AfterDawn: Tech news

RIAA takes on the entire Usenet network

Written by Rich Fiscus @ 16 Oct 2007 10:24 User comments (44)

RIAA takes on the entire Usenet network The RIAA is suing North Dakota based Usenet.com, Inc., claiming the company "enables and encourages its customers to reproduce and distribute millions of infringing copies of Plaintiff's valuable copyrighted sound recordings."
The key to the RIAA argument seems to be the encouraging aspect more than anything else. In order to show liability on the part of the operator of the Usenet message board network, lawyers must establish not just that copyrighted content can and has been shared on Usenet, but also that Usenet.com encouraged this behavior.

Usenet.com's website clearly states that they don't monitor any identifying information about who uploads, downloads, or posts anything on the network of message boards, which the RIAA apparently plans to argue is an invitation to do illegal things.

"They started by going after Napster, Aimster, Grokster, and after that they said, 'We're gonna go after individuals to see if we (can) get into the psyche of people that peer-to-peer file sharing is wrong,'" says Washington, D.C.-based copyright attorney Ross Dannenberg. "Now it has come full circle. Throughout this cycle, (Usenet) newsgroups have been ignored."



He suggests that they may use DMCA's Safe Harbor provision as a defense. It shields service providers from liability for their customers' infringement as long as they comply with Takedown Requests from content owners. YouTube is already testing this defense, but is in a slightly different position since YouTube's product is their website, whereas Usenet.com's product is actually a connection to a network of message boards.

Since Usenet.com's policy against monitoring makes it if not impossible, at least impractical to locate individuals uploading infringing content, a victory in this case would be a loud statement to Usenet posters, many of whom feel they're out of the RIAA's reach because of the network's anonymity.

Source: Wired News

Previous Next  

44 user comments

116.10.2007 23:54

it's never say die for these id10t's.
ah in a perfect world they would be staked to the ground and smeared with honey for the ants.
then again if that was done peta might get involved for cruelty to animals.

217.10.2007 01:06

Um..."takedown requests"?? Do these assclowns actually know the difference between Usenet and Youtube? In order to defeat Usenet, you'd have to destroy/moderate every news server in the world. Not just premium providers like Giganews or newshosting..but every server in foreign lands as well. Then there are anonymous posting servers, remailers, chained proxies, PGP, TOR, etc.

Not.gonna.happen.

317.10.2007 01:21

Quote:
Usenet.com's website clearly states that they don't monitor any identifying information [...] which the RIAA apparently plans to argue is an invitation to do illegal things.
I guess that means we're all invited to go to unmonitored areas of Central Park and do whatever illegal things we like because there's nobody there to monitor us. Even better, if we get mugged ourselves, we can turn around and sue the City of New York for inviting other people to do illegal things by not monitoring the park.

Maybe the RIAA believes logic is somebody else's intellectual property. They certainly steer well clear of using it themselves.
This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 17 Oct 2007 @ 1:23

417.10.2007 01:54

This just in...RIAA sues..themselves.
Next, they will sue the HTTP protocol.
Next, email.
Next, people who break wind in any RIAA copyrighted tune..

517.10.2007 05:02
crowy
Inactive

Originally posted by windsong:
This just in...RIAA sues..themselves.
Next, they will sue the HTTP protocol.
Next, email.
Next, people who break wind in any RIAA copyrighted tune..

LMFAO!!!!

617.10.2007 09:59

They are persistently dumb.

717.10.2007 10:39

The worst fear is that they'll go after individual server operators. Worse still, force server ops to start logging customers uploads and downloads. That would probably kill off the premium servers. The Remailers and foriegn networks would then most likely thrive. Short of the RIAA managing to take every peer offline, I think Usenet in it's current form will be around for some time.

@crowy Long time no see!

817.10.2007 11:03

what's next sue ftp sue e-mail atachments?? start selling songs at .10 and there won't be piracy anymore that's the real solution cuz they think they are losing money in the US they have to take look here in aouth america ppl have 20 or 30gb of music intheir hard drives and i guess it's not from itunes

917.10.2007 12:10
emugamer
Inactive

What's scary is that they just might win. Whichever side serves someones political or financial agenda will win, and I'm sure the RIAA sends out lots of "fruit baskets." After the Thomas case, Usenet just may not be safe.

1017.10.2007 13:53

I was hoping the RIAA would just leave newsgroups alone.

1117.10.2007 14:38
jony218
Inactive

Now the newsgroups are getting some free publicity, courtesy of the RIAA. Many people probably never heard of newsgroups, now they will have to go see whats going on. Everytime they sue someone, somebody gets some free advertisement.

1217.10.2007 16:06
vinny13
Inactive

These guys are so full of SHIT. They and the other groups similar to them are worse then the American health care providers. That's just plain low.

Now they're just singling people out for more profit. It's not like any of this money is actually going to go to any record producers or artists...

1317.10.2007 16:48

Bring it !

