Comments on: BSA spying on BitTorrent

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 11:06:11 +0000

Nah, not bullshit.

Do you know what they do?

They download the torrent file and then connect to the tracker. The tracker tells them who they can connect to get parts of the file. They don’t have to hack anything. So they themselves are downloading files from P2P networks. Ironic, isn’t it?

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 02:36:40 +0000

This is complete baloney. They “watch all traffic?” Please! Even if you could get your hands on “all traffic” (whatever that’s supposed to mean), You couldn’t handle the volume.

More importantly, unless you are the ISP, or are running a central P2P server (oops, contributory liability, see Universal v. Grokster, U.S. Supreme Court 2005) you can’t just watch other people’s traffic. That is unless you hack in which is also illegal.

In conclusion, I call bulls**t

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 02:18:38 +0000

bittorrent are just pirates like those before them, not even their self serving statements are different to earlier pirate operations so it can only be a matter of time before they get sued out of existence

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 00:11:21 +0000

Now how does the BSA know that I am not going to pay for the software that I download? I recently bought (as in paid hard earned cash) for a product that I found useful after downloading it from a bit-torrent site.

Oh, I get it, they don’t want my money. I won’t buy any software anymore that I can’t fully try unimpeded for the length of time that I need to evaluate it.

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 06:37:27 +0000

If the BSA’s member companies are indeed losing as much money as they say that they are, then they can’t afford to abdicate their responsibility to maintain their software for the sake of legal users and go after these illegal users. This is money that could be better spent on product improvement and innovation instead of hunting down pirates. Using this tactic might actually hurt everybody who uses software, legally or otherwise, from the BSA’s member companies, because the money that the companies DO have isn’t going where it is needed. Just look at Microsoft. They reportedly spent billions on their anti-piracy campaigns and measures, when that money could very well have been spent on Vista and Office 12 development.

Unlike the RIAA and MPAA, who can afford to run themselves and their companies’ remaining money into the ground with destructive litigations against numerous infringers without affecting the non-infringing public very much, society very much depends on adequate software. If a BSA member company doesn’t end this litigation and step up to the plate by writing good software for the masses, you can be sure that someone else will.

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 05:31:25 +0000

Did I hear ya right? Did I hear ya sayin’
That you’re gonna make a copy of a game without payin’?
Come on, guys!
I thought you knew better! Don’t copy that floppy!