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How The FBI Dismantled a BitTorrent Community

torrentfreak.com — On June 25th 2005, the homepage of the EliteTorrents.org tracker displayed an ominous message. Thousands of members trying to log in to get a sneak peak at a leaked copy of Star Wars: Episode 3 were surprised and confused in equal numbers. Had the FBI really raided one of the largest BitTorrent communities and put up a badly made Word document, or

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  • ironeus, on 08/01/2008, -1/+84what if these comments are traced by the DOJ to weed out Torrent supporters?
    • queondatavo, on 07/01/2008, -0/+18Then I'm screwed.
    • DigitusAnonymus, on 07/01/2008, -1/+28A big ***** you to the FBI. Hurrah.
    • oxymoron69, on 07/01/2008, -0/+5They already know who we are... no point in hiding now :-(
    • bigbird1040, on 07/01/2008, -1/+4"A guy who used to be in Washington knew that his phone was tapped, used to answer, '***** Hoover, yes, go ahead.'"
      -George Carlin
  • say592, on 06/30/2008, -23/+76***** the FBI/RIAA/MPAA/!
    • sexybobo, on 07/01/2008, -3/+94FBI are just doing their job. RIAA/MPAA and the screw balls that passed the law are the ones to blame.
      • jgtg32a, on 07/02/2008, -1/+1Ya know who else was just doing their job? ;-)
      • theJeebus, on 07/07/2008, -0/+0Don't do it. Don't do it. Mr. Goodwin would be disappointed.
    • DarkDx, on 07/01/2008, -1/+30WHy has "!" done to you? :(
    • captric, on 07/01/2008, -4/+2Actually I think the FBI just ***** you pal! haha
    • destron, on 07/01/2008, -1/+6Don't forget BREIN and the CRIA
    • cJw314, on 07/01/2008, -4/+2I thought it was "EFF THE RIAA"...? ; )

    • KyleGoetz, on 07/01/2008, -3/+1I've said it once, and I'll say it again. Futuristic Sex Robotz said it best:

      remember when anti-trust was the thing,
      now you're set up for downloadin Sting,
      treatin payin customers like criminals,
      pens filled up with music nerd animals,
      buyin off senators left and right,
      my vote doesnt count in this ***** fight,
      on the 56k had hundreds of songs,
      drives partitioned like asses in thongs,
      now its gigs of illegal content,
      if I get caught im joinin a convent
      ***** what you heard, it's all a scam,
      if they at your door burn em in a van,

      they got dollar signs in their ***** eyes,
      with heads in-between politicians thighs,
      fat checks endorsed by senators that lie,
      pullin fake dollar losses straight outta the sky,
      and i don't trust trusted computing,
      they don't want it around to stop looting,
      the internet is the only place you're still free,
      if you disagree, just you wait and see,
      you wanna lock down the web and throw away the key?
      well, you better not touch my ***** technology,
      so back the ***** off or you're ***** dead,
      yellin 1337 on a ***** fed
    • bhank21, on 07/02/2008, -0/+2don't forget nsa. you know they're in there somewhere.
      • jgtg32a, on 07/02/2008, -0/+2***** the FBI/RIAA/MPAA/!

        The NSA already hacked his comment notice the / after MPAA?
        NSA used to be there
  • Goose31, on 06/30/2008, -0/+26I remember downloading the Star Wars III Workprint. I learned of it when they talked about this site going down. I signedup at The Pirate Bay back when Swedish was the only language available, and I managed to download the movie, somehow.
    • Pixelante, on 07/01/2008, -11/+5Star Wars in Swedish, hmmm... "May the Bork be with you."
      Sorry, bad pun. I'm going to beat myself up with a piece of IKEA furniture while listening to ABBA.
    • Charlotte_Web, on 07/01/2008, -0/+15If ANYBODY should have gone to jail over Star Wars Episode III, it should have been George Lucas and Hayden Christensen.
      • doctorcaligari, on 07/01/2008, -0/+5George Lucas is neither a writer nor director. He is a special effects man. He has no rapport with actors, and thus, he makes every actor he directs look horrible. Hayden's acting was a by-product of poor dialogue/direction. Hell, Lucas made all of the great actors in those films look like amateurs.

