I guess whatever happened on Download Day in France did not do much to sway the government officials in the country. Last Thursday, April 2, the anti-piracy bill was approved by the authorities. This bill, as I previously mentioned in another post, will cut off the Internet access of those who are caught illegal downloaders. Obviously, the bill has the support of artists but has been opposed vehemently by consumer groups.
AFP has the story:
Deputies from the ruling UMP party voted to adopt the contested measure, overriding a challenge from the Socialist opposition which called it “an assault on public and individual liberties.”
Lawmakers earlier voted unanimously however to strike out a provision that would have forced banned users to keep paying their Internet subscription fees.
Once approved article by article, the entire bill will be submitted to the National Assembly for a vote.
On the one hand, there is some good news for those who download illegally. One, if someone gets caught, he will not have to continue paying for his Internet as it is already cut off. While that makes perfect sense, that is a much better alternative than having to continue paying for the service even when it has been cut, right? Two, the bill still has to be reviewed and voted on. Knowing how governments work, this could take months.
Well what can I say? They should have seen this coming. After all, illegal downloading is illegal, no ifs or buts about it. There are many other options out there which do not break the law anyway.
Categories: Site News
If you live in France, or if you have the dough to travel all the way over there, make it a point to be at the Arc de triomphe du Carrousel near the Louvre on March 28 –two days from now! This day is going to go down in the history books as Download Day.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why it is called such. This event has been organized to protest a new law in the country. Obviously, the law is all about NOT downloading illegally. It threatens – and strongly – to “cut off” those who are caught downloading media illegally. This law is being put to vote in the National Assembly right now.
The organizers behind Download Day are encouraging people to participate by coming to one of the four locations in France. If you do plan on going, you should bring along:
Rare work such as a hard-to-find film or piece of music “that they want to keep in the public memory” and other pieces available through a creative commons licence.
The files can be brought on CD, DVD, or usb stick and will be uploaded on to peer-to-peer file exchange sites.
Other cities included in the event are Marseille, Toulouse, and Lyon. For more information, you can also visit the web site and the Twitter link. Everything is in French, however, so you might need a translator to do the work for you.
Last thoughts – this blog is all about LEGAL downloading, true. Still, I cannot overlook such an activity as this. It’s worth taking note of, right?
Categories: Random Thoughts
While countless people download files illegally in the United States, it is common knowledge that some of the best hackers are located somewhere in Europe. Ask any file sharing enthusiast and they will name their favorite hacker, probably someone in Europe. And that is why the telecommunications sector in the European Union is gearing up its campaign to encourage legal downloading.
PC World recently featured this issue and this is what they had to say:
ETNO, the European Telecommunications Network Operators Association, launched a Web site Monday designed to raise awareness about the music, movies and TV programs legally offered online through its members, Europe’s largest telecom providers.
The aim is to reduce the amount of illegal downloading of content online, and comes as European lawmakers consider pleas from the record industry and Hollywood movie studios to clamp down harder on the practice.
Naturally, those who are producing legal material are not satisfied with these efforts. They want their money, and they want it fast. Some countries in the EU have taken more drastic measures against those who engage in illegal downloading. Take the example of France. They “have taken a more draconian approach to online copyright abuse by threatening to ban illegal file sharers from the Internet with the so-called three strikes and you are out rule.”
We shall see how this new move by ETNO will affect downloading – both the legal and illegal. In my mind, I think that they have to go further than creating awareness. What do you think?
Categories: Downloading Legally
YouTube has risen to the top of streaming video; this and the fact that anyone can make a video and publish it on YouTube. I am sure there are so many other reasons for YouTube’s success but I am sure that one of them is because people do NOT have to pay to use the service.
But what of this piece of news that has been making people go “really?” I heard from so many people from different places that YouTube is NOT going to be free anymore. YouTube is going to be a paid service. Oh no, it’s the end of the world!
Of course, the untrusting person in me just would not take these people’s words for the truth – I had to look it up myself and voila, I was right. They were all overreacting.
There is indeed truth to the news that YouTube will have a paid service but this is not the entirety. In fact, YouTube is currently only TESTING the paid service. The idea is for users to be able to download content in high resolution MP4 format for a fee. Part of this fee will go to the creator of the video. And since YouTube is part of Google now, you can pay for the downloads through Google Checkout.
Again, take note that this does NOT mean that you cannot watch videos for free anymore. It just means that if you want a copy for yourself, you have to pay for it. Fair enough, don’t you think?
Categories: Downloading Legally, Music, Paid Service, Site News, Videos
I hadn’t realized just how busy I had become until I heard people talking about watching the latest TV series the night before. Although I was – and am – aware of the shows that many people are talking about, I noticed one big difference. They watched the shows on primetime television while I watched them during the weekend.
All I can say is thank goodness for being able to download TV series. I may be an episode or two behind – I may even be a season behind! – but at least, I can still fit some TV in my crazy schedule.
Speaking of downloading TV shows, have you heard? NBC Direct has been relaunched. For those who are unsure as to what I am talking about, NBC Direct is the video download service of the station of the same name. This service has actually been around for years but has not really taken off due to one issue or another. Perhaps there are just other better services out there.
This time around, though, it seems that NBC has placed a lot of effort into the relaunch – the third, if I am not mistaken – of NBC Direct and it just might take off. The Download Squad cites two main reasons why this is so:
1. You can watch videos while you’re not connected to the internet
2. Videos are available in high definition
Indeed, being to watch videos offline after you have downloaded them is one of the most important things to many viewers. More so, with all the emphasis placed on high def, being able to watch shows in high def for free just tops all other services. Visit NBC Direct here.
