Read a little. Learn a lot. • Tightly-written news, views and stuff • Follow us on Twitter • Be a Facebook Fan • Tumble us!

21 Jan 2012 15:35

tags

Tech: MegaUpload founder’s arrest: Electronic locking devices + sawed-off shotguns

  • Despite our staff clearly identifying themselves, Mr Dotcom retreated into the house and activated a number of electronic-locking mechanisms. … Once they gained entry into [Dotcom’s safe room], they found Mr Dotcom near a firearm which had the appearance of a shortened shotgun. It was definitely not as simple as knocking at the front door.
  • Organised and Financial Crime Agency New Zealand Detective Inspector Grant Wormald • Describing the insane chain of events that led to the arrest of Kim Dotcom (also known as Kim Schmitz), the founder of MegaUpload, on Friday. Among the things removed from the house included two cars, one of which is a Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe — which has a retail price of $443,000. No matter how you feel about MegaUpload, Kim Dotcom certainly carries himself like a criminal mastermind, or more correctly, a James Bond villain. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Nov 2010 11:02

tags

U.S.: RIAA lawsuits’ last stand: SCOTUS won’t hear downloader’s appeal

  • good The recording industry has moved away from suing the crap out of copyright infringers. About time; who did that help, anyway?
  • bad One of the people sued in such a fashion, Whitney Harper, lost her case – and the Supreme Court wouldn’t hear her appeal. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 Oct 2010 23:25

tags

Tech: LIMEWIRE IS DEAD. IN ALL CAPS. (FOR EMPHASIS)

  • THIS IS AN OFFICIAL NOTICE THAT LIMEWIRE IS UNDER A COURT-ORDERED INJUNCTION TO STOP DISTRIBUTING AND SUPPORTING ITS FILE-SHARING SOFTWARE. DOWNLOADING OR SHARING COPYRIGHTED CONTENT WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION IS ILLEGAL.
  • A notice on LimeWire’s Web site • Informing the world that the groundbreaking file-sharing service is no more. It lost a permanent injunction, rendering the decade-old site off-limits. You’ll be missed, and not just for all of the spyware you put on our computers. The next step? The RIAA goes for the money grab. Sad.  source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

07 Sep 2010 11:08

tags

Tech: The Pirate Bay currently getting nailed by a coordinated effort

  • 14 countries are reportedly carrying out server raids source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Jan 2010 12:53

tags

Politics: Bono’s busy schedule: Stop file-sharing, defeat AIDS, save Africa

  • Perhaps movie moguls will succeed where musicians and their moguls have failed so far, and rally America to defend the most creative economy in the world, where music, film, TV and video games help to account for nearly 4 percent of gross domestic product.
  • U2 lead singer Bono • Regarding file-sharing’s danger to the content industries. As crazy as this quote is, it starts out even crazier: “But we know from America’s noble effort to stop child pornography, not to mention China’s ignoble effort to suppress online dissent, that it’s perfectly possible to track content.” This guy is just as arrogant and full of it as the glasses and haircut (and crappy recent music) suggest. He compared file sharing to child porn and free speech. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

29 Sep 2009 21:41

tags

Music: Like lions on a gazelle, British pop stars tackle file-sharing en masse

  • 100 Britpoppers were in one room; Lily Allen was the loudest source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 Sep 2009 11:16

tags

Music: Brilliant! UK tunesmith Dan Bull takes Lily Allen to task

  • Lilly Allen recently threatened to give up music on an anti-piracy blog she created. Then she took the blog down. As Allen made her name on file-sharing, that statement sounded hypocritical to some. Now Dan Bull, a UK musician with a similar style to that of Allen, has a video for a song which criticizes the star for just that. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 5 Comments • Permalink
 

31 Jul 2009 19:23

tags

Biz, Tech: The royally screwed Tenebaum: The RIAA gets a huge judgment

  • $675,000 the size of the judgment against PhD student Joel Tenenbaum, who felt it from the RIAA
  • $22,500 the amount Tenenbaum has to pay for the songs he downloaded from KaZaA (remember that?) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Jul 2009 15:47

tags

Biz, Music: Music in a nutshell: We’re getting it online, in hoards

  • 41.5% increase in digital sales last year. Conversely, physical sales dropped 43.5% in the same time span
  • 26% of 14-18 year olds admit to “sharing” music files last month, down from 42% in December 2007 source
Posted by Nathalie Heiberg • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Jun 2009 20:45

tags

Tech, U.S.: We swear, this RIAA case must’ve had the dumbest jury ever

  • 24 songs Number of MP3s file-sharer Jammie Thomas-Rasset was being sued over by the RIAA
  • $1.92 million Amount in damages a jury loaded with dumb@$$es awarded the recording industry source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
top tags