EliteTorrents Admin Finally Free After Dark Four Years
Written by enigmax on August 05, 2009After being jailed for his part in uploading a pre-released Star Wars Episode III in 2005, the admin of the EliteTorrents BitTorrent tracker is finally a free man. Around 3 weeks ago Scott was removed from the US government’s monitor list and he now shares his thoughts with TorrentFreak.
It wouldn’t be an understatement to say that the last few years have been pretty miserable for Scott McCausland (sk0t), ex-administrator of the EliteTorrents BitTorrent tracker. After uploading a leaked workprint version of Star Wars: Episode III in 2005, he and other members of the site’s staff were tracked down and arrested by the FBI.
In September 2006, Scott pleaded guilty to two charges – ‘conspiracy to commit copyright infringement’ and ‘criminal copyright infringement’. For his ‘crime’, Scott was sentenced to 5 months in jail and 5 months home confinement but his release didn’t mean his life was back to normal.
After his release in 2007, Scott was fitted with a monitoring ankle bracelet which restricted his freedom, but the government hadn’t finished limiting his life. Scott had to have special software installed on his computer to monitor his online activities, but since it was Windows only, he had to give up his beloved Ubuntu.
In the months that followed, Scott publicly shared details via his blog of his struggle to come to terms with his severe treatment for uploading a single movie, which at times made pretty upsetting reading. Thankfully his nightmare is now coming to an end.
It has been around 3 weeks since Scott was taken off the US government’s monitor list, which means that he is no longer on probation. Scott says things have been pretty good since and he can now do things we all take for granted – like being able to use Ubuntu instead of Windows.
TorrentFreak caught up with Scott who said he was happy to send a message to his friends and readers here to mark his official freedom.
“I have officially been off probation since July 12th. What a great feeling to finally be free from the clutches of evil (or the federal government). It was actually a really easy time on probation. It was 2 years, dealing once a month with my probation officer… who was really a great person,” he told us.
For those of us who remember the exact time and date of the EliteTorrents raid, it seems like only yesterday, but so much has happened since and as Scott puts it, his freedom has been a long time coming.
“I haven’t had a clear head since May 25th, 2005. Over 4 years of what I would call the worst period of my life is over,” he recalls.
But in the end the release from the nightmare comes from Scott himself and he is certainly trying to make the best of things now.
“I have been focusing a lot of time on my family. We bought a house in November, while I was still on home confinement. I am working at a local college, dealing with ERP implementations, specifically Oracle, and I am still actively participating in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and MMA,” he told TorrentFreak.
As if these things won’t keep Scott busy enough, he’s looking forward to a brighter future and a very special occasion.
“I will be hopefully starting back to school for my MBA in the spring. And I am getting married in May 2010. Aside from the economy, I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Scott told us that he felt his story is probably no longer worthy of news, so he will take this opportunity to move back into the shadows to get on with his new lease of life.
“This will be the last time most of you hear from me – although there is sk0t.com. The good majority of you have been really supportive… so thank you all for caring, and for
those of you who didn’t care… thanks also.”
I’m sure that the readers will join us in wishing Scott all the best for the future and every happiness in his forthcoming marriage. Good luck Scott.
Previously: GGF Plans Torrent Site Assimilation
Next: Kyrgyzstan’s Biggest Torrent Site Shutdown By Police
115 Responses
respect
4 years is pretty rough. You can shoot someone and get less time than that.
When is the new site gonna be up and running?
Good luck Scott! All the best!
Respect for sure. Good luck in all your ventures.
Now he’s finally free I hope his a.hole can also recover from prison life.
I can’t believe it’s been that long already! It indeed seems like all happened just yesterday.
All the best to Scott!
Move from that fucking country man!
this is a disgrace. he gets treated like a violent criminal when his “crime” is not worse than shoplifting. shame on big media companys and goverments all over the world in their pockets…
Special software?
I’m quite interested in what kind of software they ‘made him’ install and what it did/monitored.
Time to start uploading pre-releases again! This time be more careful to protect your identity.
Wow that is complete BS that he was treated like that but I have major respect for the guy that he put up with all of this and came out ok.
