Maybe The Pirate Bay Should Just Pay Hollywood For All The Advertising It's Done

from the this-isn't-going-to-end-well... dept

While The Pirate Bay ruling is now quite tainted, and about to go through at least an appeal if not a full retrial, it seems that the entertainment industry has wasted no time at all using the ruling to threaten a bunch of other sites, telling them that the're next if they don't shut down. In fact, some already are shutting down, as they'd rather not deal with a similar lawsuit.

Obviously, the entertainment industry still thinks it won this case. But, as we noted when the ruling came out, it's actually quite a loss for the industry, because it makes them think the legal response is working. Their reaction to the result highlights that. But look a bit closer at the details and you realize just how badly the industry is shooting itself in the foot (repeatedly). Lots of people have pointed to the fact that the Pirate Party in Sweden has rapidly grown in membership, making it one of the larger political parties in the country, and its political ambitions are growing.

But... even more interesting, as pointed out by Michael Scott is the news that The Pirate Bay itself has seen its own traffic and popularity grow noticeably thanks to the trial. Once again, the entertainment industry's strategy has only driven more people to find out about the site and what it does. What's amazing is that the entertainment industry should already know this. After all, what kicked this whole trial off was a big raid which briefly shut down The Pirate Bay, but which also put the site into the worldwide media, and massively increased awareness of the site... a trend that only grew as the press coverage continued.

By far, the biggest promoter of The Pirate Bay has been the entertainment industry itself. If the Pirate Bay guys owe the entertainment industry any money at all, it should be for all the promoting the entertainment industry has done for the site.

Meanwhile, as Hollywood stupidly celebrates all this as a victory, others are noting that the next generation of file sharing systems coming down the road will be nearly impossible for the entertainment industry to stop. The entertainment industry doesn't even realize what battle it's fighting, which is why it still thinks this trial has been a victory.
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Filed Under: entertainment industry, publicity
Companies: the pirate bay


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  • icon
    ChurchHatesTucker (profile), 24 Apr 2009 @ 6:03pm

    TPB(TM)

    The funny thing is that The Pirate Bay is now a more coherent brand than any of the studios.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Ishan, 24 Apr 2009 @ 6:11pm

    Promoting culture of p2p FileSharing

    Completely agree - this case has just highlighted not only the Pirate Bay brand but also a thriving culture of p2p file sharing that may not have been evident to your average not too internet-literate joe.

    Unlike the Napster trial - now the industry is not just promoting one brand, but the whole culture of p2p file sharing

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    ShiverMyTimbers, 24 Apr 2009 @ 7:33pm

    Funny.

    You mean to say that TPB should convert from Pirate or Buccaneer, to Privateer, aka legal pirate.

    Please do tell, really, for whom?

    Come now. Who'll benefit? The creator or the consumer? Or the primary middle hand?

    Clock is ticking.

    Cheers

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Joe, 25 Apr 2009 @ 2:28am

    ...

    The irony of this being is that Hollywood is fueling the very fire that it is trying to put out.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 27 Apr 2009 @ 6:52am

      Re: ...

      In a certain light, and with deadened senses, gasoline and water can look very similar.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Luís Carvalho, 25 Apr 2009 @ 5:52am

    First, I'll point a small incorrection in the Irish Times article. They seem to think that 25 million is the number of accesses to TPB, since 2003. It isn't. That number would be reached in less then a month, not to say a week.

    Second, TPB should pay the guys that are sueing them? No, I don't think so. They should pay for publicity they didn't ask for, and, didn't contract with them? No.

    Third, the growth is and will be exponencial. Every time someone tries and receives a file by torrent or otherwise, it will tell it's friends about it, and they in turn bring other friends... and so on.

    The problem for the Media Cartels, is that. They can't compete, by imposing limitations, when there's a viable, free, friendly and easy alternative.

    Fileshare is viral. And it will continue. Doesn't matter if it's illegal, immoral, unfair. It's here. It's NOW.

