US shuts down network due to StarWars

[Musourenka]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=582&e=1&u=/nm/20050525/wr_nm/crime_starwars_dc

U.S. shuts down network that leaked 'Star Wars'

Wed May 25, 5:15 PM ET

U.S. law enforcers said on Wednesday that they have shut down a computer network that distributed illegal copies of "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith" before it appeared in movie theaters.

Federal agents executed 10 search warrants and seized the main server computer in a network that allowed people to download nearly 18,000 movies and software programs, including many current releases, the FBI and Homeland Security Department said.

The Elite Torrents network, found online at www.elitetorrents.org, relied on a technology called BitTorrent that allows users to quickly download digital movies and other large files by copying them from many computers at once.

The network signed up 133,000 members who collectively downloaded 2.1 million files, according to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement division of the Homeland Security Department.

Visitors to the Web site on Wednesday saw a notice that read, "This site has been permanently shut down by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement."

The raid targeted administrators of the network and those who provided movies and other copyrighted material. Similar cases in the past have found that such "first providers" are typically entertainment-industry insiders, rather than outside hackers.

Agents executed search warrants in Arizona, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kansas, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin. No arrests have been made, but the investigation continues, ICE spokeswoman Jamie Zuieback said.

Elite Torrents offered a "virtually unlimited" selection of material, ICE said. The latest Star Wars movie was available on the network more than six hours before it was first shown in theaters, and within 24 hours it was copied more than 10,000 times.

The Motion Picture Association, an industry group, helped with the investigation, ICE said. Movie studios are trying to avoid the fate of the music industry, which claims it has lost hundreds of millions of dollars worth of sales due to online file sharing.

Digital movies are about 50 times larger than music files, which makes them more cumbersome to download. New technologies like BitTorrent, however, and increased high-speed Internet use are closing the gap.

The MPAA has managed to shut down at least five BitTorrent networks through lawsuits and has also sued individuals who use them.

BitTorrent networks have caused headaches for software makers as well. Apple Computer Inc has sued three men for posting the latest version of its OS X operating system on a BitTorrent site six months before it was commercially released.


Holy crap... Just... holy crap.

[firepokemon]

Good for them. I realise this thread will get a bunch of people bitching about this, but what do you expect?

I have no problem with people committing piracy, even if it is downloading movies that haven't even appeared. But please people. If you get caught don;t go bitching bout it. And its only Star Wars, a piece of shit film that has totally wrecked any respectability Star Wars ever had.

[Jeff]

Yeah, I agree.

That site, and others like it are ILLEGAL, if you think you can get away with doing stuff like that, you must be out of your mind.

Oh great, now I sound like the MPAA...

[Girafarig]

What's the big deal. Pirating is illegal. They got caught. They're going to be punished. Nothing to get all worried about. It's not like Imperial Stormtroopers from Emperor Bushatine dragged some fat nerd beating off to Amidala to a reeducation center.

[stickachu]

There's only one good kind of pirating and that involves eyepatches and rum.

On topic, I think this is a good thing. I'd rather the pirates are shut down than have to pay more to see movies legally.

[Kari and Mewtwo]

The government is such a dick. Now I know why we haven't caught Bin Laden yet.

Also, I expect the main BitTorrent site to be shut down pretty soon, which is also gay. Now answer me this: What causes more harm: downloading Star Wars Episode III or the fact that Bin Laden is still a free man?

[Tainted]

Now answer me this: What causes more harm: downloading Star Wars Episode III or the fact that Bin Laden is still a free man?

The first one. Bin Laden hasn't done fuck all but pick his ass and suck his thumb the past while.

Honestly-- who even gives a shit? This whole situation is like throwing rocks at the retarded kid in gradeschool. Everyone does it, but there's always that one kid that gets caught and punished hardcore for picking on a retard.

Adieu,
Zak Hunter

[RedStarWarrior]

This is the wrong forum...I think it would do better in TBD. Of course, it might work in Entertainment as well, but whatever.

[Kari and Mewtwo]

The first one. Bin Laden hasn't done **** all but pick his ass and suck his thumb the past while.

Yes, Bin Laden didn't organize followers to fly three boeing passenger aircraft into two 120 story buildings located in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington D.C. All he did was sit in his cave, pick his ass, download Arab porn with the women still wearing the shrouds, download illegal copies of Star Wars and the Godfather, and have anal sex with his mountain goat. Yeah.

[fat man with a monkey]

Tainted's closer to being right than you are.

"Also, I expect the main BitTorrent site to be shut down pretty soon"

Bittorrent is pretty much decentralized, meaning that the only thing sites really do are search for torrents and give you a nice hash from which to download. It'd be nicer to have an integrated search function, but that's what sites do. Also, not to mention, most (all?) bittorent clients are open source, meaning that even if they do try to block them somehow or shit, there's a few people out there willing to re-compile and re-write the coding to make it work.

[stickachu]

Yes, Bin Laden didn't organize followers to fly three boeing passenger aircraft into two 120 story buildings located in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington D.C. All he did was sit in his cave, pick his ass, download Arab porn with the women still wearing the shrouds, download illegal copies of Star Wars and the Godfather, and have anal sex with his mountain goat. Yeah.