4 years with windows… It’s worse than the death penalty!
let this be a reminder to everybody who thinks this is all going to “blow over”
there are real people getting pwned out there, and the time is coming where we will need to take to the streets
Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison for principles he believed in.
“…the FBI described King as ‘the most dangerous and effective Negro leader in the country’.”
–Wikipedia
Word to the FBI:
The most dangerous are those contrary to basic human rights and freedoms.
If you ask me….Kill it all with fire…Death to anything that will burn…:))
Yes. The MPAA and the FBI were highly successful in stopping people from sharing files.
Uh huh. Okay. Time for me to continue sharing…bbl
I bet he couldnt even access his snuff collection during that time. Thats a pretty rough punishment.
You allow corporate lobbying and corporate funding, you allow corruption of policy through the influence of money.
It’s f**king wretchedly obvious, yet we let it happen.
Seriously, get out of the US. You have no idea how fucked up our country is unless you’ve been elsewhere.
Corporate lobbying, corporate funding, policy and the influence of money?….What are you mad?. What are you thinkin of? We dont need that!..
What we need is fire..KILL THEM WITH FIRE.
I swear Torrentfreak has the most asinine commenters. Anyway, congratulations sk0t. I actually first found out about your story yesterday, glad to see your out. Thanks for everything, and welcome back to Linux!
Is he still a felon or was that expunged?
“18 Aug 06, 2009 at 00:05 by Why laws are bad…
You allow corporate lobbying and corporate funding, you allow corruption of policy through the influence of money.
It’s f**king wretchedly obvious, yet we let it happen.”
In America, money = free speech.
Massive respect for the guy, he went sounds to have come through this with spirit.
But, feck me… is any crime so bas as to be forced to use Windows and not Linux o_O
Or is it saying something about Windows that its use is now part of a criminals punishment ;)
If only we could….
sudo find . -iname “[RIAA|MPAA]” -exec rm -rf {} \;
This is a perfect example of what I was talking about earlier. over her, in the states, we dont let this kind of stuff slide. In europe, however, there are endless deliberations before someone finally gets convinced. Over here, justice is actually served in a timely manor.
Hmm .. I wonder if the probation officers has enough savvy to see through a Wine-install of the software.
GL & All the best.
a torrent site admin must not be involved with content. period
http://www.h33t.com is a network for sharing
respect and good luck dude
Good luck Scott, may you spend the rest of your life free
The weird thing about this is that he’s probably lucky that he got jail time rather than a fine.
Much respect and thanks for the fight you did for the rest of us
that’ll learn ya
Well, since there is 30 comments already, I will respond to some…
29: I would rather have had $1,000,000 fine than spend 5 months in prison. It was truly a horrible experience.
6: It is amazing that people like you can even use a computer.
ALL: Thank Guys.
Glad your out and free.. @31 – Sk0t… The trolls have gotten alot worse around here since you left..
Hails, welcome back. It’s a shame that the federal govt is this fucked up.
Best of luck.
So what was RTJKJAS?
sk0t said (post 31):
I would rather have had $1,000,000 fine than spend 5 months in prison. It was truly a horrible experience.
——–
sk0t;
If my own country treats to me so bad for something as irrelevant as sharing a movie with friends, I simply would leave that damn country and will move to another country where my basic human rights, personal security and civil liberties were respected, but that is only my opinion.
Glad that you are free now of all this nightmare.
34: Nothing like running away to solve all your problems…
Respect and thanks to Scott for being one of the unfortunate few whove been made an example of and got to feel the full force of the law and i wish you luck in what ever you do next.
If i fear for my safety against the state and its goals, i think running away is a logical choice since its not designed for the man on the street to change the country especially not one with a criminal record…. Who is going to make money out of giving power to the people?
@31 Aug 06, 2009 at 03:16 sk0t wrote:
“6: It is amazing that people like you can even use a computer.”
@32 Aug 06, 2009 at 03:29 by PetFoodz.Info wrote:
“The trolls have gotten alot worse around here since you left…”
…
“In the 1970s, the public learned about COINTELPRO and other secret FBI programs directed towards infiltrating and disrupting civil rights organizations…”
FBI; you lost that one and you’ll lose this one too. Quit while you’re behind.