        Which two Star Wars movies were the best? (Empire and Jedi) Why? (Because Lucas didn't write or direct).
  • jakash, on 06/30/2008, -8/+22This is a great story to read, but what's the moral? That "around 130,000 users had nothing to worry about", there were, and still are, too many pirates to take down, and they'll never be able to stop us.
    • vexingmodstwo, on 07/01/2008, -17/+6You're the problem.
    • geneticlemon, on 07/01/2008, -0/+15The moral is, despite the fact that one guy uploaded SW: Ep III pre-maturely because he thought he was doing favor to the site's users, that the film grossed over 1 billion dollars, proving that uploading and downloading media from bittorrent sites does NOT affect the performance of said media in a "legal" environment. The film and movie industry are filled with greedy ***** who charge people $10 to watch a ***** movie, then laugh their way to the banks. Companies like Warner Bros., 20th Cent. Fox ... they're paying their actors $20mil a movie and claiming that internet pirates are affecting sales ... *****.

      Also, I don't know if used "affect" properly in this paragraph. Effect? Affect?
      • pathouston22, on 07/01/2008, -9/+1So since it grossed over a billion dollars, that makes it ok?

        Here, why don't you give me a couple hundreds dollars out of your paycheck, since whatever amount you make is more than enough. That is, if you even work and understand capitalism where you work hard for what you earn.
      • DaHuuuuuudge, on 07/01/2008, -0/+6effect=noun
        affect=verb

        You used it right.
      • Sil369, on 07/01/2008, -0/+5An MPAA employee probably uploaded it.
      • geneticlemon, on 07/01/2008, -4/+2pathouston22, do you even know what you're talking about? These actors work 3 months out of the year, sometimes even less, and they get paid out the ass. There are hard working teachers out there who work 9 months, maybe even 12, who get paid, what ... 35k? And they have to deal with dumbass kids who don't even appreciate the work that they're doing. 3 months of work should NEVER equate 20 million dollars, especially if all you're doing is standing in front of a camera regurgitating lines written by someone else!

        People complain about how high gas prices are, how it's all supply and demand ... it doesn't make any ***** sense, when the CEOs are still making millions, even billions of dollars in profit with absolutely NO effort. That money should be going BACK into the company to make products more affordable for the CONSUMERS, or even back to the blue collar workers who make a little more than minimum wage while working 50 hour weeks because they have to send their kids to a proper school.

        And I'm gonna stop there, because if I keep going I'm going to start writing my dissertation ...
      • vexingmodstwo, on 07/01/2008, -3/+1geneticlemon, none of what you said makes stealing okay. Sorry.
      • zeabu, on 07/01/2008, -0/+2vexing: You're absolutly right, but then again, p2p is no theft.
      • Dauntless1, on 07/01/2008, -0/+0Stealing copyrighted material doesn't count as p2p, just like not getting caught shoplifting doesn't make it ok to steal.
      • vexingmodstwo, on 07/01/2008, -2/+1zeabu, if the content on the p2p is copyrighted and you do not have the written consent of the content owner to distribute their content, it is in fact stealing.

        When you purchase a song or a movie, you're not actually buying it. You are licensing it and there are restrictions to that license.
      • daza, on 07/02/2008, -0/+2It's not theft, it's infringement. There is a difference.
    • stubear, on 07/01/2008, -4/+2@jakash,

      So if they made distribution of copyrighted material fully legal, how do you honestly suggest these things get created? When films and games run in the millions of dollars to produce, I don't think support is going to cut it and if you make distribution legal then selling "offical" DVDs/CDs won't make much money either. Despite what you think, and what this article states, copyrighted material does hold value and it is the content creators right to determine how it gets distributed.


      @geneticlemon,

      Yes, because as we all know (according to the credits at the end of the film) that actors/actresses are the ONLY people who are involved in the process of making a film. What's that you say? There are others? Damn you I say, the credits only show actors/actresses. What's that you say? I don't know what I'm talking about and there are hundreds of other people who are involved intimately with the production of a film starting in pre- and all the way through post-? /sarcasm

      As for your absurd notion that teachers should make more than actors/actresses, why don't you get to work on your system that will manage and regulate pay scales, get it past the unions and lawmakers and get back to us. That should keep you busy for the foreseeable future and we won't have to deal with your inane ramblings for quite some time.
      • vexingmodstwo, on 07/01/2008, -1/+2I don't understand why this is so difficult for people to grasp. Great post.
      • geneticlemon, on 07/01/2008, -2/+1And how much is Grip #1 getting paid compared to Halle Berry, or Russell Crowe? Granted, they're probably making 3 figures, but these guys are working 12 months out of the year, and not just 3. You also sound like you totally missed the entire point of my post ...

