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£2000 fine for downloading illegally. is this common- what usually happens? help!!!

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Veil of Maya

I'm not much of a techie, can you get screwed for using sites like RapidShare/Mediafire/Megaupload?

As far as I'm aware, you only get fined for sharing. If you're not uploading material to these sites you should be fine. Torrents are more risky because it's almost impossible to download a torrent without uploading at the same time. Plus your IP is easily accessible. That's why I stopped using torrents.

Reply 181

TShadow383

Basically, so long as you're clever about it, you won't get caught.
My primary source for all things now is SSL-encrypted Usenet (via astraweb, $25 for 180GB).
Failing that, get off the well-known public trackers, and for god's sake don't go near programs like limewire. RS/megaupload etc are all good.

So far as safety goes, from safest to least safe:

-SSL Usenet
-Non-SSL Usenet
-Rapidshare etc
-Small Scene FTPs
-Large Scene FTPs
-Small Private Bittorrent Trackers
-Large Private Bittorrent Trackers
-Public Bittorrent Trackers
-Old style P2P (Limewire, Kazaa etc)

Oh, and I imagine the OP is talking about the recent ACS:LAW cases, which often aren't really worth the paper they're written on, a decent lawyer would get rid of that £2000 fine for you quite quickly.

Reply 182

uglylikeyoursister

**** need to stop doing that

Reply 183

shark67

The RIAA and similar groups should just die.

Reply 184

SacreBleu

3105

Surely that kind of baiting isn't fair?

'I wouldn't have downloaded the game if I hadn't been presented the opportunity'.

Yeah but he wasnt just presented with the oppurtunity while going about his normal business, he was actively searching for a download of the game, and unfortunately found a "baited download".

Reply 185

SacreBleu

-Em-

If the copyright holder is providing the game for download online, then it's entirely legal to download it.

If they're only providing what they say is the game, then they're lacking an actual crime, so you're clear on that count too.

[I am not a lawyer - This isn't legal advice]

However, I am a techie and an IP address can't tell you very much on its own. If they can't find the file on your machine, then it'll require the compliance of a lot of agencies to prove beyond reasonable doubt that you downloaded it - and even then, you could have been piping it to /dev/null.

And even then, you are allowed to download any copyrighted material if you hold the copyright. So while all this is happening, you could go and buy the real copy of the CD/DVD/Game. Am I right?

Reply 186

manwithmidi

The thing is though, nobody in this thread has actually said that they themselves have been fined.
Just because the news claims that people are receiving fines, it doesn't mean that it is true...

Reply 187

joey11223

GodspeedGehenna

It was in the news recently that ISPs such as BT and Virgin are dobbing in their own customers for torrent use, but the most i've heard happening is them being sent warning letters about a "3 strike policy" or whatever.

Unfortunatly for me, I'm with Virgin, and I'm currently downloading right now. :ninja:

hahaha.

There was also a rumour about recently that law enforcement agencies are targeting popular torrent sites and uploading fake torrents, when you download it they'll get all your info. But that just screams of BS, they may be monitoring popular sites but creating a false file with what sounds like a virus inside would be rather questionable in the law imo.

Reply 188

Shadowplay

This is just to scare you. It is extremely extremely rare, and most of the time they target people that also UPLOAD major things online for others to download.

Unless you live in America of course, they've got a special system there that practically allows them to sentence you to death by electrocution for downloading 20 songs. Well not exactly, but almost.

Reply 189

tomcuk123

KwungSun

Be careful though, just becaue you put something in your recycle bin and emptied the bin doesn't mean there is no more trace to the file on your PC. I'm sure someone else can advise more competently than me on how to really get rid of a file.

Yeah, in Windows, when you delete a file, it does not erase the file straight away. Instead, it deletes the pointer to that bit of data (forgets it is there) so it can be overwritten if the space is needed again. The file is still there.

That is how recovery softwares work.