    You don't have to like it. You, that doesn't like it, have a alternative. But, for that to ever remain possible, don't ever allow the temptation of trying file-sharing.

    Let's see, what's that other thing, that is good, and everyone tells you you shouldn't do, that from the moment you even hear about it you can't take out of your head to try? Oh, yeah... I remember. Do you?

    Hint: It's something you SHARE with somebody.

    Got it?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Paul, 25 Apr 2009 @ 6:36am

    Gee I dont know Luis.. Herpes? By the way there is an "N" after the "A" IE: An alternative. Exponecial? Oh yeah you are Spanish or whatever so I should excuse that. It is spelt exponential.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 25 Apr 2009 @ 1:27pm

      Re:

      Blah blah blah. I don't have a meaningful counter argument, so I'll just pick on spelling and grammatical errors. Troll.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Luís Carvalho, 25 Apr 2009 @ 6:39am

    Ok, did anything of what I said got lost because of 2 letters?

    If it did, I'm happy to explain.

    Oh, and, thankyou for the lesson. :)

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Paul, 25 Apr 2009 @ 6:46am

    Its 11.42 PM Saturday night here in Australia Luis so you must be either about to go to bed or just got up but either way I'm dying to know (really) what is the thing we share that is good but we shouldn't.. bodily fluids??

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Luís Carvalho, 25 Apr 2009 @ 6:51am

    I didn't say you shouldn't. I said, that morality, and even law, says you shouldn't. But, you do it anyway. And even if you don't you'll be crazy to do.

    BTW, it's Saturday afternoon here. Just had lunch.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Paul, 25 Apr 2009 @ 7:05am

    Not sure I understand you. Anyway even the most law abiding citizen will break the law even if it is unintentional. Maybe a game from a freind on cd or thier PC has an illegal copy of Windows. It is all a new frontier, one that will work itself out eventually. You are right thou, Sites like Pirate bay do push the boundaries of morality and legality. Most people know that it isnt right but are not worried because they know there is little chance of prosecution.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Luís Carvalho, 25 Apr 2009 @ 7:51am

    I don't really think the issue is " little chance of prosecution".

    It's more like "I don't care".

    About it being right or wrong, it's too early to tell.

    Moral definitions take time. And depend of massification of the concept.

    What is being done, is, children get to be doctrinated in schools by "only one side" and later they discover by themselves that that wasn't the only possible view. Some, will remain doctrinated, others will just throw the whole package away, forever.

    Thinking about it, and being the father of 4, I do teach them, to share. Everything. With each other, with their friends. Maybe, legaly I'm wrong. But I really don't feel wrong at all.

    What society are we building, if sharing, is morally wrong? What can you answer a child that wants to share is movies, books and toys with it's friends? You can't, it's against copyright? Really?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Dazz99, 26 Apr 2009 @ 3:52am

      Re:

      Whoever desires to found a state and give it laws, must start with assuming that all men are bad and ever ready to display their vicious nature, whenever they may find occasion for it.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    martyburns, 25 Apr 2009 @ 8:09am

    Paul, it's spelt 'though'. Bloody Australians.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    You Kids Suck, 25 Apr 2009 @ 8:31am

    Here we go again

    You are a moron. Oh, millions of kids breaking the law via the conduit called TPB...and you think TPB should be paid for advertising? The law-breakers use TPB as a search engine. They typically already know what they want when they go to TPB and type in ANIME or whatever shit they're watching nowadays.

    If you truly believe that the movie industry is making money because of this, you're more ignorant than most

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      bubba, 25 Apr 2009 @ 10:04am

      Re: Here we go again

      I would say you are the moron here. He is saying that the pirate bay is making more money, not the movie industry, because the whole world now knows of its existence.

      Sarcasm is used when stating that maybe they should now pay the movie industry for putting their name in the news daily for weeks. I doubt he really expects anyone is going to really pay anyone.

      I would also doubt that everyone who uses the pirate bay to search are in fact "kids". No doubt a large number of users are in fact "adults". And while its obvious many are using their site as a tool to search and steal content, it does also provide legal content such as linux distributions. Google can easily be used to obtain similar results.