@ Aug 06, 2009 at 00:05 by Why laws are bad…
That’s why I often suggest getting into law and/or politics. It can be fun and rewarding; you can make it better, and keep an eye on the FBI et al. while you’re at it. They answer to you. :)
Oh, and you can also help rewrite corporate law. :)
Ya Windows as punishment. Hahaha. Says a LOT about Windows.
LMAO @ the Wine comment.
Ya no running from battles like this. The laws are against the common man too much I feel (X10 in the States).
We need more voting for digital rights/viewing rights to supercede copyrights. Give me the Senator/MP that will vote THAT way.
Beter political websites to identify wrong doing senators are in order. Easy enough for grandma to use/mod down the bad ones. :D
35 said (sk0t):
Nothing like running away to solve all your problems…
—————
Well, at least that you have the political power for changing one of the most corrupt countries on the world, I thought that your comment is very silly and childish.
Do you have that political power and influences? Obviously NOT.
My family and I have talked many times about how fools are in general the americans because they really believe that USA is the best country around the world, when in reality is a bad country plagued of corruption, in where money and power are a lot more important than the persons. Even worse, you don’t have free healthcare!!!
And you know, in USA you have all the justice that the money can buy and corrupt, in a few words; the justice is a big business in USA.
I live in a third world country, my native country, and I can share all the material that I want by the internet, in fact, I am a releaser, and I have uploaded to the internet more than 400 music torrents of copyrighted material in the last 3 years with different nick names, and do you know why? Because in my country sharing information and culture with others is a RIGHT, and not a crime; that is a lot more than your rotten country can offer.
You misunderstood my post. My words were in support to you, but you answered as an idiot.
My point is that your country don’t respect basic civil liberties, that’s a fact; and this don’t have nothing to do with “running away to solve all your problems”.
But hey, if you like to live in a country which doesn’t respect to you as person, that’s your problem.
You did time for all of us who have shared and made it possible. You earned my respect.
Focus on the wedding now, it’ll make the MBA seem like an easy task.
Congrats 2 u both, and cheers ;-)
sorry but the geeker and now skot. both dont seem like they can handle jail too well. skot would rather pay a million dollar fine instead of 5months in jail? please, you could just sleep the whole time, its not that bad,really.
although i do understand that computer nerds/dorks have a hard time adapting to such shocking changes to ones life. skot sounds like hes suffering post trauma stress disorder…poor little dork
Being a free software advocate, the line about having to give up Linux really made me do a double-take.
I feel for you. =(
(And yes, I realize the irony of especially noticing that particular bit in an article that talks about other, more personally restrictive things. Hehe.)
It’s rather stupid that filesharing can merit this sort of punishment. It’s not even morally wrong. Hang in there, sk0t! It may be cliched, but you now has respect. =)
Wow, what a bunch of crap.
Four years of ankle bracelets, key loggers and nanny software, not to mention window$.
Good to see your moving on to a much better situation.
Glad to hear your life is getting better sk0t. And sorry about the windows torcher. I heard they used to force the detainees at Gitmo to use windows in between their sessions of waterboarding.
@ Dingo_RG What country are you from by the way? If you don’t want to tell us can you tell us the region?
I think it’s just amazing that politicians can order in troops to kill whatever group of human beings is pestering their capatilistic progressions and get away with it AND become rich by it, while the everyday man can’t share a f*cking file with his fellow human beings without being black bagged.
What movie was the first movie you downloaded when you got ubuntu back then?
Come on, you can tell us….
We should never forget those who bravely serve on the front lines of this battle and risk severe consequences just so the rest of us can freely enjoy the fruits of their labor. Scott truly is a hero for all of us. I’m very saddened that my government so harshly punishes people whose only “crime” is sharing.
It is a shame when in a Democratic society, an elite organization comprised only a select few individuals can actively pursue the ruination of a man’s life for doing nothing more than owning a webserver. This why it is more important than ever for us to focus on putting the right people in power. Apathy is to thought and action what the cancer of corporatism is to socio-cultural development and the arts.
Take from me, Reasoned Mind: vote for your local Pirate Party.
Big up to our man, Scott.
