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LazyLion

LazyLion

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http://www.zeropaid.com/news/86052/thepirategoogle-launches/

The Pirate Google Launches

The guilty verdict against The Pirate Bay has left many feeling irate. Many feel that you can pretty much do what you can do on The Pirate Bay on Google. Apparently, someone has developed a web page that does this more to prove a point than anything else.

Enter ThePirateGoogle, a website that Cory Doctorow labels as a mash up between Google and the Pirate Bay.

“The intention of this site is to demonstrate the double standard that was exemplified in the recent Pirate Bay Trial.” Writes the website creator. The creator continues, “Sites such as Google offer much the same functionality as The Pirate Bay and other Bit Torrent sites but are not targeted by media conglomerates such as the IFPI as they have the political and legal clout to defend themselves unlike these small independent sites.”

The Pirate Bay operates in a way that allows anyone to upload a torrent to the tracker. From there, through the BitTorrent protocol, they can share their files on their own computer to anyone who can find that content on a search query. By that point of view, it’s pretty easy to get the connection between that and Google - there’s only one extra step involved. Someone creates a torrent and uploads the torrent onto a tracker. Google then automatically caches the resulting page. Afterwards, anyone can type in a certain string of boolean and find that torrent file and start downloading off of the uploaders computer. The extra step, of course, being that Google is caching that file. The level of openness is pretty much identical.

The website seems to be more about proving a point rather than offering an alternative to ThePirateBay. Why can Google cache torrent file pages while ThePirateBay can’t?

Of course, such a site is already the subject of debate. Some copyright restricting supporters say that ThePirateBay only has a purpose for copyright infringement. Others point out that ThePirateBay’s mission is to bolster free speech. One of the themes one can get from the legal threats section is that ThePirateBay doesn’t host any of the files in question and that it is not illegal to provide infrastructure to search for something. Indeed, some of the lesser informed can put in a keyword into Google and conclude the internet is all about buying stuffed toys, news, gaming, or lolcats. In actuality, a given search infrastructure can be whatever it is you are looking for and one search query doesn’t necessarily overpower another on an individual basis.

Additionally, one can look at ThePirateBay and say that the website is all about downloading Linux, or Open Source content.

Still, ThePirateBay trial is far from over. In fact, many argue it’s only beginning after defence lawyers discovered that the judge was heavily involved in advocacy in restricting copyright laws. Of course, the other point to make is the fact that ThePirateBay is still online.
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Click here to try Pirate Google!

Please note: as the article says, the point of the site is not to promote piracy, but to make a point that simply indexing files is not illegal. The users are responsible for the piracy, not Google. If you get a forbidden message, just click through to Google and you would be able to download the torrents from there. It is NOT necessary to open any torrent sites, the Torrent files will download directly from the Google search page. Neither myself, or MyBB or the owners of PirateGoogle condone piracy ;) we know you can get that done all by yourself! :D

The point is... that the pirate bay is not doing anything more illegal than what Google is. It is simply an index service. They just happen to like the reputation of being pirates cos it makes the MPAA and RIAA mad! :)
 
Garyvdh said:
Please note: as the article says, the point of the site is not to promote piracy, but to make a point that simply indexing files is not illegal. The users are responsible for the piracy, not Google. If you get a forbidden message, just click through to Google and you would be able to download the torrents from there. It is NOT necessary to open any torrent sites, the Torrent files will download directly from the Google search page. Neither myself, or MyBB or the owners of PirateGoogle condone piracy ;) we know you can get that done all by yourself! :D
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I'm confused - if it's not illegal why the founders are facing a year in prison? Sure there will be appeals but as far as they are concerned isnt it - at this point - illegal?
 
Pooky said:
I love it.