        Yeah, I think people should get paid for the effort they put into their work. And, yes, I'm saying that actors do ***** diddly compared to blue and white collar workers. Most of them don't even have college degrees, but because they're on some teeny-bopper show like Gossip Girl, and they look good after 4 hours in hair and make-up they get paid six figures ...? For what, exactly?

        As for STEALING, it's justifiable when money-grubbing companies overcharge to make a profit, making it less affordable for people to BUY things. Once they make their products cheaper for consumers, and actually contribute to economically impoverished communities, then maybe (just maybe) people will be less inclined to stealing. Think about this for a moment: If it cost $2 to go watch a newly released movie, you would be more willing to actually pay and go see that movie, right? Unless you're really dirt ass cheap ...
      • vexingmodstwo, on 07/01/2008, -1/+2No, genticlemon... Stealing is not justifiable. Period. THEY own the right to distribute and charge whatever the ***** they want for their product. If you don't like the price.. don't pay it and don't watch their product.

        You do not have an inalienable right to their product in any way shape or form.
      • stubear, on 07/01/2008, -1/+2@geneticlemon,

        You're forgetting the 'uniqueness' of the actor/actress. There is only ONE Russell Crowe but there are hundreds of grips. Are you honestly suggesting that actors/actresses NOT be able to capitalize on their 'uniqueness' when reading for a part? I also suggest that you try to sit in on a production crew sometime. I think you'd be amazed at how hard some of these people work. Sure, there are some poor actors and there are some people making more then they should probably be but to extrapolate this across an entire industry is just plain ***** stupid.
  • queondatavo, on 07/01/2008, -0/+28I remember the day when I tried to log in and I saw the red FBI page instead of the Elite Torrents "goodness". I immediately though "*****, Torrentbits all over again".

  • upick, on 07/01/2008, -25/+2man, this happens all the time, not a big deal... common isohunt and piratebay are almost shut down... there's like court cases going on right now... and ISOHUNT is like one of the biggest torrent site around

    I wonder why the FBI would even bother to shut down this site... its smaller than the others
    • Zpanzer, on 07/01/2008, -0/+32FBI can't shut down the piratebay because they have no power in sweden.
      • Dauntless1, on 07/01/2008, -4/+1Ah, but they aren't shutting it down. If they make piratebay illegal here in the U.S., then they can run Ip traces and put individual users in jail, which is what they're going for. It's dirty as hell, but it'll work.
      • BryanJK, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1They can't spy on you without a warrant, and if they do then it cannot be taken to court anyways with that evidence.
  • eminn3m, on 07/01/2008, -3/+49Why is TF trudging up a story that's is over 2 years old and simply serves as MPAA propaganda to make people think that running a tracker is a criminal offense (which this case does not show btw)?
    • Seaniccus, on 07/01/2008, -1/+1No, this case shows that copywrite infringement is a criminal offense. Wait - we already knew that was a criminal offense, right?
      • Myonosken, on 07/01/2008, -0/+2No we knew it was a civil matter if an individual knowingly shared copyrighted property without permission. This shows nothing of the sort, rather the gross overreaction that is used in the US.
    • thinman1189, on 07/02/2008, -0/+4Because it's still progressing, admins are out of jail and one is just being sentenced. It's still an ongoing story, so of course they're going to report on it.
  • chris9902, on 07/01/2008, -1/+162FBI: using a paper cup to drain the ocean since 2005.
    • Jeremyz0r, on 07/01/2008, -25/+3I have no idea what you're referring to, however, it sounds hilarious.
      One digg for you sir.
      • prophetpimp, on 07/01/2008, -1/+8your single bran cell must b hard at wrk.
    • KMartSheriff, on 07/01/2008, -0/+24I'm stealing that analogy.
      • Sil369, on 07/01/2008, -0/+10Try it bitch.
      • Dustmuffins, on 07/01/2008, -2/+7Yeah I dare you.

