It's definitely not "legit". It may be unlikely that the NBA would take legal action on individuals using this service, or at least no more likely than prosecuting people watching illegal streams from other sources. That doesn't mean ballstreams.com is running video streams for hockey for several years because the NHL was ok with it. More likely the NHL just didn't know. There are so many illegal streams out there that it is hard to track down every one. Of course the more popular a particular site becomes, the more likely it is to draw the NBA's attention and have action taken against it. You can't assume that because the NBA hasn't taken action so far, that it is because they know and don't care or can't take action in the future. I would actually think the NBA would have more incentive to go after a company like ballstreams.com because not only are they broadcasting NBA games without paying the NBA, but they are making money off of it. Certainly people have been arrested for streaming live sporting events in the US: http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1202/120202newyork.htm http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1102/110202newyork.htm This last one being someone from Deer Park, TX: http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1110/111025newyork.htm I suspect you would get away with using any of these streaming services as just a user, but unless they are sanctioned by the NBA they aren't "legit".
The NHL and NBA are two different entities. One may be more litigious than the other, so successful years of pirating NHL streams doesn't mean it will necessarily fly with the NBA.
I don't see it as stealing. When I steal something from you, I am now in possession of it and you are not. That is clearly not happening here. It is more like sharing or copying, which I think is just A-OK. It is the difference between taking your basketball away from you so that you can't do the infamous JuanValdez Eurostep, or doing my best to imitate the JuanValdez Eurostep (with my own ball) so that I may use it myself. I realize this goes against all of IP law, but when it comes to my personal ethics, this gives me no cause for concern. With that said... I'm still on the fence for ballstreams.
those links were awesome, super high quality for free. Made watching rockets games last year enjoyable again for me and not a pain in the ass. Are you sure they won't work again?
Well, if the NBA didn't know about it before, they do now. I'm sure Morey has noticed this multi-page thread about pirating by now and has called Legal to see what they're going to do about it. I agree with you, really, that copywrite violations are not stealing. It's more like fraud than theft. I was playing loose so I could throw Robin Hood in there.
This is true. I think it is less likely, because the cost of going after viewers could easily end up being more than they could re-coup. On the flip side doing it once would be a really strong deterrent to people watching streams so they may never have to do it again. Ballstreams.com could be very worth while financially for the NBA to sue since they are charging their users. Here is an article about the UFC going after fans streaming fights: http://www.reviewjournal.com/sports...ebsite-it-says-illegally-streamed-fight-shows Note that the domain was registered in Romania, but that didn't stop them from getting it taken down.
It is definitely stealing. Example: I write software for a living. When the code is done, anyone can grab a copy for essentially free over the internet... but I still spend 6 months writing the code, and taking a copy without paying for it is robbing me of the time I invested. Even if you would not have paid full price and only get $1 benefit from the software, don't I deserve $0.50 for the time I put in creating it? Same deal with the time and effort invested by the NBA in producing their game broadcasts, the payment they make to players, coaches, etc. It feels less like stealing when they are getting rich off it, but it should tell you something that if everyone stole it then they wouldn't bother to produce the games at all. It becomes a more complicated question when there is no legitimate way to buy the product even if you wanted to.
This situation is just a little different in that everybody here would be happy to pay the fees, we're not given the opportunity to.
Me using your code does not prevent you from also using the code, and it is therefore not stealing. Just because it took you a while to figure it out doesn't mean that my use of it is stealing. If I stole your computer, on the other hand, that is obviously stealing because now I can use it and you can't. Ideas/knowledge are non-rivalrous and therefore not property. And since only property can be stolen, ideas and knowledge can't be said to be stolen. They are copied or shared. But I've derailed this thread enough, and will only say that any other pro-IP arguments can be refuted by Googling "Stephan Kinsella"
Obviously it's not legal streams. But neither are torrents but a lot of people here have no problem illegally downloading or discussing it.
Not really derailing it, since the thread is about stealing after all. But I agree that IP law quagmire would be coming under the heading of religious argument. And in any case I agree that it is of quesionable societal utility to legally protect ideas/knowledge (as in patents). Expressions of ideas/knowledge (as in copyrights) are another ballgame.
Some advice: if you ever get arrested, hire a lawyer, don't defend yourself. While you may not consider it 'stealing', what you ARE doing is causing another person a substantive monetary loss as a direct result of your actions. Now I am the first person to pile on the RAIA and scumbags like them who seek to greedily suck every penny they can by stifling technology and innovation, but, that said, I understand intellectual property rights, and your cavalier attitude is unfortunate. Your tune would change in a hurry if you wrote a book or created an app or a program, expecting to be paid for it, but everyone just helped themselves to it, all the while saying 'Hey, it's not stealing! You still have it, so how could I have stolen it from you??'
Stealing is taking something that isn't yours. End of story. Stop trying to justify taking something that doesn't belong to you.
I too understand something about intellectual property rights. I just disagree with you on them, and that's OK. What you perceive to be a cavalier attitude is simply me stating my position, and attempting to do so without getting in an argument since this isn't the place for it (maybe even stating my position on it was a mistake - who knows). I know what violates and what doesn't violate IP law, but that doesn't mean I have to agree with it. And like I said before, I know that what I'm saying doesn't jive with current IP law in the US. But that doesn't mean I'm not correct. There are, you may be alarmed to find out, other laws on the books that I also disagree with. So I wouldn't try to play a lawyer in real life. Also, I wouldn't use IP law on others. Though you and I have a deep and detailed history which allows you to accurately predict how I will react to a future situation in real life, I believe you are mistaken in this instance. So... again: Taking (as in physically removing an object so that you can use it but not its rightful owner) ≠ copying.
The only thing I'm worried about is my wife seeing a charge on our credit card for a website called ball streams...
Maybe I'm morally bankrupt here, but to me the only downside to this is the prospect of possibly getting in trouble. If NBA LP was reliable, convenient, and had good customer service, I could see spending all the money to get it. But it historically has been pretty terrible. I had LP on my phone last season b/c I worked in the evenings and it made more sense that way. This season i'm looking at my options and it seems like ballstreams plus a roku is the most cost-effective solution/convenient solution.