4 years wtf, here in the uk you can stab someone and get 16 months
Lesson:
Don’t download or upload movies that have not yet been released outside the theaters. That is a crime (at least in the U.S.). Downloading isn’t but sharing is and if you use bittorrent you seed back so that would be distributing.
However if it has been released then sharing in moderation is legal. So, boo hoo hoo Reasoned Troll.
@26 neo.styles, if you consider this farce justice, then i seriously pity you.
You have exactly the government you deserve … and all your fellow sheep who allowed them to get power.
Here in Europe, although we have our fair share of corporate puppets, we at least have some politicians fighting for human rights => the proposal in the telecoms package that internet access is part of right to free speech.
respect from Finland. Keep it going.
I still love Neostylos and he´s most famous person ever seen (my arsehole says it…)
Well, what government ever did things fairly?
Hope everything goes as planned in your life from now on =]
“so thank you all for caring, and for
those of you who didn’t care… thanks also”… I am pretty sure you would find it pretty hard to find anyone who does’nt care…
Nevermind… I never noticed Neostyles comment (26)… Looks like there is at least one person who did’nt care, though it looks like Neostyles acctually supports you going through what you have been through… So that does’nt really count… does it?
i`ve got an article for ya`s to read:
http://www.neoseeker.com/news/11459-canadas-copyright-consultations-bring-wishlists/
this is whats called progress…..
Since when did the US government’s monitor list dictate UK law?
Fuck ‘em! the whole fucking corrupt lot want lining up and shooting for a complete abuse of the British judicial system.
When a bloke convicted of sharing one poxy movie gets harsher treatment than a violent criminal something is very, very wrong!
Good luck with everything Scott! Cheers!!
Good luck, congrats on your coming marriage :)
Since when did the US government’s monitor list dictate UK law?
F*ck ‘em! the whole f*cking corrupt lot want lining up and shooting for a complete abuse of the British judicial system.
When a bloke convicted of sharing one poxy movie gets harsher treatment than a violent criminal something is very, very wrong!
the whole capitalist system wants you to be a cash-cow, else you’re branded a “terrorist” while the real terrorists of the world are the stockholders, cops, government, church and all those morons who’ve been preventing humanity to become a real civilization, all those morons are above the law, they lie, steal, kill on a 24h basis
ABOLISH PATENTS, COPYRIGHT : INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY IS MASS-MURDER
How can things like that happen? This disgusts me. Because they so much want to control media and culture, the MAFIAA just breaks people’s lives by snapping fingers.
I’m 19, and as I realize more and more how this world works, I hate it more and more. I’ll be at the sides of the ones that will crush these terrorist organizations.
Wow, that time went in a hurry from my perspective, I’m sure that wasn’t the case for sk0t. I hear that US prisons are notoriously violent, I hope you didn’t have to put up with any of that shit.
Good luck for your future, much respect.
Good to see despite all the hardship he managed to pull through and keep his life going.
LAND OF THE FREE! Protectors of freedom! ohwait.
If you have any balls you should stop using American advertising agencies to make your money. Starting with Google, right Ernesto?
btw there is little doubt reasoned body (hard to think there is a mind behind it) and .neo.fascist are the same person.
The guy goes to jail and artists (yep artists not only the MAFIAA) are asking for more money see it here their page begging for support to strong arm another industry into paying more LoL
http://musicfirstcoalition.org/
Respect bro, wish torrents were still in your future. Good luck with everything.. peace.
Geez calm down Dingo.. he has a point too..
Its real easy to say IM GONNA MOVE TO A DIFFERENT COUNTRY.. leaving your entire family and friends behind.
USA does indeed suck, I live here.. but leaving anywhere is no easy choice.
respect scott
may George lucas and lucas film burn for the rest of time.
It was a crap movie anyway haha. What a complete waste of time. Stupid yanks.
Rep. Lofgren: A Real Antitrust Issue That Needs Scrutiny Is Copyright
http://techdirt.com/articles/20090805/1039465778.shtml
Copyright need to be on the microscope so people like Scott don’t have to go to jail for minor infractions.
By the way techdirt says the administrator from FileSoup also has been arrested.
A chicks ? They do exist ??
Everybody who’s using extremely bad grammar under my name (posts 26 and 73), stop impersonating me!
