Hollywood Creates Software For Automatic Booting Of File Sharers
from the due-process-be-damned dept
The folks in Hollywood are getting a bit more technical. Realizing that it was taking some ISPs and university network administrators some time to respond to their DMCA takedown notices when accusing file sharers or illegal activity, Universal has written up some open source software that they're pushing on universities and ISPs that would help automate the process of kicking them off the network. The idea is that the studios could send out a notification, that would automatically go into the system, send off an alert email to the user, and then shut off their account until the "offending material" was removed. Leaving aside the irony of Hollywood offering free open source software (this is the same industry that is still telling people "if it's free, you stole it"), it also seems to go a step beyond what most people consider due process in making sure that those kicked off from the network actually did something wrong.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
No Subject Given
Ah, the havoc you could wreak during finals week at any given university.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]