TV-LINKS.CO.UK shut down (yet again)

If cheap atenolol from uk the strain of C. auris is resistant to all types buy lumigan of antifungals, doctors may use high doses of multiple antifungal buy cheap xalatan online drugs to treat the infection. Treatment for stress incontinence aims tetracycline for sale to improve quality of life and reduce the severity of alesse (ovral l) for order urine leaks. Some people with ADHD also experience difficulties with cipro no rx working memory, or short-term memory, which can make it easier mirapex online to forget things. You should always consult your doctor or buy cheap quinine another healthcare professional before taking any medication. A person should advair canada consult a physician and be sure to account for their buy clindamycin online australia specific health status and goals before taking up any restrictive diet..

Seasoned fans may know that this site has been shutdown before… but it just got shutdown again, and its owner raided and arrested:

Probably the most popular video streaming site around has been busted by UK authorities.

It’s a sad day for streaming video fans everywhere as news has been reported that TVLinks has been shut down and the owner, a 26yo man from Chelteham in the UK, was arrested.

Though not hosting an actual content himself, and rather merely providing links to where particular titles can be found, he was nonetheless apparently charged for the "facilitation" of copyright infringement.

"Sites such as TV Links contribute to and profit from copyright infringement by identifying, posting, organizing, and indexing links to infringing content found on the internet that users can then view on demand by visiting these illegal sites," said a spokesman for Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) today.

What makes the charges so odd is that he was again, only providing LINKS to pirated content, and never actually hosted anything. Can linking really be considered "facilitation?" If I link to TVLinks am I then a co-conspirator?

Here’s the TVLinks disclaimer:

TV Links is not responsible for any content linked to or referred to from these pages.

TV Links does not host any content on our Servers

All video links point to content hosted on third party webites. Users who upload to these websites agree not to upload illegal content when creating their user accounts. TV Links does not accept responsibility for content hosted on third party websites.

The notion of making linking a crime is ridiculous and completely out of line. How would anybody be able to discuss controversial sites or content if they first had to ensure the legality of the destination? Would we have to make it so that links were simply spelled out and not HTML capable(www.tvlinks.co.uk vs TVLinks)? Maybe this is the answer because I think then it could fall under the category of speech. Furthermore, it really shows that Google is getting away with bloody murder via sites like YouTube and Google Video.

FACT goes on to revisit the same old diatribe about how piracy is stealing food from form the tables of people who work in the film industry, but with guys like Brad Pitt reportedly getting $20million bucks to make trash like "Babel" who’s really robbing who? Couldn’t Pitt be paid a little less, say $15 million, and leave that other 5 for the "starving" film crew? I guess not

"The theft and distribution of films harms the livelihoods of those working in the UK film industry and in ancillary industries, as well as damaging the economy," said FACT’s director general Kieron Sharp.

What’s even more surprising is that the move was part of an overall strategy to crack down on piracy, though all it does is target a middleman who tells you where to go. More importantly, will its demise really compel people to find content legally or to suddenly run down to their local cinema? I think not, and all it means, as is usually the case with piracy, is that people will just go elsewhere.

Either way R.I.P. TVLinks, it was nice while it lasted. Maybe once again we have a case where Sweden’s the only answer. [via]

Here’s what some of the intelligent bloggers have to say:

This is just stupid. Earlier said, paying $30 just to get in the freakina€™ door is ridiculous - so is paying $20 dollars for a DVD. I have a Netflix account, and thata€™s great for old movies and some new ones, but I must say it is easier and far more practical to view it online for free.

The foundation of the US is freedom - well, ita€™s bullshit like DCMA and the MPAA that are contributing to the fall of democracy as we know it - Comcast, a very popular ISP in the US was found a€favoringa€™ upload and download speeds for certain websites.

The Internet is nothing but numbers and wiring, and was developed for the fast and efficient sharing of files (P2P anyone?) among professors. It has now grown to one of the leading industries of our day, and Ia€™m damn proud to be in on it. But every time I set up a new site, for example a Halo based browser game - Microsoft just beefed up their copyright rules, and I have to post a whole paragraph in every footer, and as a designer makes me want to stop designing period. Ia€™m only 15, and yet they have loopholes to send me to federal prison for not following copyright law.

And thata€™s my 2 Cents worth.

annnnd…. the not so intelligent:

man this sucks, godamn right wing conservative butt pirates first they decide to make our beloved magic mushrooms illegal now they want to shut down a harmless site like tv links, our freedom is at stake!!! [both via]

it’s all the same though, right? Show some solidarity my ninjas and start your own tv-links!

email

Post to Twitter Post to Facebook

Posted: October 22nd, 2007
at 2:38am by Black Ock


Categories: computers,crime,not ninja-worthy,real life news

Comments: 9 comments



 

Leave a Reply