That being said, he deserved all of it. Every single hour of probation. Even uploading a single movie can cause havoc on the movie industry, given the nature of BitTorrent.
As for running Windows instead of Ubuntu, well, you get what you get. It’s all in one package.
(I didn’t say I wouldn’t use this pseudonym to simulate a “troll”… :3 – Mr. Briggs)
Everybody who’s using extremely bad grammar under my name (posts 26 and 73), stop impersonating me!
That being said, he deserved all of it. Every single hour of probation. Even uploading a single movie can cause havoc on the movie industry, given the nature of BitTorrent.
As for running Windows instead of Ubuntu, well, you get what you get. It’s all in one package. If you break the law, you get (some of) your rights taken away. Simple as that.
But now that his sentence is over, he doesn’t deserve any more punishment than what’s been given to him. I wish him the best of luck in his life, and hope that he doesn’t allow his life to go down that spiral again. (Meaning: no more piracy.)
(I didn’t say I wouldn’t use this pseudonym to simulate a “troll”… :3 – Mr. Briggs)
@77 (Anonymous): That article is on TorrentFreak too.
Respect. Good luck with your life, family and so on.
@ .neo.styles|nvDX (80)
Havoc? Then explain why some of the most pirated movies are also the most profitable. Explain how a song made available for free by the artist is one of best selling ones. Please, I’d like to know.
Problem here is you people are mixing 2 definitions of piracy. One that was created by the p2p community and other that the industry understands. For me, real piracy is getting profit out of other products. In that sense downloads cannot be considered piracy unless the downloader finds the content useful and doesn’t buy at all. That might be the case of some people but it’s not the majority. I have recently bought a CD from a group I like but my mobile still has the downloaded files. Am I a criminal? Please re-think your piracy definitions.
79 (neotroll) said:
“That being said, he deserved all of it.”
——
Well, at least that you are a nazi or a son of bit.ch, I don’t see any reason for justifying all this violation of basic human rights against this guy (sk0t).
BTW, there doesn’t exist any reason for putting corporative rights above of civil rights… Get a clue, ass.hole.
@82 (Dingo_RG):
I was only imitating a troll. Don’t expect any rationality from me.
@81 (Ninja):
Same deal. neostyles might then respond, “It’s only because of those films’ popularity that they’re prated so heavily. Take away that venue, and they’d make even more profits.” And then somebody else would counter back, “Profit whores they are.”
I agree with you completely that real piracy is the kind where you make a profit from somebody else’s work.
Peace. XD
Awesome effort my man! Thanks a ton for what you did and I am sorry that all happened to you… You are a legend and a person to look up to! Enjoy the rest of the year man!
Sk0t, glad to hear you are released from the clutches of your ‘caring’ (kiss the whip) probation pig, etc.
To be frank, I am supremely disinterested in your marriage plans, MBA’s and family trivia but if you feel like giving some meaningful feedback on the politics of the subject leading to your incarceration I would appreciate your answering these Questions:
1. how highly (in %) would you rate your overall fighting of this case?
2. what have you learned from it?
3. would you please explain the details around how you came to plead guilty to these criminal charges, so that others can benefit and make an informed choice if faced with a similar situation?
4. if pleading ‘not guilty’ to those charges, would you have had a jury trial?
5. was ‘jury nullification’ of bad law discussed with your legal advisers?
6. any recommendations how people should act/react to more effectively resist such persecution?
7. how do you feel about the the statement nr.45 above, “You did time for all of us who have shared and made it possible.”?
Thanks if you take the time to do this, and best of luck in future anyhow.
My *ss is a bit sore from the RIAA and MPAA tag teaming and taking turns on me. I really like it which is why I love droning on endlessly about how much sharing is illegal.
Please RIAA/MPAA….hit me baby one more time!
So he just gets his freedom from the government and then goes and gets married. There’s some smart thinking. Trade one jail for another. Outstanding.
I remember this, I’m just really glad they didn’t slap a million dollar fine on him.
Ankle bracelet? I thought developed world is over that kind of punishment. I guess monitoring devices are only used in USA and third world countries.