Categories: Downloading Legally, TV Shows, Videos
As if there were not enough deterrents for many people to download legally over the Internet! Now I hear talk of actually taxing people over downloads! This is coming from the governor of New York, David Paterson. His spokesman has released statements to the effect that the governor’s proposal would entail applying four percent tax on any download. This means that if the proposal is approved, New Yorkers can expect to pay four percent tax on anything ranging from music, books, software, and video.
Obviously, I am not in agreement with this kind of proposal. We already know how a large number of people are avoiding having to pay for downloads by doing so through illegal means. Imposing a levy on legal downloads would only add to the financial burden of those who are already in a bad way.
So what is the rationale behind this proposal? New York is not the only state that is facing a deficit in budget. The governor’s office is looking to the four percent download tax as a possible means of lessening that deficit. While the tax may not totally get rid of the deficit, it just might close the gap.
However, the business sector is saying that this move might not work out as planned. Some people are saying that the hardest hit area would probably be pornographic downloads. This would in turn, result in businesses moving away from New York.
Business sense aside, all I am saying is that New Yorkers will not be very happy with having to pay four percent on anything they download.
Categories: Downloading Legally, Random Thoughts, Site News
Blogging is the most prevalent manifestation of the social phenomenon on the internet to date and it keeps on growing each and everyday. Being ever so popular, it has become the next step for unscrupulous malware makers who aim to get at the most computers, mobile devices and just about anything connected to the internet as a means of spreading their handiwork. Many people still fail to recognize the true value of intrusion prevention systems till they get their credit card information stolen and used for fraudulent purchases and more. We hear sad stories of such incidents everyday which could have been avoided with simple and even free software embedded within the many operating systems being used to access the internet. Firewalls, anti-viruses and other software have the ability to protect your privacy when you connect to the internet. Researchers have established that the longest time a computer connected to the internet has is fifteen minutes before malware gets in and wreaks havoc within. People should recognize the gravity of the situation that the internet is a public place and that any information contained within a computer connected to it is fair game left unprotected. There are a lot of free/shareware versions of intrusion protection software out on the net, and it only takes a few minutes to install so why wait. Your privacy is you, and you are always a target on the dangerous realm of the internet.
Tags: Anti-Virus, blogging, Firewalls, Intrusion Prevention, Malware
Categories: Downloading Legally, Resources
Getting a new mobile phone presents a lot of new opportunities. This is especially true with the new smart phones you can get for cheap in the market today. Last week, I got myself a Nokia E63 – the “younger brother” of the Nokia E71 – and have since then been searching high and low for applications that I can install.
In my search, I ran across a very useful site that seems to be authorized by Nokia itself. Dubbed Mosh, the web site is full all sorts of apps that you can download legally to your Nokia mobile device. There are several things about Mosh that I really like.
One, it is totally free. The content offered in the web site can be downloaded without having to pay for anything. You just need to register to be able to download the applications. I think that it might even be possible to download stuff without having to register but I didn’t try that route.
Two, the content is totally safe. This is one of the things that the site prides itself on. The content is regulated and checked to make sure that what you download is virus free and safe for the users.
Three, you can add to the content by uploading to the site. There is already tons of content in Mosh – from themes to widgets to games to audio to graphics. And if you have got more to share, you just need to upload and let others enjoy what you have.
Categories: Downloading Legally, Mobile Phones
Downloading is so much fun, isn’t it? The fun stops, though, when you suddenly get hit by a worm or a Trojan – then the trouble begins. And this is exactly what happened to the thousands and thousands of people who downloaded the pirated version of iWork last week. I am sure that you heard about that not so little brouhaha. Download.com has the story:
Internet security firm Intego said on Thursday that it has discovered a new Trojan horse in pirated copies of Apple’s iWork ‘09 productivity software that could allow an attacker to take control of the infected computer.
The Trojan horse, OSX.Trojan.iServices.A, discovered circulating in copies of the software on BitTorrent trackers and other pirate sites, is rated serious, according to Intego’s security alert.
When iWork is installed, the Trojan is installed as a start-up item as a part of iWorkServices. It has read-write-execute permissions for root control of the computer, Intego said. The malware connects to a remote server over the Internet and may download additional components to the infected computer.
As of early Thursday, at least 20,000 people shad downloaded the iWork ‘09 installer, according to Intego.
That is the not the end of the story, though. There is another type of malware that has been going around targeting Macs. And people have NOT learned. About 5,000 downloads so far.
Moral of the story? Do not download pirated software. It is as simple as that. And if you still want to, then take the risk.
Categories: Downloading Legally, Random Thoughts
For Apple lovers, everything that the company does is perfect. Even though there are some flaws in their products, there is always an excuse to overlook these flaws. When it comes to DRM and the music they sell on iTunes, it is a bit hard to overlook the restrictions that apply.
With the New Year comes good news, though. Apparently, iTunes Music Store is now doing away with DRM restrictions – at least if the users chooses to pay for the product. Wired.com featured this breaking news early this month:
Steve Jobs and three major labels have come to terms on a deal: Music will be available immediately on iTunes without DRM restrictions. Free of the limitations that currently restrict music playback to Apple products, the new plan will let consumers choose from three price levels instead of the 99-cent song model the store implemented on day one.
The announcement, made Tuesday at the last MacWorld Expo Apple will attend, ends an increasingly ridiculous war between two stubborn players. They may have thought they couldn’t live together, but they certainly couldn’t thrive apart.
In the end, each side got what it wanted in the accord — after refusing to concede for years. That means we could have got here a long time ago. Indeed, iTunes merely joins other digital music stores that have already agreed to major labels’ demands for variable pricing (Amazon, MySpace and Wal-Mart, to name a few) in offering their large music catalogs without DRM.
What do you think about this new development?
Categories: Downloading Legally, ipods
