Recording Industry Isn't Happy Even After Kazaa Stops Downloads Down Under
from the what-else-can-they-do?!? dept
Last week, we wrote about the pointless and technologically-brain dead order from a court in Australia that Sharman Networks implement keyword filters in their product and then trick users of the current, perfectly working Kazaa, into believing that they absolutely need to download the new, crippled version. This was silly enough, but the judge also gave them until December 5th to comply. Apparently unable to put in place the keyword filter that quickly, the company decided to do the next best thing: they completely shut off the ability to download Kazaa in Australia. You might think that this would make the recording industry happy, but that's not the case at all. Instead, the head of ARIA (the Australian equivalent of the RIAA) has stated: "Sharman has thumbed its nose at the court. They were given a chance to do the right thing and they've ruined it. They cannot be trusted to even take the simplest steps towards complying with the court's orders and again have shown they intend to do nothing about the illegal activities occurring on a massive scale on their system." It sort of sounds like he wrote that statement before realizing they had shut off downloads. It is true that people with existing versions of Kazaa can keep on using it freely, but that is completely out of Sharman's control. It's also true that those outside Australia can keep downloading, but last time we checked, Australian courts only have jurisdiction over Australia (though, the Australian courts don't always believe this is so). The only other explanation for the statement is that the recording industry really believes it's that easy to write the software filter, change the software, test it and have it ready to go in such a short period of time. Perhaps they should have volunteered their own special copy protection experts, who have the magical touch that all those other techies apparently lack.
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REdiCUlOus
Morever, if Kazaa is no longer available for download in Australia, then there is no more case. End of story. The only reason the judge has a problem was because his verdict was focused on the deception of Australian citizens.
Again, he's also assuming that everyone using Kazaa is commiting a crime!! When will people learn?
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Re: REdiCUlOus
I understand that some have found valid corporate use for peer-to-peer software... but I've yet to meet them. As for at home, there are better ways to share legitimate files with friends. You can argue with me, and that's fine. Like I said, some have found use for it, but in my own small corner of the world, I've never heard of anyone using it legitimately. Sure... you can point to the number of legitimate files being shared, but until you can show me a large group of users sharing NOTHING BUT legitimate files, I'll have to argue. And even if you did, so what? I hardly think they're the majority.
Do I think Kazaa is commiting a crime? Hell, no! They should be free to do as they please, as long as they don't actively promote illegal activity. But the arguement isn't that they're criminals themselves, but that they're enabling crime... a far more nebulous thing, and I'm far from qualified to comment on that aspect. But correlations can be drawn from other industries. Firearms, for example, are heavily "filtered" to weed out the military-grade weapons (read: designed for killing... high-caliber, fully-automatic, artillery, and explosives), because such weapons "enable crime".
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Reason for response
Kazaa was a fairly complete product. Any new features would have only added marketing tools for Sharman or possibly some new P2P protocol when needed, but besides that, it doesn't need any updates.
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People still use Kazaa?
I know at least that is what happened with like every single person I know. Most of my friends are now using eMule which is open source. Last time I checked there were approx. 15,000,000 users on it ... so why is it that the RIAA is still after Sharman Networks? Is it because they are a legitimate business?
IMHO, you are a fool if your still using Kazaa.
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Re: People still use Kazaa?
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They won't be happy until
Then when nobody listens to the over-priced, crappy music anymore (cause we can't afford it)they will sue everyone for NOT listenning.
I have just become aware that the music industry is now under Ferengi control.
Rule of Acquisition #1 states that...
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No Subject Given
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Recording Industry Isn't Happy Even After Kazaa St
1) The internet goes away.
2) It is illegal to copy, rip, duplicate, ANYTHING, and copyrights last 500 years.
3) People come to their senses and gratefully start shelling out $20 a pop for any old piece of crap that the music industry turns out, and give up all ideas of sharing it with anyone, even themselves - one copy for home, one for the car, and one for the missus.
4) Music megastars come to their senses and start realizing what a great deal they have with their record companies and agree to take one third of the royalties they do now.
Even then they will be whining about how hard they have it. NOTHING will satisfy them except total world domination, and that is not likely to happen soon.
Neither are any of the 4 things on my list. Thus, the recording industry is going to remain the domain of unhappy, greedy, spoiled rich people who have little appreciation or respect for those who have collectively allowed them to accumulate the wealth and success that they have.
Their entire industry, and its reason for existing in the first place, is being washed away from under them, like a turbulent ocean washing away its shoreline. Rather than accepting this inevitable change in the tides, they sue and point the finger at anything that moves, as they whine about how unfair life is.
Once upon a time there was a thriving industry of buggy whip and horse carriage makers. There was an unstoppable empire of computer arrogance called IBM. There was an unending auto monopoly called GM.
Good thing nothing in life is permanent. It couldn't happen to a bigger bunch of jerks than the music industry.
Just as you wrote about Kazaa and its new, crippled version, do they (and Microsoft) REALLY think that millions of people are going to buy new computers that prevent them from doing the things they want to do when the older ones let them? What an incredible opportunity for the next Napster and Kazaa, on a scale not yet even conceived, to circumvent all of this lunacy.
Good luck, unhappy entertainment industry. Your troubles have barely begun.
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