Police Extend OiNK’s Bail Date Once Again
Written by Ernesto on February 04, 2008Three months ago, the popular private BitTorrent tracker OiNK was effectively shut down in a joint effort by Dutch and British law enforcement. Today, the bail date for OiNK admin Alan Ellis has been extended for the second time, until the 6th of May.
OiNK was considered by many to be the best BitTorrent music tracker the world has ever seen. With 180,000 members it was without a doubt one of the most popular private BitTorrent trackers. OiNK hosted hundreds and thousands of torrents and tracked over a million peers, which made it more popular than most public trackers.
Jeremy Banks, Head of the IFPI’s Internet Anti-Piracy Unit described it differently, as he said at the time: “OiNK was central to the illegal distribution of pre-release music online. This was not a case of friends sharing music for pleasure. This was a worldwide network that got hold of music they did not own the rights to and posted it online.”
Among other things, the police claimed that OiNK was a money machine, and that Alan was making hundreds of thousands of pounds. However, everyone knows that OiNK was free to use and this fact was backed up by Trent Reznor, the frontman of Nine Inch Nails: “If OiNK cost anything, I would certainly have paid, but there isn’t the equivalent of that in the retail space right now.”
The IFPI and BPI did not only misinform the police, they also hijacked the OiNK.cd domain and displayed an ominous message indicating an investigation into the site’s users had begun. These propagandistic threats were supposed to scare former OiNK members, and they succeeded in this until OiNK reclaimed the domain.
With today’s extension, the speculation about potential charges continues. At the moment it remains unclear what evidence the police are trying to find, but I assume they have figured out by now that the site is not as evil as the IFPI and BPI wanted them to believe.
To be continued.
Previously: IFPI Forces Danish ISP to Block The Pirate Bay
Next: Detailed Piracy Stats For Every Oscars Nominated Movie Since 2003
146 Responses
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In my experience the longer the Bail process continues the WEAKER the case. The Police ALWAYS charge at the EARLIEST opportunity. They are under constant pressure regarding ‘targets’ and ‘resources’ to get ‘results’ within the SHORTEST period of time in relation to when the original arrest was made.
My finger’s are crossed for you O. Not that I believe you will need any luck.
All the respect in the world for Oink. I miss it, It opened me to music I never would have heard, and it made me part of an amazing community. Good luck and thank you for everything.
coppers always try to bust the most popular ‘pirates’ to set an example … but this time they screwed it big time.since they couldn’t to nothing to oinky till now , they won’t be able to do anything further.this is just police pressure and abuse.
they have or not proof … what’s proof anyway? he put pre-released albums on the tracker? no. then ? for hosting the tracker? well the policy was clear that stuff you upload you upload at your OWN “user” risk. where’s the illegality then ????
[quote comment="298539"]“Hundreds and thousands” are a cake topping…… I like cake….and turtles.[/quote]
the cake is a liar
Like many others here I used Oink as a way to sample music freely and always purchased the music if i liked to listen to it. I have not bought a single CD since Oink died either…
I listened to OiNK.cd it was the best radio station ever!
[quote comment="296916"][quote comment="281341"][quote comment="281337"][quote comment="281315"][quote comment="281297"]“hundreds AND thousands of torrents”? Which is it?[/quote]
Both, obviously. The first presupposes the second…[/quote]
I think the correct turn of phrase is hundreds OF thousands…[/quote]
no…its a saying in england. The second guy is correct
Unfortunately i can see him getting found guilty, uk seem a bit crap at this sort of thing…[/quote]
No. It’s not a saying in England. The term IS “hundreds of thousands” even in England. “Hundreds and thousands” are a cake topping.[/quote]
Yes, “hundreds and thousands” IS a saying in England. It might not make sense, but people do say it. I have heard it often. It is also the name of a cake/ice cream topping.
Bye OiNK, I loved you mate
You know, to see all these thousands, possibly millions of members and users of torrents, and we cannot freely use this great networking and future of networking through out the world, that the government themselves built, makes no sense to me. This world is our world. Just because some asshole has found a new way to make a new law to make themselves and the government money fucking over other people for there genius does not mean any of this will stop. We will not stop, this is to huge for them to stop. Like when they made alcohol illegal. Didn’t last for to long did it? Why is it some recently made up corporation of maybe a few hundred people or less from some nowhere place take away something important from millions of people. Music feeds our souls and provides us with fulfillment of other aspects of our lives may lack. The only person that I can think of is Hitler and Nazi Germany, that had tried to take away human rights from other people. In the end what happened to Hitler? And what happened to Hitlers new found world? It crumbled, the same thing that is happening to the record industry because we are fed up with all the corporate bullshit music we are given and told to like or forced to listen to on the radio. I am sick of these companies cranking out these shit ass bands that all sound the same, or even steal exact harmonies from other bands. There is no future in music in these corporations. There is no intelligence in these corporations. I believe we will fight to the end for what we truly believe in and that is the freedom of choice. And in the end we will win. Where there is a will there is a way. Theoretically you would think we could pass a legality to allow torrent sites, because there are so many users. Instead these corporations have found a way to make more money, which I am sure are owned by the record companies, and in turn they work with the government, because the government can make a new law and make more money for itself in turn taking away our freedom without us giving consent. Why don’t we have a law that we can vote on for in congress?? Why hasn’t there been a law that we can pass like this yet? I think it’s about time we have all had enough of this bullshit and stand up for what we really want. We are all independents and have the freedom of choice to subject ourselves to so long as it is not in doing harm to anyone else, less they be harming us to begin with. Which is exactly what these record companies have done, they have robbed us of our music, our riches, this is not about money anymore, this is about creativity, art and passion, the essence of music. Without us the artists where would these corporations be? And when we find a way to become self sufficient businesses of our own, you Mr. Big Shot Record Company will be out of business, because you lack the creative talent the artist does, all you know how to do is rob us of our freedom.