1417.10.2007 17:41

Originally posted by jony218:
Now the newsgroups are getting some free publicity, courtesy of the RIAA. Many people probably never heard of newsgroups, now they will have to go see whats going on. Everytime they sue someone, somebody gets some free advertisement.
and that's exactly what newsgroups don't need,publicity

1517.10.2007 18:50

Yeah, and this will only last until the next internet technology arrives and then they will go after that.

The point here is that government people have always felt that the internet is "too free." This will open an avenue for more restrictive internet protocols and procedures.

And if that happens, then sites like this are living on borrowed time....

1617.10.2007 19:47

the RIAA needs to just give up and the MPAA to there not ever going to stop piracy there's just toooo many people doing it.

1717.10.2007 23:31

Quote:
Usenet.com's website clearly states that they don't monitor any identifying information about who uploads, downloads, or posts anything on the network of message boards, which the RIAA apparently plans to argue is an invitation to do illegal things.
so...wouldn't that mean since i have an internet connection that it would be an "invitation" to do illegal things...?

next on the agenda...sue the internet for allowing files to be online

1818.10.2007 00:35

On one hand we have the media mafia suing premium newsgroups on the other we have them suing the net.....oh dear....

1918.10.2007 02:18

Then everyone will go out war driving with smart phones and thumb drives....The internet's not confined to computers anymore. A thumb drive can hold a lot of songs and can fit in the most UNUSUAL places...

2018.10.2007 06:26

Originally posted by craftyzan:
Then everyone will go out war driving with smart phones and thumb drives....The internet's not confined to computers anymore. A thumb drive can hold a lot of songs and can fit in the most UNUSUAL places...

So that's where the phrase "Having your thumb stuck up your a**" comes from LOL!!

2119.10.2007 13:24

I wonder if when the RIAA and the MPAA get all the download portals shutdown, shouting that they have won to anyone who will listen and their gross profits do not rise, who are they going to blame for their assumed losses then???

It wouldn't surprise me that they would try to have the tax payers foot the bill to fill the profit that they think they should have....

Maybe we could mount a class action suit against the studios for false advertisement and distributing junk.....

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 19 Oct 2007 @ 1:26

2219.10.2007 15:13

Perhaps the problem is that Usenext CHARGES for the service.

I'll stick to my PRIVATE trackers!!!

2319.10.2007 15:19

Next we wont be allowed to switch our machines on cause its illegal to think of downloading anything geeeez how would the worlds learning centres cope mmmmmm ah yes and what about all the businesses that are involved in the internet .....they will have to go after mr M$ because he brought these operating systems in that help you to do illegal things!!

2419.10.2007 15:33

ok everybody listen up.the way to the riaa heart is thru its wallet.quit buying their products....... period. we dont need it

2519.10.2007 15:50
icepir8
Inactive

Only in America.

You have the right to be as much of an ass as everyone will let yo be. And guess what enough people are letting them. What our response should be we won't buy any songs protected by RIAA BS. Money talks and they are trying to grab as much as they can. So if for period of time no one bought any songs that the RIAA was enforcing copyrights on we could make a point in dollars and cents. That is the only message they will hear.

2619.10.2007 16:49

How do you get to talk to RIAA?
I just checked out the website - no email address, no enquiry form and no discussion board. Seems like they are not interested in getting opinions from anyone using a computer! Admittedly there is one telephone number but I am not about to start phoning them from the UK

Seriously organisations like this and businesses are completely out of touch with what consumers want - one wonders what they pay all their marketing experts for? The cant even have the intelligence to see that posting their precious copyrighted film clips on U-tube is in fact a bundle of free publicity for them. They want to delivery everything through slick professional interfaces which frankly are just not fun!

Their business pratices belong to the 20th century not the 21st - cant they understand that we the CONSUMERS have been saying to them enough is enough. Paying fair prices for something is one thing, allowing large companies to completely control what we can and cannot watch or listen to is another. They are for example sitting on mountains of unreleased or catalogue withdrawn material - waiting presumably for the opportunity to turn it into a pile of cash, and if that moment never comes - tough shit we arent allowed to hear it.

If I had my way copyright would be limited to 10 years after which everything would be in the public domain.

2719.10.2007 17:21

Originally posted by pippincp:
Perhaps the problem is that Usenext CHARGES for the service.

I'll stick to my PRIVATE trackers!!!

that require "donations".

2819.10.2007 17:50

Quote:
Originally posted by pippincp:
Perhaps the problem is that Usenext CHARGES for the service.

I'll stick to my PRIVATE trackers!!!

that require "donations".
If I wish to donate-that's up to me!

2919.10.2007 19:41

EVERYONE needs to start COMPLETLY boycotting the RIAA, MPAA, and the ENTIRE entertainment industry!!! that includes major sports as well!!!

3019.10.2007 19:44

Originally posted by pippincp:
Perhaps the problem is that Usenext CHARGES for the service.

I'll stick to my PRIVATE trackers!!!
Sorry to break the news....but most trackers are P2L (pay to leach).