@79
No, you stop impersonating ME. I’m the real .neo.styles|nvDX, you guys! Don’t listen to that fascist corporate sellout! After all, he isn’t the one who filed for the copyright to this screenname, now is he?
Oh, and I release all right to my screenames Reasoned Mind and .neo.styles|nvDX under GPLv2. Post away!
;)
Pretty light sentence for a thief.
Good look to this guy, it sounds pretty bad to be a prisoner in your own home and have the worry of your computer constantly monitored.
as for 78) Neo Styles
“As for running Windows instead of Ubuntu, well, you get what you get. It’s all in one package.”
What…? that makes no sense… he’s no longer allowed to choose what to do with his computer because of what he did… that’s rediculous…
The troubling thing is that this will make a precedent for this form of punishment which is not used in civilized countries.
Government wants to totally control you? Just make accusation of piracy, maybe copy few videos on the target’s computer, and they have a nice legal way of spying on everything you do. The only thing i am waiting for is when will they make all of us wear such bracelets … was Orwell a seer?
@ scOt, thanks for uploading that star-wars flick. I really enjoyed it, I even went to the cinema to see it.
I’m sorry that a thing like that cost you 4 years of your life,and I hope you’ll get your life back to order soon.
Best wishes from a gratefull seed/peer/leech.
cheers,
-The Queef-
USA – country of freedom and liberty. Welcome to!
Yet those who rape an murder go away with their crimes …
Instead of pursuing assassins and so, governments close their eyes … that doesn’t give polititions money …
@90:
I will.
It’s good to see your clear now sk0t,good luck in the future Peace out Dadark
Wait, what the hell, who changed my username on post 83? (@TF mods, if you would be so kind as to change it back to just Mr. Briggs?)
Being jailed and put on a watchlist for generosity and sharing. That sucks. =.=
edit to 97:
I will. As soon as YOU stop impersonating the fascist sellout.
sk0t has my respect.
I believe that one day things like that will never happen.
The real criminals were those that put him in jail. I hope they get what they deserve someday.
Copyright is crap. Man you should have moved out of that retarded corporate controlled place. Since you like Brazil, that would be a good start. Living there, you would still be operating your site just fine in all those years.
Of course, you could also take revenge legally, develop the ultimate anonymous p2p protocol, before this also becomes illegal to do so in the USA as it is in Japan (but didn’t stop Share and Perfect Dark).
Bonus if you do both move out of that oppressed backward corporate controlled regime, AND develop the ultimate MPAA proof anonymous p2p sharing app.
The faster we make the copyright tyranny fall, the less innocent people will suffer abuse of imprisonment and cops/courts can go back at real crime.
Tip for choosing a free country to move to: The 301 report is a good starting guide, and in general, countries in not so good terms with USA. See, if the MPAA or the RIAA has something against you, living outside, they will have to plea their government to fill a case against that country to the WTO, which could take years.
Sometimes a country might even leave/not join the WTO under those silly pressures, the US gov will make a verbose protest, and include said country in their “oh so scary” 301 report. End of story.
If you have been in Brazil or most “third world” countries, you know how commonplace sharing is, heck, you know how commonplace are street sellers, whose business are only threatened by free internet sharing.
US corporations are big liars. They do sell DVDs in China for 3$, Why doesn’t the rest of the world get the same treatment?
You have my respect, i was a member of EliteTorrents years ago, good luck with your new life :)
Scott:
Mad RESPECT man. It is too bad you had to take that fall you did. I’m glad you didn’t abandon technology though. Good luck with the family matters too, that is the REAL important stuff. If you need a private tracker invite, you got it no question. I’d like to say that you shouldn’t shy away from casual filesharing, but I didn’t go through what you did. Again, thanks and many of us have lots of respect for you and all the torrent admins of then and now.
Just one last question…Will you ever watch Star Wars again?
@25 LoL
Scott sucked a lot of dick in jail.
DONT MESS WITH THE MPAA scott you
cock sucker
It is really unfortunate that Scott had to go through this, but it was very unwise of him to pre a major film like RotS without taking the proper precautions. I hate to say it, because I’ll sound like a jerk, but he should have known better. That being said, the punishment certainly did not fit the crime. Perhaps someday, the people of this country will realize that both mainstream parties have been raping our society for the past sixty years or so. Honestly, Obama? Bush? Clinton? Reagan? What was the difference. The Legisslative body wields all of the real power, and they are in bed with the major corporations.