        You'll pussy out, you won't do it!
      • prophetpimp, on 07/01/2008, -0/+6et in the spirit man. You are leeching his analogy.
      • Dauntless1, on 07/01/2008, -3/+7I'm not stealing, I'm SHARING, lolololololololololololol
      • KMartSheriff, on 07/18/2008, -0/+1All 4 of you above are awesome. Thank you for making me lulz. Seriously.
    • dsmx, on 07/01/2008, -4/+2I think a strainer to drain the ocean would be more appropriate.
  • iNunchuk, on 07/01/2008, -3/+8Viewing this article in a greater context. I would say that society has become more passivised to anything and everything nowadys. There is no action or defense for civil liberties anymore.
    • Matt2k, on 07/01/2008, -0/+6Your civil liberties to download Star Wars ep3
    • iNunchuk, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1I've heard of people taking comments out of context, but what you just did there was plain stupid.
  • mikesbaker, on 07/01/2008, -1/+9I remember that. I got it from there and was glad I saved myself the money on seeing that crap movie.
    • vexingmodstwo, on 07/01/2008, -1/+1But you watched the whole thing, right?
  • DigitusAnonymus, on 07/01/2008, -3/+49MAN THE HARPOONS!! WE'LL SHOOT THEM LIVE ***** IT
  • Thrilltone, on 07/01/2008, -0/+49If only the authorities would display equal zeal in going after email spammers and hackers who spread viruses
    • destron, on 07/01/2008, -0/+4I suspect some sort of lobbying on the RIAA and MPAA's part.
    • wigren, on 07/01/2008, -0/+6How big is your wallet?
    • boogeymanperson, on 07/02/2008, -0/+0make your PP a walrus with the blue pill!
  • DaviDaviDaviD, on 07/01/2008, -0/+30Department of Homeland Security was involved...why? Once again, massive beaucracy getting involved where they shouldn't.
    • KMartSheriff, on 07/01/2008, -0/+3Yeah I failed to understand how this has anything to do with Homeland Security.
      • Disfnord, on 07/01/2008, -0/+7Well, you see, torrenting is sharing, and sharing is communism, and communism is evil. Terrorists are evil, therefore communists are terrorists. Ipso facto.
    • captric, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1Well - Customs and Immigration also know as ICE ( customs and immigration Enforcement) are part of the new Department of Homeland Security - as are the Coast Guard - Air Marshall's and a whole host of previously independent and therefore non cooperating federal law enforcement agencies.
  • DarthKozy, on 07/01/2008, -3/+3something about the dates in question that doesn't add up. the article states that June 25th 2005, and working print of Episode III - well Ep. III debuted on May 19th 2005. so it wasn't a "sneak peek" as the author says.
  • jarjarwang, on 07/01/2008, -16/+7Down with torrents! My school did a musical last winter (The Music Man) and someone snuck a camera in to the dress rehersal and then there was a torrent of it by the very next day. Very few people wanted to pay full price to see the performance after they could see it for free on their laptops.
    • dOOBiEx213, on 07/01/2008, -3/+18No. Once they knew it sucked, why would they watch it? NO ONE likes to watch a cam version IF it's something REALLY worth watching. Would you have watched The Bourne Trilogy in cam? Your musical sucked, your performance sucked, your life sucks. NEVER insult my torrents. Please grab the nearest razor, and vertically use it across your wrists. Thank you for playing.
    • Urgoz, on 07/01/2008, -4/+3Only difference is that your school musical didn't cost millions of dollars to make.
    • Renton, on 07/01/2008, -0/+19More importantly, who the ***** would want to torrent a school musical?
    • yowhat2002, on 07/01/2008, -1/+16You're actually going to say "Down with torrents!" on Digg?

      Oh boy..this isnt going to end well for you.
    • Radar3D, on 07/01/2008, -0/+8Ahh, but had the school recorded it themselves and offered it for $5, they could have made a ton from all the relatives and others in the community who couldn't make it to the show. But that's okay, it's easier to blame filthy pirates than to adapt!
    • jman583, on 07/01/2008, -0/+9Uhh... guys, I think he is kidding.
    • 3szoom, on 07/01/2008, -0/+2This is like the 100th time I've seen this comment.
    • WarPirate, on 07/01/2008, -0/+3Why are you digging him down? Its Hilarious!

      Dude is freaking over the pirating of, an amateur High school musical of the "Music Man"?

      He cant possibly be serious. Ill bet Hollywood's copy of the "Music Man" starring Matthew Broderick didnt even make Pirate Bays top 100.

