Big 4 labels still after QuebecTorrent
p2pnet news | Music:- The Big 4 record labels have already turned America into a corporate marketing and enforcement division, and they want to do the same with Canada, where anyone can legally download music, as long as it’s for his or her own use.
With the strong likelihood that a new Canadian copyright bill is close, Warner Music, EMI, Vivendi Universal and Sony BMG, the members of the organised music cartel are applying pressure to Canada’s weak-kneed Conservative government, led by George W. Harper.
Demonoid is still offline and now even the “The CRIA threatened the company renting the servers to us, and because of this it is not possible to keep the site online. Sorry for the inconvenience and thanks for your understanding” message is down.
CRIA is short for Canadian Recording Industry Association of America, the lack-lustre RIAA clone.
With the news that in France “Bush-friendly” French president Nicolas Sarkozy is demonstrating he’s in complete and total lockstep with the corporate music cartel in the background, QuebecTorrent remains the focal point of a bid to crush Canadian torrent sites as part of the effort to bring Canada to heel.
As we posted recently, “Although Quebec’s ADISQ (Association québécoise de l’industrie du disque, du spectacle et de la vidéo) isn’t at all sure suing file sharers is the way to go, it seems sites are fair game.
“Go after torrent trackers, says the organization and with that in mind, QuebecTorrent was also the recipient of Cease and Desist demands.”
Holland’s TorrentFreak is running a Q&A with QuebecTorrent and its lawyers, Lecours & Lessard, Montréal >>>
TF: Who exactly is taking legal action against QuebecTorrent?
QT: 31 records / video producers and copyright holders associations (including companies like Sony BMG Music Canada, Universal Music Canada and EMI Group Canada), are suing QuebecTorrent, through Mr. Sebastien Brulotte, administrator of the website.
TF: These companies tried to get a preliminary injunction to shut the site. What’s happening with that?
QT: We contested yesterday the Plaintiffs’ motion to obtain a preliminary injunction order. Through this motion, the plaintiffs asked the Court to order the suspension of the QuebecTorrent website or, barring which, to freeze all Torrent files giving access to protected works available through the website. In this case the Court rejected the Plaintiff’s demands.
TF: Apart from trying to get an injunction, what else are these companies trying to gain against QuebecTorrent?
QT: Their vision of what constitutes a Peer to Peer website is rather limited. They present Peer to Peer and QuebecTorrent solely as pirates that deliberately infringe upon copyrights and are harmful to the music industry. On the merits of the case, they ask that the injunction order be made permanent and ask for the condemnation of QuebecTorrent for the sum of $200,000.00 in punitive damages.
TF:They are claiming this large sum from QuebecTorrent yet there are many other larger torrent sites in Canada right now. Why are they picking on QuebecTorrent?
QT: They chose QuebecTorrent as a target because, as they said, they could not find the name and address of any other Canadian torrent website administrator.
TF: Closing one site isn’t going to get them very far. Do they have any other objectives other than to crush QuebecTorrent?
QT: Their indirect objective seems to make a jurisprudential precedent of QuebecTorrent, applicable to all Peer to Peer websites. If an eventual decision would condemn QuebecTorrent, it would effectively create a jurisprudential precedent in Canadian law – as this judgment would constitute the first jurisprudence in this matter, it would set out the applicable law to all BitTorrent websites in Canada.
TF: Thank you for explaining the significance of this case to us. Good luck and please keep us informed.
The reason that LeaseWeb is kicking BitTorrent sites off its servers right now is because of a June ruling against a small, relatively unknown Dutch site called Everlasting.nu. The parallels to this case appear pretty obvious – beat up a little guy that few people know about and use that reputation to knock out the big guys you couldn’t have beaten so easily without the precedent.
There are many other complications that ensure that this situation remains fluid, but with the Netherlands looking less attractive by the day and the Canadian torrent situation looking far from stable, will administrators look to the East for their hosting or will they drop anchor at Sweden’s PRQ? According to their front page, PRQ are currently completely out of dedicated servers to rent but they are promising more capacity in a few weeks.
Hiring lawyers (in this case Lecours & Lessard, 354, rue Notre-Dame Ouest, Bureau 100, Montréal, Qc H2Y-1T9, Canada) isn’t cheap so anyone wishing to support QuebecTorrent, should consider visiting their donation page. They send a message of gratitude to those who have already donated to help them get this far and a reminder to everyone else that without donations they cannot defend themselves.
Says Doditz on QuebecTorrent (Google translation) >>>
It is now clear that the industry is challenging the system a post office “peer 2 peer” in Canada. It is also clear that QuebecTorrent.com Inc will go to defend themselves in court.
It is important to understand that this issue affects ALL torrent sites in Canada, because if QuebecTorrent loses or wins it will create law and may help or harm as a result ALL of the “tracker” of canada and thus deprive you of your favorite torrent site .
It is also very important to understand that my simple website administrator can not cover all costs, and therefore need to know immediately if the community is prepared to fight with QuebecTorrent or prefer to see the site close a torrent backward on the other ( poll see below)
To do this QuebecTorrent is going to need you. For the moment attorneys’ fees to the court and the injunction is a 2500 $ + /-for the moment (the other file formal notice is complete and pay for)
I invite all other sites torrents to join us to curb the industry’s desire for non evolution and invite everyone has spread the cause for the future of p2p in Canada. A link to the donation will also be greatly appreciated.
All these actions his faitent in order to defend the use of p2p in Canada. Do not forget that QuebecTorrent is fighting for YOU.
PS: as many are unable or unwilling to give paypal here 2 other ways to do that:
By AccessD direct transfer to the account of QuebecTorrent.com Inc. , Or any other transfer of bank bank:
Transit Fund: 30023
Institution: 815
Account / folio: 1063536
Swift # for international transfer: CCDQCAMM
Or by post mandates on behalf of QuebecTorrent.com Inc.
1038 rue Trudeau, St-jérome,
Quebec, J5L 2M1
Canada
Stay tuned.
Also See:
is close – Canadian Copyright Bill is nigh, November 18, 2007
still offline – Demonoid offline. Again. CRIA. Again., November 9, 2007
Bush-friendly – Bush-friendly Sarkozy and file sharers, November 26, 2007
total lockstep – France goes to war against file sharers, November 23, 2007
remains the focal point – Big Music attacks Canadian torrent site, Octobver 18, 2007
TorrentFreak – QuebecTorrent Lawsuit: Backdoor to Banning All Canadian BitTorrent Sites?, November 26, 2007
