MPAA balls-up
p2pnet.net News:- As if you need further proof of entertainment industry incompetence.
But anyway, how about dbaker’s /. post here?
It reads:
"The MPAA filed a DMCA takedown notice against Superconnect, a software company. The letter is available here that demands the removal of roughly 120K of open-source TCL code that they believe to be a ‘copyrighted motion pictures.’ This is definitely a surprising case of the guilty until proven innocent world that the DMCA provides." And yet another: enrico_suave writes "The Entertainment Software Association falsely accuses the Interactive Fiction archive of pirating Doom 3. doom3.zip is a 114kb freeware DOS game from 1988. Reminiscent of when the RIAA sent C & D’s to a Professor Usher who had an usher.mp3 file posted on his website."
The letter ‘dbaker’ talks about in the first part of the post is below.
Say no more.
===============
To: Superconnect <noc@internap.com>
From: MPAACopyright <MPAA@copyright.org>
Subject: Case ID 9396698 – Notice of Claimed Infringement
Date: Thu, 02 Sep 2004 19:55:14 -0400
MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA, INC.
15503 VENTURA BOULEVARD
ENCINO, CALIFORNIA 91436
UNITED STATES
Anti-Piracy Operations
PHONE: (818) 728 – 8127
Email: MPAA@copyright.org <mailto:MPAA@copyright.org>
Thursday, September 02, 2004
Name: Superconnect
ISP: Superconnect
Via Fax/Email
RE: Unauthorized Use of Copyrighted Motion Pictures
Reference#: 99396698 (M)
IP Address: 216.52.171.81
Date of Infringement: 2 Sep 2004 07:29:7 EDT (GMT -0400)
Dear Superconnect:
The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) represents the following motion picture production and distribution companies:
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.
Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.
Paramount Pictures Corporation
TriStar Pictures, Inc.
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
United Artists Pictures, Inc.
United Artists Corporation
Universal City Studios, LLLP
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
We have received information that, at the above noted date and time, the IP address 216.52.171.81 was used to offer or to materially contribute to the offering of downloadable or streaming copies of copyrighted motion pictures. The title(s) offered included:
X-FILES, THE Season 1-7
Specifically, we have identified the following material as infringing:
——————————
Infringement Detail:
Infringing Work: X-FILES, THE Season 1-7
Filepath: /pub/tcl/sorted/file/X-Files1.21b/
Filename: X-Files1.21b.tar.gz
First Found: 2 Sep 2004 07:29:7 EDT (GMT -0400)
Last Found: 2 Sep 2004 07:29:7 EDT (GMT -0400)
Filesize: 113k
IP Address: 216.52.171.81
IP Port: 21
Network: FTP
Protocol: FTP
We believe this information should prove sufficient for you to locate the material complained about herein; however, please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions or clarification requests you may have. The unauthorized distribution or public performance of copyrighted motion pictures constitutes copyright infringement under the Copyright Act, Title 17 United States Code Section 106(3)-(4). This conduct may also violate the laws of other countries, international law, and/or treaty obligations. As the owner of this IP address, we request that you immediately do the following:
1. Notify the end user of the infringement(s).
2. Remove or disable access to the material identified above.
3. Take appropriate action against the account holder under your Abuse Policy/Terms of Service Agreement.
On behalf of the respective owners of the exclusive rights to the copyright ed material at issue in this notice, we hereby state, pursuant to the Digit al Millennium Copyright Act, Title 17 United States Code Section 512, that the information in this notification is accurate and that we have a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owners, their respective agents, or the law. Also pursuant to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, we hereby state, under penalty of perjury, that we are authorized to act on behalf of the owners of the exclusive rights being infringed as set forth in this notification.
September 4th, 2004 at 4:24 pm
This only goes to prove that they use meta-data and data from light scans that don’t even download and compare chunks of data to copyrighted material.
Unsolicited invasion of privacy and false accusation. – Typical trademarks of those assholes and the agents they employ to terrorize the internet. – Damn MPAA scum.
September 4th, 2004 at 7:49 pm
Did they even take a look at what this may be in reality? X-Files 1.21b, a TAR GZ file. That extension fits an archive.
113 k ?!?!
At that size, that archive could contain NFO files detailing stuff about the ‘infringing material’.
But considering the filename itself, the thing could just be a program.
You may be right, they probably just used associated data or meta-data or even just a description.
What’s wrong, they’re afraid of breaking the law by d/ling this very small file, that may not even be anything useful? Wow.
September 4th, 2004 at 10:35 pm
No.Their to lazy to get a real job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 4th, 2004 at 10:53 pm
Woohoo! I’m going to name all the files on my network after movies, television shows, and music files! Download Passion_of_the_Christ.mpg from me and you’ll get a grocery list!
September 5th, 2004 at 4:01 am
Pathetic. A proxy for their demise.