      Just because you cant understand the post does not mean someone else is "ignorant than most".

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      asavage, 26 Apr 2009 @ 5:04am

      Re: Here we go again

      what a funny guy you are --a lot of the folks I notice on a private tracker I use are 50+most of the kids do not last long cause they are used to hit and running.Us oldies really want the shows that are shared there so are willing to seed files back.
      But we do not mind being called kids.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      FAIL, 26 Apr 2009 @ 5:33am

      Re: Here we go again

      TROLL

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Zaphod (profile), 25 Apr 2009 @ 12:45pm

    Pahahahahah! :D

    "You Kids Suck", if there has ever been a case to out someone as being an entertainment industry shill, you just provided it.

    Mike, you oughta get the details of that post's connection, so I can add it to ZB Block's ban list to keep them off my site.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Bloodyscot, 25 Apr 2009 @ 5:47pm

    When the movie coming out?

    It is starting to look like RIAA and group may have shifted the playing field to get TPB convicted.
    First a minster was pressured to take action.
    Second the officer that also worked for major company backing the RIAA made the raid on TPB.
    The officer got the warrant from the same judge that found TPB guilty, the same judge who had many ties to stronger copyright protects. It looks like TPB was operating just inside the law, so they had shifted the playing field to get a conviction and then use that conviction to pressure courts in other countries to close down the servers.
    The RIAA/MPAA did get some other torrent sites to close but this has created a BIG PR problem for them now. TPB broke no laws directly but the judge ruled that they aided in the law breaking, there was no juror, no evidents, just a ruling by the judge, who should not have heard this case.
    Hollywood will be paying TPB alot down the road for the movie rights on this.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Jack Sombra, 26 Apr 2009 @ 5:44am

    "You Kids Suck" , not only does your reading comprehension fail but also your irony detection capabilities.

    Mike said TPB should pay Hollywood for all the free advertising, not the other way around

    Zaphod is correct, with that level of stupidity and fail you can only be an entertainment industry shrill

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Steven, 26 Apr 2009 @ 8:20am

    How about that kiddie porn? Some kiddie porn website got in the news, and suddenly the millions of pedophiles around the world discovered PedophileBay, a great new way to look at kids getting used and abused. If that happens, maybe we should look the other way rather than busting down the company that is posting the content. How about slave trading? Maybe SlaveBay should come out and start selling human beings. Don't bother trying to shut it down, because some people might be using it and it's the Internet. Everything should be allowed on the Internet.

    They used to hang pirates. These guys have been proudly displaying their black and white flag. It's time to string them up, shut them down, and make it easier for authorities to go after them and shut them down. Trading illegal files, or conducting illegal business online should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law - regardless of whether it's an MP3, kiddie porn, or slave trade site. I don't see what all the fuss has been about with Pirate Bay. Why has it taken so long to do this? That's the problem with this case. If they'd arrested them and thrown them in the locker a bit faster, then the attention they'd have gained would have been short lived. The problem isn't that they've been counterattacked, it's that it's taking too long to bring them down.

    Maybe, just maybe if they put this guy in jail for 10 years or so, people might think twice about doing this kind of thing. At the very least, it would have to go underground.

    @Paul - you know, you shouldn't come down on someone whose second language is English when they make a spelling mistake. Especially when you make so many simple mistakes of your own. I would think that only someone whose only language is English would act like that.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      logik306, 26 Apr 2009 @ 10:38am

      Re:

      How the hell could you even THINK about comparing sharing music and movies to the exploitation and abuse of innocent children? Seems to me that those two wouldn't even be in the same ballpark, or the same game as one another! How on earth could you liken one to the other?

