Law-Forums.org

[starling]

I recently got my browser blocked by road runner which is time warner cable. Time Warner is my ISP and they blocked my browser because of a copyright infringement notice. I had to click (I am aware of this issue and will take steps to resolve it.) to regain access to my internet. Is this just to scare people into stopping p2p file sharing or is it a real warning? I know that they have the right to and that in the letter they stated how it was illegal and blah blah blah. But has anyone really gotten their service canceled because of this? Or do i have to use a proxy server and be more careful...no rants about how this is wrong and i am stealing. I just want to know if anyone has actually had their service cancelled or had something happen other than warning because I doubt they are going to bring you into court, even though they can. There is barely any evidence and millions other who do it as well, so...
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Here is the letter:


Dear Subscriber:

This notice is being sent to you by Road Runner Customer Care because we have received a
complaint that your computer has been used to distribute copyrighted material without authorization
through a peer-to-peer program. A copy of the complaint is attached below,and a more detailed
version containing information about the specific copyrighted file(s) has been emailed to you.

Please direct any relevant questions or concerns to the contact in the attached message.
Distribution of copyrighted material in this fashion may violate both copyright laws and Road
Runner’s terms of service.

Thank you for subscribing to Road Runner.

Very truly yours,

Road Runner Customer Care

FOLLOWING IS THE COMPLAINT FROM THE COPYRIGHT OWNER (OR ITS AGENT):

You are being contacted on behalf of the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA)* and
one or more of its member companies. You are receiving this notice because your Internet account
was identified as having been used recently to copy illegally and/or distribute the copyrighted
movies and/or television shows listed at the bottom of this letter. This notice provides you with
the information you need in order to take immediate action that can prevent serious legal and other
consequences. These actions include:

1. Stop downloading or uploading any film or TV shows owned or distributed by any MPAA member
studio or its affiliates without authorization; and

2. Permanently delete from your computer(s) all unauthorized copies you may have already made of
these movies and TV shows.

The illegal downloading and distribution of copyrighted works are serious offenses that carry with
them the risk of substantial monetary damages and, in some cases, criminal prosecution.

Copyright infringement also violates your Internet Service Provider’s terms of service and could
lead to limitation or suspension of your Internet service.

An MPAA website, www.respectcopyrights.org, offers step-by-step instructions to ensure that your
Internet account is not being used to violate the copyright laws. The site also can point you to
an array of legal choices for enjoying movies and TV shows online. You can also learn there how
movie theft damages our economy and costs thousands of Americans their jobs.

If, after visiting www.respectcopyrights.org you still have questions, or if you believe you have
received this notice in error, you may contact the MPAA by email at [email protected] or
by calling 818-935-5860. In your voicemail or the subject line of your email, please cite the
Reference ID which can be found in the email sent to your RR account. You should take immediate
action to prevent your Internet account from being used for illegal activities and to enjoy movies
and TV programs legally.

Sincerely,

Motion Picture Association of America

* This letter is not a complete statement of the copyright owners’ rights in connection with this
matter, and nothing contained herein constitutes an express or implied waiver of any rights,
remedies or defense of the copyright owners, all of which are expressly reserved. MPAA members
include: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures; Paramount Pictures Corporation; Sony Pictures
Entertainment Inc.; Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation; Universal City Studios LLP; and Warner
Bros. Entertainment Inc.

[tupac]

D00d; they are fining people and cancelling service for people every day for illegal download.

[cruz50]

Yes, they're serious. This is part of a new initiative by the MPAA and other media organizations, ISP's, and the federal government in what was previously called a "tiered response" in that it starts with letters such as the one you received. If the violations continue, there may be other letters and the ISP will begin throttling your Internet connection until eventually it's shut down completely. That's also assuming you haven't been brought to court by then.

[chay]

Do you think you are immune from the law? You have been caught stealing. What do you not understand? You are liable to lose a lot more than your Internet connection as you could lose a lot of money in fines and/or your freedom if you are imprisoned and/or your computer equipment can be seized.

[tanishia]

Perhaps you should research copyright as it seems obvious you don't take it seriously.
So if you made a movie or created a game - and you had to sell lots of them to actually get the money to create the next one - would you really be happy about a horde of selfish immature teens simply stealing your creation instead of paying for it?

[mads]

Please understand that I am going to answer the question without giving my personal opinions / views about the matter. Time Warner in this case is obviously getting some heat from the MPAA. The fines that they (Time Warner) COULD receive as a result of a subscriber downloading materials that the MPAA deems to be illegal are not worth the profit that is being received from your monthly subscription. In theory a proxy would work… but if for any reason Time Warner suspects that you are still participating in the same activity they could start “sniffing” around (please excuse the pun).

The pun being that time warner could use a packet sniffer (depending on your terms of service agreement) to see what you are transferring. Heavy bandwidth usage, strange port numbers, etc… could lead them to some type of investigation.

People seem to think that ISP’s don’t know anything about technology and that something t like a proxy that has been around and is really common knowledge is a foreign concept to them. The rep that you get on the phone when your connection goes down IS NOT a representation of the people that support the infrastructure.

My advice… don’t protest it... you will only raise flags. Fly under the radar for a while (if you really have a desire to continue using P2P, for whatever reason you might have)… have a backup ISP planned. When you become a high enough risk... they will disconnect your service.

Again I will restate that I am NOT giving any type of legal, ethical, or moral advice about this topic.