“Yeah Mike, come on man open up I think the cops saw me!”
Just how well do you know that freak with the basketball?
This is why the Japanese P2P programs use things that allow for plausable deniability. Basically you’re constantly uploading and downloading small bits of random info. So you don’t know what is being downloaded or uploaded to your computer.
Also the RIAA and others actually PUT content out there. So when you download it they will know.
Despite what you may think, there is no true anonymity on the Internet. For those not working through proxy servers, your IP address, combined with your ISP (and the details of your ISP account) are more than sufficient for law enforcement and those with the proper forensic tools to find you. Even if you operate through proxy servers in an attempt to hide your identity, given enough time, the proper tools and other resources, and you can be found.
What’s with the quotes?
CP is via chat room stings (as stated – had a world wide but just the other day) or even one-on-one busts; torrents are generally from those that seed files early in the piece – i.e., before there are millions of seeds all over the globe.
A kid got nabbed in AU for uploading the New Super Mario Bros. (Wii) video game, which he had acquired early, because he was essentially the only one providing the file and thus easy to track, and was slapped with ‘token’ $1.3mil fine as a result of successful a Nintendo suit!
Because you aren’t actually agreeing to anything but being strong-armed, no actual loss in revenue has actually been proven, and, even if it were, the compensation doesn’t correlate with the best estimates. It’s not like someone broke your car, you can’t go to work, and you and that someone’s lawyer negotiate back and forth until you agree on how much money you have to pay to make up for it.
I mean, many companies give away their music for free on YouTube, using their official channels. Funny how that doesn’t hurt them, but little Johny handing it out to a bunch of friends causes them to lose millions of dollars.
Okay, I’m getting a bit too GD, so I’ll stop now. Just let it be known that many people do not hold the opinion that the system is fair and thus do not believe terms are accurate.
Because it is not really a lawsuit for compensation. The RIAA (or MPAA) threatens to sue. They know that it would cost the average Joe tens of thousands to properly defend themselves, innocent or not, plus investigate the details to make a defence. Their lobbyists have bought and paid for laws that make it a minimum of (IIRC) $7,500 per song, regardless of any proof of actual damages if any. If you fight and win, it costs you $10,00+ in lawyers fees. If you fight and lose, you probably pay $100,000 plus. If the it looks like the RIAA is going to lose, they drop the suit and you still have thousands in legal bills.
So basically it’s extortion. In Canada, most losers in a lawsuit pay the winner’s legal bills, so if you take someone to court, you better be sure you will win. There are a lot less nuisance suits. Similarly, Canada does ot have the bought-and-paid-for laws that require cruel and unusual damages, and courts have said simply sharing a song is not grounds for the ISP to violate your privacy and disclose your name to the copyright owner - you need to prove actual significant damages.
In the USA, it’s simple extortion on the part of the record labels. Pay us or else…