NZ arrests in US-led copyright operation

[Grumph]

FFS - google the guys name. Convicted of fraud, embezzlement and insider trading. Haven't met the guy but know people who have been royaly screwed over by him.

My question is how the fuck did he get nz residency.

Quite simple....he paid ten million dollars plus an unspecified donation to the ChCh earthquake Fund.....

I'll say one thing for this gouging government, they're not shy selling stuff....and not particular who they sell to either.

[Oblivion]

Megaupload was a site that allowed direct downloads of files, whether they be music, movies,games whatever. That is direct piracy.

However, the British teen that got extradited to the US, for having links to sites, In my eyes is not piracy. He is encouraging others to commit piracy. Just like what all the big corporations have been doing for years.

Cnet, As you should know was a site that pretty much hosted links to download lots of different tools that allowed you tp gain copyrighted materials, Such as Limewire and all that.

But its ironic that the Founder of Cnet, was someone that was on the Board of Representatives of Microsoft. Same with AOL. The founder of that site was a representative for Warner Media Group (WMG) that pretty much have screwed the internet over when it comes to watching videos on Youtube.

Both of these sites distribute tools that allow people to download the copyrighted files. They would then countersue these people for profit. By acting like the victim, they then earn millions of dollars.

The only reason that piracy is so bad is because these guys allowed it to happen, and they made a FORTUNE counter suing these people for downloading songs with the tools that they provided. A single US Mum downloaded 14 songs and the copyright holders wanted $1 million US for each downloaded song.

Ill see if I can find the video that explains it better

[mashman]

Heh... I'm surprised noone has mentioned SOPA or PIPA, because those laws would have stopped this from happening

[noobi]

Heh... I'm surprised noone has mentioned SOPA or PIPA, because those laws would have stopped this from happening

Along with Wikipedia, google, yahoo, and pretty much any forum anywhere.

[rainman]

My question is how the fuck did he get nz residency.

Quite simple....he paid ten million dollars plus an unspecified donation to the ChCh earthquake Fund.....

I'll say one thing for this gouging government, they're not shy selling stuff....and not particular who they sell to either.

I was going to say "because he has money (illegal or no), and because the government are fuckwits who'll believe any old shit about job creation and growth from wealthy immigrants (dodgy or no)".

I feel sorry for his family, who are apparently decent people. Imagine having to live around that ego all the time. Suspect they might be on the fast track back away from easy street if he gets a stint in the real Big House.

[Ender EnZed]

Let's say I sneak into your garage at night, and steal your bike. You go into your garage in the morning, and find out that you no longer have a bike. You have now lost an expensive asset. You can't ride your bike, and you can't sell it and get money from it, because you don't have it in your possession any more. A motorbike is a tangible asset that you don't have any more. That's theft. I can now ride the bike myself, or strip it for parts and sell it.

If someone were to be a famous singer, and I download an album of theirs, then they still have that album.....They can still sell albums to other people.

This much is fact. I don't think anyone could say that the above is not a true and accurate description of reality. There's a bit more to it of course...

As a side note (or parallel, it's more interesting to me), today was the first time I'd heard anything about MegaUpload having anything at all to with New Zealand. How about the rest of you?

[SMOKEU]

I equate digital IP theft to looting during a riot.

The looters justify it by claiming they're attacking "the man" and big corporates....and "that's what insurance is for".

If you own a shop and people loot it during a riot, then:

1. You will have to pay insurance excess for replacing windows, stock, etc.

2. You may lose any no claims bonus.

3. Your shop will have to be closed while it's repaired and new stock is ordered, so you can't make any sales during that time.

4. It will take you a lot of time to count losses, fill out insurance forms, replace stock, etc.

If someone pirates your music, how are you DIRECTLY suffering any loss, monetary or otherwise? Many of the people who pirate stuff wouldn't be prepared to pay for it even if software piracy didn't exist, so how is anyone losing money? It's just like me sneaking up to someones car and taking a picture of it. No one is losing anything.

[Winston001]

Did you record something off the radio, or a video off TV - then, according to your logic (and the RIAA's) you're a thief! Copy something out of a book?

Good points and that's my ethical position. I recorded music off the radio when I were a lad and I've recorded movies off TV since then. That is lawful in NZ. So is copying parts of books. It only goes wrong if you then re-copy on to a third person (but backups are ok - right...??)

There are a group of artists that release their work for free or as a donation. They even wrote a fucking song supporting megaupload for this.

Here's a novel idea; maybe artists don't need to be paid as much as they are for what they're doing?

Yes agreed, that's fine and I suspect politicians don't understand freely given art because they don't hear from the people who do it. Still, people have to eat and I don't see why artists shouldn't make some money. Most bands have day jobs. Sod all earn a living. Consider the premier Flying Nun icon, The Chills. I'd probably give Martin Phillips a donation if I saw him in the street. This is a band which played with REM and.....never quite got there.

Some people even seem to think of illegal downloads, particularly music, as a "right".

Meanwhile, "integrity" has been missing for some time and is presumed dead.


Anyone look at the profit margins of record companies?

Pretty crap.....

Succinctly put. Heck, I struggle to explain to my teenagers why downloading music is illegal - they do not get it. But the interesting thing is, they haven't done so since September 2011. So laws are understood by most of us and obeyed even if disliked.

Mind you, ripping Youtube tracks appears to be ok...

[BoristheBiter]

Smokeu and spman you're both showing your ignorance. The same basic rules apply to intellectual property as physical property.

When you STEAL movies and music by downloading it the artist and the company/people who have invested in the artist or movie aren't receiving anything for their effort/investment. This is theft.

Simple question - do you guys expect to be paid for your work? Or do you work for free like you expect the musicians, actors etc to?

From other threads on here they don't work and sponge off the rest of us.

[mashman]

From other threads on here they don't work and sponge off the rest of us.

You mean they keep inflation down ensuring that your money is worth what it is currently worth and not less had they all been in employment?

[scumdog]

You mean they keep inflation down ensuring that your money is worth what it is currently worth and not less had they all been in employment?

How fuckin' noble of them...

I'll look at the leeches in a different manner now

Yeah right....

[mashman]

How fuckin' noble of them...

I'll look at the leeches in a different manner now

Yeah right....

that's coz you're an ignorant pig

[doc]

Ill see if I can find the video that explains it better

It's not this one is it was emailed to me this week. I don't have the concentration span to watch it

http://www.youtub<iframe width="560"...source=message

[BoristheBiter]

that's coz you're an ignorant pig

Takes one to know one.

[mashman]

It's not this one is it was emailed to me this week. I don't have the concentration span to watch it

In brief. Illuminati conspiracy backed up by the man in the entertainment industry making or breaking established stars by discrediting their lifestyle choices or framing them because they don't do as they're told, and in some cases murdering them... bit of symbology, bit of numerology, bit of the famous resenting their fame and whoring themselves to the devil (not necessarily figuratively speaking either) and last but not least, the realisation that money has made some famous people do, say and promote things that otherwise wouldn't. Nothing too new, control via abuse of power and threat.