      Take your "76 trombones" and go watch American Pie you will figure out what to do with them.
  • mstrat135, on 07/01/2008, -0/+5What does the DHS have to do with this?
    • KMartSheriff, on 07/01/2008, -0/+2Thats Department of Homeland Security (I know someone looked at DHS and got lost). And yes, I agree.
    • Suricou, on 07/01/2008, -0/+6The DHS once dispatched two agents to investigate a toy store for selling a not-a-rubix-cube (The term 'rubix' being trademarked, it was sold under another name. They demanded the toy be pulled from shelves because it was patent infringing. Their justification is thus:

      1. The toy infringed patents.
      2. Patents protect US businesses from overseas competition.
      3. Protecting US businesses is good for the economy.
      4. The economy is a national security concern.
      5. Therefore, selling an immitation rubix cube is a threat to American national security.

      Essentially it's a case of a department working to justify it's own existance. But, I suspect there would be a similar bit of logic going on behind the scenes: What's good for Hollywood is good for US interests, because Hollywood's productions are displayed internationally and help spread American cultural influence.
    • dondara, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1It's not like they really have anything else to do. Those jackboots are made for walking ...all over your rights.
  • Catbert107, on 07/01/2008, -1/+41***** the RIAA.
  • dOOBiEx213, on 07/01/2008, -1/+31I, for one, refuse to sponsor terrorism... which is why I download movies, and music for free.
    • DigitusAnonymus, on 07/01/2008, -2/+27I, for one, refuse to propagate porn effectively... which is why I download porn and close the app so that it is harder for other people to download it, thus I help people in their quest for redemption by delaying their porn downloads.
    • KyleGoetz, on 07/01/2008, -3/+2I refuse to sponsor these tactics, which is why I listen to nerdcore and watch clips on youtube instead. My vices are art films and a few TV shows. :( A MAN CAN ONLY BE SO STRONG!
  • Lax32, on 07/01/2008, -5/+17Yeah you guys might complain now but the FBI is the only thing keeping terrorists from turning our computers into bombs and blowing us all up.
  • Kyrgizion, on 07/01/2008, -5/+16I salute those who are brave enough to offer up significant portions of their young lives to stand against the old and obsolete laws of a perishing generation. It is thanks to the sheer force of will of these people that we enjoy a somewhat free internet today - regardless of your stance on copyright infringement, don't let them use it as a scapegoat to take away our freedoms.
    You know they will try. They have already begun.
    • whatever01, on 07/01/2008, -1/+6You do realize that in a few years, you will be a member of the "perishing generation" and wondering who these damn kids are who have no respect for your efforts, behaviors or civility?

      You also realize that the Internet was created not by a bunch of kids born in the 1980's? There was no freedom on the internet before the 1960's, as there was no internet. The internet was created for the US Department of Defense. You want to thank someone for providing you with this freedom to communicate, thank the US military.
      • KyleGoetz, on 07/01/2008, -1/+6My tax dollars pay for DARPA developments--THEY should be thanking US. Holy *****, when did people forget that the government works for us, not the other way around?
      • hexydes, on 07/01/2008, -1/+3It's becoming a real problem. It's also why people think they "owe" the government taxes. The only reason you "owe" it is because as a nation we collectively decided we need a group that acts in the best interest of the larger population, pooling together resources to make larger projects come to light (i.e. roads, military, monetary system, etc).

        I'm *ALMOST* certain that the founding fathers of the United States didn't have "Allow major corporations to work in tangent with federal law enforcement to send people giving movies away for free to jail" in mind when they drafted the Constitution.

        I'm sure the government and corporations love how the school system has cannibalized US history and the other social studies. It makes the population ignorant to anything that happened outside of their relative lifetime...and they grow up to assume things like "owing taxes"...
      • sirhomer, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1From a philosophical standpoint, that is why death is so important to the progress of civilization, the new challenging and overtaking the old is the definition of progress.

        Progress will happen, and change happens despite what the "perishing generation" attempts to do to stop it. Because eventually they lose the ability to stop it.
    • JointVenture, on 07/01/2008, -0/+2Thats why bit torrent sites and their supporters need to STEP BACK from the net neutrality argument and let people who are not associated with torrents fight it.

