http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-5705142.html Looks like the MPAA is taking down the TV torrent sites. So let me get this straight. Torrents are not ok, but TiVo is ok? Does TiVo pay a royalty to the tv stations?
Thats just crazy. I have a feeling this will all go the same way as MP3 trading. Alot of song and dance.....and at the end of the day they still make massive amounts of money and movies and TV shows are still traded over the internet.
a few weeks ago it had the same front page u see now, but like 10 mins later, i refreshed it and came up just fine.... so dunno, plus they are plenty of other sites that host TV torrents
The courts have been over this with VCRs and Sony's "time shift" argument, more than 20 years ago. Home recording units (VCR, TiVo) are OK, provided the user is not distributing recorded material. I'm not saying I agree with the ban on torrenting copyrighted materials necessarily, just that I think it's a bit disingenuous to pretend the legal challenge is difficult to understand. You're talking about widespread distribution; that's not permitted under the Supreme Court's ruling or the current copyright laws, which is what the content owners are arguing.
God I hate all these companies! They want to squeeze every last penny out of their shows. I know they have the right to do so, but there is just too much greed in the music and motion pictures industries. Yah well, the American way I guess! They should just charge something like $1 per downloaded TV show, or charge you a monthly fee on their own websites to allow you access to watching these shows, and not allows users to download their shows, but rather just watch them on their websites (kind of like iFilm). So my real point of contention here is that until they have an alternative available in place where fans of these shows can go and watch them, they should not be pissed off at these websites for sharing these shows online. It kind of reminds me of how Napster was providing a service that no one else was, and when they shut it down, they were really fighting the p2p technology itself, not just the illegal file sharing activity. The technology was threatening to cut into their profits and the way they are accustomed to doing business. Then finally companies like Apple came up with itunes and other ways to make this stuff legally available for users, and look how well they are doing. So these corporations need to be ahead of the curve in exploiting new technology instead of trying to restrict technological innovation, because that is really what they have been trying to do since day 1, but luckily the courts have not allowed them to do so, and instead forced them to get in the game and be players in the market. Technology will never be held back, those idiots need to understand that. On a related topic, Mark Cuban wins big kudos from me for supporting the cause.
1) Maybe they think it's worth more in its current format than it would be in a $1-per-download format. Why do you assume you know more about what would or wouldn't be profitable than the people who run these companies...? 2) Why is it "greedy" for these companies to protect their copyrighted content? 3) Corporations have a responsibility to their shareholders to "squeeze every last penny out of their shows". Those shows are provided to create a profit, period. The show could be the most artless, intellectually bankrupt piece of **** around-- it could be "Desperate Housewives", even-- but if it were profitable, it would be fulfilling its purpose.
Again, that is fine, I understand that part, let them squeeze every last penny, I could care less. The REAL problem I have with those idiots is that they b**** and moan every time a new technology comes out that exploits a market they haven't exploited yet. They are always behind the technological curve, they should just exploit the new technologies instead of trying to limit them. That is what I take issue with.
I have seen several people talk about these "greedy companies" not allowing their shows to be traded freely. Hell yes they want to protect it. They are in the business to make money. Does anybody here have a clue how much it costs to produce these shows? If they were going to give it away, we wouldn't have TV shows for very long, and the LA bankruptcy court would be quite full.
Not allow their shows to be "traded freely", but rather provide a legal alternative for users so they don't have to download them illegally. Until they do so, there is nothing they can do about the illegal usage of their products. You HAVE to provide an alternative.
these things have existed for years..numerous formats, numerous mediums. When one falls another one comes up and the cycle goes on and on and on I think its time for these companies to try and take advantage of these mediums and formats.
Damn...you know, if it weren't for Bittorrent, I would've been lost on 24 after 6 episodes. I was too busy during Monday nights to catch the shows, so I had to download them since no one in the dorms had a freakin' VCR. It's also the reason I keep up with Lost. I just downloaded the past 4 eps and got caught up. I agree with the whole notion that they should exploit the new technology. I mean, iTunes let people download music off the net for a charge and millions have used it and downloaded music legally. I was downloading the first 12 episodes of Lost just for keepsake and catching up...you think they're gonna start suing yet or just focusing on shutting down the sites for now?
As ive noticed through the years, everytime something like this happens, another company pushes the envelope and goes towards new innovation, but I cant see anything happenning soon. Let them offer us something that we cant get otherwise, cause people will be copying and recording till the end of time. First Cassette tapes, people started copying so they went on to CD's, which provided clearer sound on a disc, then moving from CD's to downloadable digital format, Video tapes to DVD. The point is, if you push innovation and give the consumer something new and better, the future is much brighter. I'm not saying downloading is right since it is copyrighted material, but in a way, downloaders keep companies honest and always thinking. If we all just accepted what the corporations gave us, we would be in a technological rut and the companies can just charge what they want and be satisfied, never moving forward. As for tv shows, i think that's just really crappy. Most of the tv shows I watchthat are out on DVD I buy or plan to buy, but what about the ones that have yet to come out on DVD. If anything, the downloadable tv shows sites like btefnet boost DVD sales if the show is good. Given examples like Familly Guy and Chappelle Show which are among the top downloaded shows and yet had the highest sales among DVD's. Hell, the dvd sales of Family guy alone brought the show back to life, and this all started when people started to watch family guy by downloading it when it wasnt available in any other format. The point is if a show is truly good, it will be sold no matter what you throw at it.
Ok, just reread the article more carefully...they aren't focusing on downloaders or uploaders just yet...just the sites that traffic the links.
This is a big mistake on the studios' part. Here's a list of shows I've downloaded using Bittorrents which I then started watching live and/or bought the DVD sets: Alias(I own Seasons 1-3) Angel(I own all 5 seasons) Coupling(I own all 4 seasons) Lost(I've preordered Season 1) The O.C.(I own Season 1) The West Wing(I own Seasons 1-4) Curb Your Enthusiasm(I own Seasons 1-3) The Jamie Kennedy Experiment(I own all 3 seasons) Punk'd(I own Seasons 1-2) The Office(I own both seasons and the Christmas special) Smallville(I own Seasons 1-3) Life As We Know It(I plan on getting the box set) Da Ali G Show(I own Season 1) And I guarantee you I'm not the only one with a list like this. That's a lot of revenue these studio heads could be throwing away by targeting Bittorrent sites.
Then you and I are basically in agreement. As you've noted, the genie is out of the bottle. You would have to assume that they're trying to halt the trading while they think of ways to capitalize on it, rather than hoping to get it shut down permanently.
i work nights and my VCR went to chit long ago. the only way i watch LOST and 24 is because of bittorent. this will suck if all sites are down before the season finales.
