy firm sending copyright notices for downloading Ubuntu ISO

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Re: Online Antipiracy firm sending copyright notices for downloading Ubuntu ISO

#51

Post by marcus_holmes »

max_hammer wrote: post #23
durnygbur wrote: post #9

One doesn't know how stressful and infuriating these copyright notices are until one lived in a country with internet hijacked by copyright predators. From the moment of receiving such notice there is only stress, misinformation, and verbal abuse. Thanks Americans. PS. It doesn't matter you downloaded free software, every person you'll contact in the process of straightening this out will be equally clueless and abus…

In Germany, thier is a whole army of lawyers seeding copyrighted material on torrents to extract money

My GF got one, and spent a few days worried sick about it. She researched the correct response (iirc it was "don't admit liability and ask for proof that it was her that actually pirated the content" - basically exploiting the flaw that you are not your IP address and they don't know how many other people could have used that IP address). Haven't heard back from them.

This law is way too easy to abuse.

Re: Online Antipiracy firm sending copyright notices for downloading Ubuntu ISO

#52

Post by marcosdumay »

durnygbur wrote: post #9

One doesn't know how stressful and infuriating these copyright notices are until one lived in a country with internet hijacked by copyright predators. From the moment of receiving such notice there is only stress, misinformation, and verbal abuse. Thanks Americans. PS. It doesn't matter you downloaded free software, every person you'll contact in the process of straightening this out will be equally clueless and abus…

At the 90's, under heavy US lobbying, my country made copyright infringement a crime.

What that means nowadays is that those people would now need to talk to the police. That implies in bringing some very good evidence, because our criminal system isn't antagonistic, and also facing the criminal consequences of false allegations.

As a result, some foreign companies tried very hard to create a copyright predator industry shortly after the criminalization, but had to abandon it. There are still copyright protections, mildly enforced, but not that kind of thing.

Re: Online Antipiracy firm sending copyright notices for downloading Ubuntu ISO

#53

Post by fsflover »

amelius wrote: post #34
gabereiser wrote: post #6

This is why DMCA is broken. Too easy for false claims. It’s plagued the music industry, YouTube, and now free software.

Why is it that as citizens we are powerless against such clearly broken laws as DMCA? Can't we do something about the situation, declare it unconstitutional or something?

You can support EFF, who fights against such cases in court.

Re: Online Antipiracy firm sending copyright notices for downloading Ubuntu ISO

#54

Post by buran77 »

indymike wrote: post #31
max_hammer wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Germany, thier is a whole army of lawyers seeding copyrighted material on torrents to extract money

Allowing lawyers to create their own cases is a dark, dark pattern.

Even worse, they are given free access (no warrant) to ISP information about the individuals they presume to be infringing so they can tie an identity to an IP linked to infringing material.

Lawyers win either way, via the fines that they ask for (people are scared that this could escalate and just pay), or the fees to fight the fines (usually a letter highlighting the situation that personal information was obtained without a court order). So they have all the incentive to propagate the practice.

Re: Online Antipiracy firm sending copyright notices for downloading Ubuntu ISO

#55

Post by mijoharas »

ProtoAES256 wrote: post #43
mijoharas wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was interested and also searched the hash ( 4ba4fbf7231a3a660e86892707d25c135533a16a ). I didn't see the second link you posted? and I can't find the hash by CTRL+F on the page when clicking the link? Am I missing something?

It's on the [0] link, with the line 4ba4fbf7231a3a660e86892707d25c135533a16a ubuntu-20.04.2.0-desktop-amd64.iso 2.67GiB 120 8 1 2.67GiB

yep, but the comment I replied to said they searched for the hash and found [2] (I presume they searched on google from context).

When I search for the hash I don't find [2] coming up in my search results, and when I click through to [2] I don't see the hash in the page.

Re: Online Antipiracy firm sending copyright notices for downloading Ubuntu ISO

#56

Post by Santosh83 »

amelius wrote: post #34
gabereiser wrote: post #6

This is why DMCA is broken. Too easy for false claims. It’s plagued the music industry, YouTube, and now free software.

Why is it that as citizens we are powerless against such clearly broken laws as DMCA? Can't we do something about the situation, declare it unconstitutional or something?

You will be powerless if you explicitly ELECT a few people to assume power over you on your behalf. Which is what electoral democracies are. Add in the real power of wealth and influence mixed with corruption, it is laughable to think we're free societies. We're sold little trinkets of make-believe "freedoms" while nothing of real importance is ever left to the hands of commoners.

Re: Online Antipiracy firm sending copyright notices for downloading Ubuntu ISO

#57

Post by TheCoelacanth »

amelius wrote: post #42
wyldfire wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> declare it unconstitutional or something? It's not obviously so - which articles/amendments do you think it violates? In any case, it's insufficient for us to declare it unconstitutional, that's for a judge to decide. In the absence of such a ruling, we can elect legislators to repeal it. But that seems terribly unlikely unless you can pose new legislation to take its place.

Isn't it against the principle of innocent unless proven guilty? Also this law circumvents the court of law, which sounds like it could be in violation of some more foundational laws such as the constitution. Finally the law puts control over free speech in the hands of corporations.

DMCA strictly reduces your liability.

If you follow the DMCA takedown process, then you are shielded from liability for the copyright violation.

If you don't follow the process, then you are back to exactly where you would be if the DMCA didn't exist. You have to be taken to court to actually face any penalties.

Re: Online Antipiracy firm sending copyright notices for downloading Ubuntu ISO

#58

Post by buran77 »

ComodoHacker wrote: post #46
andi999 wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is legal as far as I understand.

How is it legal? Do they get permissions from copyright owners?

Yes, they represent large content owner conglomerates and have the permission to go after pirates.

The shady part is where they can just go to the ISP and request the personal customer information associated to an IP they believe is transferring the infringing content.

In Germany the law allows lawyers to ask and get this info from the ISP purely based on suspicion. This is the dirty secret related to how Germany enforces piracy laws. Getting internet access is predicated by accepting that this information will be passed on to private third parties (imagine getting internet access only if you agree to send your identity to Facebook if they want to check you are not violating FB rules by using a fake name).

Between this and the fact that a lawsuit is expensive and time consuming, they probably never pursue minor infringement in court if they get a counter from the user's lawyer.

Re: Online Antipiracy firm sending copyright notices for downloading Ubuntu ISO

#60

Post by elliekelly »

trhway wrote: post #10
jonatron wrote: post #8

Link to image, because reddit is slow: https://i.redd.it/jzf5jegdyb171.png

interesting that Comcast immediately directs the user to delete the file and doesn't even list an option to counter the claim. The trolls are constantly looking and probing for a weak spot, and with high probability they have just found another one - large stupid ISPs like Comcast. Now they only need to scare Comcast into automating the disconnections YouTube style and/or collecting the small settlement fee under the…

That is interesting. Does the DMCA not require the takedown notice to inform of the right to file a counter-notice? I always assumed it did because that seems to be the usual practice. I wonder if Comcast is being unusually aggressive in their interpretation/lax in their compliance or whether most companies are going beyond what is required in their takedown notices?
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