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      lulz, 27 Apr 2009 @ 4:59am

      Re:

      Trading illegal files, or conducting illegal business online should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law

      "Trade" and "business" imply some sort of exchange... like, 'I'll give you X-Men Origins if you give me Fast and Furious 4.' File-Sharing isn't a trade by any extent of the word, Stephen.

      whether it's an MP3, kiddie porn, or slave trade site
      What the hell were you smoking when you posted this? I can buy slaves online? Is this the 1800's with an internet connection?

      Maybe, just maybe if they put this guy in jail for 10 years or so, people might think twice about doing this kind of thing

      They (the legal system) attack the pirate bay = pirate party increases noticeably. They put a guy away for an unrealistic amount of time, people will overwhelmingly oppose the legal system; the Pirate Party would grow exponentially.

      Also, we have an overcrowded prison system as it is. When we start locking up file sharers, how will there be enough room for the rapists and murderers?

      Your failed logic astounds me.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 26 Apr 2009 @ 2:21pm

    idiots like steven are ever ready with the battle cry of the old, 'For the Children's Sake!'. Anyone that can manage to compare porn to filesharing deserves the ridicule.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Common Sense, 26 Apr 2009 @ 5:07pm

    Steven is right.

    In general, just because you want to do something, and have rationalized that it doesn't hurt anyone, does not give you the legal right to proceed with your selfish actions, regardless of your chosen victim. You can usually obtain the rights you are seeking, but it will probably cost you money to do so, and must be in accordance with the law.

    TPB is finding this out now. As Mike Masnick pointed out, several sites are already shutting down as a result of the legal actions against TPB, presumably because they don't have enough cash to defend themselves in a lawsuit (poor business model?) or they realize their efforts are likely illegal and are cashing out before wasting any money on a sham trial (good business model?).

    Since this topic is really about getting something for nothing, I would recommend you folks doing what it takes to legally earn the income to support your proclivities. Then, getting free files will seem a little less important. Of course, this speaks to responsibility and self-reliance, more topics of which the pro-TPB crowd is typically adverse.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      lulz, 27 Apr 2009 @ 5:05am

      Re:

      Ah, Common Sense, apparently
      a)your name is blatently ironic, and
      b)you haven't lurked on this site enough to learn that sharing music helps the artist

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Steve, 26 Apr 2009 @ 6:51pm

    Regardless of your personal stance, all this press is just putting both p2p and Pirate Bay across more head lines for more exposure. I can understand both viewpoints on this issue but one thing that stops me from p2p are the security risks. This* is a good read on the subject of security related to p2p sharing.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Chris, 26 Apr 2009 @ 7:24pm

    Security risks? The only risks are from a lack of common sense where p2p is used - If you download a bad file and not bother to check out comments, scan it for viruses/rootkits or use other security tools, then there's your risk. Any serious net surfer will have a good security in place. Being ignorant or naive is not a defence where the net is concerned.

    By the way, I'm pro-TPB although I don't agree with the child porn I'm guessing is existent there (how did anyone know without actually LOOKING for it, anyway?) - I've seen plenty of legal stuff but as sure as rain in England the pro-industry shills rear their ugly heads to try and remind us to keep it legit & buy their overpriced pieces of crap (which generates next to nothing for the artists they claim we are "ripping off")... WHATEVER!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Zaphod (profile), 26 Apr 2009 @ 7:30pm

    On Piracy...

    The real pirates of the music industry, is the industry themselves.

    They steal the booty of the artists, and if an artist resists them, they are silenced. But if they are successful in seizure of the artist's goods, they will make millions, while leaving the artist a pittance.

    I know an artist with a previous #1 hit. Not only did the industry seize his goods (actual final cut of the song), but they tried to credit the material to a different, more popular artist. The only party he has ever seen a check from, is ASCAP. Never a dime from RIAA, never a dime from the MPAA (Yes, his hit was a movie theme).

    Every time I hear the industry bang their noismakers, I think of my friend, and say some real foul, officious, degrading, demeaning, low, and disgusting comments about hungry vulture attorneys.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 27 Apr 2009 @ 7:22am

      Re: On Piracy...

      Which artist, what song? That'd make a great banner to rally under.

      link to this | view in chronology ]


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