RIAA's Main Anti-Piracy Partner Appears Clueless About BitTorrent

from the fact-checking? dept

Thu, Oct 29th 2009 2:38am — Mike Masnick

Earlier this year, the RIAA dumped its longterm anti-piracy partner MediaSentry and hired DtecNet instead. MediaSentry had lots of problems in terms of credibility, but it appears that DtecNet may be even worse. It recently came out with a report claiming that file sharing decreased massively after The Pirate Bay went down temporarily. Not surprisingly, this report is getting some press attention. The problem? The report appears to be based on a nearly comical misunderstanding of how BitTorrent works. TorrentFreak details numerous basic mistakes in the report, nearly all of which suggest the claims made by DtecNet have little, if anything, to do with reality. Considering that DtecNet is going to be leading the charge for the RIAA in any future lawsuits and various "three strikes" plans, the fact that it doesn't seem to understand how BitTorrent works suggests problems ahead.

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Filed Under: anti-piracy, bittorrent
Companies: dtecnet, riaa

30 Comments

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Mr Big Content, 29 Oct 2009 @ 3:27am

Socialist Liberal Smear Campaign
America has the best technology in the world, and the best experts in the world to exploit that technology. And that goes for technologies to bust the intellectual-property Terrorists, too. It’s quite plain the atheist anti-free-market liberal Socialists who want to destroy America by undermining its content industries are running scared when big guns like DtecNet come on the scene, so they’re doing everything possible in their puny power to discredit these highly-skilled people.

Well, it won’t work. They’re just going to keep on doing the wonderful job they’re doing, irregardless of any nay that the nay-sayers may say.
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- Aardvark, 29 Oct 2009 @ 3:42am
  
  Re: Socialist Liberal Smear Campaign
  Irregardless??? Not a real word pal. The term is regardless.
  
  Your ignorance is obvious and amusing...
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  - chillienet (profile), 29 Oct 2009 @ 4:08am
    
    Re: Re: Socialist Liberal Smear Campaign
    I could be wrong but my sarcasm detector was reading of the chart while I was reading Mr Big Content's post. Then again if that really is Mr Content himself it wouldn't surprise me if he really believes what he wrote...
    
    As for the news about DtecNet, I wonder if this is going to affect the court case between AFACT and iinet as I understand that AFACT have used DtecNet for a lot if not all of their evidence and TorrentFreak is suggesting that the information they provide is not reliable.
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    - Anonymous Coward, 29 Oct 2009 @ 6:22am
      
      Re: Re: Re: Socialist Liberal Smear Campaign
      so many people have malfunctioning sarcasm detectors.
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      - Esahc (profile), 29 Oct 2009 @ 9:01am
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Socialist Liberal Smear Campaign
        How can any of us properly detect sarcasm when so many people spout and believe in, jaw dropping, illogical ideas that fly against the face of reason?
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  - neptunite (profile), 29 Oct 2009 @ 7:15am
    
    Re: Re: Socialist Liberal Smear Campaign
    I'm not as smart as the majority here, and not to be obtuse, but "irregardless" is actually a "real word". Ignorance is in the eye of the beholder and it is not bliss! I have 2 dictionaries, one copyright from 1971 & one from 2001, that acknowledge the word's existence. In fairness to your comment it is considered to be nonstandard because of the two negative elements ir- and -less and it came into use around the turn of the 20th century. Those who use it, including on occasion educated speakers, and myself may do so for emphasis. It may have hit its peak in popularity in the 1930's by its use in a comic radio program of which I am not familiar. No offence to you pal!
    It's truly unfortunate that neither one of us has anything better to do this morning. I did have breakfast with my coffee after a good night's sleep. May God's blessings be with you today in whatever you do.
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    - Eponymous Coward, AKA Doug (profile), 29 Oct 2009 @ 8:39am
      
      Re: Re: Re: Socialist Liberal Smear Campaign
      Yes, irregardless is a word, but it is a stupid word. I find that, as soon as I see someone using that word, it is convenient to simply disregard their entire statement, as the speaker is trying to self-bootstrap their argument into a position of credibility by inserting the biggest word they can muster rather than using facts and/or solid reasoning. Antidisestablishmentarianism is a word also, but I doubt that you'll find it used in many coherent conversations.
      
      So, to sum up, you are right, but you are nit-picking for the wrong reasons. Plus, I got a strong hit on my Sarcasmometer when I read the initial post, so it doesn't matter either way.
      
      Meow!
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      - Esahc (profile), 29 Oct 2009 @ 9:50am
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Socialist Liberal Smear Campaign
        You disregard an argument based on a single word? Really?
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      - PRMan, 29 Oct 2009 @ 12:38pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Socialist Liberal Smear Campaign
        Ironically, talking about a technology that allows the establishment to catch those who are anti-establishment is the lone case where antidisestablishmentarianism can be used.
        
        In other words, DtecNet is a clear example of antidisestablishmentarianism.
        
        Doug can disregard this post.
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    - Eponymous Coward, AKA Doug (profile), 29 Oct 2009 @ 8:44am
      
      Re: Re: Re: Socialist Liberal Smear Campaign
      Oh, and be careful with your mixed cliches there, that's another landmine. I'll invoice you a penny for my two cents on the matter, and we can agree in principle to disagree or something.
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  - Ragaboo, 29 Oct 2009 @ 9:06am
    
    Re: Re: Socialist Liberal Smear Campaign
    Lol, is it bad that that's what I focused on, too?
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- taoareyou (profile), 29 Oct 2009 @ 4:02am
  
  Re: Socialist Liberal Smear Campaign
  Instead of theatrical prophecy, how about refuting the statements made in the Torrentfreak posting?
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- Anonymous Coward, 29 Oct 2009 @ 4:30am
  
  Re: Socialist Liberal Smear Campaign
  Mr. Big Content is right. DtecNet has almost completely stopped piracy.
  
