Show HN: movies.io — torrent search like it should be • Hacker News Board

Re: Show HN: movies.io — torrent search like it should be

#381

Post by dorian-graph » Sat, Jun 02, 2012, 6:03 AM UTC

throwaway64 wrote: post #372

dorian-graph wrote: post #365

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Downloading and consuming some content removes the primary reason of purchasing something—to consume that content. Now, the ideas of people on here and in the tech world in general really can't be further than that of those in the 'outside world.' When people I know who aren't technical people speak of downloading stuff many often make note of how awesome it is to consume something without having to pay for it. Not p…

why are you so certain they would pay if they couldn't pirate

Because they did before they could pirate (Before they figured out Limewire and now torrents) and other reasons such as wanting to fit in.

It's really not all that complex. Piracy also isn't divorced from other things people do.

Re: Show HN: movies.io — torrent search like it should be

#382

Post by nddrylliog » Sat, Jun 02, 2012, 6:11 AM UTC

geargrinder wrote: post #238

nddrylliog wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Totally understand your position. Hesitated a lot about this, and finally thought "fuck it, let's do it". I think it's like people working in porn: they don't necessarily enjoy the industry, but at one point they thought "man, there's really something that needs to be done". I'd much prefer a legal solution. I'd much prefer content owners to expose APIs for the licensing of their content, and have them let us create…

How do you feel about sharing all the code that you created for this site so we can use it for some projects we might have in mind?

I feel good about it. We'll definitely start open-sourcing code, we'll announce it on the blog (still need to set that up). Open-source rocks.

Re: Show HN: movies.io — torrent search like it should be

#383

Post by pyre » Sat, Jun 02, 2012, 6:23 AM UTC

koko775 wrote: post #368

laughinghan wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'll bite. Why do you think this "clearly unethical"? I don't think it's clear at all. Everyone I know pirates movies, TV shows, and music. Everyone I know also jaywalks. I also know people who use drugs illegally, as well as participate in or facilitate underage drinking, and I don't have a problem with any of it. Are these unethical? Someone clearly thought so. Do I care? You know what the truth is, for me, and eve…

Disclaimer: I work at a legal online video streaming site. Jaywalking, doing drugs, and underage drinking are fundamentally acts against rules, not acts against entities. A risk is being taken and the burden of failure is on the risk-taker. Selling alcohol to minors is unethical. Do I need to get into that? Acquiring media in an unauthorized fashion is an act against the creator and their licensed distributor. That m…

  > Selling alcohol to minors is unethical. Do I need to
  > get into that?

Let's.

Example: The legal drinking age in Detroit, Michigan, USA is 21 years of age. The legal drinking age in Windsor, Ontario, Canada (right across the river from Detroit) is 19 years old. A 19 year old US citizen drives across the Detroit River and buys a drink at a bar.

Is the bar acting unethically? If not, how is it any different (ethically) to sell alcohol to the same 19 year old while in Detroit?

Discuss.

Re: Show HN: movies.io — torrent search like it should be

#384

Post by option_greek » Sat, Jun 02, 2012, 6:36 AM UTC

edw519 wrote: post #79

I don't know which I feel saddest about: 1. Whether or not this is actually illegal, it is clearly unethical and not in the spirit of good clean business and technology practices we should all be aspire to. 2. That it quickly made it to #1 on Hacker News. 3. That I seem to be one of the few who cares while most others nit on details.

I would not consider it immoral as long as there is no other way to access the same content without committing an illegal act. As a non-US citizen, I can't even watch half the content even if I would want to pay.

The fact that people had to pay multiple times for watching the same content in different formats and that it is considered perfectly legal is more immoral to me than any thing else.

Re: Show HN: movies.io — torrent search like it should be

#385

Post by koko775 » Sat, Jun 02, 2012, 6:47 AM UTC

pyre wrote: post #383

koko775 wrote: post #368

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Disclaimer: I work at a legal online video streaming site. Jaywalking, doing drugs, and underage drinking are fundamentally acts against rules, not acts against entities. A risk is being taken and the burden of failure is on the risk-taker. Selling alcohol to minors is unethical. Do I need to get into that? Acquiring media in an unauthorized fashion is an act against the creator and their licensed distributor. That m…

> Selling alcohol to minors is unethical. Do I need to > get into that? Let's. Example: The legal drinking age in Detroit, Michigan, USA is 21 years of age. The legal drinking age in Windsor, Ontario, Canada (right across the river from Detroit) is 19 years old. A 19 year old US citizen drives across the Detroit River and buys a drink at a bar. Is the bar acting unethically? If not, how is it any different (ethically…

The bar did not travel state lines. If the laws allow it, they have fulfilled their obligation. If, on the other hand, they are actively targeting and soliciting orders for alcohol from 19-year-old US citizens to pick up and consume, for example, at parties, then perhaps they have done something unethical.