      Other wise you taint the argument and allow the ISP's and lawyers to say "its pirates we be fightin".
    • MudMan69, on 07/01/2008, -1/+7Exactly what freedoms are they trying take away in this case? The freedom to steal *****? Pirating movies and music does nothing to help improve freedom of speech on the Internet.
      • hexydes, on 07/01/2008, -1/+1I think what most people are outraged with is the fact that someone who made a commercial movie available for free download had to serve almost 1/2 year's worth of jail time, whereas they read daily about people who have committed real crimes (sometimes violent), who get significantly less jail time.
    • CrackyJSquirrel, on 07/01/2008, -0/+3Copyright laws != Freedom of Speech
      • sirhomer, on 07/01/2008, -2/+1Copyright law is used regularly as a tool to suppress freedom of speech and information flow.
  • BonersMilloy, on 07/01/2008, -7/+9Running torrent servers in the US is just stupid, especially when you knowingly host pre-release leaks.
  • dryan, on 07/01/2008, -14/+10waaa why can't i get things that hold value for free ***** the riaa and fbi sob sob
    • MudMan69, on 07/01/2008, -2/+5The truth hurts, so they bury you.
    • zydeco, on 07/01/2008, -2/+6The fact we're being dugg down pretty much means this generation is lost. They won't pay for anything. Funny thing is, when most of them grow up and realize their living is made from selling things like software, movies, music, etc.... their attitudes will change. And they'll be the ones trying to justify their position to another generation of ungrateful leeches.
      • Dauntless1, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1No, as most of them get older they'll expand into online theft of funds( Credit card theft, stolen identity) it's the easy way to make money when you're too lazy to work.
      • zydeco, on 07/01/2008, -0/+2That kind of work takes a lot more thought and balls than just firing up a bittorrent client. I don't see it happening.
      • zeabu, on 07/01/2008, -1/+1Where I live, a small flat 35m2 costs 750€, 25% of the people isn't earning even 1000€. The older I grow, the better I understand cause and results, the more I download, the less I buy.
        Playing by the rules is good if you made the rules.
        1) Look at the kapitalisation of Russia. Factories of concurrents were conquered. Conquered, with Russian Howitzer-like tools, and rocketlaunchers, bought and stolen from the imploding sovjet army. When they established their powers, and companies made peace, arms disappeared, and from one day to another they became law abiding, now and then paying for changing a law to be more favorable for them.
        2) Fox was a pirate, and only when laws changed in a way they became favorable for Holywood, they behaved according.
        3) May '68. Most of those protesting against the system, are now the system.
        Playing by the rules is nice when you make them. I'm copyleft, and probably, when I'm 50, I'm as rich and corrupt as they are, or I'll be a so-called nobody, doing an everyday's every man's job.
        What are you? Let me guess, you earn more than well, you are not working in a factory, you're a neo-yuppy. How close am I with my profiling?
      • zydeco, on 07/01/2008, -1/+1So go to your job tomorrow and tell them that you'll work for free. If you're such a hero of the people and think that you don't need to pay for anything because you have a low-paying job, let's complete the task and set your wage to zero. Then feel free to steal all you want.
  • falafelkiosken, on 07/01/2008, -0/+20soon piracy will be rated as a worse "crime" than murder :<
    • Suricou, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1Technicly, it can be under some circumstances. I once worked out how long I could end up in jail if I were found guilty for every piece of copyright infringing content I posess - is served consecutively, 10,000 years. Approximatly. In any real prosecution though, only a couple of choice works would be used - filing 1000 seperate charges would be expensive and overkill.
    • hobbitontherock, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1It will also be punishable by death. : |

    • cJw314, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1Ayup, and then pirate = terrorist.
    • sirhomer, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1There has been bills to increase the criminal charges introduced into Congress before, including one that made "attempted copyright infringement" or "conspiracy to commit copyright infringement" a serious felony. Go visit www.eff.org to see these shenanigans in plain text.
  • vekro, on 07/01/2008, -0/+2reminds me of isonews
  • AyaJulia, on 07/01/2008, -0/+4Holy *****, I went to high school with Sam Kuonen. I've long since moved away from Columbus, so this is the first I've heard of this. I can't find how long he was sentenced for, though. :(
    • Kyrgizion, on 07/01/2008, -0/+110 months / probation, like the others who pleaded guilty.
      • AyaJulia, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1I thought that would be the case, but I couldn't find anything concrete through google. Everything was all OMG HE FACES 5 YEARS MAX BUT WE FIND OUT IN JULY!
  • destron, on 07/01/2008, -0/+6for some reason I read that as "How The FBI Dismantled the BitTorrent Community" and I was like "what the *****..."
    • Dustmuffins, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1That will never happen. It's so futile it's funny.

      Why doesn't hollywood embrace the new medium and create their own ad-supported torrent site and distribute ad revenue based on downloads?