EDIT: Doesn't work for me.
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Did you read what I said? If it gives you an error message, then click the link at the bottom of the error message. It will take you to the search.
 
bwana said:
I'm confused - if it's not illegal why the founders are facing a year in prison? Sure there will be appeals but as far as they are concerned isnt it - at this point - illegal?
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um, maybe they were found guilty cos the judge is not impartial and is in fact on the payroll of several copyright organisations as well as being big buddies with several of the prosecuting attorneys.... just maybe.

http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/04/25/1723222

The Circus Widens In Aftermath of Pirate Bay Verdict

... sends along an in-depth followup, from the Swedish press, of our discussion the other day about the biased trial judge in the Pirate Bay case. "The turmoil concerns Tomas Norström, the presiding judge of The Pirate Bay trial, who is suspected of bias after reports surfaced of affiliation with copyright protection organizations. For this he has been reported to the appeals court (in Swedish; translation here). The circus around the judge is currently focused on three points. First, his personal affiliation with at least four copyright protection organizations, a state the potential bias of which he himself fails to see and refuses to admit. Secondly, Swedish trials use a system of several lay assessors to supervise the presiding judge. One of these, a member of an artists' interest organization, was forced by Mr. Norström to resign from the trial for potential bias. The judge's failure to see the obvious contradiction in this (translation) casts doubts on his suitability and competence. Thirdly, according to professor of judicial sociology Håkan Hydén (translation), the judge has inappropriately 'duped and influenced the lay assessors' during the trial: 'a judge that has decided that "this is something we can't allow" has little problem finding legal arguments that are difficult for assisting lay assessors to counter.'" Click the link below to read further on Professor Hydén's enumeration of "at least three strange things in a strange trial." On a related note, reader Siker adds the factoid that membership in the Pirate Party exploded 150% in the week following the verdict. The Pirate Party now surpasses in size four smaller parties in Sweden, and is closing in on a fifth. Political fallout could ensue as soon as June, when an election for EU parliament will be held.

Professor Hydén continues with enumerating "at least three strange things in a strange trial" (translation): First, that someone can be sentenced for being accessory to a crime for which there is no main culprit: "This assumes someone else having committed the crime, and no such individual exists here... the system cannot charge the real culprits or it would collapse in its entirety." It is unprecedented in Swedish judicial history to sentence only an accessory. Second, that the accessories should pay the fine for a crime committed by the main culprits, "which causes the law to contradict itself." And third, that accessories cannot be sentenced to harsher than the main culprit, which means that every downloader must be sentenced to a year's confinement. Prof. Hydén sums up by saying that to allow this kind of judgement the Swedish Parliament must first pass a bill making this kind of services illegal, which it has not done.
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The original articles are in Swedish. But they are linked in the link above.
 
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Garyvdh said:
um, maybe they were found guilty cos the judge is not impartial and is in fact on the payroll of several copyright organisations as well as being big buddies with several of the prosecuting attorneys.... just maybe.

http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/04/25/1723222



The original articles are in Swedish. But they are linked in the link above.

Hey, you are free to believe what you want though... Nobody's blaming you for not using your own mind.
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I simply asked for your opinion but thanks for that reply.
 
Thanks Garyvdh, interesting.

Another side-theory is that if MPAA and RIAA up the conviction rate on individuals, then the individuals will go underground (as it was before), and suddenly all the people MPAA and RIAA have hired will be jobless.

i.e. The very existence of the MPAA and RIAA makes persecution of "pirates" not only necessary, but, the very lives of the MPAA and RIAA are at stake.

What I don't understand is that when I tried to open up a legal website to host downloadable content, I got absolutely no support from these organisations. Nothing at all, and the project failed in the research phase.

So, instead of making it possible to do it legally, they spend all their resources on fighting those who can be publicly seen as "Pirates".

Futility at it's worst.
 
bwana said:
I'm confused - if it's not illegal why the founders are facing a year in prison? Sure there will be appeals but as far as they are concerned isnt it - at this point - illegal?
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Yup those are my thoughts but everyone seems to think the judge is paid off or biased.
 
davemc said:
Thanks Garyvdh, interesting.

Another side-theory is that if MPAA and RIAA up the conviction rate on individuals, then the individuals will go underground (as it was before), and suddenly all the people MPAA and RIAA have hired will be jobless.

i.e. The very existence of the MPAA and RIAA makes persecution of "pirates" not only necessary, but, the very lives of the MPAA and RIAA are at stake.

What I don't understand is that when I tried to open up a legal website to host downloadable content, I got absolutely no support from these organisations. Nothing at all, and the project failed in the research phase.

So, instead of making it possible to do it legally, they spend all their resources on fighting those who can be publicly seen as "Pirates".

