Okay Geek Farm
RIAA's Anti-Piracy Plan so far - Threats with no Action
Ricardo Trejo
From my own knowledge and experience, if you get caught file sharing a music or movie file, the RIAA (Record Industry Association of America) or MPAA (Movie Picture Association of America) contacts your ISP to give you a notice; a notice that your IP address was detected in an illegal copyright violation. From there your ISP usually interrupts your service, asking you to contact them to resolve the issue. Once you call them they'll tell you that they were contacted by a particular studio or label and told that your IP address was found to be file sharing. You can then act dumb or say that someone else did it, and then your ISP will reconnect you, giving you 2 more strikes until they completely cut you off.
Here's the thing - the RIAA cannot really put the pin on you since they never saw YOU do anything. Someone in your house could've downloaded/ uploaded the files, or your wireless network may not have been secured - or was compromised. But let's say you are caught 3 times with your hand in the cookie jar; it's then up to your provider to disconnect you for good or not. Remember, that when the RIAA or MPAA sends your ISP the letter, it's only a cease and desist - meaning they're just kindly telling you to stop. And if the provider wants to cut you off they can since you were "allegedly" breaking the terms of service, but then again, to them they don't have proof - just an allegation. Why break off ties to a paying customer over something someone else said about them?
At&t's Senior Executive Vice President, Jim Cicconi, explains the situation like this:
"It's a standard part of everybody's terms of service. If somebody is engaging in illegal activity, it basically gives us the right to do it...We're not a finder of fact and under no circumstances would we ever suspend or terminate service based on an allegation from a third party. We're just simply reminding people that they can't engage in illegal activity."
-Jim Cicooni, At&t
And heck, let's just say that your ISP did stop giving you service; couldn't you just switch to another provider? I mean it's not like you have a rap sheet about your internet activity. The days of suing people over downloading Destiny's Childs' "Bills, Bills, Bills" are done; so what are these letters for then, but scare tactics and empty threats. To people who are well versed in the internet it doesn't make them flinch, but I can see the mainstream crowd getting a bit weary, but then again, maybe that's who the industry is going after. Maybe they're trying to show those who might say 'hey, if it's that simple...'
Regardless, here we are, at the end of 2009, and nearly a decade after various piracy sites have come, gone, and even stayed, and the RIAA still hasn't come up with any sort of solid agreement or plan to stop piracy dead in its tracks. I mean, you can log on to nearly any torrent site available now, and you've got yourself about a million to one odds chance of getting caught. And then if you DO get caught, well then everything I said above will happen, and 10 times out of 10 you'll get out of it - ready to get some more free stuff.
[Electronista via CNET]
