The Federation Against Software Theft (FAST) wants to ratchet up the fight against illegal file-sharing, even comparing it to child pornography to stress the need for action.I've mentioned before how the UK govt wants ISPs to crack down on illegal file-sharing, but now it seems that the Federation Against Software Theft (FAST) wants it do even more - ban offenders from using the internet altogether. It seems that FAST has grown weary of the cumbersome legal process in which it must actually "... go through the courts and get a court order against the ISPs to give information on people performing illegal activities." Calling the process "long-winded, archaic, and very expensive," it wants to work more closely with ISPs and develop a "...simpler methodology to track down people using the networks for illegal activity and either bargain or give details to agencies and stop them from doing it." In other words, it wants to be able to monitor and filter ISP networks to make sure that nobody is sharing its content without its permission. Instead of "censorship" it's calling it a "collaboration," but if somebody's always monitoring and hassling your customers without any benefit to your company is it really a collaboration? FAST's idea of collaboration is to even go so far as to be able to demonstrate that if "...Joe Soap is using your network for illegal activity, (that) we would ask you to ban him from using your internet connections." So ISPs get to lose a customer for life and FAST gets to sell a few more copies of the latest video game title? Yeah, it's a "collaboration" alright. To make matters worse, FAST wants to be able to follow those accused of illegal file-sharing around. "If there's evidence of that person then joining another ISP and then taking up again, we would go to that ISP and say: "Here's the evidence and we don't think they should be allowed to use your network" said a spokesman for the group. The prospect of effectively banning people from the internet is ridiculous and completely unfeasible and also hints at a troubling new tactic by copyright holders to fight piracy at the ISP level. FAST even tries to make the old child pornography tie-in, saying that "If it were child pornography, there would be no question at all about that person being barred." So now a bootleg copy of Sim City is the same thing as a nude, underage child? I think not. Luckily I think the prospects for such a initiative are pretty bleak for it raises a whole number of questions about civil liberties, not to mention why ISPs would want to lose customers without any benefit in return. Nonetheless, it's important that people in the UK are aware of what FAST wants to accomplish and stay vigilant against such efforts. With the UK govt already trying to get ISPs take a "more activist role" in the problem of illegal file-sharing, the banning of those convicted of the crime may not be as far off as one thinks. Looking for more stuff to watch or download?
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Or maybe a collaborative satellite system, whichever one is more feasible!
"This site is funded by porn dealers anyway" ---------- WTF are u talking about? First off, what the hell is a "porn dealer" anyways. Secondly that couldn't be further from the truth. Thirdly, don't blame file-sharers for the inability of content producers to embrace the future of distribution. Blame the traditional CONTENT distributors like NBC, CBS, ABC, music labels etc... Is the world supposed to pause time while they get their acts together. Animators and programmers should be mad with their bosses and not their customers.
What the blue hell crawled up your arse and died, when I like a game or show, I bloody well buy the dvd usually, I don't bother with conventional cable because most of the time you're force-fed garbage and I found myself almost wishing the commercials would come on more often than the fakking shows!
When a show is good and I have the money, odds are I buy the dvds, if a game is worth my dollar, I'll buy it, most recently I picked up S.T.A.L.K.E.R. after a brief run through of it when I heard about it from a friend.
If you got some kind of bone to pick with downloading, you've come to the wrong bloody place good sir, I for one use it as a tool for two things, one to have a copy of some things that aren't easily procured in my locale, and two so that I can pre-test what the game is ACTUALLY going to be like, not play some pumped up demo or listen to some crumby gaming magazine.
I'm sure I speak for a decent number of down-loaders when I say that there are two reasons why downloading is occurring in such a massive scale, either they can't afford it, or they want to test the software properly before spending hard-earned cash that you've gone and sweat blood and tears for.
If you're spending 30 dollars on a whisk, wouldn't you want to see if it will last long enough to make that cost worth it, or view a painting if you're spending several hundred dollars to buy so you know what you're buying.
Here's a scenario for you, you got a car dealership and they have only one car on the lot, a man walks up and asks "Where have all your cars gone?", to which the salesman replies with a wide smile "They're all on a ship-by-order status, however the car we have here is quite similar to the cars we're selling so it should work as well for you as one of our order-in cars." Taking the bait the man asks "Could I then have a test drive for the car I am thinking to buy?" "No problem, step right this way to our test-car" as the salesman leads the man to this absolutely stunning car, everything shines with almost an inner glow and the entire interior feels like you're driving a cloud. After the test ride the man says "So what's the cost?" and with a grin that only a salesman could pull off the salesman says "Only $80,000 to which you can make several easy payments towards over the next 10 years" Thinking that it's quite pricey but if the car is anything like the one he just drove, it should be well worth it he signed the dotted line and waited patiently for his car to arrive for 6 weeks. When it arrived the movers dropped it off in a large wooden crate and drove away, at the time it was unnoticeable but they were quite quick about leaving, opening the crate the man was staring face to face with a car, it had 4 wheels, several chairs, and a steering wheel, however it looked nothing like the amazing car he test-drove in the lot. The front bumper was welded back on to the frame, the faded yellow paint was showing rust spots all over, one of the mirrors was cracked, the back bumper had a significant dent in it, the upholstery was in shambles, and when he turned the engine over there was a loud clunk or two and the smell of burning oil could be noticed coming from the exhaust as it clattered to life, albeit quite strained in that aspect. Packing up his purchase slips and getting into his 'new' car the man charged off as fast as the clunker could take him back to the auto-lot, where the same salesman was standing there, smiling away as he pulled up. Just as the man was about to protest about his car the salesman simply replied "I said it was similar to this car, did I not, now be on your way, I have work to do and you're no longer needing to be dealt with, oh and if you try to not pay for the remainder of your payments, we're allowed to re-possess everything due to the contract you signed to pay off what you owe.