canadians and/or winmx users, I WANT YOU!

[melly]

i'll try to explain as best as possible.

i use WinMX to d/l songs and i know it's a file sharing app. but i've been following stories on CBC's website talking about going to courts to make this illegal. or, it's already illegal and somehow people who d/l the songs will be tracked down. now i have a few questions here. first of all i duno if this pertains to canadian laws, or just law in general. would winmx somehow be shut down? i've had no problems yet. once i have winmx installed on the computer, does winmx know who i am, and do they track what i d/l? or is it that they just provide the software enabling me to connect to other people's computers, and what i d/l they have no idea? i'm sort of confused. i hope i explained everything clearly.

i'm hoping this thread doesn't get locked due to the nature of it.

 

[wnied]

Your IP address is logged along with the time you use the application. This can be used to trace you to your service provider, who then can be summoned to give up the information about who uses the IP at the times they have it logged. Thus leading them right to your door.

~wnied~

 

[melly]

Originally posted by: wnied
Your IP address is logged along with the time you use the application. This can be used to trace you to your service provider, who then can be summoned to give up the information about who uses the IP at the times they have it logged. Thus leading them right to your door.

~wnied~

who logs it exactly, winmx's servers? i thought once i connected, then i am connected to others' computers, and not winmx's servers...

 

[Silex]

...somebody's paranoid...

 

[Looney]

Originally posted by: caramel

Originally posted by: wnied
Your IP address is logged along with the time you use the application. This can be used to trace you to your service provider, who then can be summoned to give up the information about who uses the IP at the times they have it logged. Thus leading them right to your door.

~wnied~

who logs it exactly, winmx's servers? i thought once i connected, then i am connected to others' computers, and not winmx's servers...

Just because you're logged in doesn't mean you're doing anything criminal. So even if the servers did keep a log, they aren't using that to nail people. What happens is that they probably have people connected to the servers, and when somebody downloads something from them, they record the IP and what they download.

Anyways, it won't affect Canadians. The RIAA has no power up here. CIRPA is the Canadian version, and they don't really care... all they want is the levies put in on the CDRs so they can cash in on that.

 

[SSP]

Go out and buy all the CD's so you can say "look! I have the original copy!!!"

 

[melly]

Originally posted by: Silex
...somebody's paranoid...

yeah actually i am. i used to work for a music company and i wonder how it affects them; whether or not they've seen a decline in sales.

 

[conjur]

Start downloading like mad until they pull the plug!

 

[melly]

Originally posted by: SSP
Go out and buy all the CD's so you can say "look! I have the original copy!!!"

i still buy cd's but once in a blue moon. i'm not a total 'thief'

 

[melly]

Originally posted by: Moralpanic

Originally posted by: caramel

Originally posted by: wnied
Your IP address is logged along with the time you use the application. This can be used to trace you to your service provider, who then can be summoned to give up the information about who uses the IP at the times they have it logged. Thus leading them right to your door.

~wnied~

who logs it exactly, winmx's servers? i thought once i connected, then i am connected to others' computers, and not winmx's servers...

Just because you're logged in doesn't mean you're doing anything criminal. So even if the servers did keep a log, they aren't using that to nail people. What happens is that they probably have people connected to the servers, and when somebody downloads something from them, they record the IP and what they download.

Anyways, it won't affect Canadians. The RIAA has no power up here. CIRPA is the Canadian version, and they don't really care... all they want is the levies put in on the CDRs so they can cash in on that.

kthanx for your reply.

 

[melly]

Music industry sends stern warning to file swappers

Last Updated Wed, 30 Apr 2003 11:32:14

LOS ANGELES - The record industry has ramped up its war against online piracy. It's tapped into internet file-swapping services and warned hundreds of thousands of traders that they are breaking law.

"It appears that you are offering copyrighted music to others from your computer. When you break the law, you risk legal penalties. There is a simple way to avoid the risk. DON'T STEAL THE MUSIC," the message reads.

The Record Industry Association of America (RIAA) has told swappers on two of the largest file-sharing services, Kazaa and Grokster, that they can be identified.

Grokster Ltd. president Wayne Rosso called the warnings a "death rattle," and said the company was anti-copyright anyway.

Rosso said Grokster will not try to block the RIAA from contacting its users and that if they want to stop the messages, they can change their software settings to block text messages.

The record industry has been fighting to recuperate losses it blames on online file sharing sites.

Last week, the industry lost a court battle against file-sharing services after a judge ruled that Grokster and StreamCast Networks Inc. are not responsible for illegal copying by their users.

A similar lawsuit against Kazaa is pending.

As many as 61 million Americans use internet services such as Kazaa and Grokster to download copyright material, according to media analysts.

The RIAA located Grokster and Kazaa users' screen names through a computer application designed to work with the peer-to-peer software. It allows automated searches of 100-200 of the most popular or most traded song titles on the services.

The RIAA says there is no enforcement associated with the warning messages, rather the latest move is educational.