New record label, studio targets
p2p news / p2pnet:- The Big Four record label cartel and major movies studios have teamed up in a move which shifts a dormant front in their attacks on file sharers to the front line.
Through their BPI (British Phonographic Industry), IFPI (International Federation of Phonographic Industry) and MPA, they’re now targeting corporate communities in Britain, to begin with, promoting new “education and awareness initiatives”.
The IFPI “copyright guide” will “take the anti-piracy message to the IT managers of the UK’s biggest companies and public sector organisations,” says the BPI.
Simultaneously, the cartel’s IFPI is launching another piece of flammery it’s calling the Digital File Check, “a simple educational tool that aims to guide computer users” it says will uninstall or block p2p applications.
“Ha,” said one knowledgeable insider. “It’s called add/remove 
”
Children, beware !
Digital File Check isn’t meant solely for company admins to use as they ferret around in workers’ systems, however. It’s also another prong of the attack on children through their parents, an ‘initiative’ begun by the MPAA with its Parent File Scan(m).
This latest piece of software, “could be especially useful for parents who want to encourage their children to enjoy music responsibly on the internet,” says the IFPI unctuously. And it’s, “free, voluntary and for private use only and does not tip-off any anti-piracy organisations,” it claims in a statement not far removed from the fox telling the chickens, “I’ll only bite you a little bit”.
“We want to arm companies, parents and responsible computer-users with a simple resource to help them detect file swapping software and get lists of the movie and other files stored on their business and home computers,” says MPAA boss Dan ‘Jedi’ Glickman, who’s just been removed from responsibility for anti-p2p activities.
The IFPI crows about the fact it was able to involve children’s internet charity Childnet International in a frightening “Young People, Music and the Internet” campaign.
The scheme is in fact an integral part of an international joint venture marketing/propaganda project under which children are specifically targeted.
A ‘timely initiative’
The ‘guide’, dreamed up by the IFPI and by MPAA’s MPA (same as Motion Picture Association of America without the America) “aims to help companies ensure that their own computer networks are not used for illegal activity by staff”.
The organization says it’s “committed to working with business to help them develop policy and ensure that they are not breaking the law by illegally filesharing music”.
The “timely initiative,” says IFPI boss John Kennedy, “comes after months of warning and information campaigns making it clear that file-swapping copyrighted music is illegal and could involve fines and prosecutions.”
What he really mean is:
“OK, guys/ We’ve left you alone up until now, but those days are over. The gloves are off.”
The cartels will flood companies in Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Spain, Czech Republic, Sweden and Thailand with the ‘guide,’ whether they want it or not.
They’ll no doubt follow up with helpful ’staff education’ sessions conducted by ‘industry experts,’ eating into company and staff time, and with lawsuits aimed at companies which don’t fully comply with cartel ‘guidelines’.
Something you think we should know? tips[at]p2pnet.net
See:-
Parent File Scan – MPAA releases anti-piracy app, January 27, 2005
been removed – Glickman ousted in anti-p2p role, September 23, 2005
specifically targeted – The Big Lie: Part II, June 8, 2005
September 23rd, 2005 at 4:44 pm
We want to arm companies, parents and responsible computer-users with a simple resource to help them detect file swapping software and get lists of the movie and other files stored on their business and home computers,” says MPAA boss Dan ‘Jedi’ Glickman, who’s just been removed from responsibility for anti-p2p activities.
Get list? Hell no unless they are paying me to get list and act as a distributor. Ya have to remember that we are independent contractors working for no money (most of us) by sharing their stuff. I despise them and the fact that they want to get list of my files to then sue me. If anything, they should be paying me to distrubute their stuff like for every movie or whatever if anything. Til then, I’ll do it for free. Of course if they were paying me, it would be no dmr crap and I would have control of the files that I share personally, not them.
September 23rd, 2005 at 5:55 pm
Atonishing amount of FUD around this program starting with BoingBoing. Has anyone actually run it?
Please understand that I’m not in favour of this, or what it represents but the program really doesn’t do much. It scans your disk for any music or image file and then displays its file name for you “to decide if it’s legal”. It scans the disk for common P2P programs installed and as installation programs. When it’s done all that you can then choose to delete any of the files or programs listed. It has a desktray mode where it can optionally block the ports for selected P2P programs. And the whole thing has a password control so that the “administrator” can prevent it being removed. It doesn’t appear to ever call home or send any of this data off machine. It specifically states several times that it doesn’t do this. Given the commercial source I’m inclined to believe it.
So it’s actually pretty mild. And mostly a complete waste of time. I can’t imagine any adult using it, and if they did I can’t imagine it would take any teenager more than 3 minutes to remove it. And since it doesn’t actually identify much of anything, it doesn’t really help anybody much.
September 23rd, 2005 at 6:55 pm
“Ha,” said one knowledgeable insider. “It’s called add/remove
”
September 23rd, 2005 at 8:44 pm
Ah but think of the free PR they are receiving. They are fighting back in a non intrusive way, trying to defend “their property”. This could also be a ploy to see if the parent installed the program when (and if) they are sued, but disregarded the capabilities seems it would be easier for a judge to “make a statement” who knows we might get a new term “Negligent copyright Infringement”.
These people always have several hidden agendas behind everything they do.
September 24th, 2005 at 8:21 am
How reasonable they sound. That is till you consider this. This follow up with education sessions, you think they will plunk down the money for the time they take up with non-working employees while they listen to all this propaganda? Nope, Betcha that ain’t happening. The company will be expected to “do the right thing” and pay for that time out of their own pockets. Does anyone else have any doubt this is how it will be played? It isn’t really in the company interest to do this out of the goodness of their own.
This is strickly for the benefit of the cartels and they try to display a nice face mask over the club holding caveman. Nope don’t buy this “we’re on your side”. Sure doesn’t work on this end.
September 24th, 2005 at 9:01 pm
theyve now realised that sweeping lawsuits that end up sueing little kids and moms for d/loading britney etc doesnt do their image any good so who better?
businesses…
“excuse me mr so&so plc, weve found that your networks have x amount of illegal music – give us 100k or we’ll drag your name through the mud”
of course any co. that is in anyway involved in producing copyrighted work had better be careful of their own networks