RIAA, MPAA stomp File Rush
p2p news / p2pnet: Entertainment cartel progress crushers the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) and RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) have done it again.
They’ve forced the closure of yet another site >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
File Rush file section discontinued
By Hood – File Rush
The long version: About 2.5 years ago when we were still AIX Gaming, we hosted a few videos from E3 2003 with the brand new Bittorrent technology. These ended up being extremely popular and coupled with the launch of Google Ads around the same time, I launched Filerush.com. The focus was always on Bittorrent instead of direct HTTP downloads, although I was approached by Linkmania.ro who generously offered itself as a mirror for the files we hosted. Over the next 2 and a half years, we massively expanded our servers and the number of torrents we offered to more than 15 times the bandwidth usage of our original bittorrent seed server. Unfortunately for the project, the peer to peer world didn’t sit still.
Due to the efforts of the RIAA and MPAA, the constant threat of legal action against users and internet providers has lead many ISPs to block or severely throttle the speeds available to Bittorrent and other P2P applications. No matter how much bandwidth across multiple servers and tcp ports we pumped into the files, we would constantly receive feedback from users who complained of extremely slow speeds or not being able to download at all. This rang true on a personal level when the cable company I use at home for my Internet service started blocking all seeding of Bittorrent files.
Due to the above stigma and various other technical factors that go into making Bittorrent use more difficult than standard HTTP downloads such a firewalls/NAT and requiring a special client, Bittorrent download numbers were always particularly low. Even with files hosted on File Rush that reached as high as 40,000 downloads, the number of people choosing the flooded 3k/sec direct download link over the very fast Bittorrent option was 15 to 1. One thing that I realized very early on, is that I can’t compete against the massive number of free and pay direct download sites that have flooded the net since bandwidth became cheap a year or so ago. My only chance was with Bittorrent which most stayed away from.
My hope was that I would be able to put up a site with very few ads and minimal user navigation to actually reach the download, while offering the option where the user would never have to wait in line by way of Bittorrent. Sadly, even with large sites like Blues News, ve3d.com, and ggmania graciously linking to our downloads, the numbers just aren’t there. The supply of money to fund the site was never a problem, it’s just that after 2 years of user counts that had ceased to show any additional growth, I didn’t see the point of continuing to throw more capital at it.
Tired of being treated like a criminal? They depend on you, not the other way around. Don’t buy their ‘product’. Do bug your local political representatives. Use emails, snail-mail, phone calls, faxes, IM, stop them in the street, blog. And if you’re into organizing, organize petitions, organize demonstrations and then turn up on your local political rep’s doorstep, making sure you’ve contacted your local tv/radio station/newspaper in advance.
January 3rd, 2006 at 5:12 pm
Since the cartels are no longer able to control the spread of information through bullying and intimidation, they have resorted to buying up the companies that own the infrastructure so that they can block any indesired transfer of information. Since the telephone companies want all of the business for theselves and want to block out competition, they have blocked voice over IP. This is what the Internet has come to the massive buyout of the infrastructure so that the same infrastructure can be used to throttle, block, or price gouge any independent information. The cartels think that this will put the common people in their place. It WILL (some) at least for a little while.
This is where the hated hackers come in. We are researching and building the new networks that will be owned by the people it serves.
Those who don’t experiment and go through the frustrations of getting new types of networks up and running will have to put up with whatever the cartels are dishing out. Others wil experiment and receive better service. Eventually those on the sidelines will be fed up with the lack of freedom of current cartel-controlled Internet and they will join the new networks created by the hackers. Once these networks become viable, more and more advances will eventually drive out established cartels.
January 3rd, 2006 at 7:16 pm
I think you are pretty much right on with one exception.
“Once these [alternative] networks become viable, more and more advances will eventually drive out established cartels.”
IMHO there will always be plenty of sheeple to keep the cartel networks “viable”. Case in point. Some people will STILL sign up for AOL service…
January 3rd, 2006 at 10:45 pm
The title forgets to mention some of the other reasons Hood got out of it too.
January 4th, 2006 at 6:00 am
what exactly did the MPAA/RIAA say? can you post their legal notices somewhere?
All i read in this is that ISPs are throttling, and there’s no detail about the cease-and-desists… you guys realize that the studios/labels/RIAA/MPAA/cable companies/baby bells are entirely distinct entities right??
i still get blazing bitorrent speeds on my connection at home..
January 4th, 2006 at 6:03 am
if you want to test your bittorrent speeds try downloading from a well maintained tracker running on the mainline code base:
http://search.bittorrent.com/search.jsp?query=site%3Apublicdomaintorrents.com
or from bittorrent’s tracker:
http://search.bittorrent.com/search.jsp?query=site%3Atracker.bittorrent.com
January 4th, 2006 at 8:25 am
“Case in point. Some people will STILL sign up for AOL service…”
Yes, but (I think) only because they don’t know that there is a better alternative – this is where good old door-to-door-marketing would prove useful
Take mormons as a prime example… I’m off to create my own church of information freedom! Some people will convert as soon I explain to them that THE GOD lives in the net and he is a file-sharer
Our bible will only be available as a .torrent
No more M$, no more **AA, all hail to the mighty *UX
ps.
Please don’t take me to seriously
January 4th, 2006 at 5:54 pm
…itâs just plain ignorance to a basic understanding of this country’s, hell the world’s for that matter, telecommunications infrastructure (& its business issues), that the Internet exists on. To assume that two entertainment industry trade associations have any semblance of control over IXC, ILEC, & CATV carriers/operators is preposterous. If it is true, I am sure your state regulatory bodies (PRC/PUC) would like to see your hard evidence.
Hey guys, for reality check, when you are on that Mormon style mission to tell the world about your network alternative, try to find an AT&T/Baby Bell veteran to tell you the way the world really works!
The JACKASS FACTOR never ceases to amaze me.
Did they shut down VOIP? Those Skype conversations I’ve been having every day for a year must have been a figment of my imagination.
January 4th, 2006 at 9:23 pm
Most companies have not shut or blocked network access to these services, however, some have. Others are working on providing “tiered” internet services at different price rates. You are right in the fact that most ISP’s do not restrict traffic, but some are starting. Others impose limits on certain types of traffic. In many countries outside of the P.S.A. already do block access to many sites.
Many companies do not control each other by ownership and or investments but by “partnerships” via reduced rates for ads, content, and other such niceties. Before mentioning the “JACKASS FACTOR,” look at the AOL Time-Warner merger! Do you actually believe that all companies do not give or sell your information to ther companies? Many of those sued by the “entertainment” cartels had their ISP’s voluntarily give information about their customers. I also have seen a local telco (Sprint/United) drive my upstream provider out of business by doubling the price for t-1 service to over $2400 a month while keeping its Earthlink price the same level. As far as understanding the telecommunications infrastructure, I have had plenty of experence with it (I worked for Sprint).
As far as Public Utilities Commission actually doing anything for its customers, that very rarely happens (at least in my state). The P.U.C. is most likely going to refer any matter back to the local telco.
The practices of both the local telco’s and cable monopolies as well as the “entertainment cartels” are underhanded indeed. Name me one law that keeps the entertainment cartels from offering local cable companies incentives to curtail “illegal file sharing.” I do not put anything past the cartels considering their already numerous illegal activities that receive only minor fines, so keep on believing and siding with “reality” with the rest of the sheeple.