That is beside the point, however, as the questions of jurisdiction with respect to copyright are somewhat more well-established than that.

Re: Show HN: movies.io — torrent search like it should be

#386

Post by pyre » Sat, Jun 02, 2012, 6:50 AM UTC

koko775 wrote: post #385

pyre wrote: post #383

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Selling alcohol to minors is unethical. Do I need to > get into that? Let's. Example: The legal drinking age in Detroit, Michigan, USA is 21 years of age. The legal drinking age in Windsor, Ontario, Canada (right across the river from Detroit) is 19 years old. A 19 year old US citizen drives across the Detroit River and buys a drink at a bar. Is the bar acting unethically? If not, how is it any different (ethically…

The bar did not travel state lines. If the laws allow it, they have fulfilled their obligation. If, on the other hand, they are actively targeting and soliciting orders for alcohol from 19-year-old US citizens to pick up and consume, for example, at parties, then perhaps they have done something unethical. That is beside the point, however, as the questions of jurisdiction with respect to copyright are somewhat more…

The point I was making:

  ethical != moral != lawful

Re: Show HN: movies.io — torrent search like it should be

#387

Post by nddrylliog » Sat, Jun 02, 2012, 6:55 AM UTC

veridies wrote: post #349

nddrylliog wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yup, that seems to be a stupid policy. Anyway, linking to Netflix/others is nice in theory but clutters the interface. Until we find a good solution for that, we won't do it.

But if you offer a link to any Watch Instantly-available film in the same frame as the torrent links, I think that would be great. Same with Amazon's and YouTube's streaming movie offerings.

Working with the dexy.tv guy to make that happen for US visitors.

As for the others, there's no much we can do I'm afraid. We'll help where we can, but the offer is too fragmented in Europe right now!

Re: Show HN: movies.io — torrent search like it should be

#388

Post by belriosity » Sat, Jun 02, 2012, 6:57 AM UTC

melvinram wrote: post #374

Karunamon wrote: post #361

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You might have been taken more seriously if you didn't misuse the world "steal" but...

STEAL: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/steal verb (used with object) 1. to take (the property of another or others) without permission or right, especially secretly or by force: A pickpocket stole his watch. 2. to appropriate (ideas, credit, words, etc.) without right or acknowledgment. 3. to take, get, or win insidiously, surreptitiously, subtly, or by chance: He stole my girlfriend. 4. to move, bring, convey…

I believe that he wasn't saying that you misspelt the word, he was saying that infringement does not equal 'stealing.'

Infringement is probably within the scope of appropriation which is the number 2 definition you listed, but maybe it shouldn't be. Conflating real theft with copyright infringement is confusing, and unnecessary.

If I've misinterpreted anything then please ignore.

Re: Show HN: movies.io — torrent search like it should be

#389

Post by yoasif_ » Sat, Jun 02, 2012, 7:05 AM UTC

notJim wrote: post #255

tomp wrote: post #239

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not hurting them - I would never have bought what they are selling. I'm just letting them benefit me, and thus increasing the level of happiness in this world.

You're saying that if tomorrow you could no longer download movies, music and tv shows for free, you would simply stop consuming all of these things?

Libraries do still exist.

Re: Show HN: movies.io — torrent search like it should be

#390

Post by nddrylliog » Sat, Jun 02, 2012, 7:08 AM UTC

rplnt wrote: post #330

nddrylliog wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fair point about the search bar, we'll try to think of it in the redesign. Do you have any idea why torrentz pulled magnet links? Seems insane that linking to sites with .torrent files is easier to defend (legally) than having directly magnet links.

Maybe someone got scared? I don't know.. but my guess would be a better CTR on sponsored links that are shown alongside trackers.

Ah, fair point.

The Torrentz guy seems paranoid indeed (lots of disclaimers everywhere) but that seems to serve him well, it's been online for 8 years.

Also, hamsters! http://torrentz.eu/img/hamster.jpg