I was a very loyal PU+ Of OiNK. I miss OiNK. I think tactics like the above delivered the message they were after. However, They’ve failed to realize the force that drove the website and it’s users. OiNK will never die, nor will the ideals behind the site. Enjoy the new sites, there’s more to come.
<3 What.CD
~DAQ
China murdering Tibetan monks….international silence!!
China arming the Janjaweed in Darfur to kill Africans…..international silence!!
China now the #1 polluter in the world….international silence!
OINK?….international condemnation!!
Whoever said oink was rippin off the scene is a idiot.
Unfortunately I never found out about oink until after its closure hit the headlines. however, I’d like it to be known that I have a HUGE collection of music, some legit, some pirated. Howevever, 90% of it is 15+ years old. Why? Modern music sucks balls in my opinion. Selling the same rehashed shit for the highest profit possible has taken over any attempt to produce something new and interesting, hence why I haven’t bought an album for the last 3 years.
UK Law is an arse. We have known terrorist preachers on our shores claiming all sorts of benefits. We have eastern European gangsters living on the state while still trading in the slave trade.
For this very reason, if Alan has got a half decent lawyer, then they will trounce the charges levelled at him, because it is his rights that are being threatened.
In a communist society, we would share everything, and in a capitalist society, we charge for everything.
The modern world must be a mix of both extremes, otherwise we will all stagnate. History is replete with examples of criminal activities that changed the way we are today. The biggest is the slave trade, which has done more to eradicate racism than any other measure. Some of our most prominent members of society had ancestors who were slave. Where would those prominent people be today, if it wasn’t for the trade.
Bittorrent is no different. It is a medium that effectively allows us to share large volumes of media. In the future, the industry WILL embrace such technology, or they will fade into oblivion.
What Alan Ellis and countless others are doing is to show the world that there are better ways to deliver the goods than the industry would have us believe.
Modern industry is based on scams and fraud. Take a cleaning solution. When it first appears on the shelves, it does exactly what it is supposed to, yet over the years it degrades until the manufacturer releases a ‘NEW AND IMPROVED’ formula, which is probably the original formula in the original strength.
Our world is one big scam, with the money bigwigs thinking of all sorts of ways to extract our hard earnt cash from our wallets. We are even encouraged to buy on credit, being led to believe that we are not wholesome if we don’t.
The complacency of the industry is now proving it’s downfall. Information is far more accessible. In the old days, if your boss told you to do something, you did, but you can now check on the internet to see if he is breaking a law. That is the power of information.
Sharing is caring. I often lend CDs to friends so that they can sample my own taste in music, yet even this simple action is a crime. If I lent someone my lawnmower, it is not a crime, yet lend them music or videa, and it is.
It is blatantly apparent that the copyright laws are woefully out of date with the people. Laws are for the people, not to be used against them. If the masses want to share, a small minority cannot stop them. If they do, then this is the precursor for a revolution.
After all, who wants to start paying for the air that they breath? We already pay private companies for our water…
I didn’t get music off of OiNK to “sample” it, I got it to listen to it. If I want to give money to the artist(s) (in most cases if they are good, I do), I go to concerts. Many of the artists I’ve come to love would’ve remained unknown to me if not for sites like OiNK.
Is oink ever going to come back as used to be?
I miss them so much!
All torrent networks are networks of thieves who don’t respect private property and personal efforts to make something. I’m spending my money and my time making something valuable but you are taking it just for nothing and crying all over the cyberspace that your rights are violated!! Are you nuts,people?? Please go and make something similar to what you are stealing, and give it for free, and i would understand that you are a fair user of collective mind and effort, but most of you are just leechers, and not contributors neither to society not to even yourself!!!
oink was the best thing to happen to music since invention of the drum. i dont even know where to buy the music i used to find on oink.
Quality music isnt made with money, personally i hate the idea of people just imagining what people like and make after that. stupid pop that dont have any real hearts except for the idea of wealth and arrogance. real music comes from the heart and is given free. i dont share music with others cause i want them to look up at me, or that i would get such a grand piece in return. its a cry out of how lovely this is and my heart is filled with joy while im able to share this with someone i dont know.
all music should be free, and people could be happy with the people that wants to support them for their work. they should not be bound with greed or laws or goverments that want to destroy the little freedom people have on earth(information). they will never stop it, the whole struggle is stupid. putting up propaganda, and making some good places look bad.
its also proven that sharing networks make people increase their interests in music and recreation, so they buy more music. i would say to this goverment with forgiveness: i dont care what u do, but please stop listening to the stupidity of false hope like reasoning.
So many people, almost like a country of its own. the rulers of this world should listen and see the choices of their people. this freedom is what good leaders should support. obviously its the whole idea of democrazy?
trusts:augustness:Appaloosas jail?willow easel!Dutchmen.transcended besmirch
can you give me what.cd invite please
CALL me at 435-424-3412 thank you :)
i can show you my tits for the invite.
The communist idea “take what you need-give what you can” so far proved itself useless in reality.Most people are just leechers in life and don’t appreciate anything,unless they’ve paid for it.
When you downloading the music, have you ever asked the person who wrote it(or to whom it belongs) for the permission to download it?
Please, try and make your own song, go to the studio and create your own CD with that precious song, count the time and effort and money you’ve put in it,and ONLY at that moment you may appreciate the hard work of others…. until that, the Government has no alternative as to shut down sites like oink….
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