You can be brutally mistreated in almost any first world country by the law. If people with money and influence want something to happen, you can be sure that it will happen. The governments of third world countries would gladly hand you over to the MPAA/RIAA/IFPI if they were paid enough. After all, what do they have to lose by it? Certain EU countries are safe for the time-being, but that is not likely to last. Your best bet is a not quite first world country, but many of them have close ties to the US or EU.
In the future, piracy will not be sustainable on the scale it will reach. Not so long ago, piracy was restricted to the few of us who new where to look or had Scene access. The industry feels threatened by this simple, commonplace piracy, because it actually has the potential to destroy their business model. I don’t really think that their extreme attacks against it should come as a surprise.
You, the individual/entity that goes by the aliases: “.neo.styles|nvDX”, “Mr Briggs” and “Reasoned Mind” have now reached a tab of 2500 grams of 99.9% pure gold for subjecting the Internet with your small, shortsighted and narrow minded, and to be absolutly frank, inanely mindnumbinly boring drivel.
You enter this contract as its copyright license is the contract itself and you have just, by reading, transfered it to your memory. And by your precicous “copyright” laws in any juristiction that has consented to be part of the Berne convention you agree to be subjected to it.
Failure to pay will result in punishment as in public eletronic shaming, ridicule and no one will take anything you say seriously.
Method of payment will be in paymer notes posted via comments to this or newer article.
(For paymers see paymer.com)
@ sk0t: I am glad that you are free from the evils of MAFIAA and congratulate you of becomming married. I hope you will never buy any DVD made by any MAFIAA member.
why do you think you was gonna get away with it :) they will catch them all in the end for this copyright stuff but next time think about first man.
Federal Court Hands Record Companies Decisive Verdict In Usenet.com Lawsuit
WASHINGTON – A federal district court late Tuesday afternoon issued a decisive ruling in favor of the record companies in the lawsuit against Usenet.com. A copy of that ruling is available upon request. Below is a comment on the favorable ruling from Steven M. Marks, Executive Vice President & General Counsel, Recording Industry Association of America:
“This decision is another example of courts recognizing the value of copyrighted music and taking action against companies and individuals who are engaging in wide scale infringement. We hope that other bad actors who are engaging in similar activity will take note of this decisive opinion.”
#####
The Recording Industry Association of America is the trade group that represents the U.S. recording industry. Its mission is to foster a business and legal climate that supports and promotes our members’ creative and financial vitality. Its members are the record companies that comprise the most vibrant national music industry in the world. RIAA® members create, manufacture and/or distribute approximately 85% of all legitimate sound recordings produced and sold in the United States. In support of this mission, the RIAA works to protect intellectual property rights worldwide and the First Amendment rights of artists; conducts consumer, industry and technical research; and monitors and reviews state and federal laws, regulations and policies. The RIAA® also certifies Gold®, Platinum®, Multi-Platinum™, and Diamond sales awards, as well as Los Premios De Oro y Platino™, an award celebrating Latin music sales.
Contact:
Jonathan Lamy
Cara Duckworth
Liz Kennedy
202/775-0101
I often forget how inconsiderate people can be… the internet is filled with all kinds though…
This will be my last post on here… and for good reason… I used to think that most of the people on the internet were just like me… interested in technology, new methods of acquiring things and reciprocating that acquisition with mutual distribution… however, I was wrong… from just the 100+ comments on this post, there are countless people here who leave much to my hopes of a unified world.
“I got what I deserve.” Maybe I did… maybe I am completely wrong in my assessments of my own crime, but either way it is over…
RIP: My Troubles
(May 2005-July 2009)
Hey, Sc0t– assuming it is you– bear in mind high likelihood of moles on here…
“COINTELPRO…was a series of covert, and often illegal, projects conducted by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) aimed at investigating and disrupting dissident political organizations within the United States.”
The FBI is ostensibly charged with investigating copyright, in which case, along with the MPAA/RIAA et al., they’re probably right here on TF.
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