      Oh yeah, they'll make less millions.
      • vexingmodstwo, on 07/01/2008, -1/+1And it would be their choice.

        A lot of you folks talk about your civil liberties being violated etc and seem to have no problem violating the civil liberties of the people who produced the material you're stealing.
      • Dustmuffins, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1Do you even know what a civil liberty is?
      • vexingmodstwo, on 07/01/2008, -1/+1Yeah. Do you?

        If one produces something and it is stolen, their civil liberties have been violated. Right to Property? Ever hear of it?
      • Dustmuffins, on 07/02/2008, -0/+1"Civil liberties are freedoms that protect the individual from government to a certain extent."

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_liberty

        Boy I bet you feel smart now.
  • sk0t, on 07/01/2008, -0/+4This article was brought up because Daniel Dove was just convicted, after his jury trial from this incident.
  • spikyface, on 07/01/2008, -1/+14Interesting how the Lucas employee who leaked the film was never caught

    Maybe the whole thing was a setup by the MPAA
    • acevoncash, on 07/01/2008, -0/+2then why would they actually leak the film and not a 700 meg placeholder?
      • Dauntless1, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1Cause without the actual movie, it's not pirating and therefore not illegal.
  • tehknotte, on 07/01/2008, -6/+4If you are downloading a movie or watching it for free you are not supporting the people who made it. "Had the FBI really raided one of the largest BitTorrent communities and put up a badly made Word document..." Wow that's nerdy to critique that.
  • Ledjar, on 07/01/2008, -0/+6"if the FBI was really behind the shutdown they would’ve made a better job of the page design than this, surely?"

    Remember the logo the Dutch and British police put on oink.cd? just as crude.
  • Findeton, on 07/01/2008, -0/+4Here in Spain this kind of website is LEGAL. So if you want to run a bittorrent webpage, just put the server in Spain. I'm not joking.
  • and303, on 07/01/2008, -0/+10My current 2mbps Cloverfield 1080p download says that they didn't dismantle *****.
  • sevenalive, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1Hmm don't torrents lower the crime rate? Think about it, with piracy at an all time high, shoplifting and theft have to be lower than usual. If you can pirate it, i think people will choose that alternative then the latter.
    • vexingmodstwo, on 07/01/2008, -1/+1How would that change the crime rate when the piracy is a crime?
      • JibberGeorge, on 07/01/2008, -0/+4he (obviously) meant physical crimes like crimes that involve you leaving your home and actually going on to a premises and sticking a gun in someone's face.
      • vexingmodstwo, on 07/01/2008, -1/+1And he thinks piracy reduces this? Is he stoned?
      • Dauntless1, on 07/01/2008, -0/+0Yeah, the crimes it took work to do.
  • Pronoiac, on 07/01/2008, -8/+5Wow...you know that's what the ***** FBI warnings that you see on CDs and movies are for. It doesn't mean

    "Don't illegally download...just kidding lol.
    -The FBI XOXOXO"

    You don't get things for free that cost money to produce. Justify it all you want, you're still a criminal and a thief.
    • Seaniccus, on 07/01/2008, -1/+5I don't get why so many people don't get this.

      Downloading media you have not paid for violates the owners copywrite. You have now participated in copywrite infringement, and have broken the law. You are now a criminal. Sometimes criminals get caught, and are punished for breaking the law. Is this a surprise?
      • Dauntless1, on 07/01/2008, -0/+2Yes. They think the internet is a license to do what they damn well please, as they can't get caught.
      • bluekross, on 07/01/2008, -0/+2The internet is a tool, and when used correctly, it can in-fact be used for just about anything.

        It's like the difference between a professional Photoshop user, and some n00b that pirated it, and doesn't know how to use it.
      • reformation, on 07/02/2008, -0/+0The photoshop analogy is exactly right. You don't hear professional users complaining about the price, it is a legitimate expense and the cost will easily be recouped if you actually need it for your work. However thousands of idiots steal it every day because they believe they have some kind of right to it.
        This is despite the fact there are free alternatives (like Gimp) or even a cheaper version (Elements).
  • stlredbird, on 07/01/2008, -1/+5Your tax dollars at work.
  • Redzin, on 07/01/2008, -2/+1To all you who's going "What freedom is bit-torrent sites protecting?! The freedom to steal?"

