Modern Warfare 2 Shows How To Piss Off Fans

Danish Anti-Piracy Group Withdraws All Its Lawsuits Against Individuals (After Losing Most Anyway)

from the nice-work dept

Mon, Nov 9th 2009 1:29am — Mike Masnick

While the RIAA has backed down (but not stopped) lawsuits against those accused of file sharing in the US, it looks like the Danish anti-piracy bureau has decided to drop all of its lawsuits after it became clear that individuals were basically winning them all (Google translation of the original, found via brokep). Basically, the courts acquitted most of the individuals accused of private file sharing, with the one exception being the case where the guy confessed. And, the nature of the rulings in the acquittals made it clear that it was virtually impossible to win a lawsuit against individuals for file sharing. Of course, we have no doubt that the industry will continue to use other means, such as via regulatory capture, to continue to look for ways not to give consumers what they want.

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Filed Under: antipiracy, denmark, lawsuits, piracy

20 Comments

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Sheinen, 9 Nov 2009 @ 3:22am

Like I always say, Plausible Deniability is the best defence against any accusation.

'You slept with my mum!' "Eurgh, who would do that?"
'You stole my biscuit!1 "I don't like biscuits!"
'You downloaded my film' " I don't know what the internet is..."
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cc, 9 Nov 2009 @ 3:22am

Not to worry! The RIAA will call in its assassinations division, and all will be well again.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Nov 2009 @ 3:51am

continue to look for ways not to give consumers what they want.

By this I am assuming you mean "a free lunch"?

Sorry, but if this is an indication of what consumers want, the music business (and movies) might as well shut down now, because apparently nobody wants to buy anything anymore.

I wonder if they will just completely move out of the Danish market? It's small, few would miss it.
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Cynix, 9 Nov 2009 @ 3:54am

By this I am assuming you mean "a free lunch"? says AC.

Hey, our resident troll is back!

How about giving yourself a name, coward?
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Cynix Ugly Dog, 9 Nov 2009 @ 3:55am

Re:
Who needs a name? Debate ideas, not people.
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Cynix, 9 Nov 2009 @ 4:07am

Re: Re:
Yup, too chicken. Thought so.

Why don't you post your "ideas" on the forum under each article over at www.p2pnet.net and see how far you get?
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fogbugzd (profile), 9 Nov 2009 @ 4:08am

What next?
It will be interesting to see what happens next. My guess is that nothing significant will happen. It would make no sense at all for recording companies to pull out of the Danish market; they can still sell music as they always have. There probably will not be a drop in music sales unless the recording industry does something dumb or tries to manipulate the market to show how much piracy damages the market.

Piracy rates may go up, but that is not significant economically as long as music sales stay at the same levels as countries with more aggressive lawsuits. The music industry outside the traditional recording industry will probably improve because it is now easier to be a music fan.
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p2pnet sucks, 9 Nov 2009 @ 4:34am

Re: Re: Re:
It doesn't matter - they would debate the person and not the ideas. Quite simply, they are too closed minded, and too busy trying to figure out what to have for their next free lunch.
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Richard (profile), 9 Nov 2009 @ 5:13am

Re:
I wonder if they will just completely move out of the Danish market? It's small, few would miss it.

And then all their stuff will be distributed for free (or by commercial pirates) to everyone in Denmark - including those who would have paid for it.

So the 'AA's would basically be just abandoning a revenue stream for nothing - looks like a really smart move.
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Chronno S. Trigger (profile), 9 Nov 2009 @ 5:29am

Re:
As another AC (hell, maybe it was you) noted, it's not as big of a problem as we see. It's on Techdirt almost every day, we see it because we know tech and we know how to do it. But, it's been shown that plenty of people are willing to pay for what they like as shown by the growing music industry and the box office hits like Star Trek and The Dark Knight.

If these people would stop their petty bickering and embrace the gift that was laid before them, it could allow people who are boycotting them to come back and let the people who don't want to make that initial investment to see what they like. They may not be the big fish in the little pond any more but they would still be the same size fish and allow them to grow (like goldfish).
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Richard (profile), 9 Nov 2009 @ 5:29am

Re:
Sorry, but if this is an indication of what consumers want, the music business (and movies) might as well shut down now, because apparently nobody wants to buy anything anymore.

Well maybe that is what consumers want - and if so there is nothing you can do about it - you cannot force people to buy stuff.

If they do shut down then replacements will spring up that have business models that can survive in the present market.

That's just market economics for you. The only alternative is state control.
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Overcast (profile), 9 Nov 2009 @ 6:06am

continue to look for ways not to give consumers what they want.

By this I am assuming you mean "a free lunch"?

Sorry, but if this is an indication of what consumers want, the music business (and movies) might as well shut down now, because apparently nobody wants to buy anything anymore.

Like..

What radio did to the music industry?

Yes... so sad :(

I remember back in the 70's and 80's paying for radio - don't you?
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Overcast (profile), 9 Nov 2009 @ 6:09am

Oh and BTW - I downloaded some Radiohead - never really cared much for them - I had really only heard Creep on the radio.

After hearing some of their other stuff...

I'm heading to Amazon now to buy some of their CD's - that's what I do with groups I really like - I go buy the CD's.

If I wouldn't have heard them - for free - I wouldn't be buying any of their stuff.

The radio didn't cut it. Even though - wow, it was 'free' too.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Nov 2009 @ 6:09am

Well, on the one hand I'm happy that they're finally seeing these lawsuits as a tremendous financial burden and mostly a sucker's game, but on the other I worry that it's just going to lead back down the path to "graduated response" (so named, I presume, because the idea that media businesses have a justifiable authority to ask for it is pompous and the evidence is circumstantial).Civil suits against individuals are supposed to be their only recourse, no matter how doomed they are.
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Lisa (profile), 9 Nov 2009 @ 6:32am

Re: Re: Re: Re:
If you're the same AC I think you are(very likely), then accusing p2p net of argumentum ad hominem is the pot calling the kettle black.
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Lisa Sees Everything, 9 Nov 2009 @ 6:50am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
Lisa, it's surprising you can see the kettle, considering it is past the end of your nose :)
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Lisa (profile), 9 Nov 2009 @ 7:11am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
Wow. Thanks for proving my point.
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Kyote (profile), 9 Nov 2009 @ 11:12am

Re: Re:
>The only alternative is state control.

I don't agree with this. sharing is here and from all that I know about computers, which admittedly isn't everything, by any means, it cannot be stopped.

Already there are a some creating encrypted p2p networks and experimenting with private vpn's.

Even if somehow the *aa's stop that, which I doubt even more, another way will come up, and another etc...

As MM says, the old model is dead/dying. Either adapt or dye. Someone will fill the need and life will go on, as it always has.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Nov 2009 @ 12:30pm

Re:
Sorry, but if this is an indication of what consumers want, the music business (and movies) might as well shut down now, because apparently nobody wants to buy anything anymore.

As much as their shills may want to pretend otherwise, the "record business" in not the "music business". The music business is doing fine and people are buying lots of stuff.
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Lawrence D'Oliveiro, 9 Nov 2009 @ 2:04pm

Uploading or Downloading?
It’s not clear from the item whether the lawsuits were for uploading or downloading. Downloading would be very hard to prove, but surely evidence for uploading can be gathered the same way it has been done elsewhere.
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