  There's barely any piracy left on the net, and it's certainly not a significant income problem anymore.
  
  Now that that's solved, big media should focus on increasing revenue by:
  1. Raising ticket prices
  2. More remakes!
  3. Using the same actors and actresses in every movie. Also, they should pay these actors more!
  4. Having bigger budgets
  5. Raising DVD prices
  6. More Windows!
  7. Lobbying for a law requiring Americans to buy DVDs and attend movies regularly.
  
  It's a 7 step plan for success, now that piracy's defeated.
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  - Rich Kulawiec, 29 Oct 2009 @ 5:38am
    
    Re: Re: Socialist Liberal Smear Campaign
    I'm on board with this 7-step plan, as long as there's a minimum quota of "Blowed 'Em Up Real Good" action flicks which reduce intricate, intellectual novels to a series of SFX scenes featuring cardboard cut-out characters.
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- senshikaze (profile), 29 Oct 2009 @ 4:33am
  
  Re: Socialist Liberal Smear Campaign
  is dtechnet an american company? Thought they were danish.
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- Cynix, 29 Oct 2009 @ 4:45am
  
  Re: Socialist Liberal Smear Campaign
  This post is either a troll or satire.
  
  I love the true bible-basher's atheist dig in there hehe.
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- Anonymous Coward, 29 Oct 2009 @ 5:25am
  
  Re: Socialist Liberal Smear Campaign
  "anti-free-market "
  
  intellectual property = government granted monopoly = anti free market.
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- theSheep, 29 Oct 2009 @ 6:16am
  
  Re: Socialist Liberal Smear Campaign
  Thank goodness that's over with. I haven't left my house since the pirates(terrorists) took over the interwebs. Those tubes go into your house you know! Now I can go back to the theater to pay $20 to see a movie I'll forget I saw in 2 weeks.
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Web Design, 29 Oct 2009 @ 4:41am

Web Design
I totally agree with the Anonymous Coward.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Oct 2009 @ 5:45am

DUH!!!!!!!
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Oct 2009 @ 7:35am

I read two things into this:
1. With the Pirate Bay issue DtecNet had a hard time using their RIAA authorization to put authorized content on the net in order to then entrap people who then make that same material available for download later.

2. DtecNet is only looking at certain P2P ways of file sharing. They are so clueless, their game of whack-a-mole will never work out for them. People will just find other ways to share files, which is probably what is really happening here.
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NullOp, 29 Oct 2009 @ 7:37am

Ha!
Stupid is, as stupid does.
-Forrest Gump
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Oct 2009 @ 7:58am

"I have said it thrice, so it must be true!" (Parasphrase of the Red Queen).
You guys are completely missing the point. Of course they know better. Of course they know they are wrong. Just like the attorney's in the trademark story just below know they can't win. Right and Truth are not the point.

The point is, say it often enough, and people start to believe. Then back up that "new truth" with some lobbying money, and the "new truth" becomes the impetus for new laws.
It is happening. Laughing or disparaging the companies is worthless.
Persistence and mass media creates the truth.
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- Anonymous Coward, 29 Oct 2009 @ 8:50am
  
  Re:
  Well, the biggest mass media of them all is the internet. That one has been a fact for a while now.
  
  And we are a persistent bunch.
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Dohn Joe, 29 Oct 2009 @ 9:21am

Corrupt to the Nines
I think this has less to do with the unavailability of intelligent, capable contractors and more to do with the RIAA's innate corruption which, let's face it, is inevitably rampant due to the spoon-fed industry association status they've held for years and years...they've never had to be competent.

No doubt both MediaSentry and this new DickNet company are owned by some dunce-cap wearing cousin of some RIAA big-wig!
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Daemon_ZOGG (profile), 29 Oct 2009 @ 10:43am

Finally! The world has its answer to a curious question...
Where do the DUMBEST, most CLUELESS and DELUSIONAL people work in the IT field? DtecNet. And I thought MediaSentry was bad about false information.
Clearly, the riaa and other Mafia Orgnizations are just as DELUSIONAL as they are. Since they believe, not only their own BullSh**, but DtecNet's as well.

According to Dictionary-dot-com ;) . The following definition best describes how technology and demand has rendered the recording industry's business model obsolete...

Roadkill - One that has failed or been defeated and is no longer worthy of consideration.

};>
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mr little content, 29 Oct 2009 @ 3:35pm

re: mr big content. you may want to go back in the usa copyright history and check how walt disney, after stealing others' stories, changed the length of copyright to protect his copies of others' works. as an american, it is my experience that although america has some of the brightest, it also has more than its share of the very stupid, and the brightest can only support the very stupid for so long, especially when the very stupid are increasing at a greater rate than the brightest.
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mr little content, 29 Oct 2009 @ 3:35pm

re: mr big content. you may want to go back in the usa copyright history and check how walt disney, after stealing others' stories, changed the length of copyright to protect his copies of others' works. as an american, it is my experience that although america has some of the brightest, it also has more than its share of the very stupid, and the brightest can only support the very stupid for so long, especially when the very stupid are increasing at a greater rate than the brightest.
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- Anonymous Coward, 29 Oct 2009 @ 9:30pm
  
  Re:
  Re: Mr. broken sarcasm meter.
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Oct 2009 @ 12:04pm

What i know about danes is that they are not the brightest people around, the hole country is run by folks with not much great understanding of anything.
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