I'm sure we all agree that Bin Laden is a pig ****er. Still, that doesn't mean we can just stop punishing crime in our country and set upon a worldwide manhunt for one pig ****er that may very well be dead already. Heck, that would cause the downfall of our society that he was shooting for anyway.

I just hope this increased crack down on Bit Torrent doesn't cause my landlords to even further restrict internet usage. Last year, a guy got caught sharing Elf (and that guy wasn't even in my building) and basically we couldn't do anything on the internet for months. We actually had to call our lawyers since it was a violation of our contract in which we were guaranteed internet service. Knowing my landlords, they wouldn't mind trying such a thing again. I think they have fun trying to screw us over.

[Chris]

Also, I expect the main BitTorrent site to be shut down pretty soon

The main BitTorrent site will never be shut down, and in the rare event that it is, all hell will break loose. There is no illegal content on there at all (although the redirect to Google search for .torrent files is questionable, it's still not illegal), and many companies make legitimate use of BitTorrent to distribute their own software (Linux distributions spring instantly to mind). There is no reason to attack a technology that supports file-sharing, as the **AA found out when they launched an attack on IRC some time ago. God, that was hilarious. I don't know who informed them about IRC, but they must have thought it was some small-scale file-sharing medium. Idiots.


Bittorrent is pretty much decentralized

No it isn't. The .torrent location and tracker location are both fixed, and if the tracker moves or disappears, the chain is broken. BitTorrent is extremely centralised, which is why it has been so easy to shut down so many BT sources so far. Bram Cohen has made plans to make BT less centralised by making every peer a potential tracker, as shown in the latest Beta release. This means that we will see an increase in the subpoenaing of individual users, in the same way as KaZaA, since there will no longer be an easy target (the tracker) to attack.


most (all?) bittorent clients are open source

All. It's a requirement of the license (http://www.bittorrent.com/license).

BitTorrent sites are like viruses. When the **AA shut down one, another seven open somewhere else. They've never encountered anything on this scale before, and their old tried-and-true method of throwing money at a problem to make it go away is failing. BitTorrent is proof that you just can't do that on the Internet any more.

[Carbonite4]

Good for them. Generally, I'm against piracy. I mean, I'll download a CD, but if I like it, I'll go and buy it.

[Kari and Mewtwo]

http://home.schule.at/teacher/rausch/mystuff/pirate.gif

YARRR MATEYS.. I be 100% pro sweet trade if ye haven`t already seen. Mainly since I be lazy an' be havin' nay treasure, therefore th' easiest way be t' sit on th' internet an' download. They try t' take that away from us, thar WILL be hell on earth. A seafarin' hearty`s life be a life fer me. YARR

[Systematic Revolution]

The FBI has tons more important things to do. I've downloaded music, but never distributed it. And I don't really do it anymore because financial situations here are a little better and I can actually afford to get CDs once in awhile now.

If the FBI wants to crack down on people for downloading and sharing movies or music, or what the hell ever, fine. But at least do something worthwhile like oh I don't know find the REAL terrorists and do something about them? There are plenty more things in this freakin country to worry about. This goes for all of this stupid shit like "Oh lets look like we're doing something by trying to ban sexually suggestive cheerleading when there are probably a thousand criminals sitting in front of the jail drinking beer discussing their latest murder". Whatever. Our criminal justice system is fucked up.

[Syberia]

http://home.schule.at/teacher/rausch/mystuff/pirate.gif

YARRR MATEYS.. I be 100% pro sweet trade if ye haven`t already seen. Mainly since I be lazy an' be havin' nay treasure, therefore th' easiest way be t' sit on th' internet an' download. They try t' take that away from us, thar WILL be hell on earth. A seafarin' hearty`s life be a life fer me. YARR
Yarr, sail the seven ISPs!

[Lezta]

To be honest these days I just use torrents to get at software no normal human being can afford (photoshop, 3dmax etc).

Actually... I don't think I've ever paid for a peice of software that's not a game in my life (and I've paid for all my games). Well, aside from OS's. Oh well.

[fat man with a monkey]

I've never paid for photoshop/PSP either, and I can tell you, Jasc and Adobe aren't losing any money. I can't afford to pay for it, therefore, I'd never buy it. If I wouldn't ever buy it, they're not losing any money, are they? If I ever became a professional graphics designer, then yeah, I'd buy legit copies.

[Kari and Mewtwo]

There be a photoshop torrent? Damn.

Thar goes me $100 down t' tube fer a legal copy of PSE

[kainashi]

don't discuss warez plz. ;o

[fat man with a monkey]

I thought it might be alright if we didn't discuss the availability of the warez or give any links.

[kainashi]

you thought wrong.

i don't want it being discussed.

[fat man with a monkey]

alright then, I'll respect your wishes, Mister Mod

[kainashi]

i don't really care. i don't think anyone really gives a shit that you downloaded whatever from a torrent or anything though. :wave:

[Carbonite4]

I've never paid for photoshop/PSP either, and I can tell you, Jasc and Adobe aren't losing any money. I can't afford to pay for it, therefore, I'd never buy it. If I wouldn't ever buy it, they're not losing any money, are they? If I ever became a professional graphics designer, then yeah, I'd buy legit copies.

Same. I just don't have enough money for it, so I haven't paid for it. As you said, if I did anything professionally, I would pay for it, but I just fool around and do stuff for fun.