New legislation known as Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property or Pro-IP is a new addition for pirates to overcome with stiffer penalties and of course more problems for piracy advocates and promoters. The move is to fight large scale counterfeiting operations that has been plaguing music, video and software industries for quite sometime. The law, if passed would bolster the teeth of Federal agencies in their never-ending quest to fight these counterfeiting operations. There were however some concerns with abuse of the said law should it pass but it is still in the works and deliberations are underway and there is still a quite fluid context as the law is discusses and refined. The actual bill is quite extensive and is available online fro the Library of Congress as H.R.4279.IH, H.R.4279.RH and H.R.4279.EH.
Provisions of the law requires that people who are to be accused should be proven in court beyond reasonable doubt of “substantial connection” with the crime and holds penalties of up to $150,000.00 per song. The new law also allows Federal authorities to seize property from counterfeiters. It also encompasses the whole world where specific rules are to be included attuned to local laws. It’s already under discussion in the House and if it passes would be passed onto the Senate for further deliberation and if all goes well, subsequent approval and ratification as a law.

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YouTube is considered to be one of the best sites for sharing stuff on the web such as video, Music video and video logs or simply blogs in video format. From humble beginnings in 2005, when the company was conceptualized by three former employees of Pay Pal it is now considered to be the best way to share video on the world theater. The final deal came when Google purchased the rights for the company to the tune of more than 1.5Billion US dollars worth of Google Inc’s stocks.

Media as a whole loved the free spirited approach of YouTube without the hassles of multi-million dollar advertising deals and many other legal stuff that comes with it. Though many treat it as a place where they can say or show anything, well think again. YouTube follows the rulings and provisions of the United States Copyright law and do take out materials that are categorized to have broken these said laws. Nudity and vulgar content is also un-allowed and they are removed from the site accordingly.

The control and freedom have to be balanced and the site has to ensure that the rights of all are protected whatever side they may be on. They are always open to new stuff that can be shared to the worlds billions upon billions of users who visit and upload stuff they deem necessary. The legal side of YouTube is that many people who are directly affected by the said site, celebrities remain very much divided on the said site and how it works. Marketing people love the site for they use it in a form or another to promote stuff they normally spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars in ad fees and many other costs associated with it. The Legal advisors on the other hand hate it due to the proliferation of pirated stuff on the site which cannot be taken out of circulation on time. Recently, the company allowed Media companies to ban their stuff and pull them from the gallery without prior approval from the owners or the company.

So what do we expect for the future of YouTube, well like all things that start out to be free and un-regulated it will mature into a site that satisfies most of the parties involved. So future moves by the site might mean more strict controls and other measures to filter out stuff automatically but there will always be detractors as with any other issue.

Tags: copyright-infringement, Copyright-Protection, Free-Video, legal-issues, youtube

Categories: Downloading Legally, Freeware, Photo Images, Podcasts, Providers, Site News, Videos

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Whether we admit it or not, if we can get away with getting shared codes like serial numbers and cracks for certain software that include operating systems and security software, we will grab it. This is no doubt a form of piracy, but how would the authorities crack the whip on them if they are available on the web?

Such has been the everyday issue that software manufacturers try to get around. No doubt that hackers and code breakers have made this as part of their daily living. Sharing is one thing but using them will evidently get people into trouble, especially people who search for these usual cracks and codes usually posted anywhere on the web today.

One thing that is certain, sites that house these serial codes and cracks are usually harmful sites to any computer. Trojans, spyware and malicious software that can contaminate computer browsers and workstations are a given. If it is any consolation, this is one thing that freeloaders have to deal with.

Technorati Tags: cracks, codes, serial, hackers

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People exposed to the web have an inkling of an idea as to the benefits, secrets and things to be avoided. Among the bare necessities would be to determine what files, the necessary software and what websites to avoid, especially if they pose a threat towards any workstations.

It is no secret that the web offers people a lot of things, including applications and files that are essential to work and education. While some can be specific and to the point, caution with regards to reliance on them must be exercised at all times. For one thing, these sites that offer the answer to the needs of any visitor may carry with it potential threats that can become more of a problem rather than a solution.

Cracked or hacked software are too good to be true. In most cases, they should be put under suspicion and this is only normal. Nothing in the world is free and if the computer is not the first victim of it all, the user may eventually become the target, not just Internet issues but legal issues as well.

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BitTorrents, a new way of being able to download large files such as movies, music and applications have been put on the spot recently, something that is caught in between the active fight against piracy and copyright policies in the world today.

Free peer to peer file distribution protocol software available over the web created by Bram Cohen, BitTorrents are now being classified on whether they are illegal or not. For what its worth, sharing files over the web in the same manner which Malware risk software such as Bearshare and Limewire, BitTorrent is acclaimed to be a lot safer since transferred files can be scanned and previewed prior to actual completion.

A large chunk of files that are being downloaded in this manner include cam shots and actual DVD quality files over the web. People can practically leave their computer on and proceed with what they are doing while downloads are in progress. The speed of such downloads would depend on the number of sharing peers present and of course the speed or bandwidth to which the transfer rate depends largely.

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For most mobile phone users, securing the latest popular applications, games, images, tones or wallpapers will usually be the first thing in the mindset of all gadget conscious consumers. It seems that the search for free downloading files for the mobile phones of today is among the hot search commodities on Google and Yahoo.

Question is, are they legal? The copyrights issue is sure to crop up somewhere along the way. Ideally, when a person would look for them, chances are there are either forms of payment required or they are simple link farms that would waste a person’s time.