    Before the internet became mainstream, the only way to distribute music globally was through CD's and other physical mediums, which had a production expense that needed to be covered (and they had to make some revenue as well, ofcourse). With the introduction of internet to the vast majority of the western world however, that expense has practically vanished. What this means is that the recording industry isn't needed anymore. The problem they solved was the "distribution problem", which quite frankly just doesn't exist anymore, yet they try to force their old model on to people.

    So what freedom is BitTorrent sites protecting (or at least supporting)? The freedom of culture.


    (This post is mostly refering to music... movies are a bit different, they have higher expenses, etc, etc.).
    • vexingmodstwo, on 07/01/2008, -1/+2I'm sorry, but the article above is about a movie which was stolen and then put on a torrent site. It isn't about the other perfectly legal things they had on their torrent site.
      • Redzin, on 07/01/2008, -2/+1Yes, but a lot of comments were refering to piracy as being inherently bad, which is not the case. As I said, it's a bit different with movies, although piracy isn't all that bad with movies either. It certainly doesn't reduce the box office income of cinemas, quite the opposite if anything. The income they used to get from DVD's could be covered by having an ad-driven torrent tracker, or even just a streaming service.
      • vexingmodstwo, on 07/01/2008, -1/+3The fact that piracy doesn't seem to impact revenue does not make it "right". Sorry. It is still violating the rights of the people who produced the material. Period.

        Should the movie industry adopt the new distribution model? I think so. But that's their choice and if they don't do it, no matter how much you don't like it, piracy is violating their rights and is a crime.
    • cliffski, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1keep telling yourself that ***** as you take other peoples hard work for free kiddo
      • Darkone253, on 07/01/2008, -1/+1Keep thinking its stealing, you old *****.
    • reformation, on 07/02/2008, -0/+0More of the same crap - look, there loads of ways you can listen to music legally, without breaking any copyright. Last.fm, pandora, myspace - you know them all.
      Or you could buy from a site like emusic

      But you still CHOOSE to STEAL.
  • momonami, on 07/01/2008, -2/+0lol what would be the need for gonverment, fbi, cia and police if there was no crime, thats why the gonverment and cops fbi create crime to keep there jobs and power secure in the world. Cause the truth is if there was no crime then they would be powerless and jobless. The reason they angry is cause nobody is stealing cds/dvds from walmart no more they torrenting. So they make less money sinc ethey not catching no bad guys.
    • vexingmodstwo, on 07/01/2008, -0/+2Wow... You have absolutely no clue.. about anything, apparently.
    • Dauntless1, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1? Was there a sentence in there?
  • RealHyperX, on 07/01/2008, -2/+3***** libtards running hollywood is who is causing this *****...
  • MooNinja, on 07/01/2008, -1/+4Seemed like a typical case of someone doing something illegal, and getting caught. I doesn't matter how effective the law is, just that there is a law. You can't believe, honestly, that you can host a Bittorrent site, leak movies, and not get police involved eventually. This screams of kids crying because they got caught with their hands in the cookie jar.
    • Darkone253, on 07/01/2008, -1/+1God you are an idiot. Lmao. Your comment screams, "I don't know jack ***** about the fight against current copyright law!"
      • cyberskier, on 07/01/2008, -0/+1And your comment shows you never learned the old nugget, "biting the hand that feeds you." You want PC developers to say "screw this, I'll just make it for consoles"? Look at all the game devs who have gone under. With Crysis selling 1 copy for every 20 pirated . . . sheez. Would all those stolen copies have been sales? No, but I'm sure it would have sold tons more. I'm a gamer who is sick of the dwindling # of PC games because of these kiddies who think folks should toil for years making free games for them.
      • MooNinja, on 07/02/2008, -0/+1Please enlighten me as to how it would be legal to leak, and spread someone's IP, with out their consent, and with out it even being released yet ? While, I do think the RIAA, and MPAA are going about their witch hunt the wrong way, I don't believe in rampant piracy, with the witch hunt as a means to justify theft.

        The people getting hurt with Piracy, are those whom want more PC games. While there has been a decided decline in the quality of those PC games, that probably has to do with the fact that companies aren't willing to invest as much into them, just to see them up as torrents a week before they are released.

        Man, I wish I could remember when I was so young, and naive.
  • weside, on 07/01/2008, -5/+4Go FBI/RIAA/MPAA! Prosecute the criminals!
  • anysillyname, on 07/01/2008, -4/+0Hello, why are you digging a story that is 3 years old
  • Darkone253, on 07/01/2008, -0/+3Everybody keep up the good pirate work.

    Meeting adjourned.
  •  

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