3119.10.2007 21:12
entilzah
Inactive

lets do it the old fashion way get out your vynal and put it onto tape and then pass it onto a friend

3219.10.2007 22:10

Originally posted by fonzbear:
EVERYONE needs to start COMPLETLY boycotting the RIAA, MPAA, and the ENTIRE entertainment industry!!! that includes major sports as well!!!
http://www.riaaradar.com/

3320.10.2007 06:11

Some of these user net and the rest of the user net Groups should go after these (#$%^&) through legal terms, just like these come after us. I believe that you should fight (fire with fire) and I think that all of us think alone the same lines. A portion of our moneys that have been spent for the use of this service, should be spent hiring the best that money can buy and go after this (IRAA) and do something that could open the corruption within that organization. You see, an Organization the size of this (IRAA) that is being paid by the record industries is only going to get bigger and bigger; you must CUT the F$%^ head off and use some of the service money that we contribute for this user net service to work…

3420.10.2007 06:24

Originally posted by rto180:
Some of these user net and the rest of the user net Groups should go after these (#$%^&) through legal terms, just like these come after us. I believe that you should fight (fire with fire) and I think that all of us think alone the same lines. A portion of our moneys that have been spent for the use of this service, should be spent hiring the best that money can buy and go after this (IRAA) and do something that could open the corruption within that organization. You see, an Organization the size of this (IRAA) that is being paid by the record industries is only going to get bigger and bigger; you must CUT the F$%^ head off and use some of the service money that we contribute for this user net service to work…
We can all cry but in the end it’s up to the service providers that WE support their service and they should take the battle to the front. Without our contribution they would be out of business: its lawyer on a feeding frenzy, capitalizing on all this bull shit, and until this all changes this is ruining of someone’s life or worse (Imprisonment)

3520.10.2007 12:33

I am glad to be in the UK. We do it the old way, leg it with CDs\DVDs songs films software the lot. Not likely to be nicked that way. Why don't you do it like that. You can also copy by soldering a pair of wires to the speakers on your Radio TV DVD player and copy all music, the seakers can't pass any data to bock it. You can also get a electronic guy to wire the TV for films. What now RIAA????

3620.10.2007 19:34

Originally posted by AUDIOMIND:
Originally posted by fonzbear:
EVERYONE needs to start COMPLETLY boycotting the RIAA, MPAA, and the ENTIRE entertainment industry!!! that includes major sports as well!!!
http://www.riaaradar.com/

i like this better: http://www.boycott-riaa.com/

3720.10.2007 20:13

Originally posted by malh:
I am glad to be in the UK. We do it the old way, leg it with CDs\DVDs songs films software the lot. Not likely to be nicked that way. Why don't you do it like that. You can also copy by soldering a pair of wires to the speakers on your Radio TV DVD player and copy all music, the seakers can't pass any data to bock it. You can also get a electronic guy to wire the TV for films. What now RIAA????
just wait till HDCP speakers, its digitally protected right into the cranium :P

3821.10.2007 12:34

"just wait till HDCP speakers, its digitally protected right into the cranium :P"

Microphone(s) In sound chaber(s) There will always be a way for Pirates. Play the DVD\CD, run it through a "Valve" amplifier, record from that.

3921.10.2007 19:48

For every digital block they put on digital media, ther will always be an analogue solution. For instance, most video can be captured with a half decent screen capture proggy and a fairly fast PC. Audio is just as easy with a simple audio capture program.

4022.10.2007 19:13

Originally posted by fonzbear:
Originally posted by AUDIOMIND:
Originally posted by fonzbear:
EVERYONE needs to start COMPLETLY boycotting the RIAA, MPAA, and the ENTIRE entertainment industry!!! that includes major sports as well!!!
http://www.riaaradar.com/

i like this better: http://www.boycott-riaa.com/


They're essentially the same thing, except with the site I submitted you can take action and actually locate most any CD released the past 10 years or so and see if it was released under any of the RIAA labels, thus avoiding it.
http://www.riaa.org/aboutus.php?content_selector=aboutus_members

4122.10.2007 20:46

Originally posted by AUDIOMIND:
Originally posted by fonzbear:
Originally posted by AUDIOMIND:
Originally posted by fonzbear:
EVERYONE needs to start COMPLETLY boycotting the RIAA, MPAA, and the ENTIRE entertainment industry!!! that includes major sports as well!!!
http://www.riaaradar.com/

i like this better: http://www.boycott-riaa.com/


They're essentially the same thing, except with the site I submitted you can take action and actually locate most any CD released the past 10 years or so and see if it was released under any of the RIAA labels, thus avoiding it.
http://www.riaa.org/aboutus.php?content_...members

ah, i see what that link is about now-very nice!

4223.10.2007 08:17

This is going to be a long one i feel :P

4323.10.2007 22:31

has anyone been attacked for using newsgroups provided by their ISP's? As opposed to using pay usenet sites.

441.11.2007 22:23

Quit using your ISP for usenet uses! That's what they want you to do. Dedicated usenet servers are one step away from the pseudo-anonymity of ISP. I may be wrong for future use, but protected at least for the present.

Comments have been disabled for this article.

News archive