TorrentSpy Slapped with $111 Million Court Judgment

[Rob Williams]

From our front-page news:

In only what could be called an attention-getter, the MPAA lawsuit against TorrentSpy was successful, with the courts ordering the now defunct torrent-tracking site to pay $111 million, or $30,000 for each of the 3,699 infringements documented. This penalty is undoubtedly asinine, as it's very unlikely the MPAA suffered $30,000 worth of damages for each infringement.

The success of this case does send a clear message to current and upcoming torrent site owners. Screwing around with the MPAA (or the RIAA for that matter) is like skating on thin ice. Things might be fine for a while, but the big companies are not going to remain quiet forever.

It's of course unlikely that the previous owners of TorrentSpy will actually pay a dime, as it's TorrentSpy as a company that's charged, not the owners themselves. It does mean TorrentSpy will never re-open or be profitable again, however, but that was a given.

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The case, producing what is among the largest fines in copyright history, was bolstered after the MPAA allegedly paid a hacker $15,000 for internal TorrentSpy e-mails and correspondence. "This substantial money judgment sends a strong message about the illegality of these sites," MPAA Chairman Dan Glickman said in a statement.

Source: Wired
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[On_Wisconsin]

Dear MPAA/RIAA:

Give us what we want (DRM-free music, more downloadable content) at a reasonable price and this probably won't happen at a large scale.

Sincerely,
Dr. Obvious

 

[Merlin]

I just got the bit torrent downloader to get the linux files.....
I guess that's not included.
I get my music from the guys at work...who knows where they get them.

:techgage::techgage: Merlin :techgage::techgage:

 

[Rob Williams]

BitTorrent isn't illegal, it's what you download that could be illegal.

It's interesting in Canada, because it's completely legal to download anything, music, movies and beyond. From what I understand, it's illegal to download it and share, though. But for personal use, you cannot be charged with anything.

How long that will last, no one knows.