Futility at it's worst.
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It's worse than that. Just try and open a legal music site on the internet, and not only do you not get any help from the industry, but you are viewed with suspicion and scepticism. They think anyone who wants do distribute "their music" on the internet, is by default, a pirate.
 
killadoob said:
Yup those are my thoughts but everyone seems to think the judge is paid off or biased.
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Well, like I said before. Why don't we wait and see if the case is taken on appeal or thrown out. Then we can start making final deductions at that stage. And for the record, I am not against a guilty verdict, but only after the prosecution has been made to do their homework and prove it properly, not just on hearsay. Let's keep the legal procesess... well, legal. I think we are all agreed that the Pirate Bay assisted in the distribution of copyrighted material, that much is pretty undeniable. but it is not enough in a court of law to find somebody guilty on that basis alone. We can't start handing down guilty verdicts on the basis of "well, we all think so".
 
Garyvdh said:
It's worse than that. Just try and open a legal music site on the internet, and not only do you not get any help from the industry, but you are viewed with suspicion and scepticism. They think anyone who wants do distribute "their music" on the internet, is by default, a pirate.
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Yup, pretty much. SAMRO = EPIC FAIL. (http://www.samro.org.za/)

Anyone , please feel free to contact SAMRO and ask them for their approved process for DRM in South Africa. Try not to laugh after the fourth "What?".
 
bwana said:
I simply asked for your opinion but thanks for that reply.
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Par for the course bwana

I never said anything about you saying that about the judges, the general feeling i get from people supporting the piratebay is that the judge is on the payroll, most cannot or will not believe they have done something illegal, much like Zuma followers cept Zuma never got nailed. Most do not understand that they got nailed for hosting the .torrent files on their servers and point to google.

That site is not hosting any files exactly like google. You searched the piratebay website for your .torrent files, you did not search the internet but the website. You cannot type into google windows xp sp3 and download the .torrent fils from a google server now can you.

Google you search for links and it gives you a list from practically every website on the internet, thepiratebay you search for .torrents files on the website. Sure the torrents may not have been created by piratebay but the fact that the .torrent file is searched for and downloaded via the one site which hosts the .torrent.
 
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killadoob said:
Par for the course bwana

I never said anything about you saying that about the judges, the general feeling i get from people supporting the piratebay is that the judge is on the payroll, most cannot or will not believe they have done something illegal, much like Zuma followers cept Zuma never got nailed. Most do not understand that they got nailed for hosting the .torrent files on their servers and point to google.

I wonder if this new site will host the .torrent file or link you to torrent sites hosting them like google.
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1) see my apology to Bwana
2) I already acknowledged that they assisted in the infringement
3) The new site doesn't host anything, it only shows you Google links

But, yes... I do think the judge was on the take.
 
So by assisting they have done wrong and the verdict is the correct one and comparing thepiratebay to this new site or google is not correct because this new site and google.com do the same thing, the piratebay does something completely different.

That was the basis for the guilty verdict so in a way the judge got it 100%. Assisting someone in robbing a house makes you just as guilty, helping someone murder another person makes you an accomplice, both of which will get a guilty verdict.
 
killadoob said:
So by assisting they have done wrong and the verdict is the correct one and comparing thepiratebay to this new site or google is not correct because this new site and google.com do the same thing, the piratebay does something completely different.

That was the basis for the guilty verdict so in a way the judge got it 100%. Assisting someone in robbing a house makes you just as guilty, helping someone murder another person makes you an accomplice, both of which will get a guilty verdict.
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like I said... why don't we wait and see what happens with the court case. You can whine and repeat it as many times as you want. It is not going to make the case go any faster.

(just out of interest, do you do this at home as well? repeat yourself over and over again until your parents give in out of frustration and buy you an ice cream for supper?):D
 
No but if i can see someone who cannot see the obvious i tend to tell them over and over until it sinks in, with a few people though it never works. Just got to keep hammering the nail into thick wood i say. It will eventually sink in.
 
Garyvdh said:
The point is... that the pirate bay is not doing anything more illegal than what Google is. It is simply an index service.
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Pirate Bay is more than an indexing service, they host the .torrent files, which Google don't.
 
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