BREIN Wants Usenet Provider To Start Filtering (funny of the day)

[pcslookout]

In recent months there have been several attempts by anti-piracy groups to force file-sharing sites to filter links from their systems. But now in a bold move by Dutch anti-piracy group BREIN, there are demands that a Usenet provider should proactively filter infringing content from the worldwide newsgroup system.

For the music and movie industries, the blocking of file-sharing websites and/or the filtering of links they carry is fast becoming a fashionable weapon of choice. Perhaps the most famous example was the assault on Mininova, which culminated in the site having to remove huge numbers of torrents which may (or indeed may not) point to copyright content.

That action was forced by Dutch anti-piracy group BREIN who are making more than their fair share of headlines recently, and who are about to make even more. While successfully demanding that Mininova remove links to infringing content, BREIN have never really made inroads into getting the actual infringing content removed from the Internet – but all that could be about to change.

In a fairly bold move even by their standards, the anti-piracy group headed up by Tim Kuik has initiated legal action to force a Usenet service provider, much like Giganews or Newshosting, to start proactively filtering content from the worldwide newsgroup system.

The small seven-employee Usenet company News-Service.com is being sued by BREIN on claims that it facilitates copyright infringement and is demanding that the company ceases to offer copyright material or face fines of 50,000 euros per day.

Technical director of News-Service.com Patrick Schreurs strongly refutes BREIN’s claims and says that his company only provides access to Usenet and maintains that it is a mere conduit of information.

“BREIN’s move is comparable to suing a postal service for shipping illicit goods,” he said.

Schreurs’ assertion that trying to check up to 20 million daily Usenet messages is an impossibility raises a very real concern. If a legal requirement to filter perfectly, as was the case with Mininova, is implemented against News-Service (on pain of 50,000 euros per day in fines) the company could not carry this burden for long. If BREIN gets their way, Schreurs says the company will have to stop providing Usenet access.

News-Service already operates a Notice-and-Takedown system but, as was the case with Mininova, BREIN is not satisfied with its scope or performance.

“We were under the assumption that with this procedure we met the wishes of BREIN and that we would work on a solution together,” said Schreurs. “We regret the fact that BREIN has chosen a different course with this [legal] action.”

The case, the first of its type against a Usenet provider in The Netherlands, was heard on April 19th and the judge is expected to announce his decision early next month.

http://torrentfreak.com/brein-wants-usenet-provider-to-start-filtering-100501/


Not possible and funny to say the least. The only way this will happen is if the internet gets shutdown. I dare them to try and do that.

 

[SKORPI0]

You got this info since you got a job at Google right?

 

[pcslookout]

You got this info since you got a job at Google right?

Yep exactly

 

[M0RPH]

I'm not sure why people think that Usenet is always going to have a free pass for piracy. I guess it's because there's legitimate things going on in Usenet, you think that it's going to be untouchable? The binary groups of Usenet are pretty much a cesspool of piracy and porn. I'm not complaining, I'm a user myself. But I've always felt that at some point even Usenet is going to be in for a crackdown. It may be one of the last untouched Wild West regions of the Internet, but at some point I think even that's gonna change.

 

[deadlyapp]

The point is that the advocacy group has much more money than this usenet group. A quote in the article from the usenet provider says that they won't be able to do anything and will be forced to shut down.

Honestly that's the advocacy group's want I'm sure. Put enough burden on the small company they will fold. Problems solved.

 

[killster1]

newzbin.com is free right now because they are being sued.

"" Latest Site News
The site is now free

We have decided to stop taking payments for the use of the site for the time being.

This will probably change once back once the legal action is done and dusted and we know what we need to do to carry on. So, for the time being 'fill yer boots' ""

so shits happening just how fast and to what point.

 

[M0RPH]

newzbin.com is free right now because they are being sued.

"" Latest Site News
The site is now free

We have decided to stop taking payments for the use of the site for the time being.

I'm not seeing this

 

[pcslookout]

I'm not sure why people think that Usenet is always going to have a free pass for piracy. I guess it's because there's legitimate things going on in Usenet, you think that it's going to be untouchable? The binary groups of Usenet are pretty much a cesspool of piracy and porn. I'm not complaining, I'm a user myself. But I've always felt that at some point even Usenet is going to be in for a crackdown. It may be one of the last untouched Wild West regions of the Internet, but at some point I think even that's gonna change.

Well because for one because Usenet is protected by DMCA requests.