Network executives are on crack if they believe downloading is the only
issue affecting their bottom line.
The last time I checked the law, sharing a file over the Internet was not a breach of copyright or a form of stealing in any shape or form. Are these Torrent users claiming this content is theirs and they created it? No, they are not. So, these boof-heads need to stop twisting the meaning of breaching copyright.
Looks like Aussies decided to wait until these show came onto Foxtel or Free to Air TV. Perhaps these particular networks were wise enough to fast-track the content so the Aussie fans did not have wait or resort to downloading. However, this is probably not accurate as didn't someone leak the first five episodes of Game of Thrones before Foxtel got around to airing these episodes?
I am a freelance writer who does a lot of blogging on various sites and I encourage my readers to share my articles with their friends if they like what they are reading. In fact, the more people who read my article, the better that is for my bottom line and ability to get freelance work. So sharing a music file with a friend or many people online is the same thing, isn't it?
The short answer is NO! But Governments will waste money trying to do it anyway. The ISPs are not happy at what it might cost them, so this could go on for years before any Torrent sites are blocked.
If I were to download the new episode of Grey's Anatomy on Sept, 24, simply because I do not want to wait six months to see it's premiere in Australia, this is apparently illegal. Well; too bad, so sad. Perhaps if the Seven network were to show Grey's Anatomy at the same time the US are watching it, then I would not need a Torrent site to get my fix of one of my favourite TV shows. Wake up Seven network and you too Nine network, you are one of the worst offenders.
These entertainment executives need to get a grip and give the public what they want. Start listening to your viewers. What do Foxtel and Roadshow have to gain by suing people who cannot afford Pay TV or DVDs because they are so expensive in Australia. Suing these people is not going to bring the TV bosses untold riches or even recover what they claim to have lost in revenue due to piracy.
The people who will are sued or possibly thrown in gaol, will be the ones who are not computer saavy enough to know how to download content without getting caught. The people who download on a regular basis and break the law by selling what they download, they are the people who should be in gaol, no question about it.
And make no mistake every single person connected to the one who has been thrown in gaol will start downloading as much content as possible in protest and most will never go to a movie, buy a CD or DVD ever again. This is the monster that will be created if the Government seek to imprison people who download a couple of movies or songs.
When will Governments ever learn that trying to control a person's free will ends with people finding another way around those restrictions and what the Governments were trying to do inevitably backfires. My hope is the Internet and all that use it do everything they can to slap some sense into these people that are supposed to be representing the interests of everyone. Not just the rich entertainment executives.
So please leave the single mums, pensioners and regular ordinary Australians who would only download a show that they missed seeing a few days ago and at the most these people might download perhaps ten items of content per week. That is a drop in the ocean of content that is being sourced online and then sold for profit to people who do not know how to access content online.
When the boss of Roadshow told Torrent Freak that if people are appealed to in the right way, they would likely stop using Torrent sites, but he then turns around and says he is gearing up for the day his company can file law suits against Torrent users.
You cannot access torrent files without downloading the Torrent client, known as UTorrent or BitTorrent. What many people are asking is, if it illegal to share Torrent files, then surely the software used to download the Torrents is illegal too. Not that I have heard is all I can add to this.
It is time to wake up Australia, blocking the sites won't work because the computer savvy people will find a way around that. Multiple ways of downloading content exist on the Internet, and it is impossible to block everything. Besides the Internet was never supposed to be controlled by anyone.
Smart people will use a Virtual Private Network, or a VPN as they are known. These services allow user to route their Internet traffic through other servers, so anyone watching cannot see what the person is doing online. The best and most reputable VPN services do not keep logs, therefore the law cannot come along and demand these service identify people who are using Torrent sites. This is merely one way of stopping down-loaders.
It is possible to download from YouTube, I do not believe Google would ever agree to allowing YouTube to be blocked. So this blocking of sites where people can download content that is deemed illegal or stealing will not work and is a waste of tax-payers money.
Despite the efforts of certain authorities who seek to control everyone.
The Pirate Bay Lives on.
This whole exercise has cost tax payers a lot of money, and I shudder to think how much. The money they have spent on their so called piracy campaign should have gone towards helping people who are in danger of committing suicide, fifty people kill themselves per week in Australia and what about kiddie porn, and the fact that 1 in 5 children are sexually assaulted in Australia at some point in their lives.
These statistics are horrifying and the Government should be paying attention to these problems. Not dancing to the tune of the entertainment industry and their whinging and whining about how much money they are losing because of file sharing.
This is quite a rant, but I have been thinking about this for awhile now and the more I analyze this, the more ridiculous I feel it is.
So; now it is your turn, have your say in the comments or jump on Twitter or Facebook to connect with me. If you are really serious about fighting for your right to file share with other Internet users.
There is now an Australian Political Party that does not support the law surrounding what Hollywood refers to as piracy.
Coming soon, I will be writing a new article about how to ensure your privacy on the Internet. So stay tuned for that one.
Also another tip I should leave you with is, if you are unsure what the best sites are to find Torrent files, Torrent Freak have a top ten list that is published yearly.
Stay anonymous online. Get a Free Trial of a quality VPN service today. If you use an Ipad or Tablet, then it is recommended you try Hidepad, a privacy service specifically designed for tablets and Ipads. Get a head start on these mongrels who want to control file sharing and protect your privacy today.
If you need content written for your website, JelWrites can get the job done.
The absolutely wonderful fact about the Internet is that there is a solution to any problem. No one will ever succeed in totally controlling the Internet or its users and it is criminal to even try. Those that try to implement measures of control are very likely to have this blow up in their faces.
Jel Writes, September 2015
Copyright © 2015 Janelle Coulton