If the legal aspect is concerned, money required to pay for copyrighted download files is the legal way. However, hard-headed as people may seem, the search for the freebies will always be at the top of their minds. But in most cases, these freebies are usually either low in quality or are not even close to the standard levels that most mobile phone users would be expecting.

Technorati Tags: ringtones, images, wall papers, mobile applications, cellphones

Categories: Downloading Legally, Mobile Phones, Polyphonics, Ringtones, Site News

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If you’ve ever thought of downloading music or videos illegaly, please think twice. The RIAA are really out on a witch hunt and they don’t care who gets hit. Even the deceased are not safe.

Take for example the case of Elektra vs. Santangelo. The case against Patricia Santangelo was dropped yesterday by the five companies that sued her. As Judge Collen MacMahon so eloquently put it, Santangelo is an “Internet-illiterate parent, who does not know Kazaa from kazoo.” The motion filed though was to dismiss the case without prejudice, meaning that they can sue her again.

The sad part is that the reason that they dropped the charges against her is that they now have testimony from her daughter Michelle, who is now 20, and her son, Robert, aged 16, that they did download and share files with friends online 4 years ago. These testimony were given on behalf of their mom to prove her innocence and these are now being used against them.

Patricia Santangelo asks, why punish the downloaders? Shouldn’t the people who made the item available for download be the one punished? Some people really wouldn’t know if they were downloading from an illegal source.

The answer: just like with drugs, the punishment is for bith the pusher and the user. If you can’t distinguish between a legal download and pirating digital content, better stick to buying the CD from a record shop instead. Ignorance will not protect you from the law.

Technorati Tags: law, piracy, RIAA, case dismissed, music, sharing files, peer to peer, Kazaa

Categories: Downloading Legally, Music, Site News, Videos

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If you go shopping, it makes perfect sense to go to a place where you can get almost everything. While it can be fun to go to hundreds of shops it can also be tiring and time consuming. It is no different if you shop online or the old fashioned way.

A good place to go is Tesco.com. You can find the latest songs for download. The music available for download is quite extensive and new music is the first thing you see when you open the page. You’ll also see the best selling albums as well as the top selling downloads. You can listen to a sample of the tune to help you ensure that you’re about to buy the song you want.

Tunes are available at 79p each. The whole album is available at £ 7.99. These are pretty reasonable prices and you won’t have to worry about the legality of your music or your source. Everything here is definitely above board. No pirates to be found here!

The site is intended to work with windows so if you want to be able to make all the features work, you’d better view the site using internet explorer. Do note though that the music here is not meant for use with iPods.

Aside from music, you can also do your grocery from this site. You can go shopping for gifts, mobile phones and you can even buy or rent movies. They will deliver everything you buy to your doorstep.

Technorati Tags: download, music, shopping

Categories: Downloading Legally, Music, Site News

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The downloading of the latest movie challenge has been won, not by the expected champion - Apple Computers, Inc. - but by Amazon. The tortoise has stolen a march on the hare, just when it looked like Apple would be pulling off another worldwide first.

Amazon calls their download service “Amazon Unboxed“. The service allows any shopper to download from the Amazon Video Collection. With titles from over 30 movie and TV production companies, that is a lot to choose from and we aren’t talking about old films that no one can remember either.

Downloading is pretty easy if time consuming. PC world reports it took about 3 hours and 40 minutes to download 1 film. Still, if you are willing to take the time, it is a faster and more convenient way to get the newest blockbusters.

Unfortunately, Amazon Unboxed only works with windows. Sorry, Mac users, you’ll need to wait for Apple’s service. Also, you need to make sure that you have windows XP since apparently Unboxed videos don’t work with older versions of windows.

You will need to download Amazon Unbox’s Video Player. You can only get it if you register with Amazon’s service which means they’ll be getting your credit card details immediately. You do not get charged for registering though.

One piece of good news Amazon has shared is that you can download the video on more than 1 PC or handheld device. They actually anticipated the consumers need to copy the video onto a handheld device or maybe another PC with better display capabilities. Currently you can use
the following handheld devices with the service:

* Creative Zen Vision: M
* Creative Zen Vision
* Toshiba Gigabeat S
* Archos AV 500
* Archos AV 700
* iRiver PMC (Portable Media Center)

Enjoy the selection of Amazon which includes Failure to Launch, the CSI season finales and all 79 Star Trek episodes from the original series.

Categories: Downloading Legally, Freeware, Site News, Videos, ipods

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If you are new to downloading and are looking for a good place to download stuff, one of the best places to go is download.com. They are a safe and secure place to get freeware, shareware and adware. Not to mention that they are usually up to date on the latest software that computer users love.

They have almost everything! They have games of all sorts as well as music. They have software so that you can watch the latest videos in whatever format they came out (DVD,DIVX,MPEG4). Need business software? They have those too.

Why do people love download.com? This is the central depot for the latest downloadable items on the net. Download.com understands that you have a busy life and may not have the time to read the latest developments in technology. So they bring the news easily to you.

If you find something you like, you get a chance to download it. Some items are absolutely free and the creators thank you for choosing their product. Others are the trial versions. These are great because you get to decide if the software works for you without your having to pay for a piece of programming that does not suit your needs.

If you find that you do want to keep it beyond the trial period, you can easily acquire it. Download.com will bring you direct to the site where you can buy it. Everything is simple and easy. No rocket science involved.

So want to get started downloading? This is the start of the board.

Technorati Tags: downloading, legal downloads, cnet, freeware, shareware, adware, technology

Categories: Downloading Legally, Freeware, Music, Resources, Site News

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