2 points about this thread. First, a lot of people have posted responses to the effect of "Unless xxx downloads the file that is supposedly breaching copyright, they can't tell if you *are* breaching copyright or not, thus breaching it themselves". Unfortunately this isn't true (at least for EDonkey). EDonkey creates a hash of the file on your hd, and compares it with the hashes on everyone elses hd. If you're in the middle of downloading the file, Edonkey can be sure it's resuming the same file from someone else (regardless of filename) by these hashes. Therefore to prove copyright infringment, all these companies need to do is to confirm your hashes are the same hashes as a "real" warezed version of whatever movie. Of course the movie house give the company legal permission to download etc the file, therefore they are not in contravention of copyright law. So all the company does is run a donkeybot or similar, scan the network and log all the people who are sharing a file with hashes that match a warezed ver of the movie. Until it becomes illegal to own a checksum of a file... As a side note, this hashing works against them too. They may have been flooding the p2p networks with "bad" versions of movies, but all any sensible person needs to do is to use a website (sharereactor.com, for example) and use the hash link off there. Providing the website is "true" (and there are enough of them), you'll always be garanteed to download the file you actually want. Secondly, companies & "entities" in the USA really need to get a damn grip of themselves. A friend of mine received an email from a company saying he was breaching the DCMA etc for exactly the same reason as Keith Tyler. The problem? He lives in the UK, just like me. Sorry to tell you, no matter how much you don't want to believe it (and how many times you put a Skylarov in jail) American law does NOT apply worldwide. All that said, piracy is of course a crime. Views are my own. Standard disclaimer applies etc etc. Ian Kayne Technical Specialist - IT Solutions Softlab Ltd - A BMW Company ******************************************************************** This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you are not the intended recipient or the person responsible for delivering to the intended recipient, be advised that you have received this email in error and that any use of the information contained within this email or attachments is strictly prohibited. Internet communications are not secure and Softlab does not accept any legal responsibility for the content of this message. Any opinions expressed in the email are those of the individual and not necessarily those of the Company. If you have received this email in error, or if you are concerned with the content of this email please notify the IT helpdesk by telephone on +44 (0)121 788 5480. ********************************************************************
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